Art and Impact in the East Bay

Moderated by Otis R. Taylor Jr., KQED

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What is the role of art in shaping the social and cultural landscape? “Art and Impact in the East Bay” will explore how artist collectives, galleries and public spaces foster collaboration, inclusivity and community engagement, particularly in Oakland. From curated galleries to vibrant street art, Oakland’s art scene reflects its rich cultural diversity and deep community connections. Panelists for the dynamic conversation include Brock Brake, owner and curator of pt.2 Gallery in downtown Oakland; Favianna Rodriguez, a visual artist and activist; and Makeda Best, deputy director of curatorial affairs at the Oakland Museum of California. The discussion will highlight how artists and institutions are driving social change, preserving local history and redefining artistic expression in the East Bay. It will be moderated by Otis R. Taylor Jr., KQED’s managing editor of news and enterprise.

Otis R. Taylor Jr., managing editor of news and enterprise, KQED
Otis R. Taylor Jr. is KQED’s managing editor of news and enterprise. He works with reporters and senior editors to bring cultural competency and energy to KQED’s coverage of the Bay Area’s diverse communities. Previously, he was a columnist at The San Francisco Chronicle and an investigative reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, covering housing, policing, immigration, race and inequality. Before moving to the Bay Area, he was an arts and culture reporter for more than a decade. In 2020, he was named journalist of the year by the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. 

Makeda Best, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, Oakland Museum of California
Since 2023, Makeda Best has served as the Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Oakland Museum of California, where she oversees the Curatorial, Collections, and Production departments. As a former photography curator at the Harvard Art Museums, her exhibitions included “Time is Now: Photography and Social Change in James Baldwin’s America,” “Crossing Lines, Constructing Home: Displacement and Belonging in Contemporary Art,” and “Devour the Land: War and American Landscape Photography Since 1970,” which was awarded Aperture/Paris Photo’s 2022 Photography Catalogue of the Year. Her museum-wide project “ReFrame” sought to re-imagine the installation and presentation of the permanent collections of the Harvard Art Museums. In addition to numerous catalogue essays and journal articles, Best is the author of Elevate the Masses: Alexander Gardner, Photography, and Democracy in 19th-Century America. She earned her MFA from CalArts, and PhD from Harvard University. Best is a co-founder and current board member of Museums Moving Forward, an independent, limited-life organization devoted to creating a more just museum sector by 2030.