ARTogether

ARTogether’s mission is to provide art programs that foster compassionate communities where refugees and immigrants can flourish.

At a time when the most vulnerable populations of the world are experiencing a great deal of hostility, as war, sanctions, humanitarian crises, famine, discrimination, torture and other unlivable circumstances cause the displacement of individuals and families, who gets to tell our stories? Moving to a different part of the world, often involuntarily, to start a new life in a place where one doesn

’t speak the language—culturally or linguistically—is a challenging plight. Creative expression through art can provide a respite and an opportunity to connect beyond the confines of language and the alienation of being so far from home. ARTogether brings together spaces, artists, and resources to help refugees to the San Francisco Bay Area from all over the world connect to their new communities, process their past experiences, and work through current feelings of isolation, shame, and estrangement.

06/04/2026

Join us next Wednesday June 10th for our monthly Art and Craft Night, with new hours of between 5 - 8 pm at 1200 Harrison Street, in Downtown Oakland. Easily accessible by BART!

Gather In is an ongoing drop-in art gathering that offers a safe, welcoming space for immigrants, refugees, and allies to come together, share a meal, and create art in community. Whether through casual conversations over a potluck dinner or hands-on arts and crafts, this event is about connection, healing, and support.

06/02/2026

A glimpse into our Mentorship Hub & Residency… this past month, we welcomed our 2027 Artists-In-Residence into our community studio and engaged in workshops with and to reflect on collectivism, social practice, the stories within the materials we use, and the values we hold close to ourselves as artists. We’re excited for another year of partnership with Oakland and Bay Area diasporic artists.

Meet our 2026 mentorship hub mentees: .taylor_tv .baby.draws

Stay tuned for some of their features in our upcoming monthly “Gather In” community craft nights!

05/29/2026

Join us on Friday, June 26th from 5–8pm! For nine years, ARTogether has been creating welcoming spaces for refugees and immigrants during some of the most difficult moments of their lives, moments of transition, upheaval, and uncertainty.

Through art, we've helped people find community, healing, and a sense of belonging when they needed it most.

We're celebrating how far we've come and ushering in what's next.

We'll be honoring the legacy of our founder, Leva Zand, welcoming our new Executive Co-Directors, and looking ahead to a future where even more immigrant and refugee voices are amplified and community is built.

Come be part of this moment. The event is free and open to all.

👉 RSVP link in bio!

ARTogether Center | 1200 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA Friday, June 26 | 5–8pm

05/25/2026

ARTogether at the East Bay Open Studios Opening Party!

We are so excited to have a booth at this massive community celebration. Swing by the ARTogether booth at the Opening Party & Community Exhibition to celebrate with us.

This community party is extra special as we’re also celebrating Oakland Art Murmur’s 20th Anniversary. The Opening Party & Community Exhibition will feature 100+ East Bay artists, live music, DJ sets, art-making, complimentary bites & drinks.

Saturday, May 30 | 11am–5pm Orchard Galleries | 489 25th St, Oakland Free & all ages 🎨 RSVP in bio!

05/21/2026

Art is a bridge to understanding!

Through ARTogether’s Arts in Schools program, newcomer students are stepping into spaces where science meets storytelling, and wellness meets movement.

Our recent collaboration at Fremont High School with Ms. Priestly and teaching artist Olivia Eng brought visual arts and wellness into biology and physiology classes, creating a deeply supportive environment for 89 students.

We are incredibly proud of this impact, and the work hasn't stopped📚🎨Stay tuned for more updates from this year's cohort!

05/15/2026

At Edna Brewer Middle School, students spent a semester in mural class working alongside muralists Elaine Chu and ARTogether’s Sabina Kariat to create something entirely their own.

They created a design based on what symbolizes belonging to them at their school, and the various strengths of their community. From the music program (whose work was featured in Pixar's Soul) to their sports team, their rootedness to California depicted through flora and fauna, as well as figures based on real students at the school.

Every drawing started in a student's hand, with Elaine Chu preserving their original lines as she helped bring the composition together. Even passersby stopped to pick up a brush.

05/13/2026

New Blog Post by Alexandru Salceanu "In contemporary political discourse, immigration is too often framed through fear, suspicion, and exclusion. Questions of borders and citizenship dominate headlines, while the human realities behind migration are flattened into policy debates. This exhibition pushes back against that logic.

By centering artists whose work emerges from lived experience, Where Are You From? restores emotional and historical depth to a conversation often reduced to statistics. It reminds us that migration is not an exception but a fundamental part of human history"

This exhibition is on display until May 20th!

READ MORE ON OUR BLOG 👉 Link in Bio👈

05/11/2026

✨ We are hiring a Youth Program Director! Join the ARTogether team ✨

The Youth Program Director will lead ARTogether's youth-focused programs and school partnerships, developing a coherent, fundable, and impactful youth program portfolio.

More info and to apply: artogether.org/youth-program-director/
+ !

05/08/2026

Join us next Wednesday May 12th for our monthly Art and Craft Night, between 4 -7pm at 1200 Harrison Street, in Downtown Oakland. Easily accessible by BART!

Gather In is an ongoing drop-in art gathering that offers a safe, welcoming space for immigrants, refugees, and allies to come together, share a meal, and create art in community. Whether through casual conversations over a potluck dinner or hands-on arts and crafts, this event is about connection, healing, and support.

05/06/2026

✨ Welcoming the ARTogether Mentorship Hub & Residency 2026 Cohort! ✨

This weekend we opened a new chapter by welcoming the 2026 mentorship hub cohort! Mentors, alumni, staff, and our new mentees gathered to share meals, stories, and the questions that drive us to create across disciplines, cultures, and lived experiences.

Meet our 2026 mentorship hub mentees: .taylor_tv .baby.draws

Mentees gave mini artist talks, and we were moved by the range of voices in the room: printmakers, felt artists, painters, calligraphers, illustrators, social practice artists, and more each carrying a distinct perspective shaped by their journey.

The ARTogether Mentorship Hub exists for emerging refugee, immigrant, diasporic, and underrepresented artists in the Bay Area, to offer not just studio space, but a community grounded in wellness, peer connection, and collective power.

OaklandArtists RefugeeArtists BayAreaArt

Address

1200 Harrison Street
Oakland, CA
94612

Telephone

+15105452787

Website

https://artogether.start.page/

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