Category Archives : Central Market Arts District – September 2011


Our Powerhouse Year on Market, by Ivan Vera

With the assistance from the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the Northern California Community Loan Fund and NEA/SFAC ARTery Project grant last year, we were able to temporarily relocate to Mid-Market while our Leavenworth building undergoes renovations. The Community Arts Program’s participation in last year’s art initiatives in Central Market has been an era of growth for the Arts Program and an incredible motivating factor for our artists; it has propelled them to excel not only in their creative output but also on their overall professional growth as artists.

Continue to read…


Understanding Market Street, by Will Thacher

Market Street was once a glamorous destination for the western world, boasting of such landmarks as the Palace Hotel, the most expensive and luxurious hotel of its time, the Chronicle building’s clock, the largest ever built, the Call building- one of the tallest in the world, and City Hall, a splendid monument to the city. People came to Market Street for shopping, entertainment and business. Laid out circa 1847 by Jasper O’Farrell, it runs 3 miles from the Ferry Building to Twin Peaks and has been compared to Fifth Avenue, the Champs-Élysées, or the Great White Way.

Continue to read…


Sustaining Central Market Arts

This coming Monday, September 12, we will be hosting a retreat and working session devoted to Sustaining the Arts in the Central Market district of San Francisco. With seed funding from UCIRA, ARC is working to build artistic partnerships between the UC system and arts organizations of Northern California. One of our tasks is to think long-term about the role of the arts in Bay Area neighborhoods—as a means for building community, as a force in local economies, and as vehicles for provoking critical and imaginative reflection. As it turns out, sectors of higher education have a great deal in common with sectors of arts and culture. Our hope is to craft reciprocal relationships across sectors—creating opportunities for artists and students, civic leaders and faculty—so that all boats rise.

Continue to read…