Friday afternoon I test walked the route for the upcoming Oakland Urban Paths walk in the Golden Gate district in North Oakland. On Saturday, July 12, we’ll be exploring the Golden Gate district with artist and historian Sue Mark, who has lined up a number of great speakers. Sue and I walked past The Compound Gallery and Studios, where co-founder Matt Reynoso gave us a tour of the gallery and studios.

The gallery in front has varying displays, as well as a couple of more permanent fixtures like Ye Old Art Machine, which dispenses small artworks for a dollar, and the headquarters of the Art in a Box program, a unique subscription art program, where locally made, hand selected artworks get delivered to your door. The studios in back are impressive, with letterpress printing equipment, a metal shop, a wood shop, and numerous private studio spaces. Besides being available to the artists who rent studios, Compound also teaches classes on techniques and how to use the different equipment.

The Compound Gallery is expanding, and doing an IndieGoGo campaign to raise funds for it. They’ll be moving the wood and metal shops, and making a larger area for creating pottery, as well as adding new studios. There are some interesting donation perks, so check it out.

Next time you’re in North Oakland on a Wednesday through Sunday, check out the latest show at The Compound Gallery. It’s a short walk from Actual Cafe and Victory Burger, a couple of great local options for a bite to eat.