Artist of the Week: Arthur Gardner aka "Dopey Fresh"

“In my time. In my generation, I felt like the creativity was super high. At its highest form.”-Arthur Gardner

Arthur “Dopey Fresh” Gardner, the oldest of eight, found his passion for dancing at the age of 16. Initially starting as an escape from everyday life, what started as a hobby soon evolved into his greatest joy and career. Hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area, Arthur took to the streets, house parties, and clubs, always watching, observing, and having fun in his craft. 

Having been inspired by artists such as Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and big events in the Bay Area and other locations, such as the Hyphy movement, Arthur found himself with an increased appreciation for dancing. Dancing encouraged individualism and brought him closer to other dancers, creating a sense of community for him to turn to. 

Known particularly for Turf dancing, the dance teacher described this specific art form and his first impression of the dance as relatable and open when he said, “You can be yourself, be silly, and still dance.” This paints a picture of a form of dance where it’s not just about the generic forms we see of dancing but also the playful side of this art form.

“Now I see the power with this dance…Being at the school, seeing the kids, seeing me be inspired, it’s way more layers to this dance.”

Following one’s passion is challenging enough on its own, especially in a business that few make it or find success in. However, Arthur persisted in doing what he loved despite it. Even during difficult periods, he continued dancing and competing. He even shared some of his most memorable moments that made the hard times worth it all. One of them occurred this recent year when he performed in the Super Bowl halftime show. Despite this moment being memorable because of its high-profile nature, he remembers it as a significant moment in his career for himself and the others dancing with him. He mentions that though it was a great moment in his hide, he wanted to step back and allow the others dancing with him their moment to shine. He felt that he had had his time in the spotlight; it was time to let others have their time. He also reflected on when he first started seeing himself on a big platform, he was already everywhere before he made it, finding his image all over the Bay area on billboards and encouraging him to continue doing and building his craft.

“My love for dancing was different every time. It’s not my career, but it’s my passion.”

A hardworking individual who, despite all of life’s hardships, strived to turn his hobby into a career and looks to inspire those around him, be it his colleagues or his students, to step out, embrace the spotlight, get their time to shine, and find that same sense of community, belonging, and recognition in their artform no matter what form it takes and no matter what life throws at you. If it makes you happy, then you have no reason to stop doing it. 

Positive Force For Change: Poetry, Dance, and Community Change Makers

Date: Sunday October 27th 

Time: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Location:  The Ground Floor located at 455 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Get Tickets Here

Description: This event is one part performance, one part awards ceremony and one part fundraiser. 

The performances of the day include collaborative performances from Bay Area Creative students and staff in the artforms of spoken word poetry and hip hop dance. 

The awards ceremony provides a platform to honor community members who are creating positive change in the following areas:

* Empowering marginalized communities and fostering social justice

* Advocating for mental health support and reducing stigma around mental illness

* Implementing Arts or STEM education programs to provide dynamic learning opportunities 

* Bridging the Gap between Corporate Spaces and serving a Community

We are Fundraising to reach 25,000 more students. Donations of any amount come with the ability to nominate someone for a Positive Force for Change award. This link to the donation page shows what various amounts of donations can provide for Bay Area Creative. 

The event consists of

• Complimentary food and beverages

• Film screening of a youth poem film

• Teaching artists and youth performances of hip hop dance and spoken word poetry

• Presentations from 10 Nominees for Positive Force for Change Awards

• Opportunity to donate at the event 

• A poetry slam style competition where five judges score performing artists and nominees to select: 

• 1 winner of the 5 performances and 3 winners for the Positive Force for Change Award

Get Tickets Here

Thank you Alameda County Arts Commission for Supporting Arts during and after the COVID19 Pandemic.

To our community,

This is a week of gratitude where Bay Area Creative would like to show appreciation to our generous funders!

Bay Area Creative received generous funding and support from The Alameda County Arts Council. We would like to extend our deepest appreciation for the support and contribution that their organization granted Bay Area Creative. Our long standing relationship has created opportunities for creative expression that empower individuals to develop empathic communication skills and foster positive change in themselves and the community.

With conscientious advocates like The Alameda County Arts Council, we will advance student success, outlets to filmmaking, creative writing, stage performance, and social activism in classes and camp programs. Bay Area Creative has four key mission programs: SPARC Poetry, REvisions -Therapeutic Arts, Educators for Empathy, and Spoken Works; Bay Area Creative impacts over 6,000 people per year at over 100 different schools and community sites. We are greatly appreciative of The Alameda County Arts Council and their support of our work through their General Relief and Arts Fund initiatives that assisted in funding our spoken word poetry workshops at Ochoa, Bret Harte and Cesar Chavez, Winton and MLK middle schools in Hayward.

Their contribution supported additional funding which led to year long creative writing residencies in the classrooms with multiple teachers at each school. The Alameda County Arts Council has been a longtime supporter of Bay Area Creative providing crucial aid during the pandemic. The arts programs they have helped to fund directly promote well-rounded, healthy people by encouraging cultural sensitivity, social justice, and emotional balance.

Bay Area Creative also predominantly serves families of color in underserved neighborhoods. The relationship between The Alameda County Arts Council and Bay Area Creative has been central to our work and has influenced our non-profit's expansion, its reach, visibility, and overall advancement of social/cultural reform!

Bay Area Creative will continue to showcase The Alameda County Arts Council’s generosity through social media, donor collateral, newsletters, and the official Bay Area Creative Website. We look forward to continuing our relationship and will keep everyone up-to-date on event news, volunteer opportunities, and executive board openings.

Our links to Social Media posts for this donor appreciation week:

Instagram Thank You Link

Sincerely Grateful,

Patrick Ohslund and Mike Taylor

Founders and Directors of Bay Area Creative