As part of KQED Arts’ series First 100 Days: Art in the Age of Trump, which explores artists’ responses to the first hundred days of Trump’s presidency, we embedded reporters in the women’s marches taking place in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and Santa Rosa on Saturday, Jan. 21. Our aim is to share some of the more creative ways in which protesters across the Bay Area expressed their feelings about the new administration. 

Read on to view the artwork on display and read about the creative minds behind the work. This post will update throughout the day. 

San Francisco, 8:00pm

The rain couldn’t dampen the spirit of people marching in San Francisco. Here’s a short video bringing together some of the creativity and determination seen throughout the day. — Claudia Escobar

San Francisco, 6:10pm

City Hall looks like a work of art against the stormy sky. The weather hasn’t deterred thousands of people from gathering and marching today. — Yo Ann Martinez

San Francisco, 4:40pm

Oakland resident Rachel Mayes brought this eye-catching “American Flag Pussy” banner to the San Francisco rally. “I couldn’t think of words to put on a sign,” Mayes says. “So I just thought of an image that people would understand on its own.” — Emma Silvers

San Francisco, 3:20pm

A bite-sized, high-speed video piece showing marchers congregating at the 24th Street BART station in San Francisco. The train stopped running for a while, so people got out and looked for other ways to reach the rally.  — Claudia Escobar

Santa Rosa, 2:33pm

Sister Sparkle Plenty and Sister Frances A. Sissy of Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence collect donations. Sister Sparkle Plenty says the group came to speak “to emphasize the importance of showing solidarity with everyone who is oppressed.” — Dani Burlison

Santa Rosa, 2:28pm

Todd Barricklow of Santa Rosa shares his Antifa stickers and patches. The symbol was originally designed in the 1930s in response to fascism in Italy (and later, in Germany). “The symbol was designed to paint out swastikas,” says Barricklow, who handed out the stickers at the march. — Dani Burlison

Oakland, 1:45pm

All heads turned when performers from aerial dance troupe Bandaloop emerged from the uppermost windows of Oakland City Hall and danced their way down the building’s façade. It was a sweet, elegant moment of fluidity above the somewhat chaotic, crowded scene below. Here’s a short clip, filmed and provided to us by Michael Manoochehri. — Gabe Meline

Santa Rosa, 1:37pm

Lisa Steinkamp from Healdsburg reclaims the terms she says Trump “used for her private parts in such a disgusting way” with her gold, jewel encrusted sandwich board. Steinkamp formed a group, Bridge Lab, with other Sonoma county women after the election and says she wishes all of the pink pussy hats were gold so Trump would be reminded of the women standing up against him every time he sees the color. — Dani Burlison

Oakland, 1:35pm
Something about the rhythm bouncing off the buildings must have made him feel young again. There he was, a 60-ish man in the middle of 13th Street, attempting and very nearly pulling off the splits. Surrounded by dozens of other revelers, the man had joined an impromptu dance party hosted by Batala San Francisco. The Brazilian percussion ensemble embodied the overall feeling of joy; when someone shouted that the Oakland Police Department just estimated the crowd at 60,000 strong, a gigantic cheer filled the air. And then the music began anew, Batala San Francisco and its attendant dance brigade marching on to Frank Ogawa Plaza. –Gabe Meline

Oakland, 1:00pm

Allison West hadn’t painted in a long time. But before the March, she gravitated to this Maya Angelou quote, and knew she had to illustrate it. “I just felt like it spoke to the cause of why we’re here today,” she says. “After the election, a sense of inclusiveness.” She found an image of flowers online for her inspiration, and says she dug up her old paint at her home in San Francisco, clearly gratified to be making art again. “People have said they love it,” she says. “And everyone loves Maya Angelou.” — Gabe Meline

San Francisco, 12:37pm

From Emma Silvers, a recording of a group of singers, pictured below, led by Threshold Choir founder Kate Munger, warming up outside the Ferry Building before they sing for counter-protesters involved in a pro-life march.

“I called this is a singing protest because I wanted singing to be the main focus,” Munger says. “I think song has a healing modality that is so important in our culture, and I think it does things that other forms of protest might not be able to do right now.” — Emma Silvers

Oakland, 12.30pm

It was hard to miss the joyful singing and dancing from various capoeira groups — members of the International Capoeira Angola Foundation (Oakland), Capoeira Manginga and Capoeira Brasil East Bay (Oakland), UCA and No Balanco de Angola (Berkeley), Filhos de Bimba (Emeryville) and others. As the group of 20 or so made their way down Madison Street, numerous passerbys joined it the rhythmic pulse. “We’re here in solidarity for women to show that we are powerful, that we support each other, and we don’t agree with what’s happening right now,” says spokesperson Sheri Janowski, from Oakland. The response? “Just love,” she says. — Gabe Meline

San Jose, 12:26pm

Ginger Gardei (on the left) made both of these paintings. Here with her buddy, Alberto Colmenares of Pinole, Gardei got a degree in art from #SanJoseState. The art? “Pretty self-explanatory, right?” — Rachael Myrow

Oakland, 12:01pm

Dan Seneres, an artist at American Steel studios in West Oakland, came to the march with the modified vehicle he calls “The Monster Bike.” Seneres, known widely as “Splob,” made a hat for himself and added pink fur to the bike for the occasion. The protester also has a stereo playing electronic music, which is garnering him even more attention. “It’s been a nonstop photo shoot today,” he says. — Gabe Meline

Oakland, 11:46am

A crowd dances jubilantly around Sarah Rosenkrantz as she conducts the Nasty Woman Band in a rousing marching band arrangement of Pat Benetar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” and that’s exactly how she wants it. “It’s about coming together and cheering ourselves up in solidarity here,” says band “brainchild” Karen MacLeod, from Berkeley, wearing a “F-CK TRUMP” button. “People have been dancing all morning.” Formed specifically for the march, the band’s setlist includes “Which Side Are You On” and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.” Comprised of around 50 professional and amateur musicians, the Nasty Woman Band may be a familiar sight in the coming months. “We don’t feel there’ll be any shortage of a need for musicians in the streets over the next four years,” MacLeod says, before going back to playing her alto saxophone. “We’re not gonna lie down and take it.” — Gabe Meline

San Jose, 11:35am

Patricia Leung and her husband Jonathan Evans of Santa Clara crochet #pussyhats at the march in San Jose. “I’m actually behind,” Leung says. “I have three more people who’ve asked me for hats. One person in the crowd asked and I ripped it off my head and gave it to him. I can’t keep them in stock! It’s been really fun. People insist on giving me money for the hats. Anything I make, I’m going to donate to #plannedparenthood.” — Rachael Myrow

San Jose, 11:23am

Sarah Herrera of Stockton is going to medical school at USC In the fall. She saw this #shepherdfairey poster online. “His web site lets you download the poster for free, and then we took it to FedEx to print,” Herrera says. “It’s a Latina girl, and I really wanted to present my Latina culture.” — Rachael Myrow

For more stories in the First 100 Days series, visit our project landing page here.