Rated one of the top 100 self-taught artists in the country, Leon has lived and worked in Oakland, California for over 25 years and has been a resident of Oak Center Towers, an affordable housing community owned and operated by Front Porch, for nine.

If you are out, about, and aware, you may run into him on an Oakland street, capturing on canvas the people and scenes of Bay Area life. His works are coveted by prominent Folk Art collectors everywhere, and even appear in the Smithsonian Institute.

Leon paints on “everything.” Some of his most impressive works have been captured on bed sheets he has found on the streets. Works on wood, tables and chairs, glass, and metal (even hubcaps) have been known to grace a thorough Kennedy collection. Many of the materials he works with come from the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse in Oakland. He creates his artworks with markers, paints, crayons, beads, glitter, cotton, yarn, and rope.

Community is a central part of Leon’s vision of life, as shown in his painting, “Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.” Leon explains that his art stems from his love for humanity, and he especially loves to paint the faces of the people that matter most to him, his close friends and family and neighbors.

“I love to see a picture of the beauty of old faces, young faces, all colors,” he says. “Everyone has their own beauty, everyone has character, and everyone goes through something. My work is based on community and family, and I love doing the faces and showing the heart and love. The heart of the community — you call it love.”

“The main idea of my art is concern for people, encouraging someone else,” he said. “I love when someone loves the work, and feels touched. We’re here to serve and love and encourage one another. When I get a vision, I hope it helps someone.”

He has long had a vision as an artist. “As a child I knew that art was my vocation,” Leon said. Born in 1945 in Houston, Texas, he moved to the Bay Area in 1965. He lived in San Francisco’s Mission District in the 1970s and painted his first public mural in Hunter’s Point during that time. In Oakland, Leon began by painting on cloth, but he soon ran out of canvas, so he started painting on bed sheets and other found materials.

It seems fitting that he often finds his “canvases” on the street. “My art studio is the street,” Leon explained. “I paint on bed sheets that I hang on wooden fences and building walls.”

He explains that artistic visions constantly come to him. Living at Oak Center Towers provides him with a steady home base as well as a community from which to draw inspiration. “I love the variety of people here, I love my view of downtown,” he said. “The staff here is so supportive; anything that needs fixed is taken care of right away. I’m also inspired by the other artists here. I’d love to bring them all together so the world can see our creativity.”

Learn more about Leon Kennedy and his artwork on his website.

*This post was adapted from an article previously published in the Fall 2019 edition of Community Matters, a publication of the Front Porch Communities Foundation, with quotes adapted from a Street Spirit article from April 2014. Read the most recent edition of Communities Matters here.

The Front Porch Communities Foundation supports innovative programs and community improvements that deliver real benefit to residents, employees, and program participants across the Front Porch organization. To learn more, visit https://frontporch.net/philanthropy/.

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During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Market Day transitioned from their normal operations to delivering produce directly to older people. In April 2020 alone, Market Day delivered bags of produce to 1,593 older adults living in twelve locations that normally host markets. This service not only provided fresh food but also helped boost spirits with hand delivery to vulnerable populations that were sheltering in place.

As California begins the process of reopening, Market Day locations are starting to open up as well. “We currently have six out of 24 Market Days open,” notes Teresa Abney, Market Day Program Director. More re-openings are tentatively scheduled for the fall.

At the beginning of the reopening process, the Market Day team met virtually with all coordinators to assess the needs of residents and the capacity of each market to open. Based on these meetings, the Market Day team determined which markets to open first and necessary precautions to keep everyone safe.

“Some of the precautions we have taken to protect shoppers include holding markets outdoors where possible, selling produce directly from the boxes to minimize touch, and holding markets open an extra hour to help stager shoppers,” says Teresa. Staff and volunteers also complete a COVID-19 screening before the start of each Market Day and masks are required for all staff, volunteers, and shoppers. Baskets are sterilized after each use and tables are spaced to allow for social distancing.

Response to the re-openings have been overwhelmingly positive. “The communities that have opened up Market Day again have all been very excited and happy to have Market Day back,” says Teresa. “It brings so much happiness to so many individuals. Even if it is with a mask on and 6 feet apart, it is just so nice to see and hear how happy everyone is to be shopping at Market Day again.”

Coordinators have also enjoyed having the markets back. “Many coordinators have said it’s just so nice to have a somewhat normal event back and see so many familiar faces again,” notes Teresa. “Market Days are more than fresh produce. They also create community and provide an opportunity to create a sense of purpose through volunteerism.”

The Market Day team is looking forward to opening more markets soon, though Teresa notes that “the plan for the future right now is day by day. We have to see where guidelines take us and see where everyone is as far as re-opening of senior centers.” Despite the slow process, the team is hopeful. “We are looking forward to bringing this amazing program back to many communities in the future so we can help older adults receive affordable produce safely,” says Teresa.

Markets are currently open and running regularly at Cottonwood Place in Fremont, Oak Center Towers in Oakland, Stoneman Village in Pittsburg, Presidio Gate Apartments in San Francisco, Burbank Heights & Orchards in Sebastopol, and Cloverdale Senior Center.

To keep up to date on which Market Day locations are currently open and which are planned to reopen next, follow Market Day’s Facebook page and check the locations PDF on their website.

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“Getting in front of a camera is no easy thing,” says Jen Sabaot, Front Porch’s director of communications, who spearheaded the project. “If you know how stressful it is to be in a Zoom call, imagine how stressful it is to be in front of a camera and asked to give your personal story.” To help put video participants at ease, Jen got to know each one individually and sent some sample questions in advance. “Without that time getting to know each other, I don’t think we would have been able to get as authentic as we did.”

“I had a really incredible experience,” Victor Ceron, senior director of facilities, says of the filming process. “I didn’t really prepare for the interview per se, because I really wanted my words to come from my heart.” In the video, Victor spoke about the connections he has been able to make over the course of his career. “The incredible people you meet on this journey is humbling.”

Raymond Ruiz, director of life enrichment at Kingsley Manor, appeared in the video alongside resident Karen Palmer. “Karen has always been someone I go to,” he says. “It was a very humbling experience, making a connection and talking to somebody who you see on a day-to-day basis, especially during difficult times. It made me think about the tough year that we had and why we do what we do.”

Katie Wade, senior director of creative engagement, also found herself looking back on her career path. “It was really nice to reflect on the origins of my work, and lovely to think about an older adult in one of our programs who has influenced me.”

One thing that Katie didn’t expect was how hot the room would be where filming took place. “We had to turn off the air conditioning in the interview room to make sure the sound levels weren’t affected.” The video shoot took place over two days, one day at the Home Office in Glendale, and the second at St. Paul’s Towers in Oakland. Video crews also went on site at Villa Gardens in Pasadena and Oak Center Towers in Oakland for “B roll” shots of people in action.

The original objective of the video project was to bring Front Porch’s new mission, vision, and values to life. Formally adopted by the Front Porch board of directors on April 1, 2021 as Front Porch and Covia affiliated, the new, shared values of the combined organization illustrates what brought them together to begin with – values that were already being lived out by employees and residents.

“I am so excited and delighted to get these values out and about – not that we haven’t all been living them already,” says Lauren Mouton-Beaudry, director of ethics and education. “These values are action-packed and they really speak to me. I truly believe that our shared values bring us together. I want to thank everyone who participated in the video. You were using your heart, and that’s what came through.”

The authenticity of voices comes through for Katie as well, and she sees it as part of the authenticity of the work she and others do every day. “It feels very true for me in my daily working environment that people really bring their whole selves to work. We don’t have to compartmentalize our personal self and our work self. I think that is so critical for the relational type of work that we’re all doing.”

“I think it takes special team members to do what we do on a daily basis,” adds Victor.

To Lauren, the video is only the beginning. “It’s interesting: at the end, we say, ‘that’s a wrap.’ But actually, I am feeling like now is when our work and play is really going to begin. We’re going to be sharing our values. We’re going to be strengthening our relationships. And that’s what’s going to make us an even stronger organization.”

Click the image below to watch the video. Also available with captions in Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog. 

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First built in 1927, Presidio Gate Apartments (PGA) in San Francisco, was originally known as the Protestant Episcopal Old Ladies Home and was extensively renovated and reopened in 1985. The campus is undergoing extensive refurbishment today including a new roof, exterior painting, replacing security camera and entry access systems, new landscaping, and interior refurbishment of common areas.

“The roof was over 30 years old, the paint was beginning to peel and crack, and the common areas were really starting to show their age,” says Karim Sultan, Vice President of Affordable Housing. “Since we had the funding to take on this work now, we were eager to get it done.” To date, the roof work, painting, and security camera/entry systems work have been completed, and the community has recently received permit approval from the City of San Francisco for the landscaping work. David Dolan, who served as PGA’s Housing Administrator during this project, says, “The final phase will be the interior refurbishment, and we are working with a designer to select furnishings, carpet and wall colors. Residents are very appreciative of the work that has been done to date. I am thrilled to be a part of helping improve their quality of life! As I retire, this is a great way to celebrate the end of my tenure at Presidio Gates.”

At Oak Center Towers (OCT) in Oakland, new flooring, paint, fixtures, and lighting were installed in common areas and offices. New common-area restrooms and the community room received a dramatic facelift. “The community room is home to our annual Thanksgiving luncheon and nearly all of our activities and events, and the residents are excited to be able to make it their own once communal activities can begin again,” says Aytoya Albert, OCT’s Housing Administrator. “Although the pandemic derailed our plan of a grand re-opening, we have received so much positive feedback from residents and visitors who are delighted with the new look.”

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“Since March of last year, I have been creating monthly packets for our residents to give them something to do while they are safe at home. The packets includes a variety of puzzles and brain teasers, easy recipes, and a letter with helpful information about Coronavirus from the CDC, all translated into the different languages spoken by our residents.”  

“Some residents will complete the entire packet and return it to me, a sign that they are engaged and enjoying the handouts,” Aliona says. “We have been able to do some group activities outside. Even though it’s sometimes cold, our residents show up for socially-distanced bingo! On holiday crafts day, residents still came out to make holiday cards and cookie ornaments even though it was a bit windy.”

Aliona’s favorite part of her role at Oak Center Towers is getting to know the residents. “Despite some language barriers, I feel connected and appreciated. I love the chuckles when I say ‘good morning’ or ‘thank you’ in Cantonese, Korean, or Tigrinya. It’s challenging not to be able to verbally communicate extensively with everyone, but they are still able to let me know they enjoyed an activity I organized, which makes me feel good about my work,” Aliona says.  “I especially enjoyed being able to deliver handmade cards created by volunteers from Creative Spark, Covia’s creative aging program. It was during a time when I felt like a small thing like a card with an inspirational message could brighten someone’s day! Shout out to the Creative Spark team!”

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Leon is rated one of the top 100 self-taught artists in the country. His works are coveted by prominent Folk Art collectors everywhere. Serious collectors take huge store in the fact that Mr. Kennedy’s works appear in the Smithsonian Institute, which adds value to the ownership of a Kennedy original.

Community is a central part of Kennedy’s vision of life, as shown in his painting, “Thou Shalt Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.” Kennedy explains that his art stems from his love for humanity, and he especially loves to paint the faces of the people that matter most to him, his close friends and family and neighbors.

“I love to see a picture of the beauty of old faces, young faces, all colors,” he says. “Everyone has their own beauty, everyone has character, and everyone goes through something. My work is based on community and family, and I love doing the faces and showing the heart and love. The heart of the community — you call it love.”

It is profoundly important for Leon Kennedy that his art serves the community. In a recent application Kennedy made for a public mural, a panelist said, “Mr. Kennedy actively builds community through his art.” His proposal was approved and the mural will be completed in 2020 at the African American Museum and Library.

“The main idea of my art is concern for people, encouraging someone else,” he said. “I love when someone loves the work, and feels touched. We’re here to serve and love and encourage one another. When I get a vision, I hope it helps someone.”

He has long had a vision as an artist. “As a child I knew that art was my vocation,” Kennedy said. Born in 1945 in Houston, Texas, he moved to the Bay Area in 1965. He lived in San Francisco’s Mission District in the 1970s and painted his first public mural in Hunter’s Point during that time. In Oakland, Kennedy began by painting on cloth, but he soon ran out of canvas, so he started painting on bed sheets and other found materials.

It seems fitting that he often finds his “canvases” on the street. “My art studio is the street,” Kennedy explained. “I paint on bed sheets that I hang on wooden fences and building walls.”

Kennedy paints nearly every day, often working on a bed sheet or a huge piece of cloth spread out on the floor of his studio apartment. He paints while kneeling, as if immersed in prayer. He explains that artistic visions constantly come to him. Living at Oak Center Towers provides him with a steady home base as well as a community from which to draw inspiration. “I love the variety of people here, I love my view of downtown,” he said. “The staff here is so supportive; anything that needs fixed is taken care of right away. I’m also inspired by the other artists here. I’d love to bring them all together so the world can see our creativity.”

Leon Kennedy will have a public mural called Oakland Faces on display at the Oakland Public Library in January. His work will be on exhibition at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in February as a part of the Black History Month celebration.

*This article was previously published in the Fall 2019 edition of Community Matters with quotes adapted from a Street Spirit article from April 2014.

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Art with Elders at Oak Center Towers

Art with Elders provides weekly art classes led by professional art instructors to over 450 residents in communities around the Bay Area. Their classes focus on teaching art skills such as composition and color as well as fostering community. Participants are invited to submit their artwork for the annual exhibit that showcases their hard work to the public around the Bay Area.

This year, artwork created by residents at Oak Center Towers for the Art with Elders program is featured in the 27^th Annual Art with Elders Exhibit, currently on display at the Gerald Simon Auditorium at Laguna Honda Hospital through November 18^th. Aliona Gibson and Oak Center Towers residents attended the exhibit’s Opening Celebration on October 27th where, Gibson notes, residents were “very proud and excited about their work being on display.”

One resident’s art was even selected to be printed onto greeting cards that could be purchased at the event. Gibson purchased one of these cards, saying that “it was invaluable to me to have such a beautiful and professional reproduction of the resident’s work.”

Beyond their work at Oak Center Towers, Art with Elders also provides classes at Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto, and Executive Director Mark Campbell and Instructor-Exhibits Manager Darcie O’Brien spoke as part of Covia’s 2019 Creative Aging Symposium, which celebrates the importance of creativity in creating a sense of self and living with purpose. The Creative Aging Symposium will return on January 29th, 2020 to explore more aspects of creative aging featuring speakers with backgrounds in eco-friendly fashion, choreography, and medicine.

Monthly Art Projects

In addition to the Art with Elders program, Gibson has been introducing residents at Oak Center Towers to monthly art projects that allow them to try out different mediums and materials. Residents have created everything from tie-dye t-shirts and terrariums to painted flower pots and tissue flowers.

One popular event even had an edible component where residents created rainbow fruit skewers with strawberries, watermelon, cantaloupes, pineapple, green grapes, and blueberries. Gibson notes that the event was particularly popular because residents “got to take them home and some residents ate while creating.”

Beyond the monthly art projects, there is also a weekly coloring activity where a small group of residents gather to color with gel pens, markers, and colored pencils.

Oak Center Towers’ diverse population means that not all of the residents share the same language, which can make craft projects and teaching difficult. Gibson says, “There is usually one person who speaks English who will relay what I am saying but mostly they go by pictures. I always bring examples of the craft we are doing, sometimes a prototype and sometimes pictures from the internet.”

Between the monthly art projects, regular coloring group, and Art with Elders program, Oak Center Towers has created a number of beautiful pieces that have been displayed around the community on top of the art accepted into the Art with Elders’ exhibit.

The Art with Elders Annual Exhibit is open until November 18th at the Gerald Simon Auditorium at Laguna Honda Hospital. After November 18th, the exhibit will move to the Rincon Center in Downtown San Francisco through January 18^th, 2020. Artwork from the Art with Elders exhibit is also available on their website.

*Image of Oak Center Towers group courtesy of Art with Elders

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With food, music, face painting, balloon hats, games, fresh produce, and information tables, the National Night Out event co-sponsored by Covia Senior Resources, St. Paul’s Towers, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church is a block party like no other.

“About 7 years ago, [Alameda County Senior Resource Director] Carolyn Bolton presented the idea,” says Connie Yuen, Life Enrichment Director at St. Paul’s Towers. “The idea was for St. Paul’s Towers, St. Paul’s Church, Oak Center Towers and Market Day to come together and throw a block party for our neighborhood. Every year we invite local businesses to participate by setting up informational tables and sharing their resources with guests. Each year our National Night Out party has gotten better and better with the attendance rapidly growing.”

“National Night Out is also a great way for us to meet and personally thank our local law enforcement and first responders,” says Yuen.

“It’s a way to bring community,” says Carolyn Bolton. As a high rise senior living building, St. Paul’s Towers can appear cut off from the rest of the neighborhood. The National Night Out block party helps neighbors see that “they don’t need to think the people living there are snob-nosed. It gets everybody on the same page.”

St. Paul’s Towers Executive Director Mary Linde says, “For St. Paul’s Towers, it allows us to serve our neighbors and get to know our community outside our walls. It’s about being kindness, love, and community to our neighbors.”

Yuen says, “We look forward to National Night Out every year because it’s our way of giving back and showing love to our greater community. I love seeing our residents bonding and laughing with neighbors they are meeting for the very first time.”

And the connections don’t end with meeting for the first time. Yuen says, “It’s a great feeling to see familiar faces and the same families come each year and seeing the children grow!”

“We’ve been told that many times that we host the biggest block party in Oakland. It’s truly a great place to be so I hope to see many new faces this year,” Yuen says. Linde adds, “Anyone may come. It’s really fun!”

National Night Out 2018 takes place on Tuesday, August 7. The event in front of St. Paul’s Towers, 100 Bay Place in Oakland, takes place from 6:00-8:00 pm.

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