It is with great reverence, humility, and respect that we acknowledge the land on which we stand, the land on which we have stood for one hundred years. We feel a deep sense of gratitude for this place where we have laughed and cried, dreamed and created, struggled and achieved.

Our stories are part of the fabric of history—not just art history, but the history of Oakland and the greater Bay Area. Our collective contributions are and will continue to be felt, just as we feel the contributions of those who came before us— the Chochenyo Ohlone, and Karkin people here in the East Bay who were the caretakers before us and thereby shaped our understanding of the meaning of this land.

As we reflect on our inheritance from the past and our responsibility to continue to shape the future, it is not enough to say that we stand on the shoulders of giants. But rather that we must also build shoulders worthy of giants to stand on.

Let us not take lightly our mission as we transition into our new space. Let us utilize tradition and memory of this land to guide us as we nurture the next generation of makers and thinkers. Let us make an honest attempt to communicate the ideas—and the creativity, inspiration, education, representation, and craft—that informed us on this land as we support the evolution of our artistic consciousness. Let us always reflect on where we have been and where we are, and honor those ideals, wherever we go.

This land was here before us and will be here when we are gone—but our energy is now a part of this land as the land’s energy is a part of us. Perhaps the best way we can honor this relationship is to invest reverence in the space we will now occupy in our new home across the waters, that of the Ramaytush.

Yakoke (Thank You)

Mitakuye Oasin (All my relations)

Remarks delivered September 24, 2022