GRACEFUL SKYLINE The architect Julia Morgan made a lasting impact on the skyline of Berkeley. Her graceful buildings include the landmarked City Club on Durant Avenue, St. John’s Presbyterian Church, an addition to the Town and Gown Club, and many more. Morgan’s work also deeply influenced other parts of California: among the 700 buildings she worked on was the renovation of the Fairmont Hotel after the 1906 earthquake and fire and the design of Hearst Castle. Oct. 1 marked the launch of a six-week celebration of California’s first licensed female architect put on by Landmarks California, a coalition of preservationist groups. The kickoff will be a gala, auction, and fundraiser Friday, Oct. 12 at 6:30 pm at the City Club. Other events include tours, talks, and an exhibit of her work at UC Berkeley.
FOOD AS ARTISTIC INSPIRATION UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies’ 2012/2013 season opens Friday with “From the Field to the Table,” a new work that deals with issues of food justice. It was created through a collaborative process where 45 people worked together over five weeks to craft stories, music, and dances that explore rising food prices and diminished natural resources. The performances run Oct. 12-14 at Zellerbach Playhouse.
THE COST OF WAR Haider Hamza lived through the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq while living with his family near Baghdad. The son of a diplomat, Hamza started working at 19 as a TV producer for numerous Western news agencies, such as Reuters, ABC News, and others, covering Saddam Hussein’s trial, the killing of his sons, and the daily violence. After being arrested and shot at, Hamza came to America and toured 35 states, talking to Americans about the war by setting up a mobile booth with a sign “Talk to an Iraqi.” Hamza will join American journalist David Harris at Sibley Auditorium at UC Berkeley at 7 pm Friday Oct. 12 to talk about “Iraq Ten Years Later: Forgotten Past and Brutal Present.” The event is free and is co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Journalism and Citizens Speak Out.
A PUBLIC POW WOW Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of Indigenous People’s Day (which originated here) and Berkeley will be celebrating with a Native American Pow Wow and market at Civic Center Park from 10 am to 6 pm. There will be dancing, Native American food and arts and crafts, and a “prettiest shawl” contest. The day “celebrates the survival and revitalization of Indigenous cultures, and commemorates Native resistance to the forces still threatening to destroy them.”
HIDDEN HISTORY South Asians have been living in California since 1857, but their history is not well known. Community historians Anirvan Chatterjee and Barnali Ghosh will lead a two-mile walk through Berkeley on Oct. 13 and 14, 20, 21, and 28, and others in November, and talk about 100 years of South Asian history in the community. Called the South Asian Radical Walking Tour, it will touch on secret histories of resistance and organizing.
Don’t forget these other activities recently featured on Berkeleyside:
The Saturday Oct. 13 Berkeley Ramble, produced by Litquake /John Birdsall, chewing on the Berkeley food scene
Sunday Streets: Shattuck Avenue goes car-free for 17 blocks on Sunday
Also, check out the recently launched Berkeleyside Radio, which presents music from many bands that will be playing around town in the next two weeks. You can stream it, too. Produced by Deli Radio.
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To find out about more events in Berkeley and nearby, visit Berkeleyside’s Events Calendar. We also encourage you to submit your own events.
