Jimi Evins: Artist, educator, and longtime Oakland community activist

Video and photographs by Andrew Kodama

“Jimi Evins is an artist, educator, and longtime Oakland community activist. I had the privilege of working with Jimi this past summer at Youth Spirit Artworks, a non-profit arts initiative program based in South Berkeley that provides art programming and job training skills to local youth. This video is from a visit I made to Jimi's studio in West Oakland on a recent sunny October afternoon. Spaces are a reflection of those who shape them and Jimi's space has an energy that is inexplicably his. Soft jazz sways gently through the space as sunlight fills the high ceilings lined with his paintings. 

A wealth of wisdom and creativity, Jimi was kind enough to give me a tour and talk about his process. Jimi is a part of a special group exhibition called "7th Heaven", taking place at the Piedmont Center for the Arts on the weekends of October 13-14 and October 20-21, 2018. His art can be seen here: http://www.mesart.com/indexps.jsp?artist=2464 "

- Andrew Kodama

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