"Touchable Stories: Richmond"
on display April 27 through May 13
By Sally Douglas
Arce
“Touchable
Stories: Richmond” will make its West Coast
debut April 27 through May 13 at the former Kaiser
Shipyard Cafeteria, located at 1303 Canal Blvd.
The multi- media exhibit, presented by a nonprofit
artists’ collaborative, amplifies the diversity
of voices of Richmond residents and tells the
city’s story through the words of people
who have lived it.
“With ‘Touchable
Stories,’ our task as artists is to create
the most beautiful and elaborate exhibits we
can to help tell these community stories,” said
Shannon Flattery, the creator and founder of
Touchable Stories, which attracted sold-out audiences
at its exhibits in four Massachusetts towns.
Produced
over an 18-month period, the participatory,
oral history event hosted by the Port of Richmond
asks: Who is Richmond? What are the beliefs
and values of its different communities?
“Touchable
Stories: Richmond” was created by first
recording hundreds of hours of interviews with
Richmond residents, including community activists,
day laborers, teachers, historians, recent
immigrants, long-time residents, youth and
many others.
After
gathering the oral stories, Flattery assembled
artists who then designed installations to
complement the oral histories. The resulting
labyrinth of rooms and art explore themes such
as immigration, pollution, identity and violence.
“Touchable
Stories: Richmond” is produced in collaboration
with local and Bay Area artists including Tarnel
Abbott, Regina Gilligan, Nina Billone, Ann
Schnake, Andres Cisneros-Galindo, Amy Seidule,
Kate Duffly, Sharon Siskin, Ellen Gailing,
Dashal Moore, Fletcher Oakes, Shelby Sampson
and Ed Tannenbaum.
Shows
will take place on Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays
at 2 and 6 p.m. Reservations for group shows
on Sundays and Wednesdays are available for
a minimum of 10 people and maximum of 15.
General
admission tickets cost $12, and tickets for
Richmond residents, seniors and students cost
$6. Families are asked to pay what they can.
For
more information or to make a reservation,
call (510) 619- 3675 or visit www.touchablestories.org.
Tickets will be sold at
the door on a first come basis. Part two of
the exhibit will be displayed in the fall.
