If there is one thing that is hard to miss about Oakland this holiday season, it has to be the dozens of unusual events mixed in with the beloved traditional ones. A quick perusal through Oakland Local's own calendar section reveals multiple arts-promoting holiday sales and events, each with its own flavor. Shopping locally this holiday season does not just mean supporting the local economy and art scene, or even spending less while getting tons more. It also means that shoppers, racking up extensive coolness points with their lucky friends and family, do not have to get anyone shrink-wrapped ersatz gift baskets, complete with eternal sausages.

What's especially good about this season's local art sales and events is that, rather than holiday shoppers trying to greenly and responsibly cover dozens of between-studio miles in an afternoon--while becoming increasingly laden with packages, naturally--these events bring lots of terrific original art, artists, and curious viewers and shoppers, to single locations. Hip to the idea, Ceramic Arts of Berkeley is cleverly holding such an event as its first.

Ceramic Arts of Berkeley (CAB+) describes themselves as a group of ceramic artists, studios and suppliers located in Berkeley and surrounding communities. Most of the several dozen artists featured have their studios in Berkeley and San Francisco, but they are also joined, not surprisingly, by Oakland talent.

Notable Oakland potter Whitney Smith, for one, will be among the artists showcasing their work at the event. Smith's work has been featured in scores of local and national magazines and other media outlets over the last several years. Those lovely nesting lotus bowls (usually in leafy green or porcelain white) that have been featured in Oakland Magazine and elsewhere are among her creations.

In addition to all the great gifts and interesting folks at the event, 10% of the proceeds will go to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, giving attendees the opportunity to support education while selecting cool gifts for themselves and others.

The event takes place on Friday, December 4, from 5 to 10 p.m. at Leslie Ceramic Supply, 1212 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley.