History
The Studio One building began it's life in 1894 as a home for children. It was constructed and operated by the Ladies Relief Society of Oakland. Boys and girls lived here through the 1930s. During WWII, the Army leased the facility, after this the Society put the building up for sale. In 1947, the non-profit Recreation Center Committee of the North Oakland Area Council launched an ambitious fundraising drive to purchase the building and the adjoining boys playground to donate it to the city for use as a rec center and to provide a site for the newly funded Temescal Pool. In 1949, the Oakland Recreation Department moved its year-old fledgling Studio One Program from Bushrod Park into the newly converted center. The Recreation Department's unique vision of offering inexpensive art classes in a non-competitive learning environment, its partnership with the community and Studio patrons, and its advocacy for precious city funding enabled Studio One to establish itself and flourish.
Specialties
Studio One is a City of Oakland owned facility that has been renovated from the orphanage it once was into a large, modern art facility to inspire artists of all ages and mediums. Here you can find: Cultural Arts Programs, Adult Art classes, Afterschool Art Programs, Free Summer Movies, Recreation, Community Forums, Facility Rentals, Birthday Parties, Dance Classes, Fine Art, Craft Sales, Fundraisers, Ceramics, Small Metal Arts, Glass, Painting, Illustration, Sculpture, Cartoneria, Portrait Modeling, Flower Arranging, Murals, Public Art, Summer Camp, Going Green Camp, Kids, Adventure Camp, Teen Programs, Temescal Community, Bites Off Broadway, Parent and Child Ceramics, Black and White Photography, Traditional Photo Lab, Digital Photography, Website Building, Comic Book Art, Fiber Arts, and an ever changing array of classes designed by our Instructors, who are all experts in their fields. Come see what this Temescal gem has to offer!