DeLuxe

The Crucible is one of those “only in the Bay Area” type places that I love. It’s a huge warehouse in West Oakland that offers courses and studio space in the industrial arts. This includes all kinds of welding, casting, glass blowing, neon, and electronics. I took a course there in the Spring of 2007 on basic electronic circuitry and can now build basic circuits include amplifiers, radios, little light and motion gizmos. It was so much fun. After taking that course I taught myself how to work with electroluminescent wire so I can (hopefully) make mini “neon” signs.

In addition to the courses they offer, they also have these open house events which often feature performances that show off what they do. In July of 2007, we went to their fire arts festivals and saw lots of fire based machines and robots. Additionally, they put on a nearly 2 hour performance of the Oddysey. In this movie, Odysseus is just getting on the boat to cross the river Styx on his was back to Hades.

The Crucible
1260 7th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
510.444.0919