The Dome Exemplifies the Kind of Artistic Community the Bay Area Needs Now

by Max Blue

 

Bay Area artists’ studios and homes feel like they’re getting smaller all the time. The region seems ever-contracting, squeezing out and closing off its artistic community — even as it expands upward through new-build condos and outward through virtual vistas. Tracing the evolution of art made inside Bay Area homes is to trace the material minimization of artists and their practices.

The Dome Show at di Rosa SF celebrates the 50th anniversary of the titular Oakland artist live/work community at a time when the solutions it models may be more relevant than ever. Founded in 1976 by ceramics artist Peter Voulkos (1924–2002) in response to the rising cost of living in San Francisco, The Dome has remained a hub for creative energy and community.