Saturday, March 30, 2019 12 – 5pm

Join us for our most hands-on Spring Open House yet! There will be free hands-on activities in indigo dyeing, leather working, stone working, and ceramics, plus inspiring and educational exhibitions in Neon, Glass Blowing, Blacksmithing, Welding, and so many others. With two live fire demonstrations, a curated art gallery from our community, and delicious food and drinks, you will want to bring your friends and family to this one! And make sure to come ready to register for classes, as every single Crucible class is $25 off.

This event is free and open to the general public. All are welcome! However, parents of small children will need to pay special attention, as our studio space does have some rough edges.

Event Highlights

Art Gallery

Walk through our curated art gallery and peruse artwork from Crucible staff, students, faculty, and volunteers. Vote for your favorite art piece in our Art Gallery, and the winning artist will win a $100 gift certificate to Flax!

Demonstrations

Learn more about the different disciplines you can explore at The Crucible by watching Crucible experts demonstrate their craft in 19 departments, including Glass Blowing, Blacksmithing, Foundry, Ceramics, and more!

Discounted Classes

During the Open House, every Crucible class is $25 off! Come ready to register! And don’t forget to submit your name for a chance to win a $250 promotional voucher towards a Crucible class! All are eligible to participate.

Food and Beverages

Inside, we will be serving wine and beer graciously donated by Old Kan Beer & Co. Outside, local food vendors will be serving delicious meals. Please note, some vendors are cash only.

Local Vendors

There will be local vendors selling their wares and art, including ceramic pieces, jewelry, glass, artisanal bath supplies, sculptures, and much more!

Win This Bike

Play our special Open House Bingo! Think of it as a checklist for all of the incredible things to do and see at our Open House. Submit your completed card to the info booth and be entered to win a kids’ bike, newly refurbished by our Bike Shop!

Schedule of Events

Enjoy live performances by Crucible community members and industrial arts demonstrations throughout the event!

12:30pm – Glass Monster Making Demonstration in Glass Flameworking

12:45 – Large Scale Wheel Throwing Demonstration in Ceramics

1:00pm – Wet welding talk and demonstration

1:15pm – Mini Mix’d performance

1:45pm – Pour in Foundry

2:15pm – Fire Performance

2:30pm – Silicone Mold Demonstration in Moldmaking

2:45pm – Mold Blowing Demonstration in the Hot Shop

3:45pm – Pour in Foundry

4:15pm – Fire Performance 

Hands-On Activities

Copper Stamping

Make a copper pendant, stamped with your own design for a small fee in our Jewelry Department.

Wet Welding

Try your hand at welding under water using ARC Welding, and don’t miss the talk explaining the process by expert welder Jim Stucker at 1pm in MIG Welding.

Metal Clay

Explore working with metal clay for a small fee in our Jewelry Department.

Indigo Dyeing

Naturally-dye your own bandana in indigo and create patterns in our Textiles Department. (Free!)
spring open house_2020

Glass Fusing

Add your own piece of pre-fired fused glass to one of our mannequins, donated by Mannequin Madness, and create a beautiful community mosaic!

Leather

Practice your stamping skills in our Leather Working Department. (Free!)

Play With Clay

Create shapes with clay in our Ceramics Department. (Free!)

Stone Carving

Carve into alabaster stone in our Stone Working department. (Free!)

Henna

Our talented faculty will be offering henna for a small fee.

Remembering Raphael Allen

Join us in remembering and celebrating Raphael Allen’s dedication to education, and help us raise funds to further expand access to the arts. Throughout his life, Raphael was dedicated to facilitating interpretive engagement with nature and history, by researching and including the stories of under-represented people in his tours, writings, and talks. His happy face was often seen at The Crucible, and one that left us much too soon. In his honor, the Raphael Allen Fund provides full and partial adult scholarships to Crucible classes, specifically for people of color who live in Oakland and need financial support to attend.

All donations received during the event support the Raphael Allen Fund. You can also support the fund by making an online contribution. 

Community Lounge

Upstairs, The Crucible bar will be serving delicious drinks, and community partner Replate will serve light snacks. Replate is a nonprofit food rescue organization that aims to close the gap between food insecurity and food waste by donating surplus food from businesses to local communities in need. Community members will also be tabling upstairs, so you can learn more about our amazing neighbors and their efforts to offer education, health, and services to our community.

Thank You To Our Sponsors

Replate

Grab a snack upstairs in our community lounge, generously donated by Replate, an organization that is reducing food waste by donating surplus food to local communities.

Flax Art & Design

Make sure you vote for your favorite art piece in our Art Gallery. The winning artist will win a $100 gift certificate to Flax!

Old Kan Beer & Co.

Old Kan Beer & Co. graciously shows their support at Crucible events by donating beer to our upstairs and downstairs bars.

Getting Here

The Crucible is conveniently located near BART and AC Transit. We encourage public transportation as our parking lot is small.

BART
From the West Oakland BART Station, exit onto 7th Street, turn right and walk 2 blocks east to Union (at the 2nd light). The Crucible is on the northwest corner of 7th & Union, at 1260 7th Street. To plan your BART trip, visit www.bart.gov.

AC TRANSIT & 511.ORG
> Bus schedule
> More transit info

PARKING
The Crucible has a small parking lot on the corner of 7th & Union. Spaces are available on a first come first serve basis, but will not be available during events. Street parking is available on 7th Street to the west of Union.

Please do not block the Union Street entrance marked in red, the 7th Street entrance, or the roll up doors. Please do not park in lots owned by local businesses – they will tow your car.

DIRECTIONS
From San Francisco 1. From the Bay Bridge, stay right and take 880 South 2. Stay in the right lane 3. Take the Union Street Exit marked “Alameda/Broadway” 4. At the bottom of the exit ramp go straight through the first traffic light. 5. The second traffic light is 7th Street. 6. 1260 7th Street is across the street to your left.

From North of Oakland 1. From 80/580 South get onto 880 South 2. Stay in the right lane 3. Take the Union Street Exit marked “Alameda/Broadway” 4. At the bottom of the exit ramp go straight through the first traffic light. 5. The second traffic light is 7th Street. 6. 1260 7th Street is across the street to your left.

From South of Oakland 1. 880 North 2. Take the Market Street exit toward “Harbor Terminal” (just after the exit for 980 North) 3. At the bottom of the exit ramp turn right onto Market Street 4. Turn left at the traffic light onto 7th Street 5. Go three blocks to Union Street 6. 1260 7th Street is on your right.

From East of Oakland 1. Take Hwy 24/980 West 2. Take the 12th Street Exit 3. At the top of the exit ramp go straight to the 2nd traffic light 4. Turn right at the traffic light onto 7th Street 5. Go three traffic lights to Union Street 6. 1260 7th Street is on your right.

CONTACT

Questions about the 2019 Spring Open House?

If you would like more information about the event, email [email protected] or call (510) 444-0919.
CONTACT