Oakland’s Dome Center Celebrates 50 Years of Art, Music, and Dance
The Dome Center for Art, Music and Dance in Oakland marks its 50th anniversary with "The Dome Show," curated by Ruby. Originally a dome-shaped food processing factory, it became a studio for ceramic sculptor Peter Voulkos after he left UC Berkeley seeking larger workspace and new mediums like bronze. Artist partners helped secure a block of real estate, connecting warehouses. The Dome offered affordable space and community amid Bay Area gentrification. Ruby questions if such a space could exist today, citing restrictive zoning, city control, and real estate developers who entered artist live-work scenes in the 1990s and 2000s, creating new barriers.
Key facts
- The Dome Center for Art, Music and Dance in Oakland is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
- The show is curated by Ruby.
- Peter Voulkos left UC Berkeley to find studio space for larger works and bronze.
- The Dome was originally a dome-shaped former food processing factory.
- Artist partners helped secure a block of real estate, connecting warehouses.
- The Dome provided refuge from gentrification and rising costs in the Bay Area.
- Ruby believes such a space would not be possible today due to restrictive zoning and planning laws.
- Real estate developers became involved in artist live-work communities in the 1990s and 2000s.
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- UC Berkeley
- The Dome Center for Art, Music and Dance
Locations
- Oakland
- Bay Area