Spotlight on That Art Party: ‘We are all creative.’
At Oakland Bloom, we believe that food is political expression and healing. Food is culture, and it’s community.
Our community hub in Oakland Chinatown, called Open Test Kitchen, is a place for neighbors to gather and be themselves. If you are anything like us, whenever we invite people over, we all end up crowded and laughing in the kitchen. Over the next few months, we want to introduce you to the partners and collaborators who have brought more people to our kitchen and made it their own.
Naomi Peña is the founder and CEO of That Art Party, art and play for BIPOC adults. We talked about their Cafecito & Crafts Club at Open Test Kitchen’s Café Con Cariño and how That Art Party helps people tap into their creative power. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Oakland Bloom: To start, what is That Art Party?
Naomi Peña: We’re a creative wellness community by and for BIPOC adults. We help you tap into your inner child through art and play. Our gatherings affirm that we are all creative.
I was a teacher for 10 years and left feeling exhausted. Mostly women of color, femmes, people of color are doing all of the invisible labor, making homes, schools, & culture safe. Pouring so much into everyone else, and we are getting sick. If we poured an ounce of that same care into ourselves, how much more healed would the world be?
OB: How did you get connected with Cafe Con Carino and Open Test Kitchen? How did Cafecito & Crafts Club start?
NP: What I look for in partners is how are they taking care of our most marginalized, most oppressed folks? If you are taking care of those folks, everyone will feel comfortable.
At Café Con Cariño, Claudia and Javi know everybody’s name. That’s powerful. Kids from the neighborhood are playing in their cafe. It’s your neighborhood coffee shop. And that mural [in the cafe] is gorgeous, transmits a sort of magic.
OB: It seems like you are really intentional about every part of someone’s experience with That Art Party. How do you make people feel comfortable?
NP: Even before you enter the space, when you are on my website or social media, I want you to see faces that look like you and your people. Does the copy in my materials sound like I’m talking to you? I send pre-event emails with all of the things you need to know, so that you feel really comfortable and prepared. Just show up and we will have all of the things you need, or you can show up with a work in progress and we help you find your people.
It’s important that the energy is welcoming and friendly. Whoever is working with me needs to talk to everyone who enters our gatherings. That is the expectation. I want everyone to feel that they belong here.
OB: That’s incredible. What would you say to people who want to bring more art and play into their adult life, especially if it’s a new effort?
NP: So much of our lives, when you are a caregiver, is in go, go, go mode. I would start with the inner child. That’s a potent place to start. What are the things that I wanted to do as a young person but didn’t get a chance to do? What were the things that I loved to do as a kid? What were those micro moments of joy and let yourself have them? Start with just one. And then, hold yourself accountable. Write in a journal, share with a friend, post on social media. That’s really powerful. Knowing that you can give yourself the space, the time. You can play and didn’t forget.
For everyone, there are many ways to join us. Subscribe to the That Art Party newsletter. Hire us for your retreat or celebrations. We have a free 21-day creative reset on our website. It’s a very accessible way of getting creative.
Join That Art Party and Café Con Cariño for the next Cafecito & Crafts Club! Sliding scale tickets $10-15.