The Maya Lin Elementary PTA and RADIUM Presents hosted the “In Living Colors” festival on Sunday, May 18, at RADIUM Runway on Alameda Point. The festival featured live music, crafts, and art galleries. Around 400 people attended throughout the day.
“We were really excited to work with the Maya Lin PTA on this particular project,” said Rachel Campos de Ivanov of RADIUM Presents. “We both have a shared love of bringing more arts, culture and creativity to our island.”
Along with providing the venue, RADIUM presented the In Plain Site photography exhibition, which featured international and local photography highlighting climate-positive perspectives from photographers such as Maurice Ramirez and Noah Berger. Subjects ranged from highlighting sustainability-focused tech companies to capturing aged plastic trash, emphasizing the impacts of climate change. Works from four AUSD students were also on display: Remi Langeweroski, Miles Wilson, Matan Antebi, and Daiana Mojica. The gallery will be on display until June 1.
Maya Lin students—the “Wolf Pack”—displayed their own art in the “Pup-Up” art gallery. Some works in the gallery reflected learnings from school, such as the history of graffiti and quilting, while others included phrases representing the identities of the kids themselves, such as “reader,” “builder” and “hugger.” Displaying students’ art plays a huge role in building identity, PTA member Lana Nguyen said.
“Seeing your art on display like this affirms your value—that you’re a person outside of your school, or outside of your job. That creativity also enriches the community around you, so we all benefit,” Nguyen said.
The galleries were arranged in and around the storage containers at RADIUM Runway. Music and dance from groups like Sweet Thing and the Bangoura family delighted attendees as they mingled. East Bay Arts Therapy, Creative Community, and Art With Ms. Y provided arts and crafts for kids to engage in as well.
RADIUM Runway has been operating since 2022, showcasing everything from art galleries to music and theater productions. Campos de Ivanov expressed hope for its expansion and for future arts showcases at RADIUM Runway.
“The vision we have for the theater is that it’ll be a resource for our young people, and to be able to do that from this early stage makes me feel really good,” Campos de Ivanov said.
Sindhu Ananthavel is a contributing writer to the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Sindhu-Ananthavel.
