FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contacts:
Robynn Takayama
(415) 252-2598, robynn.takayama@sfgov.org
Kate Patterson
(415) 252-4638, kate.patterson@sfgov.org
THE SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION’S PODCAST PROVIDES CITY HALL VISITORS WITH A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT THE HARVEY MILK BUST
Featuring community arts and heroes, the second episode of Deep Roots celebrates Harvey Milk with commentary by Anne Kronenberg, Harry Britt, the artist, and others
SAN FRANCISCO, October 20, 2009 – Director of Cultural Affairs Luis Cancel is pleased to announce the second episode of Deep Roots, which offers a rare look at the bust of civil rights leader and San Francisco hero, Harvey Milk; its sculptor; and its meaning to the city and the community that it represents. The podcast shares anecdotes from Milk’s friends and colleagues including: Charlotte Coleman, the first lesbian bar owner in San Francisco; Anne Kronenberg, Milk’s campaign manager; Harry Britt, Milk’s successor to the Board of Supervisors; photographer Daniel Nicoletta; and Eugene Daub, the bust’s sculptor. In the Arts Commission’s ongoing efforts to champion the arts in San Francisco, its Community Arts and Education program launched the Deep Roots podcast earlier this year to promote the City’s community artists and arts organizations to a broad audience.
“The Deep Roots podcast celebrates San Francisco’s rich cultural heritage by providing listeners with an insider’s look at the individuals and arts programs that make this city so great,” says Director Cancel, “For the Milk episode we were able to assemble an incredible range of voices. The podcast will bring the bust to life by allowing visitors and those who can’t visit personally to learn about the artist’s creative process and to hear Harvey’s close friends describe his character.”
In 2004, the Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee formed and invited the Arts Commission’s Public Art Program to co-manage a sculpture competition to select an artist or artist team to create a bust of Harvey Milk for City Hall. The Daub, Firmin, Hendrickson Sculpture Group (now Daub and Firmin Studios) won the competition. Placed in the Supervisor’s Rotunda on the second floor of City Hall, the bust was unveiled at a gala party on May 22, 2008 on what would have been Milk’s 78th birthday.
“Hundreds of people had a part in making the bust happen and it is really the voice of the community saying we want to remember Harvey Milk,“ says Dan Nicoletta, who was a close friend of Milk and part of the City Hall Memorial Committee.“At City Hall, we now have this wonderful symbol of the LGBT movement, and the podcast will enrich the experience of those who make a pilgrimage to see the bust as they hear from people who were involved with this project and knew Harvey personally.”
To listen to the podcast visit http://www.sfartscommission.org/deeproots. The public can also subscribe to the podcast’s RSS feed to have future episodes automatically downloaded to their computer.
About the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Community Arts and Education Program, and New Media
Established by charter in 1932, the San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts in San Francisco. Led by the belief that a creative cultural environment is essential to the City’s well-being, the Arts Commission programs permeate all aspects of City life. Programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Arts & Education, Cultural Equity Grants, Public Art, SFAC Gallery, Street Artist Licensing, and summer in the City Concert Series.
The Community Arts and Education Program started in 1967 when a group of artists and activists brought a radical notion to the San Francisco Arts Commission: fund artists and arts organizations to work in neighborhood and community settings. The program was called the Neighborhood Arts Program and the total budget for the first fiscal year was $25,000. Today, the Community Arts and Education program continues to nurture art for and by the people where they live and work, in our neighborhoods and online.
In addition to producing Deep Roots, SFAC has partnered with SFGOVTV to create Culture Wire, a television show dedicated to exploring the arts and culture scene in San Francisco. SFAC also maintains social media presence on Facebook and Twitter.
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