Public + Commissions    |    Public Art Installation        Public Art Intervention         Interior Commissions        Public Art Murals   

The Fabric of St. Columba

St. Columba Church, Oakland, CA
2019

This public art mural, a collaboration between Laurie Polster and Debbie Koppman, is located at 6401 San Pablo Ave on the social hall facade of St. Columba Church.

The image makes abstracted connections to West African Adinkra symbols found on the church doors and website – symbols whose meaning include friendship, interdependence, unity, nurturing and resourcefulness –  and to enormous interwoven plant, pod, and root structures. Images created through layering and transparency overlap, move back and forth in space, and suggest literal movement down the street, and metaphorical movement through time and place. Layering and overlapping also reference fabric, visually suggesting the interweaving of all life forms in the creation and sustenance of community, reflecting the important role this spiritual non-profit organization plays in the surrounding community.

The project was completed November 2019 and supported by a grant from the City of Oakland (Green Walls, District 1) and St. Columba Church.

Fruitvale/880 mural project

This public art mural project, located underneath the 880 freeway at Fruitvale, was commissioned by the Unity Council of the Fruitvale District in Oakland, CA. The project was painted November-December 2011 under the direction of Debra Koppman. As one of the lead painters on this project, I was responsible for facilitating overall layout of the design patterning on the columns.