Have you noticed anything different about OMCA lately?

Last week, Bay Area yarn bomber Streetcolor installed her knitwork at eight different locations on Museum grounds, including a few street signs outside on Oak Street. Streetcolor approached the Oakland Standard this past August to requeste support to extend her work from the streets of Oakland and Berkley to the interior of the Museum. Through this project, we hope to show support for emerging forms of street art, while continuing a broader OMCA conversation about the definition of art. What's the distinction between street art and fine art? How is art different from craft? Who decides?

To help you wrap your head about the art form, here is a quick Q&A.

Q: What's yarn bombing?
A: Yarn bombing is a new form of street art. Artists knit or crochet shapes to cover objects in public space-poles, bus seats, mailboxes, statues, and more. Yarn bombing is thought to have begun in 2005, and has now spread around the world. Yarn bombs can be politically motivated or simply decorative. Many yarn bombers want to make public space feel less anonymous. Yarn bombing is also called "grandma graffiti," "yarnstorming," and "guerilla knitting."

Q: Who is Streetcolor?
A. The most prolific Bay Area yarn bomber is a fiber artist named Streetcolor. Streetcolor has installed her work in dozens of locations throughout Berkeley and Oakland. She is unique among yarn bombers in that she uses exceptionally high-quality wool that she spins by hand, and hand-dyes some of it as well. Streetcolor was trained as a textile artist but says she became tired of showing her work in galleries.

Q: How long did the installation take?
From start to finish, the OMCA yarnbombing installation took her several weeks. Special thanks to Streetcolor's volunteer team of helpers: Betsy Graham, Nancy Rodriguiz Bell, Natasha Matteson, and Brenda Loreman.

Q: How long will it be up?
Until December 15, 2011. Depending on rain, some pieces may need to be de-installed sooner. Keep up with project updates here.

Q: Where can I learn more about yarn bombing?
A: There are a few books on the topic (check out Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti), but the best information and images are online. Start with these links:
streetcolor.wordpress.com
knittaplease.com
yarnbombing.com
twilighttaggers.blogspot.com
buzzfeed.com/melismashable/25-amazing-yarn-bombs
nytimes.com/2011/05/19/fashion/creating-graffiti-with-yarn.html

Q. How can I join the fun?
A. Join our outdoor knitting circle! On November 4, knitters and crocheters are invited to gather at 6 pm on the Museum's Oak Plaza to mark the occasion of the museum-wide yarn bombing project by textile artist Streetcolor. Bring your needles and we'll supply the heat lamps. Novice knitters welcome. The gathering is free and open to the public.

Yarn Bombing OMCA is a project by the Oakland Standard at the Oakland Museum of California.The Oakland Standard is generously funded by the James Irvine Foundation.