Oakland art scene’s loss is gain for Richmond’s Seaport Studios

For years, west Oakland was considered a hub for large-scale artists and creatives who were drawn there by cheap rents, ample warehouse space and an ecosystem that churned out installation pieces for Burning Man, infusing Bay Area culture with their weird and wonderful work.

But after cannabis was legalized in 2016, growers began co-opting such workspaces, driving up rents and pricing artists out. Over the past decade, M0xy, American Steel, Nimby, the Oakland Cannery and numerous other artist collectives all closed, casting installation artists to the four winds. 

While some artists have given up on the Bay Area entirely, a sizable number found a new homebase in Richmond, setting up shop at Seaport Studios in south Richmond, just steps from the Bay Trail. On any given day, artists there are busy hammering, welding and soldering their creations. Burning Man art cars are assembled there, along with large sculptures destined for public venues and private collections nationwide. 

The building is owned by Sean Orlando, a prominent installation artist, perhaps best known for iconic art cars such as the Nautilus and his Raygun Gothic Rocketship, a sculpture that spent two years at San Francisco’s Pier 14 before being permanently installed in a Colorado museum. 

Orlando spent many years running Lost & Foundry in West Oakland, a maker space and gallery that rented studios to artists.  But in 2020, after the owner of the Oakland warehouse increased rent to an amount Orlando thought unreasonable, he knew it was time to go.

 “I got tired of seeing amazing art spaces close because the artists were at the mercy of their landlord,” said Orlando. “The only way to secure art space is to own it and intentionally build it out for that purpose.”

About 50 artists work out of Seaport Studios, a two-story building that was previously owned by Artworks Foundry, a Berkeley-based fabricator that produces and restores bronze sculptures, reliefs and monuments. Because of that, the warehouse was already equipped with bridge cranes and other equipment large-scale artists need, a major draw for Orlando and others.

One of the artists leasing studio space at Seaport is Celeste Flores, a Pinole-based blacksmith who makes functional art for the home, including railings, gates and candlesticks. Flores looked for two years before finding Seaport Studios, which opened in November 2021.

 “I needed something industrial and under $1,000 a month and this had both,” she said. 

When she’s not feeding metal into the fire for her own projects, Flores runs team building workshops and classes at the studio. At the end of her work day, she sometimes relaxes over a glass of wine at Windchaser Winery, located one block away, or by walking the Bay Trail. “It’s very quiet and safe here and my commute is only 10 minutes.”

In a studio across the walkway from Flores, Oakland artist Brian Enright is busy turning recycled tires, wood, metal and other materials into striking creations. In one of his completed works, gun components make up part of a feather. In another, old keyboards and other electronic waste have been fused into a large glowing metal orb that now adorns the hallways of a company’s office.  “My work focuses on the environment and people’s relationship with recaptured objects,” Enright says. “When we see things that are ‘just trash,’ we have to reconsider what we deem valuable.” 

Enright’s work is on display at Oakland’s City Hall, the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and in private collections. Like Flores, he also offers classes and runs team building workshops where participants learn how to create works out of recycled metal. He is also happy to have made the move to Richmond, where he says there’s a lot of potential for artists.

 “There is still warehouse space available that hasn’t been turned into tract loft condos,” Enright said. “And because there’s more space, the cost per foot is more affordable and you’re still in the Bay Area.” 

Another creative plying her trade at Seaport is Stephanie Shipman, an Oakland woodworker and artist in a male-dominated field. Shipman previously worked in a solitary studio in San Leandro. But after her partner died several years ago, she felt she wanted more community. When she learned that the warehouse had bridge cranes, which she uses to move large pieces, she was sold.

 “I’m still working alone, but there are people around,” she said. “It’s nice to see what your friends are working on.”

Now Orlando hopes to expand Seaport’s capacity so that it can offer more opportunities to artists both emerging and established through mentorships, artist residences and fiscal sponsorship. 

“It’s hard enough to be an artist in the Bay Area,” Orlando said. “Artists need to inspire each other and show that there is a path for them. Instead of competing, I want to encourage collaboration.”