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Committee approves temporary ‘Happy Heavenly Birthday’ phone‑booth installation for Latham Square
Summary
Oakland’s Public Art Advisory Committee approved a June temporary installation of repurposed phone booths from the ‘Happy Heavenly Birthday’ project to play prerecorded birthday messages honoring people killed by police. Curator BJ McBride and partners said programming may expand later; installation and maintenance plans were reviewed.
The Public Art Advisory Committee on April 6 approved a proposal to install a temporary public art project called Happy Heavenly Birthday at Latham Square.
Curator BJ McBride, who presented the project, said the multi‑format work grew out of a film series and a digital voicemail project that lets people call and leave “happy heavenly birthday” messages for individuals killed by police. McBride said the team repurposed roughly 20 phone booths and has tested the booths in other Bay Area sites: “It’s a multi‑format project, that is all around honoring the lives of individuals who were killed due to police violence,” she said.
Staff described the site as Latham Square, within the Black Arts Movement and Business District, and said the installation would ideally begin in June to align with Juneteenth. McBride said the current iteration will play prerecorded messages and that the team is planning later technical upgrades that would allow people to leave new messages on site.
Committee members asked about programming, public‑safety logistics and maintenance. McBride and staff said a placard with information and QR codes is planned, a maintenance plan is in place, and the applicant has tested solar‑power and remote monitoring during prior exhibitions. “We have a team that’s coming out and checking on it, making sure all the maintenance is working well,” McBride said.
The committee moved to approve the installation; the motion was seconded and carried. Staff and committee members praised the thoroughness of the proposal and said they will coordinate permits, placement in the plaza and outreach with the Uptown/Downtown business improvement district and city channels.
The installation’s precise end date was not finalized at the meeting; staff said it is currently planned to run approximately three months, and that exact timing and site placement will be coordinated with city permitting staff.
