Finding Your People

Jenny & Cabbage: Free Craft Eveиts 

October 22 Temescal Brewing (Oakland) 6-9

October 29 Public Market (Emeryville) 5:30-8:30

Jenny & Cabbage is a popular community-building and craft event project in the Bay Area run by Jenny Baquing and her brown poodle, Cabbage.

Somewhere in the East Bay

It’s almost 6 o’clock on July 9th, and a line has formed in the alleyway of the Alameda Brewing warehouse. Twenty-somethings with K-pop keychains; millennial parents pushing strollers; Gen X mothers with their teenage daughters in tow; tatted queer couples; fashionistas with bleached eyebrows, and, if you look closely, an occasional head of grey hair. All are waiting to get into tonight’s hottest party on the island: an all-ages craft night.

Jenny Baquing, accompanied by her poodle, Cabbage, warmly welcomes each person and explains the instructions for tonight’s activity: coloring sticker designs —  ranging from cupcakes and hair clips to walking toast and teddy bears — that she’s laid out along with markers, pencils and scissors at each table. No art experience or personal supplies required.

“When I was growing up, socializing was very difficult for me,” explains Baquing. Some of the attendees also describe themselves as neurodivergent, like Jenny. Many have told her they feel similarly out of sorts making small talk. Of course, art has always been able to reach people where they live; a table full of shiny beads and cute drawings breaks down barriers. “You technically could do all of these crafts by yourself at home,” she says, “but I think so many people come out because they want to be with other creative people. They want to make connections. When you are willing to come into a space like this, your bravery is really rewarded with friendship and community.”

Baquing’s first event, rock painting, drew 75 attendees. That one-off blossomed into a series, and she now hosts craft nights several times a month in the East Bay. Indeed, there will be six events in October alone. Popular activities like purse-charm making have drawn upwards of 250 crafters.

L2R: Jenny Baquing and her friend Lucia Capezzuto practice a dance routine during Jenny and Cabbage, at Alameda Brewing, and Baquing reacts to a surprise gift, a drawing of herself made by a friend.

Jenny’s philosophy is simple: make the barrier to entry as low as possible.

Supplies provided. No cover charge. No RSVP.

Tamia Manning, 27, recently moved to the Bay Area from Chicago. After completing two masters programs, she says she felt out of practice when it came to making friends outside of a campus setting. “[It was] really the first time that I’ve ventured out,” Manning says, “and honestly, it’s a process of relearning what my hobbies are, what my passions are.” Now a volunteer for the event, Manning has played “bead fairy” on friendship bracelet night, and has done astrology readings for her fellow crafters on multiple occasions. “I think joy is resistance,” she says. “I know people say that a lot, but truly it is.”

At a nearby table, Lucia Capezzuto, 20, draws Studio Ghibli-inspired characters freehand. Many of her high school friends from El Cerrito have moved away, and bars and clubs aren’t an option since she’s not yet of drinking age. Instead, she goes to Jenny and Cabbage events to make friends of all ages.

With blue hair, a lip ring and loud laugh, Capezzuto’s outgoing presence pulls shyer crafters like Natalie Vega into conversation. A fellow regular, Vega, 30, felt isolated working from home. After hearing about Jenny and Cabbage, it took her weeks to psych herself up to go. “Coming to an event by yourself can be a little intimidating” she notes. She was encouraged by Jenny’s TikToks and Instagram videos. “She had very good welcoming vibes.” Her first time attending, Vega told herself, “‘If it’s really bad, I can just head out. But it was lovely… I was a little nervous at first, but very quickly, that went away.”

“I feel like you can kind of show up, like in the good old days

when you would just show up at a friend’s house.” ~Jenny Baquing

Baquing’s craft nights are a volunteer effort. In addition to a handful of regulars who sign up to help, her husband, Chris O’Brien, packs boxes and hauls tables so that she can focus on designing the activities. “I’m like the roadie,” he jokes. Over the last decade, any excitement O’Brien once felt about social media has curdled into disappointment. “People are really isolated. They have every excuse in the world to just stay home.”

The Yin to her husband’s Yang, Baquing replies, “I feel like people actually know how to connect with each other. It’s an ancient need that we all have. We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time, sharing stories and laughing together in community over food and something to do… If people are just given a little sunshine, then they can do the rest themselves.”

Practicing her dance moves — Jenny and Cabbage at the Emeryville Public Market

“I actually feel very lucky. I’ve never had this many people that I cared about at the same time.”

My thanks to Nastia Voynovskaya & [photographer] Beth LaBerge KQED/Finding Your People

For more information, click here.