NewYorker.com, November 20, 2014: “All the Things That are Quirky in Berkeley” by Vauhini Vara
On July 21, 2015, the Contra Costa Times carried a story by Judith Scherr, headline “Berkeley: Noted figures discuss city’s identity in time of change. In relevant part: “Tom Dalzell, creator of the website Quirky Berkeley (quirkyberkeley.com) noted some of the sights he’s found around the city: An art wall a homeless man created from trash, decorated mailboxes, peace flags, bowling balls and traffic barriers.” The quirky art should not be ridiculed as “Berzerkeley,” he said.”These are all outward physical manifestations of an inward and spiritual character of Berkeley.”
California Magazine February 9, 2017: “Exploring the Quirky in Berkeley”
In 2014, Berkeleyside began carrying Quirky Berkeley material presented as “How Quirky is Berkeley?” In most, but not all, cases, the Berkeleyside postings are condensed versions of the original posts. Some are longer, and several don’t exist as Quirky Berkeley postings at all.
March 20, 2014: Check out these dinosaurs
April 3, 2014: Painted garage doors
April 17, 2014: The giant orange of Spruce Street
May 2, 2014: Topiary art
May 15, 2014: Jane Norling’s NIcaraguan mural
June 19, 2104: Marion Fredman’s Tunnel Road art
June 30, 2014: The public art of Conny Bleul-Gohlke
August 8, 2014: Mailboxes that resemble houses
September 4: Mark Olivier’s Colusa Avenue beach trash sculpture garden
September 26, 2014: Mark Bulwinkle’s steel artworks
October 20, 2014: Animal mailboxes
November 4, 2014: C.J.’s Old Garage
November 14, 2014: Hex signs
November 24, 2014: The city’s hidden murals
December 2, 2014: Gardens
December 18, 2014: From Lucky’s to Amoeba at 2455 Telegraph
January 2, 2015: The Former Rivoli Theatre on San Pablo Avenue
January 5, 2015: The Small Worlds of Grace Munakata and Others
January 29, 2015: The Social Justice Posters of the Red Sun Rising Collective
February 10, 2015: Helly Welly Quirky
February 16, 2015: Science and Art at Scenic and Cedar
March 10, 2015: Religion on Telegraph Avenue
March 26, 2015: Politics as Theater
April 6, 2015: Berkeley’s Benches
April 13, 2015: Izzy Sher Sculpture
April 27, 2015: Peace Now!
May 4, 2015: Doug Heine’s Gate 13
May 12, 2015: Julie Partos Clark’s Webster Street Installations
May 22, 2015: Marcia Donahue’s Flora and Sculpture
June 2, 2015: The west-of-Euclid alley and lost-object fence
June 8, 2015: Double V’s on Vassar
June 24, 2015: Art Wall Stripped at request of UCB
July 14, 2015: Buldan Seka’s ceramic friends
July 20, 2015: Mike O’Malley’s Fence of Doors
July 21, 2015: What’s it all about, Berkeley?
August 3, 2015: Stan Huncilman’s Bullfighting Academy
August 14, 2015: Jos Sances’ Baseball Bas Relief
August 21, 2015: Diane Hamm’s Pigs on McGee
August 27, 2015: The Fairy Mural on Chaucer Street
September 8, 2015: The Democracy Fence on Pardee
September 14, 2015: A Caboose in a Driveway on 5th Street
September 21, 2015: More Bulwinkle on Telegraph
September 28, 2015: The 50th Anniversary of 50 Years Ago
October 12, 2015: The Art of Jos Sances and Robinn Legrerre
October 27, 2016: Olivia Hunter’s Butterfly House on Bancroft
November 17, 2015: Leslie Safarik’s (Danielle Steel’s) Joyous Women
November 30, 2015: Eugene Tssui’s Fish House Part 1
December 1, 2015: Eugene Tssui’s Fish House Part 2 (Interior)
December 11, 2015: Peter Mitchell’s Welded Car Part Bugs
December 30, 2015: Dick and Beany Wezelman’s Love for Africa
January 4, 2016: Frederic Fierstein’s Gifts to Berkeley
January 6, 2015: Goodbye to Mike Parayno and his Rustic Birdhouses
January 25, 2016: Jana Olson’s Lamps and Garden
February 5, 2016: Berkeley Then: Elio De Pisa’s Photos 1960-1972
March 8, 2016: Arlene Mayerson and Allan Tinker (Art and Activism)
March 14, 2016: Howie Gordon’s OMG Quirkiness on McGee
March 23, 2016: Will Squier’s Sufficiently Strange Kitsch
March 27, 2016: Berkeley Rocks
April 4, 2016: Frank Moore’s Curtis Street Home
April 14, 2016: Nacio Jan Brown’s Rag Theatre
April 19, 2916: The Two Sisters of Walnut Street
May 9, 2016: The Many Passions of Leonard Pitt
May 16, 2016: The Rusting Steel Skeleton Playing the Sax
May 23, 2016: Berkeley Ace Hardware – Moving – Oh No!
May 26, 2016: Melissa Mork’s Sheetmetal Origami
May 30, 2016: Mermaids in Berkeley
June 28, 2016: The Murals of Kingman Hall
July 11, 2016: UFO, an Alien, and Art on Vine Street
July 13, 2016: Lanesplitter’s Action Figures
August 1, 2016: The Man Behind Quirky Berkeley (ME!!!!!!!!!)
August 15, 2016: Bulwinkle’s Faces at Mad Monk
August 22, 2016: Avi Black’s Berkri-La
September 19, 2016: Darwin the Retriever Cat
October 11, 2016: The Sculpture Garden on Heinz
October 24, 2016: Mark Haggitt’s DIY Peralta Avenue Quirk
November 17, 2016: Eni Green’s Harper Street Doxies
November 28 2016: Rainbows
December 5, 2016: Early Days of the Print Mint
December 13, 2016: Recently Lost Murals
December 22, 2016: The Murals of Stefen
December 28, 2016: Post-It Art at Milvia and University
December 29, 2016: Conny Bleul’s Non-Public Art
January 3, 2017: Small World / Rocks Fall Up on Fifth Street
January 30, 2017: The Star Market Block
February 21, 2017: Jon Balderston’s Art and Collections
February 27, 2017: Ken Stein’s Berkeley Souvenir Spoons
March 21, 2017: Bungalow Courts
March 24, 2017: Relief Sculpture
March 31, 2017: Ken Stein’s Berkeley Buttons
April 11, 2017: New Murals, 2017 Edition
May 1, 2017: Rogue Little Free Libraries
May 30, 2017: Weathervanes
June 13, 2017: Jacquet Magique on Monterey
June 23, 2017: Eli Leon Collections for Sale
August 1, 2017: Peace Poles
September 5, 2017: Cloyne Court Murals
September 6, 2017: Ron and Abbey’s Muffler Men
September 7, 2017: Precision Peoples Auto’s Airplanes
September 19, 2017: Mark Bulwinkle Tiles
September 20, 2017: Lasher’s Electronics
October 2, 2017: The Artistic Legacy of Martin Metal
October 5, 2017: Ron Morgan’s Christmas Ornaments
October 9, 2017: Sheri Tharp’s Carved Picket Fence
October 23, 2017: Doors
Video producer Siciliano Trevino runs Quirkeley. Her description: “Quirkeley’s weekly YouTube series #Berkeley is your guide to the city, covering local events, people and quirky trends on Twitter and Instagram. Open your heart chakra and energize your chi: watch, subscribe and share our videos. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Like us on Facebook. And be sure to tell us what you think in the comments.”
The on-camera presence is #Lisa, who gets Quirky Berkeley like nobody’s business.
On January 9th, she posted a short video on Quirky Berkeley – #Berkeley – Quirky Berkeley Tour. It includes Bruce Dodd’s Giant Orange on Spruce, Buldon Seka’s giant ceramic freaks on Spruce, and Mark Olivier’s beach trash art on Colusa.
On May 4th, she posted a second installment, featuring the doxie’sculpture house on Harper Street and the fish/tardigrade house on Matthews.
What does my friend think of all this media splash? Predictable but true –
