Hopscotch 

Hopscotch 

Cover | Andrea Perman

Hopscotch (chalk pastel).  A senior at Piedmont High, Andrea Perman created this month’s carefree cover image as a celebration of childhood. Chalk pastel proved the perfect medium for her subject—hopscotch—since the game itself begins by etching boundaries in chalk. Perman’s piece was the winning entry submitted to The Monthly’s ninth annual student Cover Contest. The second- and third-place winners, their artwork, and more details about Perman can be found on the inside back cover this month. Award-winning work from the contest will be on display at Blick Art Materials, 811 University Ave., Berkeley, Wednesday, Sept. 2 through Sunday, Sept. 27. Monthly publisher Karen Klaber will present the awards Sunday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. For info: (510) 486-2600.

Faces of the East Bay

In the Philanthropic Swim

In the Philanthropic Swim

Rockridge residents John Bliss and Kim Thompson may live far removed the gritty flats of East and West Oakland. But this philanthropic couple see themselves as one with the citizens of Oakland, particularly those who are struggling financially, and they’re leading a campaign to get their “financially blessed” peers to invest in the community like they have by funding city programs to teach kids how to swim.