Arts and Culture

USF Students Transformed by Artist’s Mission to Serve the Underserved

Published

9 years ago

July 8, 2015

Josue Rojas met acclaimed USF graffiti-style muralist Estria Miyashiro ’92 at a pivotal moment, perhaps the most pivotal moment of his life. He was surrounded by violence and hanging with the wrong crowd. Today, Rojas is an artist in his own right and just graduated with an MFA degree from Boston University.

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“Had I not met Estria when I did, I don’t know what I’d be doing now,” says Rojas, who followed his mentor’s path — paying it forward as a mentor to young people.

Rojas met Miyashiro at Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Visitors Center in San Francisco, where Miyashiro taught art and community organizing to middle and high school students after graduating from USF. Rojas is one of many that Miyashiro opened an escape hatch for.

USF artist Estria Miyashiro ’92 with USF student.

“Time and time again, alongside Estria, I’ve seen young people abandon the identity of ‘thug’ or ‘gangster’ for ‘artist’ and ‘author,’” Rojas says.

Miyashiro came to USF from Hawaii and still remembers the camaraderie he enjoyed as a member of the Hawaiian and Filipino-American clubs. “For me, going to school in San Francisco, with so many different cultures, was one of the best parts. I loved that,” Miyashiro said. “USF taught me the value of perseverance and commitment, qualities I try to model even today.”

It was during his time here that Miyashiro began to paint commissioned murals rooted in culture diversity and activism for Haight Street businesses. He made a name for himself and a chance meeting led him to volunteer at Mark Twain continuation school, teaching high school students to paint. “Most kids there were at risk of dropping out. But our class was the first to have a 100 percent attendance record,” Miyashiro says.

Students who felt marginalized suddenly had a voice and a creative outlet, and some were transformed by the experience. Amazed by what he saw, Miyashiro threw himself into teaching art and building community. After graduating from USF, he worked for Precita Eyes and the EastSide Cultural Center in Oakland — organizations that collaborated with local residents to create community art with a message.

In 2009, Miyashiro was named best graffiti artist by the East Bay Express. In 2010, he gave a TEDx talk on the power of art in public. In 2012, he was honored for his art and community work by U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. And in 2013, he and two co-artists jointly won Miami New Times’ Best Mural award for their mural “Universal Aloha Wall.”

Today, Miyashiro is the co-founder and creative director of Estria Foundation, which works with Hawaiian students to create murals that “speak truth to power” — whether that’s a series of international pieces exploring water issues called Water Writes, a recurring national urban art competition and hip-hop arts festival in Oakland, or his latest Mele Murals project — which invites Hawaiian middle and high school students to partner with local communities and create large outdoor murals that honor Hawaiian culture and lore and educate young people about their ancestry.

“My foundation creates platforms to teach young people to become storytellers, painters, and community leaders,” Miyashiro says. “USF made me believe in the ethical business model and helped me on my path of starting socially responsible businesses and nonprofits.”

Know someone with a powerful USF story? Email usfnews@usfca.edu or contact us on Twitter @usfcane

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Arts and Culture

Kedrick Armstrong: New Music Director for the Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director. In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Published

6 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Kedrick Armstrong is the new music director for the Oakland Symphony. Photo credit Scott Chernis.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Symphony Announced Kedrick Armstrong as its Next Music Director.
In addition to conducting the orchestra’s public concerts, Armstrong will also actively participate in the Oakland Symphony’s many education and community engagement programs, designed to inspire a love of music in people of all ages.

Armstrong is the successor to previous music director and Conductor Michael Morgan, who passed away in 2021 after a 30-year tenure at the Symphony.

Armstrong will open the Oakland Symphony 2024-2025 season on October 18.

Armstrong, who is 29 and hails from Georgetown, South Carolina, is currently the creative partner and principal conductor of the Knox-Galesburg Symphony.

The Chicago Tribune has praised Armstrong for his ability to “simply let the score speak for itself.” He enjoys a wide range of repertoire, spanning early music to premiering new works, using his joy and curiosity for all music to cultivate understanding and collaboration within diverse communities.
“I am deeply honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the new music director of the Oakland Symphony,” Armstrong said. “As a Black conductor, I find it humbling to stand on the shoulders of both Michael Morgan and Calvin Simmons,” the most recent and the first African American music directors of the Symphony, respectively.

Armstrong led three programs at the Symphony between 2022 and early 2024, which showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices.
On his Oakland Symphony subscription debut on Feb. 16, Armstrong led the world premiere of “Here I Stand: Paul Robeson,” an oratorio by Carlos Simon on a libretto by Dan Harder, commissioned by the Oakland Symphony.

Armstrong was selected unanimously by the Oakland Symphony’s board of directors and musicians after an extensive two-year search. “The search committee was overwhelmed by Kedrick’s scholarship and curiosity about all kinds of music, from classical and jazz to gospel and hip-hop,” said. Dr. Mieko Hatano, executive director of the Oakland Symphony. “We are thrilled to have him join us at the Oakland Symphony.”

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Arts and Culture

Faces Around the Bay Dr. Carl Blake, Pianist

Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999. One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Dr. Carl Blake

By Barbara Fluhrer

Born in Liberty, Missouri, Carl Blake, a virtuoso and respected pianist, made his most recent migration to the East Bay in 1999.

One might have seen him performing recently at Noontime Concerts in San Francisco, or at the Piedmont Center for the Arts in Oakland. He is Director of Music at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco. He was also co-organizer and collaborative pianist at Herbst Theater for The Majesty of the Spirituals concert in 2022 and has held several church positions in the Bay Area.

Blake obtained a Bachelor of Music from Boston University and continued post-baccalaureate studies in Jamaica before earning a Master of Arts in Music at San Jose State University. He was the recipient of two Fulbright residencies in Honduras and completed a third residency at the University of St. Petersburg in Russia. He has a Doctor of Musical Arts from Cornell University.

At age 19, Blake, then an undergraduate piano major at Boston University, was “discovered” by Impresario Dr. W. Hazaiah Williams, who is the Founder and Director of Today’s Artists/Four Seasons Arts.

Williams honored Blake by awarding him the first Marian Anderson Young Artist Award. Anderson personally presented the award at the Masonic Auditorium in S.F. Subsequently, Blake was presented by Dr. Williams in his San Francisco debut at The Herbst Theatre. Williams subsidized a year of study abroad for Blake at the Paris Conservatory of Music. Additionally, Williams sponsored Blake’s New York Weill Hall debut, where he has performed twice since. Blake performed several times at the Yachats Music Festival in Oregon.

Blake continues to perform nationally and abroad. His hobbies are reading, baking and travel. He says, “I’m still pumping ivories, as Belgian pianist Jeanne Stark described the disciplined practice of concert piano.”

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Arts and Culture

Oakland Jazz Great Offers Master Class as City Declares “John Handy Day”

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city. Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

Published

2 months ago

February 24, 2024

Oakland Post

(L-R) Del Handy, John Handy, Roger Glenn, and Joe Warner celebrate John Handy Day at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Oakland. Photo by Lady Bianca.

By Conway Jones

World-renowned jazz master saxophonist John Handy, a McClymond’s High School graduate, was presented with a Mayor of Oakland Proclamation declaring Feb. 12, as John Handy Day in the city.

Handy is most notably known as the featured saxophonist for Charles Mingus on “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from the album “Mingus Ah Um” (1959) and on “Hard Work” from his own album “Hard Work” (1976).

“John Handy is a jazz icon and an inspiration to musicians everywhere,” said Ayo Brame, a 16-year-old Oakland tenor saxophone player who is enrolled at the Oakland School for the Arts.

In celebration of this day, the reception in downtown Oakland at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle was a gathering of artists, young and old, coming together in his honor and celebrating his 91st birthday.

Handy presented a Saxophone Colossus free masterclass for musicians. This class afforded a rare opportunity to learn about the saxophone from an aficionado. The class was free and open to all – saxophonists, vocalists, aficionados, students, and casual listeners.

“As a longtime friend for over 60 years, and fellow musician who has had numerous opportunities to share the stage with John, it has always been a pleasure performing with him and hearing his creative interpretations of the music and his gift of ease inspiring the next generation of jazz musicians,” said Roger Glenn, a multi-instrumentalist.