There's loads of mosaic art all around Oakland!

Places to see mosaics

One of the Maxwell Park community mosaics! photo by mk30Jingletown Art Studios building - lots of mosaics on the outside of this building (which used to be the home of the Institute of Mosaic Art)

On trash cans in many neighborhoods - see mosaic tile trash cans.

Maxwell Park - glorious mosaics all over this park, especially on the bathroom building.

Mosaics you can't see

...unless you have business at the Alameda County Courthouse. There are two beautiful WPA murals inside the courthouse, but you can't get in unless you have business at the courthouse :(.

Some mosaic artists in Oakland

Why is there so much wonderful mosaic art in Oakland?

Jingletown lizard mosaic
photo CC SA-BY Our Oakland

Some possible reasons - the popularity of mosaic tile trash cans. They started in the Maxwell Park neighborhood by a neighborhood group that wanted to improve the area.  From there, they spread to many other neighborhoods (for example: "hey, Adams Point has these great garbage cans, we should get some in Temescal!"). Additionally, the Institute for Mosaic Art was located in Oakland from 2005-2013. There was an active artists' community around the Institute, and also folks who took classes at the Institute have gone on to do mosaics in the community. If you know of other reasons for why there's a lot of mosaic in Oakland, or if any of the above info is incorrect, please edit this page!


Pages tagged “mosaic”


Coming soon....