By Amanda Dyer  – 
While tight budgets are forcing many schools to scale back art programs and concentrate on higher test scores, at least one Oakland elementary school has sustained its program through creative fundraising.
In its latest attempt, Peralta Elementary School challenged eight artists to create eight pieces of work in eight minutes.
The event, a paint-splattering free-for-all, raised $5,700 for the school.

Audio and Photos by Linsay Rousseau Burnett
Ed Frakes has been painting for over 50 years. Now 71, Frakes describes his life as an artist and explains the meaning behind some of his paintings in this audio slideshow.

By Guo Shipeng
Four of the Oakland Chinatown’s best Cantonese Opera performers will make their debut in November on the prestigious stages of Canton, the art’s birthplace in south China, in recognition of their artistic achievements.

Story by Linsay Rousseau Burnett
Since the age of 14, when he first picked up a guitar, Michael McNevin knew he wanted to be a musician. During his career, this singer-songwriter has opened for artists such as Johnny Cash and Richie Havens and produced four albums. But McNevin’s music is not his only form of artistic expression. When he’s not busy writing songs, he’s drawing detailed scenes of the events he sings about on…an Etch-a-Sketch.