THINGAMAJIGS

Thingamajigs is a genre-crossing arts organization that promotes music and other art forms created with made and found materials or alternate tuning systems. Our mission is to develop and nurture the exploration of alternate materials and methods of creating sound, as well as promote DIY and MAKER collaborative efforts between artists and local communities. Since 1998, we have presented world premiere works and performances by over 275 local, national and international artists. Our diverse programs foster a larger curiosity about our world of music and culture throughout the Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area. We offer an annual music festival, in-school and after-school classes, and individual concerts and community workshops throughout the year. Community members of all ages have benefited from our programs by gaining knowledge and experience conceptualizing, designing and building instruments from everyday materials, and learning the value of reusing rather than discarding. Majority of Thingamajigs’ programming takes place in underserved and neglected neighborhoods of East and West Oakland, and are in easy to access spaces such as community centers, library branches and public schools throughout the unique and diverse neighborhoods of Oakland and surrounding areas. Many of the families we work with live in severely underserved communities which deal with poor education, lack of access to living wage jobs, and are without consistent or reliable transportation. In addition, rent and housing continue to rise and we are seeing a big “pushout” creating a dramatic shift in many of our neighborhoods as new residents with higher incomes replace families that have lived in the neighborhood for generations. With Oakland being one of the most culturally, ethnically, and racially diverse areas of the country, it is important that Thingamajigs’ staff, and programming celebrates and represents that diversity. Internally, we create an equitable environment by having a diverse board, staff and artistic staff with people of multiple backgrounds, ethnicities, gender and age. In the last five years, our staff has been 60% people of color, and 60% female identifying. 66% of our Board of Directors are people of color and 33% are female identifying. We set goals together and target real, specific and tangible outcomes in order to see progress in our organization’s initiatives. Each member of Thingamajigs is encouraged to bring their voice into the shaping and steering of the organization and its programming. Together, we ensure all our programming is as empowering, equitable and inclusive as possible. We strive to increase the diversity of our artists and staff with every new project we take on. In the last five years, 46% of the artists we commission and work with are people of color, and 48% are female identifying. Our project East Bay: Redline Redefined is just the start of our programming going specifically towards addressing cultural and ethinc disparity. With our program, Thingamakids! over 80% of the students we work with are from Hispanic, Latino, Asian or African American descent.