Welcome to Magnolia Street
March 12, 2020
Magnolia Street is an experiential installation following Alena Museum's land libration journey. From holding space for African Diaspora creatives , to confronting gentrification in practice, the story of Magnolia Street channels the spirit of Oakland's Black Resistance movement into the present through Alena Museum's eyes. Our story roots Black Power into any land we activate, including this one. Welcome to Magnolia Street.
The Build.
With an almost literal blank slate, we began to build a dream.
The Activation.
Day by day, Alena Museum became a living, breathing creative space hosting events and housing artists.
The Eviction.
Alena’s eviction was all to often story of creatives bringing life to neighborhoods, only to be pushed out by greedy land owners. The eviction process turned into a year long process of fighting back against the landlords but eventually concluded with Alena choosing to move on and work towards the future.
The Future.
Through it all we learned to adapt and be flexible in the ever-changing landscape of Oakland. With a new location and activation projects, we are proud to once again hold space.
Due on the “shelter in place” initiatives orders The Flight Deck is now closed until further notice.
The Art of Leaving will be postponed to a later date.