It was standing room only for the performance art showcase at the Joyce Gordon Gallery on Saturday March 27.

As part of the closing festivities for the downtown Oakland gallery’s month-long show, “For Colored Girls Only,” artists from the Third Root Art Collective performed solo and poetry work that touched on critical topics using humor, personal stories and complex characters to reach an audience of about 40 people.

Poetry and solo performances were held each weekend in March. Saturday’s event was one of the last.

Gordon said the exhibition and weekend performances were a successful celebration of Women’s History Month. The exhibition, in particular, resonated with audiences because of its broad array of perspectives.

“It turned out great because there was so much diversity,” she said. “We had artists from all over the world, China, Brazil, Africa. Our artists also ranged in age from their 20s to 60 plus.”

Artwork on display included oil paintings, mixed media work and black-and-white photographs.

On the performance art end, Lisa Marie Rollins of Oakland said she appreciated that Gordon provided an arena for women of color performance artists.

“It’s just been wonderful being able to tell our stories and having the space for that,” she said. “It’s been very important because there aren’t a lot of small theater spaces here in Oakland. So this has been an amazing experience."

About Jennifer Inez Ward

A writer and photographer, Jennifer Inez Ward has been documenting Oakland neighborhoods for more than 10 years. A graduate of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, she focuses on the uniqueness and beauty of everyday life in a city that is too often overlooked for its treasures and pleasures. Throughout the years, Jennifer has had the honor of showcasing her work at a number of venues, including a permanent loan of images that are displayed on the front wall of Barnes and Nobel in Jack London Square. Jennifer is a featured artist documented in “Images of America: Black Artists in Oakland."