CSUEB history students collaborate on murals project depicting Oakland yesteryear

• June 9, 2014 8:00am

This history of "Old Oakland" has come alive through the murals recently installed near the intersection of Jefferson and 11th streets -- thanks to the work of Cal State East Bay history students and art students from California College of the Arts (CCA).

The students of Professor Linda Ivey's History 4032 class, "Introduction to Public History," wrote 16 historical narratives during the fall 2013 quarter about the city's past after doing extensive research related to the old center of the downtown area of Oakland. Those narratives were then put on a special Web site, from which CCA's art students last January selected six of the narratives that inspired them. From those they created large murals depicting that history.

It is all part of a partnership that was formed last year between Ivey and muralist Eduardo Pineda, who teaches the CCA art students. The murals were installed, as part of a larger CCA project, last month. The related historical perspectives can be accessed via a smartphone or tablet. Ivey said that one of her graduate students in public history did the technical work that allows people walking by the murals to scan each mural and see a video pop-up that quickly explains the history behind that specific image.

"We are very excited about this public history/public art/digital history collaboration," the Cal State East Bay professor said. Those who view the murals "are directed to the Web site, which will showcase complete stories abut the history represented by the murals, as well as the other research conducted by CSUEB students.

-- Barry Zepel