Help Fund Kalani Cecaci's Oakland Mural
Donation protected
Oakland-born artist Kalani Cecaci is leading the design and production of a new mural in Downtown Oakland. Spanning almost a full city-block, the mural on the PG+E substation at 604 Thomas L Berkley is an ode to Oakland in three panels. As a former aerosol artist who has transitioned to running a successful mural painting company, Kalani’s mural is designed to end the cycle of tagging that has haunted this location for years.
The mural’s three panels include:
- A celebration of Oakland graffiti culture, including elements painted by current graffiti artists, a gesture intended to build unity between muralist and graffiti artists.
- A man doing a trick on his quad bike. Many Oakland youth participate in this type of social activity as an alternative to harmful alternatives, with “guns down, bikes up” being a common chant
- A portrait of Conor Angus Cloud Hickey, the young Oakland-born Euphoria actor whose life ended tragically in 2023. Angus was a friend of Kalani’s and an Oakland School of the Arts (OSA) alumnus. OSA is located one block away from the mural and will be dedicating a new skate park next door as Cloud Park to further honor his legacy.
Sorrell Tsui of ABG Art Group coordinated the project and selected Kalani’s team. Previously having served as Cultural Strategist for Public Art for the City of Oakland, Sorrell has worked to train and develop artists from underserved communities to be competitive in public art.
Kalani and his team are donating two weeks of their time to paint this piece. They started on March 10th and are almost done! They deserve to be paid for the time, energy, and creativity they are giving. As a next door neighbor, I am fundraising to provide pay for the following individuals who are contributing to the piece: Kalani Cecaci, Fernando Rodriguez, Jared Ford, and others. This will supplement a grant from PG+E that has covered the cost of supplies and rentals to produce the piece.
Organizer
Liz Brisson
Organizer
Oakland, CA