The arts are a powerful force in our cities. Art changes the way we see the world, it can transport us to imagine different ways of living. Culture creates community and a sense of belonging. Yet many artists and culture organizations are surviving under fragile conditions and precarious support systems.
There is a grassroots movement in organizing cultural districts that is getting traction with support from governmental agencies and private philanthropy that seeks to create more robust policies and urban planning processes that involve artists and vulnerable communities they are a part of.
Convene with us under the stars in YBCA’s courtyard for a celebratory evening of short films, spoken word, and dance performances to showcase San Francisco’s vibrant, diverse, and deeply rooted communities. In the second half of the evening, we invite the audience, artists and representatives from San Francisco’s cultural districts to participate in a fun interactive exercise to strategize together what actions are needed to strengthen the cultural fabric of our city.
Artists
Isa Nakazawa (MC)
Director of Marketing and Communications, BAVC
Bateria Batuci
James Q. Chan
Producer, Director
Citizen Film
Paloma Flores
Singer, Lyricist, Spoken Word Artist
Leticia Hernández-Linares
Landa Lakes
Chickasaw Writer, Musician, Activist and Artist
Killa Heredia
Poet
Parangal Dance Company
Elisha Rochell
Films
The Spirit of the Fillmore
USA | 2019 | 5 mins. | Directed by Sophie Constantinou
From the Jazz Age, Harlem of the West, the incarceration of Japanese in WWII to teen activists, “The Spirit of the Fillmore” is a mural that shares the story of the Western Addition. Wrapping around two sides of the Rosa Parks Senior Center, this mural traverses through time and culture, showing the overlapping heritage of the Black, Russian and Asian populations. Not without conflict and drama, this work of public art shows the spirited discussions that happen when a community truly collaborates with artists to tell their story. The film features the work of the Bay Area Mural Program and their talented artists as they go from concept to completion. The film also highlights the community that, since 2014, has been engaged in a process to collectively envision their local park. As an example of this collaboration, the mural is a big step towards building an art filled public venue that respects the residents and builds a path for the future. Isn’t that what art is supposed to do?
Leon Sun
USA | 2020 | 6 mins. | Directed by James Q. Chan
As a community activist in Chinatown beginning in the 1980s, Leon Sun has documented and interpreted the Asian American community’s values of equity and social justice through an eclectic body of artwork. “Leon Sun” is part of “CHINATOWN SHORTS: You Are Here”, a short-form film series highlighting the human pillars from San Francisco’s historic neighborhood.
When Did You Fall In Love With Art?
USA | 2022 | 10 mins. | Directed by Elisha Rochell
This short film focuses on when individuals who reside or have resided in Bayview Hunters Point and when they fell in love with different art types.
Partners
