Neighborhood Arts Festival:
Celebrating 40 Years of Neighborhood Arts

"Nurturing arts for and by the people where they live and work."

Guess who's 40 now? Celebrate four decades of the Neighborhood Arts Program this spring. Join us for two weeks of events that spotlight community arts in San Francisco's neighborhoods. Expect musical performances; a reading with San Francisco literati, including poet laureates past and present; lively panel discussions; and even a speed dating session matching up artists with community organizations.

Featured Neighborhood Arts Festival events include:

Monday, April 21: Mapping Survival panel discussion
Wendesday, April 23: The Money and the Madness panel discussion
Saturday, April 26: Unveiling the Future town gathering
Friday, May 2: Poetry Potluck reading
Saturday, May 3: 40th Anniversary Bash
* Arts Fair
* Speed Dating
* Doctor Session (RSVP required)
(A sampling of community arts events put on by our Community Partners can be found here)

Monday, April 21; 7 - 9pm
Mapping Survival: Arts organizations discuss strategies on creating something out of nothing. A conversation with Nínive Calegari, Kenneth Foster, June Gutfleisch, and Jennie Rodriguez. Moderated by Deborah Cullinan with Intersection for the Arts, and featuring musical performance by Aireene Espiritu and Rick Di Dia.
San Francisco State University, Cesar Chavez Student Center, Rigoberta Menchu Hall
1600 Holloway, San Francisco
* Catering provided by No Worries Catering, the only Filipino vegan catering company in California. Chef and owner, Jay-Ar Isagani Pugao, focuses on providing traditional Filipino food and spices with an innovative touch, using soy protein as substitue for meat.

Wednesday, April 23; 7 - 9pm
The Money and the Madness: Is it possible to make it big as an artist without selling out? Individual artists discuss the pros and cons of accepting public and private funds. A conversation with devorah major, Favianna Rodriguez. Moderated by playwright Joan Holden and featuring performance by Marga Gomez.
International Hotel Manilatown Center
868 Kearny Street, San Francisco
* Catering provided by Arizmendi, a worker-owned cooperative specializing in morning pastries, artisan breads and gourmet pizza.

Saturday, April 26; 1 - 4pm
Unveiling the Future: Celebrate phase one of the historic building renovation with performances by Best Intentions Motown Review, The Brown Bombers Cheer and Dance Team, and poet Janice Reaves.
Bayview Opera House
4705 Third Street , San Francisco  

Friday, May 2; 7 - 10pm
Poetry Potluck:A reading by Neighborhood Arts poets, San Francisco’s Poet Laureates, and today’s poet activists. Curated by Janice Mirikitani and Roberto Vargas, and featuring readings by devorah major, Diane Di Prima, Jack Hirschman, Janice Mirikitani, and Roberto Vargas.
Glide Memorial Church
330 Ellis Street, San Francisco
* Catering provided by Benkyodo, a family owned and operated business in Japantown in 1906, and Mission Pie, a Mission District bakery that brings the flavors of local farms into the city and provides jobs and training for San Francisco youth.  

Saturday, May 3; 1 - 5pm
40th Anniversary Bash: A half-day celebration featuring the 40th anniversary reunion with founding members of the program, a fair of arts organizations, one-on-one “doctor sessions,” plus a “speed dating” session matching up artists with neighborhood organizations. Featuring performances by Danza Xitlalli de San Francisco, Troublemakers Union, and more.
SomArts Cultural Center
934 Brannan Street, San Francisco
* Catering provided by La Raza Centro Legal’s Women’s Collective, a cooperative run by and for immigrant women workers.

Arts Fair
1 - 4pm
Meet the people behind over 30 arts education organizations.

Speeding Dating
3 - 4pm
This fun twist on a job fair matches up organizations seeking artists with artists seeking employment. Bring your business cards and a healthy sense of humor.

* Please RSVP to (415) 252-2554 and let us know if you're 1) looking for an artist, or 2) looking for work.

Doctor Sessions
1 - 3pm
These 20-minute sessions provide you an opportunity to meet one-on-one with the following arts funder or arts mentor: Brett Conner (Grants for the Arts), Brad Erickson, (Theatre Bay Area), Jewelle Gomez (Horizons), John Jota Leaños (California College of the Arts), Madeleine Lim (Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project), Olivia Malabuyo, (Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation), Laura Moriarty (Small Press Distribution), Frances Phillips (Walter and Elise Haas Fund and Creative Work Fund), Emily Sevier (Center for Cultural Innovation), Ellen Shershow (San Francisco Arts Commission Public Art Program).

* Please review the doctors' biographies and email your top three choices. It would be helpful if you could also include the general idea you'd like to discuss in this email, but it's ok if you want to wing it as well.
* We will respond with your appointment.
* Please arrive at least ten minutes early.

All Neighborhood Arts Festival events are FREE and open to the public.

About the Neighborhood Arts Festival

In 1967 a group of artists and arts 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. Its tagline was, "Nurturing arts for and by the people where they live and work," and the total budget for the first fiscal year was $25,000.

To honor the 40th anniversary of the program (now called the Community Arts and Education Program), the Neighborhood Arts Festival will feature a series of free events showcasing the dynamic artistic and cultural legacy that defines San Francisco neighborhoods today. The celebration culminates in a reunion party with CETA artists and founding members of the Neighborhood Arts Program. In conjunction with the celebration, a special-edition program guide will be distributed highlighting performances, exhibitions, panel discussions, and walking tours taking place throughout the city this spring. It will also include a guide to San Francisco-based community artists and arts organizations.

The festival takes place in venues throughout San Francisco that honor the past including San Francisco State University, International Hotel Manilatown Center, Glide Memorial Church, SomArts Cultural Center, African American Art & Culture Complex, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, and the Bayview Opera House.

For more information contact Robynn Takayama (415) 252-2598