MONDAY, JUNE 23 

Stop the Spray-East Bay and Pesticide Watch Community Meeting at 7 p.m. at Lakeside Park Garden Center, 666 Bellevue Ave., off Grand, Oakland. Speakers include John Russo, Oakland City Attorney, Douglas MacLean, Communications Director, Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, Daniel Harder, Ph.D., Executive Director, Arboretum UC Santa Cruz, Lawrence Rose, MD, MPH, former Senior Public Medical Officer for Cal-OSHA. www.stopthespray.org  

The Bread Project Classes in cooking, baking, and job readiness run June 23 to July 31. For infomation call 644-4575.  

“Get Tested & Testify!” for National HIV Testing Day. Free testing open to all, Mon.-Fri. from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 655-6114. www.beebeonline.org  

Kensington Library Book Group meets to discuss “Dancing at the Rascal Fair” by Ivan Doig at 7 p.m. at 61 Arlington Ave., Kensington. 524-3043. 

World Affairs/Politics Discussion Group, for people 60 years and over, meets at 9:45 a.m. at Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave, Albany. Cost is $3.  

Berkeley CopWatch organizational meeting at 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. Join us to work on current issues around police misconduct. Volunteers needed. For information call 548-0425. 

Dragonboating Year round classes at the Berkeley Marina, Dock M. Meets Mon, Wed., Thurs. at 6 p.m. Sat. at 10:30 a.m. For details see www.dragonmax.org 

Free Boatbuilding Classes for Youth Mon.-Wed. from 3 to 7 p.m. at Berkeley Boathouse, 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Classes cover woodworking, boatbuilding, and boat repair. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

TUESDAY, JUNE 24 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will learn about terrestial insects from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m.. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Summer Birding from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Albany Adult School, 601 San Gabriel Ave., Albany, followed by six Wed. eve. field trips. Sponosred by the Golden Gate Audubon Society. 559-6580.  

“Gardening Under the Oaks” with horticulturist Nathan Smith from 9 a.m. t o noon at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $25-$30. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

“The Danger of an Attack on Iran” A discussion with Larry Everest and Gareth Porter at 7 p.m. at Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, Cedar and bonita. Suggested donation $5-$10. 848-1196. 

Tuesday Tilden Walkers Join a few slowpoke seniors at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot near the Little Farm for an hour or two walk. 215-7672, 524-9992. 

Rethinking Plastics A presentation by Green Sangha on alternative materials at 7 p.m. at the Ecology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave., near Dwight Way. 548-2220, ext. 233. 

Berkeley PC Users Group meets at 7 p.m. at 25 Dartmouth Dr. Call for directions 841-4411. 2rhs07@comcast.net 

End the Occupation Vigil every Tues. at noon at Oakland Federal Bldg., 1301 Clay St. www.epicalc.org 

Family Storytime at 7 p.m. at Kensington Library, 61 Arlington Ave. 524-3043.  

Street Level Cycles Community Bike Program Come use our tools as well as receive help with performing repairs free of charge. Youth classes available. Tues., Thurs., and Sat. from 2 to 6 p.m. at at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

Fresh Produce Stand at San Pablo Park from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Frances Albrier Community Center. Sponsored by the Ecology Center’s Farm Fresh Choice. 848-1704. www.ecologycenter.org 

Berkeley Camera Club meets at 7:30 p.m., at the Northbrae Community Church, 941 The Alameda. Share your digital images, slides and prints and learn what other photographers are doing. Monthly field trips. 548-3991. www.berkeleycameraclub.org 

St. John’s Prime Timers meets at 9:30 a.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave. We offer ongoing classes in exercise and creative arts, and always welcome new members over 50. 845-6830. 

Sing-A-Long Group from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Albany Senior Center, 846 Masonic Ave., Albany. 524-9122. 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25 

Birding with the Golden Gate Audubon Society at Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park. Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the large spherical cage near the Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevie. 834-1066, 528-2093. 

Tilden Explorers An after-school nature adventure program for 5-7 year olds. We will learn about terrestial insects from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. Cost is $6-$8, registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Walking Tour of Historic Oakland Churches and Temples Meet at 10 a.m. at the front of the First Presbyterian Church at 2619 Broadway. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet. 

com/walkingtours 

“How We Make A Difference!” with Joan Lee, Gray Panther Advocate for legislation in Sacramento at 1:30 p.m. at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst. 548-9696. 

“Grant Seeking Basics for Non-Profits and Community Based Organizations” sponsored by the Richmond Public Library and the Foundation Center, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the Madeline F. Whittlesey Commnity Room, 325 Civic Center Plaza. Resevations suggested. 620-6561.  

Safeway on Shattuck Community Meeting to discuss plans for the redevelopment of the Safeway store at 1444 Shattuck Ave., at 6:30 p.m. at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St. www.safewayonshattuck.com 

“Root of All Evil” A documentary with with Richard Dawkins, including the uncut interviews, at 7:30 p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th St., Oakland. Donation $5. www.Humanist Hall.org 

Walk Berkeley for Seniors meets every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Sea Breeze Market, just west of the I-80 overpass. Everyone is welcome, wear comfortable shoes and a warm hat. 548-9840. 

Theraputic Recreation at the Berkeley Warm Pool, Wed. at 3:30 p.m. and Sat. at 10 a.m. at the Berkeley Warm Pool, 2245 Milvia St. Cost is $4-$5. Bring a towel. 632-9369. 

Berkeley Peace Walk and Vigil at the Berkeley BART Station, corner of Shattuck and Center. Sing for Peace at 6:30 p.m. followed by Peace Walk at 7 p.m. www. 

geocities.com/vigil4peace/vigil 

Teen Chess Club from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the North Branch Library, 1170 The Alameda at Hopkins. 981-6133. 

Morning Meditation Every Mon., Wed., and Fri. at 7:45 a.m. at Rudramandir, 830 Bancroft Way at 6th. 486-8700. 

Berkeley CopWatch Drop-in office hours from 6 to 8 p.m. at 2022 Blake St. 548-0425. 

Stitch ‘n Bitch at 6:30 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

THURSDAY, JUNE 26 

Tilden Tots Join a nature adventure program for 3 and 4 year olds, each accompanied by an adult (grandparents welcome)! We’ll look for insects from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $6-$8. Registration required. 636-1684. 

Haiti Report Haiti Action Committee members report from recent trip to Port-au-Prince, at 7 p.m. at La Peña, 3105 Shattuck Ave. Suggested donation $7-$10 sliding scale, no one turned away. www.Haitisolidarity.net 

Indigenous Permaculture Benefit with a slideshow, music, and food at 7 p.m. at theEcology Center, 2530 San Pablo Ave. Donation of $10-$35 sliding scale suggested, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 548-2220, ext. 233. ecologycenter.org. 

National Institute of Art & Disabilities “Fashion Show” with clothes and accessories, at 6 p.m. at NIAD, 551 23rd St., Richmond. 620-0290. www.niadart.org 

“Intellectual Origins of Jewish National Renewal” by Dr. Revital Amiran-Sappir at 7 p.m. at Brit Tzedek V'Shalom at Congregation Netivot Shalom, 1316 University Ave. sf-bayarea@btvshalom.org 

Teen Book Cub with author Peter Beagle at 4 p.m. at the Claremont Branch Library, 2940 Benvenue at Ashby. 981-6107.  

Temescal Street Cinema “Girls Rock” at 8:30 p.m. outdoors at 49th and Telegraph. Bring a chair. www.temescalstreetcolletive.org 

Fitness Class for 55+ at 9:15 a.m. at Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. 848-0237. 

Easy Does It Board of Directors’ Meeting at 6:30 p.m. at 1636 University Ave. 845-5513. 

World of Plants Tours Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at 1:30 p.m. at the UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. Cost is $5. 643-2755.  

FRIDAY, JUNE 27 

City Commons Club Noon Luncheon with Kyoko Woodhouse on “Art of Japan” Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. for $14.50, speech at 12:30 p.m., at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St. For information and reservations call 524-7468. www.citycommonsclub.org 

“Peacemaking after Deadly Conflict” with David Zarembka, who saw violence after the recent elections in Kenya at 7:30 p.m. at the Berkeley Friends Church, Sacramento and Cedar. 486-1391. 

“Get Tested & Testify!” for National HIV Testing Day. Free testing open to all from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. 655-6114. www.beebeonline.org  

“Heretical Jews: What Can We Learn from Them” at 6:15 p.m. at JGate, near El Cerrito Plaza. RSVP to 559-8140. 

Circle Dancing, simple folk dancing with instruction at 7:30 p.m. at Finnish Brotherhood Hall, 1970 Chestnut St at University. Donation of $5 requested. 528-4253.  

SATURDAY, JUNE 28 

Plenty: A Potluck of Books and Beats A community exchange of books and CDs, records and tapes from noon to 3 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Walking Tour of Old Oakland around the 1870s business district. Meet at 10 a.m. in front of G.B. Ratto’s & Co. at 827 Washington St. Tour lasts 90 minutes. Reservations can be made by calling 238-3234. www.oaklandnet.com/walkingtours 

“Walk to Talk” A walkathon to raise awareness and funds for aphasia services, at 9:45 a.m. at Downtown Oakland Senior Center, 200 Grand Ave., at Harrison St. 336-0112. www.aphasiacenter.org  

In Our Own Backyard: A Celebration of the East Bay Regional Parks A virtual tour in photographs at the Oakland Museum of CA, 1000 Oak St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2200. www.museumca.org 

“Travels with Baby: The Ultimate Guide for Planning Trips with Babies, Toddlers, and Preschool-Age Children” with author Shelly Rivoli, at 11 a.m. at El Cerrito Library, 6510 Stockton Ave., El Cerrito. 526-7512. 

Ratapalooza Learn about the care of a pet rat, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at RabbitEars, 377 Colusa, Kensington. 525-6155. www.rabbitears.org 

Sushi Basics Learn the natural and cultural history of this ancient cuisine and you prepare and taste seven different types of sushi. Parent participation required for children 8-10 years. Cost is $25-$39. Registration required. 1-888-EBPARKS. 

Summer Board Game Days from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Albany Library, 1247 Marin Ave. 526-3720, ext. 17. 

“Squish, Drip and Drool” Acitvities for the family including painting with shaving cream, soap bubbles and more from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Museum of Children’s Art, 538 9th St., Oakland. Cost is $7 per child. 465-8770. 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden Sat. and Sun. at 2 pm. Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Around the World Tour of Plants at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., Sat. and Sun. at UC Botanical Garden, 200 Centennial Drive. 643-2755. http://botanicalgarden.berkeley.edu 

The Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club provides free instruction every Wed. and Sat. at 10:30 a.m. at 2270 Acton St. 841-2174.  

Oakland Artisans Marketplace Sat. from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Jack London Square. 238-4948. 

Car Wash Benefit for Options Recovery Services of Berkeley, held every Sat. from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lutheran Church, 1744 University Ave. 666-9552. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 29 

Berkeley International Food Festival from noon to 5 p.m. for several blocks in either direction of the San Pablo and University Avenues intersection, with live music, cultural activities and cooking demonstrations in the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot. Free and open to the public. 845-4106. www.berkeleyinternationalfoodfestival.com 

California Cool A family exploration day with activities for all from 1 to 4 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak at 10th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

Six Legs and Crunchy Learn about insects and what it means to have a skelton on the outside, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. Cost is $3. 525-2233. 

Ponds of Our Lives Discover the secret underworld of ponds with a dip-net from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Tilden Nature Center, Tilden Park. For all ages. 525-2233. 

Free Hands-on Bicycle Clinic Learn how to repair a flat, from 10 to 11 a.m. at REI, 1338 San Pablo Ave. Bring your bike and tools. 527-4140. 

35th Anniversary of the Tibetan Nyingma Institute with yaga, talks and tours from 1 to 7 p.m. at 1815 Highland Palce. Free and open to all. 809-1000. 

Social Action Forum with Rachel Shigekane on “Preventing Genocide and Other Mass Atrocities” at 10 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, 1 Lawson Rd., Kensigton. 525-0302, ext. 306 

Free Garden Tours at Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Park Sat. and Sun. at 2 p.m. Call to confirm. 841-8732. www.nativeplants.org 

Lake Merritt Neighbors Organized for Peace Peace walk around the lake every Sun. Meet at 3 p.m. at the colonnade at the NE end of the lake. 763-8712. lmno4p.org 

Berkeley Chess Club meets every Sun. at 7 p.m. at the Hillside School, 1581 Le Roy Ave. 843-0150. 

Tibetan Buddhism with Syliva Gretchen on “Tibetan Wisdom for the Modern World” at 6 p.m. at the Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Pl. 809-1000. www.nyingmainstitute.com 

Sew Your Own Open Studio Come learn to use our industrial and domestic machines, or work on your own projects, from 4 to 8 p.m. at 84 Bolivar Dr., Aquatic Park. Also on Fri. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cost is $5 per hour. 644-2577. www.watersideworkshops.org 

ONGOING 

Summer Lunch For Kids & Teens from June 16 to August 15 Meal sites are located at various schools and community centers throughout Oakland and Alameda County. For information call 800-870-3663 for a meal site near you or visit www.summerlunch.org To make a donation see www.accfb.org  

CITY MEETINGS 

Design Review Committee meets Thurs., June 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7415. 

Fair Campaign Practices Commission meets Thurs., June 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-6950.  

Transportation Commission meets Thurs., June 19, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7010.  

Zero Waste Commission Mon., June 23, at 7 p.m., at 1201 Second St. 981-6368.  

City Council meets Tues., June 24, at 7 p.m in City Council Chambers. 981-6900. www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil 

Civic Arts Commission meets Wed., June 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7533.  

Energy Commission meets Wed., June 25, at 6:30 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-5434.  

Planning Commission meets Wed., June 25, at 7 p.m., at the North Berkeley Senior Center. 981-7484. 

Police Review Commission meets Wed., June 25, at the South Berkeley Senior Center. 981-4950.  

Mental Health Commission meets Thurs., June 26, at 6:30 p.m. at 2640 MLK Jr. Way, at Derby. 981-5213.  

Zoning Adjustments Board meets Thurs., June 26, at 7 p.m., in City Council Chambers. 981-7410.  

MONDAY, JUNE 23 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Poetry Express with Julia Vingrad at 7 p.m. at Priya Restaurant, 2072 San Pablo Ave. 644-3977. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Musica ha Disconnesso, traditional Italian music, at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

West Coast Songwriters’ Competition at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage Coffee House. Cost is $5. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Dewayne Pate and Friends at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

TUESDAY, JUNE 24 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Dale Pendell describes the “Pharmako” trilogy on psychoactive plants at 7:30 p.m. at Moe's Books, 2476 Telegraph Ave. 849-2087. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Mark St. Mary Lousiana Blues and Zydeco Band at 8:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cajun dance lesson at 8 p.m. Cost is $10. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Singers’ Open Mic at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $5. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Randy Craig Trio at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Steve Tyrell at 8 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Wed. Cost is $24. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Jazzschool Tuesdays, a weekly showcase of up-and-coming ensembles from Berkeley Jazzschool at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Robert Scheer describes “The Pornography of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America” at 7:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way. 559-9500. 

“California Israelite: Poetry of Reuven Goldfarb” with the author at 7:30 p.m. at JCC East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Sponsored by Aquarian Minyan. Donation $10-$20. 528-6725. 

Berkeley Poetry Slam with host Charles Ellik and Three Blind Mice, at 8:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $5-$7. 841-2082 . 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Summer Sounds at Oakland City Center with Sonic Strut at noon at 12th and Broadway, Oakland.  

The Big Trio featuring Wayne de la Cruz at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Taj Weekes and Adowa, reggae, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $10-$12. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

La Verdad at 9:30 p.m. at Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave. Salsa dance lessons at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $5-$10. 548-1159.  

Taarka at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

THURSDAY, JUNE 26 

EXHIBITIONS 

“From Pompei to Marseille” fresco paintings of Francesca Giorgi at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. For information on fresco workshops call 848-1228. 

FILM 

Louder, Faster: Punk in Performance “The Decline of Western Civilization” with filmmaker Penelope Spheeris in person at 8:40 p.m. at the Pacific Film Archive. Cost is $5.50-$9.50. 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Dan White reads from “The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind and Almost Found Myself on the Pacific Crest Trail” at 7:30 p.m. at Mrs. Dalloways, 2904 College Ave. 704-8222. 

Country Joe McDonald Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. at Cafe de la Paz, 1600 Shattuck Ave. 843-0662.  

Charles Wollenberg on “Berkeley: A City in History” at 5:30 p.m. at Berkeley Assoc. of Realtors, 1553 MLK Jr. Way. Cost is $15-$20. For reservations call 848-4288. 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Berkeley Opera “Highlights from Tosca” at 12:15 at Berkeley Public Library, 2090 Kittredtge St. 981-6241. www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org  

Cast of Clowns, rock, funk, jams, at 9 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Cost is $15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Brian Melvin Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Laura Zucker at 7 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Bluegrass Session hosted by Jacob Gropman and Ben Bernstein at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $7. 841-2082 www.starryploughpub.com 

Fred O’dell at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Lina at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $12-$18. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Selector with DJ Riddm at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277.  

FRIDAY, JUNE 27 

THEATER 

Aurora Theatre “The Busy World is Hushed” Wed.-Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 and 7 p.m. at 2081 Addison St., through July 20. Tickets are $40-$42. 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org 

Brookside Rep “Franz Kafka’s Love Life, Letters and Hallucinations” Thurs.- Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 5 p.m. at Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant St., through June 29. Tickets are $16-$34. 800-838-3006.  

Contra Costa Civic Theater “Kiss Me Kate” Fri. and Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 2 p.m. at 951 Pomona Ave., El Cerrito, through Aug. 3. Tickets are $15-$24. 524-9132. www.ccct.org 

Masquers Playhouse “The Full Monty” Fri. and Sat. at 8, selected Sun. matinees at 2:30 p.m. at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond through July 5. Tickets are $20. 232-4031. www.masquers.org 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Variety is the Spice of Peace” A group show of 4th Street Studio artists. Opening reception at 7 p.m. at Gaia Arts Center Mezzanine Gallery, 2120 Allston Way. www.fourthstreetstudio.com  

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Orquesta La Moderna Tradición, classic and modern Cuban dance music, at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $12. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Garrett McLean, violin, Kent Craig, guitar and vocal, Marvin Sanders, flute perform the music of J.S. Bach and the Blues at 8 p.m. at Giorgi Gallery, 2911 Claremont Ave. Cost is $10. 848-1228. www.giorgigallery.com 

“Out to Lunch” Quintet at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $8. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Trio Garufa, Argentine tango,at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. Dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $17-$20. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

Yolanda and Ric at 8 p.m. at Caffe Trieste, 2500 San Pablo Ave., at Dwight. 548-5198.  

Rebecca Riots at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Pale Fighter and Ka-Chi at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Johnny Dilks Country Soul Brothers, Dave Gleason, The B-Stars at 9 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $8. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Skarp, Population Reduction, Against Empire at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

The Strangers at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

DJ Drunken Monkey at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Kenny Neal at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

SATURDAY, JUNE 28 

CHILDREN  

“I Sit and Stay” Leah Waarvik introduces her book designed for children and families to learn how to stay safe in the wilderness should they get lost, at 7 p.m. at Laurel Bookstore, 4100 MacArthur Blvd. Oakland. 531-2073. 

EXHIBITIONS 

“Landscapes and Seascapes” works by Richard deTreville, Robert Wee, and Anthony Holdsworth. Reception at 2 p.m. at Alta Galleria, 2980 College Ave Suite 4. 421-1255 www.altagalleria.com  

“Waste Not” Sculpture using materials found in the natural world by Deborah Yaffe opens at Oakopolis, 447 25th St., Oakland. Open Sat. from 2 to 5 p.m. 663-6920. 

THEATER 

Citizen Josh with Josh Kornbluth Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m. Sun. at 5 p.m., at The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., through July 20. Tickets are $20-$25. 841-6500, ext. 303. www.shotgunplayers.org 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

Lincoln Cushing and Ann Tompkins describe their new book “Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution” at 3:30 p.m. at Eastwind Books of Berkeley, 2066 University Ave. www.asiabookcenter.com 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Stephen Cosgrove, in a benefit for Middle Eastern refugee children, will perform Bach and Mozart at 7:30 p.m. at Northbrae Community Center, 941 The Alameda. Suggested donation $10. 684-2470. 

Joel Dorham Latin Jazz Octet at 9 p.m. at Pacific Coast Brewing Co., 906 Washington St., Oakland. 836-2739.  

Sacred Music and Art by Adi Da Samraj at 7:30 p.m. at The Gaia Arts Center, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $15. For reservations call 415-703-0330. 

The Brew with Aleph Null and Deli Kanlt at 8 p.m. at the JCC of the East Bay, 1414 Walnut St. Tickets are $10-$15. 848-0237. 

La Colectiva at 9 p.m. at La Peña Cultural Center. Cost is $10. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Marcy Blackman & the Mighty Fines at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $14. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Baba Ken & Kotoja at 9:30 p.m. at Ashkenaz. African dance lesson at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $12-$15. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com  

Mike Zawitkowski and Andy Lane at 7:30 p.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Dawn Drake at 8 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

Rick Di Dia and Aireene Espiritu at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

Larry Stefl Jazz Trio at 9:30 p.m. at Albatross, 1822 San Pablo Ave. Cost is $3. 843-2473. www.albatrosspub.com 

Charlie Wilson’s War at 10 p.m. at Beckett’s Irish Pub, 2271 Shattuck Ave. 647-1790. www.beckettsirishpub.com 

Orion’s Joy of Jazz, at 8 p.m. at Spuds Pizza, 3290 Adeline St. Cost is $7. 558-0881. 

The Mother Hips at 9:30 p.m. at The Starry Plough. Cost is $15. 841-2082. www.starryploughpub.com 

Kenny Neal at 8 and 10 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square. Cost is $20. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

Leftover Crack, Wait in Vain, Crucified at 8 p.m. at 924 Gilman St., an all-ages, member-run, no alcohol, no drugs, no violence club. Cost is $5. 525-9926. 

SUNDAY, JUNE 29 

CHILDREN 

Rafael Manriquez & Ingrid Rubis, Latin American music, at Ashkenaz at 3 p.m. Cost is $4-$6. 525-5054. www.ashkenaz.com 

EXHIBITIONS 

“ARTiFACTS” Works by Mary Black, Kirk Crippens and Linda Race. Opening recetpion at 2 p.m. at Berkeley Art Center, 1275 Walnut St. in Live Oak Park. Exhibition runs to Aug. 17. 644-6893. 

READINGS AND LECTURES 

“Birth of the Cool” Curator’s tour with Philip Linhares of the exhibition on California art, design and culture at midcentury at 2 p.m. at Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak at 10th St., Oakland. Cost is $5-$8. 238-2022. www.museumca.org 

MUSIC AND DANCE 

Annual Stars and Pipes Concert with Ron McKean, organist, and the Pacific Brass Ensemble, at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway, Oakland. Lunch follows, suggested donation $10. 444-3555. www.firstchurchoakland.org 

Dance Theatre Arts “Dance Through the Seasons” at 2 p.m. Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave. Tickets are $15-$18. 581-4780. DTAHayward@aol.com  

Elio Villafranca/John Santos Quartet at 7 p.m. at La Peña. Cost is $14-$16. 849-2568. www.lapena.org 

Rebecca Griffin & her Trio at 8 p.m. at Anna’s Jazz Island, 2120 Allston Way. Cost is $10. 841-JAZZ. www.AnnasJazzIsland.com 

Sauce Piquante at 11 a.m. at Nomad Cafe, 6500 Shattuck Ave. 595-5344. www.nomadcafe.net 

Americana Unplugged with .49 Special at 5 p.m. at Jupiter. 843-8277. 

2008 FiddleKids Faculty Concert at 8 p.m. at Freight and Salvage. Cost is $18.50-$19.50. 548-1761. www.freightandsalvage.org 

James Cotton at 7 and 9 p.m. at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, through Sun. Cost is $12-$18. 238-9200. www.yoshis.com 

In recent years, thanks to feminism and a renewed interest in Surrealism and in the art of Latin America, Frida Kahlo has moved to the forefront of attention. She has achieved a status unimaginable during her lifetime and we have seen a “Fridamania” cult.  

No longer is she seen as secondary to Los tres grandes—Diego Rivera (her husband), Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Sequieros—the great muralist, who fused a grasp of modernist art with a celebration of pre-Coumbian culture. Kahlo, a largely self-taught painter, favored small paintings; her subjects were not heroic, but personal and self-reflective.  

Of the 76 paintings on view at the San Francisco Museum of Moder Art through Sept. 28, about 40 are either self-portraits or pictures in which Frida’s presence is central. Many of them deal with her great physical and emotional suffering. She had contracted polio when she was 6 years old and was badly injured in a street car accident at 18 and had to endure innumerable operations in her lifetime.  

One of many pictures that address her painful condition is The Broken Column (1944) which she painted during a five-month period when she had to wear a steel orthopedic corset. We see her as a female San Sebastian with nails, instead of arrows, piercing her flesh. In the painting an open column replaces her broken spine. This is seen against a desert landscape with dark ravines. 

When André Breton, the leader of the Surrealist movement came to Mexico, he described her art as “ribbon around a bomb,” but she rejected the label, saying “I never painted dreams, I painted my own reality.”  

But Breton was instrumental in furthering her career as a professional, rather than as an “outsider” artist, and she showed her work at Julien Levy’s Surrealist gallery in New York in 1938. A small painting in the show, a painting which makes us think of René Magritte, The Suicide of Dorothy Hale (1939), is a retablo, as she called it, in memory of a friend who threw herself out of the window of a New York high-rise. We see the woman’s body falling from the building and simultaneously lying on the ground with the artist’s inscription on the panel. 

The exhibition includes two rooms of photographs—done by famous photographers such as Manuel Bravo, Lucienne Bloch and Tina Modotti, as well as a memorable photo of Breton and Rivera talking to Leon Trotsky in Coyoacan, taken in 1938, two years before the Communist leader and close friend of Diego and Frida was assassinated there. Included also is a photo of the official license issued when they were remarried in San Francisco in 1940. 

Frida Kahlo may not have been a great painter, but she has exerted an enormous influence on later artists, including Americans such as Vito Acconci, Enrique Chagoya, Rupert Garcia, Amalia Mesa-Baines, Bruce Nauman, Carolee Schneemann and Kiki Smith, among others. This exhibition, which started in Minneapolis and went on to Philadelphia before coming here, may well result in further impact.

Ed Reed, the East Bay’s jazz balladeer, will perform in an unusual matinee at Freight & Salvage this Saturday, from 10 a.m.-noon, that will enable listeners to either catch him live on stage—or on West Coast Live, which will broadcast the show live on KALW (91.7) locally, on many national public broadcasting affiliates, or streamed over the web at KALW.org.  

The concert and broadcast come in the midst of much activity and recognition for the lifelong singer who released his first CD, Ed Reed Sings Love Stories, last year. A second CD, The Song Is You (after the Duke Ellington tune Reed sings, one of 13 on the album), was released at the end of May, with a CD release party scheduled at Yoshi’s on Aug. 25.  

Reed’s preparing for his second New York date at the Jazz Standard on July 22; and right before, he’ll appear with Marian McPartland on her acclaimed, long-running public radio program, “Piano Jazz,” on July 16—the height of jazz on the airwaves. 

In October, Reed will teach a class at Berkeley’s JazzSchool, on singers and lyrics: “the material ... and the gift.” 

The Song Is You is filled with classic material (and some lesser-known pieces by great songwriters); his first album featured: Ellington, Hoagie Carmichael, Rodgers and Hart—and Leonard Bernstein with Comden & Green (“Lucky to Be Me”), as well as another Harold Arlen with Truman Capote’s lyrics (“Don’t Like Goodbyes”). And it was produced by the first’s coproducer, Peck Allmond, Berkeley High Jazz Band alumnus, now one of New York’s finest, also leading the band on tenor sax, trumpet, cornet, flute and clarinet. And Gary Fisher, the fine New York pianist from Reed’s first record outing, is again on the keyboards. 

But the album, recorded at the Tony Bennett Studio in Inglewood, New Jersey, isn’t just a recapitulation. Accompanying musicians include Doug Weiss, of the Al Foster Quartet, on bass; Willard Dyson, drums; Russel George on violin—and Jamie Fox on guitar, significant as a favorite of Reed’s to sing with, since his time in a duo with the late Ralph Bravo. “I want to sing more with a guitar; just me and a guitarist.” 

Late last summer, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story on Reed by jazz writer Lee Hildebrand, accompanied by a color picture he later joked about to a Yoshi’s audience as “the mug shot.” Since that time, “the phone started ringing and hasn’t stopped.”  

Asked if the sudden burst of recognition for the Watts native—who was taught to sing over chord changes by Charles Mingus, cut his teeth on vaudeville-type talent shows and sat in with many of the great Central Ave. scene bop players—has exhilarated or dismayed him, Reed said, “It was overwhelming at first—it freaked me out, drove me away from music. But you get used to it; you got to get used to it. I just want to sing a song, that’s all. The stuff that comes with it, that’s okay. That’s why I’m in it. Because I can’t shut up!” 

ED REED 

10 a.m.-noon Saturday at Freight & Salvage, 1111 Addison St. For reservations: call 664-9500 or go to ticketweb.com. $15 advance, $18 at door.

Oakland, which saw its only remaining resident theater company, TheatreFirst, compelled to leave its Old Town storefront stage a year ago, last week witnessed introductory tours led by the Northern California Land Trust for a dual-purpose project, live-work studios and performing arts venue.  

Designed to address the problem of rapidly shrinking and unaffordable working, rehearsal and performing space for independent artists and artesans in the East Bay, the Oakland Noodle Factory, at 26th Street and Union, on the fringe of the West Oakland industrial district, opened its doorways—or the plastic curtains covering them—to prospective buyers and renters of rehearsal and performing space. 

“We’re trying to create opportunities for artists already living in West Oakland,” said Ingrid Jacobson, the Land Trust’s Housing and Solar project manager, “as well as to enrich an existing neighborhood, rather than just ‘developing’ it. 

“With assistance from the City of Oakland and different layers of financing,” Jacobson continued, “depending on the units, an artist making $27,000 with $10,000 down can afford to buy. And there’s low-priced rehearsal and performance space onsite. Affordable housing is one thing—this opportunity for home ownership for low-income people takes it one step further.” 

“Many of us on the staff and board of the Land Trust are working artists,” said Executive Director Ian Winters, himself a visual and performance artist and cofounder of Oakland’s Milk Bar. “And everybody’s lost lofts at least once, and performance spaces, and known many others who have lost both during a time when an astoundingly high percentage of the Bay Area’s cultural space has gone. We all have a list of friends who have said, ‘It’s almost cheaper to live in New York.’” 

The previous owner of the Noodle Factory, after a number of local property management firms, “was an organizer of the Black Rock Arts Foundation of Burning Man fame, who found the Noodle Factory about 10 years ago,” Winters said. 

He said it was “occupied in a quasi-legal fashion, like many other such properties have been—somebody paying somebody else rent—by someone who had the idea of turning it into a combination of a performance venue and live-work spaces. But she was in a funny position, realizing the technical complexity of upgrading the property, bringing it up to code compliance, retrofit ...  

“Rather than putting it on the open market and having it end up as market-rate lofts, she decided to find an organization willing to take it on as a project.” 

At the time, the Land Trust was working on the acquisition of an old church for a similar project, on the corner of Shattuck and Woolsey, “on the Berkeley-Oakland line, with entitlements to both; there was no way to resolve the parking issues,” Winters said. 

The Land Trust negotiated whether to take on the Noodle Factory, while lining up redevelopment funding. It acquired the property in late 2005, with exploratory demolition in June 2006 and construction beginning in December that year. 

“It was a huge fund-raising process for legalizing the space,” said Winters. “We recycled or reclaimed all the timber and demolition materials. We would have been better advised to tear the building down. Instead, we took it down to bare framing in order to reuse a significant amount. And it’s powered 75 percent P.V. [solar electric].” 

There are 11 live-work units, nine below market rate. Total square footage of the building is 19,600 square feet. 

In the effort to make the Noodle Factory “work for a wide array of artists, and be socially as well as environmentally sustainable,” the Land Trust engaged two directors of Oakland-based theater groups to direct the performing arts venue: Maya Gurantz of Temescal Labs (nee Ten Red Hen) and Norman Gee of Oakland Public Theater. 

Gurantz, executive director of the Noodle Factory Performing Arts Center, spoke of creating programs that encouraged “small companies to do bigger work ... the nomadic theater and dance troupes are where the hot stuff is ... I know what a difference it makes when you build your set—and can leave it where you perform.”  

Gee, the Performing Arts Center’s programming director, said, “We want to take advantage of the flexibilty given to us by the Land Trust, keep costs of rental down and encourage as many small performing arts groups as possible. With the mandate they’ve given us, we’re reaching out to the neighborhood. We’ve linked up with two high schools, are talking about what type of curriculum we can work together on. And through the schools, the young people, to reach their parents and neighbors. I’m planning to stage a piece for the holidays I’ve done before in the schools, a multicultural Wind in the Willows. And when neighborhood people come as our guests, we can also invite them to something they’ve never seen before. Like a butoh show—say, ‘check it out!’” 

The theater is 1,700 square feet, now adorned with Magritte-like signs for the tours: “This stairway won’t be here!” There’s 1,000 square feet of rehearsal space, and an arts cafe as well. 

“The Land Trust is our current fiscal sponsor,” said Gurantz. “We’re working on our own nonprofit status as an autonomous entity. The Trust’s board is trying to create an independent cultural resource, not control it.” 

“The Land Trust owns the land under the building in perpetuity,” Winters commented, “which ground lease ensures the space will always be used by working artists and artesans. If a group falls on hard times, we have the legal standing to step in temporarily, see it’s not lost to foreclosure.” 

As working artists as well as project directors, Gurantz will be directing this fall for Shotgun at Ashby Stage, and Winters and Gee both are working on events: Oakland Public Theater’s Richard Wright Project (his centennial is Sept. 4) and the Milk Bar’s Film Festival, with commissioned works and international experimental films (Sept. 12-14)—both slated for the Noodle Factory.

Growing up in Bristol, Rhode Island, Katrina Browne was steeped in the traditions and lore of her family, the DeWolfs. The DeWolf family was an integral part of the town’s identity, somewhere between founding fathers and royalty. The stained-glass windows in the family church were paid for by her ancestors and bore their names; the town’s signature mansion, now a museum, was built by a DeWolf and the home remained in the family until the late 1980s. 

Growing up, Browne never questioned this legacy, never looked deeper, until her grandmother wrote a small booklet about the family that briefly and vaguely mentioned their ties to the slave trade—a topic so taboo for so long that most living descendants knew nothing about it. Browne began to look into the family’s dark secret and found that the DeWolfs were not only significant players in the trade, but were in fact the largest, most successful slave-trading organization in history. 

Just as startling to Browne was the revelation that the North, contrary to its image as innocent in the slave trade and as a catalyst for abolition, was deeply complicit in slavery, all the way through the Civil War and the Reconstruction era. And tiny Rhode Island saw more African captives pass through its ports than any other state. 

Browne, who holds a master’s degree in theology from Berkeley’s Pacific School of Religion, set out to examine this history and to try to come to grips with her family’s role. She contacted 200 DeWolf descendants across the country and invited them to join her confronting the family legacy by retracing their ancestors’ trade route. The vast majority of them never responded; of the rest, only nine took her up on the offer. The result is Traces of the Trade, a documentary about the excursion that was written, produced and directed by Browne. The film kicks off the 21st season of PBS’ acclaimed independent documentary series P.O.V. Tuesday night, June 24. 

Traces of the Trade follows the group as they travel from Rhode Island to the ports of Ghana, where their ancestors traded rum and scarves for slaves; from Ghana to Cuba, where those slaves helped in the harvesting of sugar and the production of molasses, and where they were held until prices were favorable in the American slave market; and back to Rhode Island, where the slaves were sold for vast profits and the products of their labor were distilled into rum, the cycle beginning anew. 

Along the way, Browne and her cohorts grapple with the myriad issues raised by their family’s legacy. Though none of them inherited money from those ancestors, they are forced to reckon with the vestiges of privilege that the family gained through the slave trade. At times the whole exercise can seem self-indulgent, and they even struggle with that, wondering what good it does for a pack of white folk to travel about and talk among themselves about racial relations. Is this just a method to assuage their guilt? Or can something more beneficial come of this?  

At one point the group, seeking an outside voice, puts their questions to Juanita Brown, the film’s African-American, Berkeley-educated co-producer. Brown had intended to stay out of the family discussions and focus on facilitating the discussions between the DeWolfs and Ghanans, but when put on the spot, she manages to give the DeWolfs the perspective they need to better understand their role in the dialogue. 

In the end, the DeWolfs manage to find a few methods by which they can contribute to the dialogue, by encouraging their ancestral hometown and their church to not only acknowledge their role in the slave trade and the morass of racial relations in the United States, but to start figuring out what to do about it.