Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Kate Patterson, San Francisco Arts Commission
Tel: 415-252-4638 Email: kate.patterson@sfgov.org

Robynn Takayama, San Francisco Arts Commission
Tel: 415-252-2598 Email: robynn.takayama@sfgov.org

Now Accepting Applications from San Francisco-based Artists
Deadline for Submissions is April 16, 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, March 15, 2010 – Following three successful launches in the Central Market/Tenderloin, Bayview and Mission neighborhoods, the Art in Storefronts pilot program will venture into Chinatown starting in June. Initiated by Mayor Gavin Newsom and administered by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) and the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) in partnership with neighborhood-based economic development organizations, the program engages San Francisco-based artists in reinvigorating neighborhoods that have been hard-hit by the economic downturn. This time around, the OEWD and the SFAC will collaborate with the Kearny Street Workshop, Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco and Chinatown Community Development Center to implement the program. Applications can be downloaded off the Arts Commission’s website, sfartscommission.org. The deadline for submissions is April 16, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. Artists are asked to tailor their proposals to the Chinatown community and priority will be given to artist who live or work in the neighborhood. An information session for interested artists will take place on March 24, 2010, 6:00 p.m. at Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, 750 Kearny Street, 3rd Floor Community Room, San Francisco, CA 94108-1809.

“The success of the Art in Storefronts pilot program inspired us to expand the program into other neighborhoods,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Since the launch, we have brought communities together, increased foot traffic in our commercial corridors and demonstrated how artists can play a role in promoting economic and community vibrancy. I can’t wait for the new storefront installations to take shape in Chinatown.”

“Despite being one of San Francisco’s most popular tourist destinations, Chinatown has felt the impact of the economic downturn,” said Supervisor David Chiu. “Art in Storefronts will be a welcome addition to Chinatown’s rich cultural offerings and will help local property owners with empty storefronts attract new business to the area.”

According to Director of Cultural Affairs Luis R. Cancel, “What makes San Francisco’s Art in Storefronts project so unique is that instead of simply placing existing artworks into these spaces, we are taking a more community-based approach by choosing artists who live or work in the neighborhood and challenging them to create new work that speaks to the community. With Chinatown’s unique and vibrant cultural heritage, the new series of installations are sure to be both spectacular and provocative.”

About the Art in Storefronts Team
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.

SFAC’s 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.

The Office of Economic and Workforce Development is dedicated to enhancing San Francisco’s economic vitality. OEWD’s programs are responsible for strengthening San Francisco’s many diverse neighborhoods and commercial corridors, creating a business climate where companies can grow and prosper, and ensuring a continually high quality of life for all San Franciscans.

Kearny Street Workshop (KSW) is the nation’s oldest Asian American multidisciplinary arts organization. The mission of Kearny Street Workshop is to produce, present and promote art that empowers Asian Pacific American artists and communities. KSW envisions a more just society that fully incorporates Asian Pacific American voices informed by our cultural values, historical roots, and contemporary issues.

The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco is a major community-based, non-profit organization established in 1965 to foster the understanding and appreciation of Chinese and Chinese American art, history, and culture in the United States. The mission of the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco is to preserve, promote, and influence the course of Chinese and Chinese American culture.

The mission of the Chinatown Community Development Center is to build community and enhance the quality of life for San Francisco residents. Based in the Chinatown neighborhood, Chinatown CDC also serves other San Francisco neighborhoods, including North Beach and the Tenderloin and serves as neighborhood advocates, organizers, planners, and as developers and managers of affordable housing.

For more information, please visit www.sfartscommission.org/storefronts

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