YAWS was created over ten years ago to provide Berkeley’s children, ages one to fourteen, with low cost, high quality fine art classes. At a time when arts curriculum in schools has been dwindling, YAWS has stepped in to hold weekly after school art classes for children and families who recognize the importance of artistic expression — through painting, drawing, sculpting, and printmaking. Classes are held throughout the academic year in four sessions of eight classes. For more information, call Jennifer Burke at (510) 204-YAWS (220-8408)
East Bay Labyrinth Project
Nearly two years after two dozen volunteers painted a demonstration labyrinth near the Greening Project at Willard Middle School (see photo), the EBLP has won approval from the Waterfront Commission and the Berkeley City Council to install a beautifully crafted paving stone labyrinth at the Berkeley Marina (on the East Lawn of the South Basin across the water from the Pedestrian/Bicycle Bridge). EBLP is now engaged in raising $100,000 for the engineering and construction. Contact Nina AT NinaHam.com or 526-7377 to find out about its monthly labyrinth walks.
For upcoming Peace Walks and other Peace Labyrinth events, be sure to check the BPFP calendar
Friends of Five Creeks: November 2005
Friends of Five Creeks volunteers continued to remove harmful invasives and plant natives at three sites on Codornices Creek: at Live Oak Park, where the creek crosses the Ohlone Greenway, and between 10th and 9th Streets. F5C worked especially with school groups at the mouth of Strawberry Creek, and partnered with Save the Bay in maintaining the mouth of Schoolhouse Creek, both in the Eastshore State Park. The group also continued its outreach work, especially at fairs, festivals, and the How Berkeley Can You Be Parade, where they dressed as frogs, fish, and “litter man” and handed out thousands of bookmarks listing “Ten Things You Can Do for Creeks.” Call Susan Schwartz at 510-848-9358 if you’d like to get involved.
Westbrae Commons- Ohlone Greenway & Peralta/Northside Gardens: November 2005
This year, representatives of the four projects formed a new umbrella organization, the Friends of the Westbrae Commons. The group hosted an exciting party and raffle in August and is working to raise funds to benefit the gardens and greenway. At the end of 2004, the Ohlone Natural and Cultural History Interpretive Exhibit dedicated it’s latest addition, the Ohlone People’s Exhibit. The installation features an artful bench and “Hairpin” sculpture collaboratively designed and built by local and Native American artists. A memorial bench in honor of Karl Linn has been added to the Peralta Garden, and planning is progressing on the future plaza at the corner of Gilman Street and the greenway. For more information call Nicole Becker at 510-798-8148.
Berkeley Path Wanderers’ Association: November 2005
BPWA has been busy his year building trails and getting maps out about them….July saw the arrival of a revised 3rd edition of BPWA’s map of Berkeley Pathways, after 12,000 copies of the previous edition had been sold. Due to BPWA efforts, the City of Berkeley won a grant from FEMA for fire-prevention work that went in part to build a stairway over a steep drop-off section of Glendale Path, which, like many of the paths, could be crucial for emergency access during a disaster. The Pathwanders continued to make progress on building several of the unimproved paths with the help of community and student volunteers. Call Charlie Bowen of BPWA at 540-7223 to find out how you can plug in.