Arts for a Better Bay Area (ABBA) is raising the voice of the arts in the Bay Area by building a network of advocates and supporters through community-driven action - join us.

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    Arts Town Hall Mayoral Forum

    San Francisco Arts Town Hall 2024  - A Mayoral Forum 

    ** Recordings and Information ** 

     

    On 9/18/24, Arts for a Better Bay Area and several collaborating organizations hosted a mayoral forum at SFJAZZ. Four of the five leading San Francisco mayoral candidates participated to share their priorities and support for local arts and culture. Candidates included Mayor London Breed, President Peskin, Daniel Lurie, and Supervisor Ahsha Safaí. Each candidate was asked the same four questions informed by the arts community from a list of eleven questions developed by the event planning committee. We also asked each candidate to address all eleven questions to share with the community. All of these materials can be found on this page. 

    Below is a link to the event recording at SFJAZZ and other information and materials.

    Full recording of Arts Town Hall Mayoral Forum 2024

    Arts Town Hall Full Questionnaire Responses (11 questions regarding local arts & culture)

     

    KQED coverage of the Forum

    (Maria Jenson, SOMArts Cultural Center & Rodney Earl Jackson, Jr., SFBATCO - Photo credit: Amy Carr Photography)

    Arts on the Ballot Informational Materials

     

    Arts Town Hall Press Release

     


    San Francisco Arts Town Hall - A Mayoral Forum General Information

     

    San Francisco’s next election is on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. Voters will decide in a competitive mayoral race and weigh in on many other elected positions and ballot measures. We know that arts and culture are significant in defining our city and its neighborhoods, driving economic development, and bridging communities. And that many artists, culture workers, and institutions are still navigating the financial fallout that began in 2020 due to the pandemic.

    Where do the leading mayoral candidates stand on issues vital to a thriving arts ecology?

    Our City is still recovering from years of the pandemic, and we face many challenges. Government and economic development-focused groups are turning to the arts and culture sector to help revitalize San Francisco neighborhoods, while most sectors and their communities are still working to recover citywide. We believe the arts are essential for healthier, more engaged lives, the city, and our diverse communities. 

    The Arts Town Hall: Mayoral Forum is a chance for you to hear directly from candidates and decide who will get your vote. Who best supports your interests and values? It is crucial for our community to be informed about each of the leading mayoral candidates. By understanding their platforms and potential support for the cultural community in San Francisco, we can play an active role in shaping the future of our City and its vibrancy.


    Event Goal: The forum will bring lead mayoral candidates together to share their arts and culture platforms, inform and engage voters, and connect and convene the broader arts and culture community to grow support and form a coalition of arts and culture advocates.  Questions posted to the candidates will be gathered from the community. By engaging our future leaders and policymakers early on, we gain more opportunities to continue to dialogue with them to proactively shape the future that includes a strong arts vision for San Francisco.

    The event is brought to you by Arts for a Better Bay Area, SF Arts Alliance, ArtSpan, SOMArts Cultural Center, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, SAFEHouse Arts, SFJAZZ, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, SF/Arts and a broad coalition of arts and culture organizations.

     

    JOIN US – SFJAZZ Center - 9/18/24*

    • 3:00 PM - Doors
    • 3:30 PM - Program Starts
    • 5:15-6:30 PM - Happy hour & Networking

     

    SFJAZZ Center201 Franklin St., San Francisco

    * Please register to attend. Thank you

     


    List of Endorsers:

    Organizations Individuals
    6th On 7th Photography Workshop Alexandra Blum, Artist, Activist, Educator
    48 Hills  Aliza Schnayer, Arts Supporter
    7GEN ArtHouse Artist & Curator Amy Schoening,  Independent Arts Worker
    ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco Anna Lisa Escobedo, Independent Arts Worker
    AfroSolo Theatre Company Bianca Lago, Artist
    American Bookbinders Museum Bryan Pangilinan, Artist
    American Conservatory Theater Cristina Ibarra, Artist
    The American Indian Cultural Center of San Francisco Elizabeth Rubenstein, Arts Educator
    Americans For Safe Access (A.S.A.) Emma Logan, Composer, Arts Administrator
    Arts for a Better Bay Area Heather Jain, Independent Curator
    Arts Education Alliance of the Bay Area Irene Bee Kain, Artist
    ArtSpan JD Beltran, Artist and Writer
    Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center Jeff Jones, Development Consultant
    BATS Improv Jenifer Wofford, Artist and Arts Educator 
    BAVC Media Jennifer Brooke Stuart, Artist
    Brava! for Women in the Arts Jonah Parsons, Lead Sourcing Agent
    California College of the Arts Joshua Simon, Arts Consultant
    California Symphony Juliana Koo, Independent Arts Worker
    Center for Creative Sustainability Katherine Hisako Kodama, Independent Arts Worker
    Center for New Music Kathryn Vercillo, Artist-Writer-Researcher
    Children's Creativity Museum Kenneth Sakatani, Artist
    Chitresh Das Institute Lex Leifheit, Independent Arts Worker
    Community Arts Stabilization Trust Lisa Edsall Giglio EdD , Educator, Co-creator and Consultant 
    Community Music Center Lou Dematteis, Artist
    CounterPulse  Mary Newson,  Independent Arts Worker
    Creativity Explored Paz de la Calzada, Artist
    Dancers' Group Paul S. Flores, Theater Maker & Writer
    E.A.R.T.H. Lab SF Roko Kawai, Artist
    Edge on the Square Sean Leonard, Independent Arts Worker
    Elevation XR / Pier 70  Shannon Amitin,  Independent Arts Worker
    EVENT ORGANIZERS Torange Yeghiazarian, Theater Artist
    Exploratorium Valerie Weak, Actor
    Flyaway Productions  
    Friends of Ruth Asawa School of the Arts/FOSOTA  
    Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture  
    Freedman Art Advisory   
    Friends of Sharon Art Studio  
    Galeria de la Raza  
    Gray Area  
    Holy Love Presents  
    Independent Arts & Media  
    Ingleside Gallery at Ballast Coffee  
    InterMusic SF  
    Intersection for the Arts  
    Keehn On Art  
    KOHO SF Japantown   
    Kultivate Labs  
    Litquake  
    Litquake Foundation  
    Mannakin Theater & Dance  
    Marshall Lamm Public Relations  
    Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts  
    Museum of Craft and Design   
    MYSTIC MIDWAY   
    National Japanese American Historical Society  
    New Performance Traditions.org  
    ODC Theater  
    Peacock Rebellion  
    Pelican Media  
    Proud Stutter   
    Rova:Arts  
    SAFEHouse Arts  
    San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce (SFAACC)  
    San Francisco Arts Alliance  
    San Francisco Ballet  
    San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company  
    San Francisco Conservatory of Music  
    San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus  
    San Francisco Opera  
    San Francisco Parks Alliance  
    San Francisco Shakespeare Festival  
    San Francisco Symphony  
    San Francisco Unified   
    Second District of the California State PTA  
    SF Urban Film Fest   
    SF/Arts  
    SF Arts Alliance  
    SFFILM  
    SFJAZZ  
    simplyMuzing Enterprises  
    SOMArts Cultural Center  
    SPEAKEASY STORYTELLERS  
    Susan Mernit Consulting  
    Tenderloin Museum  
    The Contemporary Jewish Museum  
    The Drawing Room Inc  
    The Litquake Foundation  
    The Sheridan Prize for Art  
    Theatre Bay Area  
    Video Vision   
    Viva Concha Productions  
    Voices of the Community  
    WomenArts  
    World Arts West  
    Yerba Buena Center for the Arts  
    Youth Speaks, Inc  
    Z Space  
       
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    State of the Arts Summit 2023

    ::  Convene :: Connect :: Learn :: Explore :: Network  ::

    REBUILDING OUR COMMUNITIES – June 28th, 2023 

    Annual State of the Arts Summit

     

    On June 28th, Arts for a Better Bay Area and several partnering organizations hosted an annual art convening focused on rebuilding our arts and culture communities at the A.C.T. The Strand Theater in San Francisco. Artists, administrators, government officials, and representatives from various networks convened to learn from one another to strengthen the arts sector in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

    The theme, "Rebuilding Our Communities," explored collective ways the arts community can develop and bridge supportive connections as we emerge from the pandemic. Our goal is to strengthen our networks and build support allowing us to mobilize around critical issues, important policies, and other matters. Our hope is to help create a stronger, more resilient arts community.

    This half-day convening and event included plenary statements and key information from regional arts leaders about the local and regional arts sector, break-out sessions and discussions, networking, and more!

    Event recordings and event component episodes (posted July 2023-February 2024)

    Event and media partners, Voices of the Community, and BAVC Media production teams will be posting edited and fully produced video files to the Arts for a Better Bay Area (ABBA) and Voices of the Community YouTube Channels so that you can watch and learn from the events' talks and sessions. Please stay tuned for the first video (end of July). 

    Each month starting July 2023 (through Dec. 2023), the media teams will produce and publish five unique TV and radio show episodes from the five main components of the event, introductory and keynote presentations, and the four breakout sessions: (1) Introductions/opening & Keynote Presentations (2) Breakout session - Economic Recovery in the Arts, (3) Breakout session - Housing for the Artist Workforce, (4) Breakout session - Regional Economic Recovery Through the Arts, (5) Breakout session - Proposition E Updates and Discussion. Additional interviews with event participants and speakers will be posted as well.

    These videos will be linked to this page (below), Arts for a Better Bay Area's YouTube Channel, and the Voices of the Community landing page

    State of the Arts 2023 Video components:


    Resource Directory

    We are working on creating a resource directory so that you can access information and materials related to the four breakout session topics covered at the Summit. We will continue to develop this directory, so make sure to circle back to review!

    Materials: 


    Survey

    If you attended the event, we thank you and ask that you take a few minutes to complete our survey. We value your feedback and want to take your thoughts and ideas into consideration as we look toward programming for next year.

    SURVEY LINK


    Sneak a peek at some of the Summit photos on our Facebook Page here.

    Event Schedule (6/28/23):

     

             
      4:00-4:30 PM   Gather and mingle with viola from Charith Premawardhana  
      4:30-5:50 PM  

    Welcoming, Poems, Keynote Statements & Discussion

    Welcome: Honey Mahogany, Founder - Compton's Transgender Cultural District

    Poems: Michael Warr and Chun Yu of Two Languages / One Community

    Keynotes: 

    • Maria Jenson, Creative & Executive Director - SOMArts Cultural Center
    • Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs - San Francisco Arts Commission
    • Jonathan Moscone, Executive Director - California Arts Council
     
      6:00-6:50 PM   Breakout Sessions Round I (two topic choices)  
      A   Economic Recovery in the Arts: Regaining Patrons and Artistic Engagement  
      B   Housing for the Artist Workforce: Revisiting Artists’ Housing  
      7:00-7:50 PM   Breakout Sessions Round II (two topic choices)  
      A   Regional Economic Recovery Through the Arts  
      B   Proposition E, 2018 & Arts Impact Endowment Update  
      8:00-9:00 PM  

    Networking, Activity, and Live Music with Kings Trio

    Kings Trio: David Boyce, sax; Fabio Reis, drums; and Ryan Schaffer, guitar

     
             

     

     

    Thank you to the organizations involved in bringing this event to the community: Arts for a Better Bay Area, American Conservatory Theater, ArtSpan, Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, SOMArts Cultural Center, Voices of the Community, Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), SAFEhouse Arts, many more!

    Planning team: Eno Akan-Etuk, Ernesto Sopprani, George Koster, Lyzette Wanzer, Susie McKinnon

    Supported by: San Francisco Arts Commission & Zellerbach Family Foundation

     

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    November 2022 Election ~ San Francisco D6 Candidates on Arts & Culture

    With the San Francisco general election coming up fast (November 8th!), we want to ensure you learn about District 6 Supervisor candidates' vision and support of local arts & culture. As San Francisco's District 6 holds one of the largest arts and culture communities, we want you to be informed about their actions, vision, and support of the local arts and culture scene and industry. Please continue to access their responses to our questionnaire. 

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    Opportunities

    Community Event Ambassadors

    Posted 11.19.22

    Arts for a Better Bay Area (ABBA) is excited to announce two opportunities as a Community Event Ambassador. Ambassadors will play a key role in helping ABBA design and build a unique annual event that will equitably serve, connect, and inform a diverse range of area arts and culture workers. 

    ABBA Convening: 

    Before the Pandemic, ABBA hosted its first annual convening, a half-day event that brought together hundreds of arts workers, leaders, and officials. Its purpose was to connect, share knowledge, learn from experts in the field and inspire and celebrate. A secondary goal for the event was to build an expansive arts and culture network and initiate longevity in connection to help unify the sector to advocate and continue sharing knowledge and support.

     In developing, producing, and hosting this event, we want to ensure inclusive practices are cast into the foundation of all we build. The event ambassador roles should help us lift up and support these key goals. This collaborative approach will help participants and attendees feel welcomed, safe, and respected.  

    About this position:

    As a Community Event Ambassador, you will help us develop strategies to engage participants that represent the diverse array of arts and culture workers in our field (arts medium/practice, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age..etc.) – This will allow us to serve better and represent the diverse sector, as participants will understand the event/s are created with various communities’ needs and interests in mind.

    We are looking for ambassadors who are excited about this work and will be on board to collaboratively help design and plan the direction of the overall event. Duties can also include community engagement to reach out to potential leaders and event participants and invite or involve your respective communities as you can. Additional responsibilities will include event production and post-event review and evaluation. Ultimately, ambassadors will set the course and plan to build successful events that equitably serve and connect area arts and culture workers.

    This is a contracted, part-time, temporary role that is well suited for someone looking to broaden their experience in community leadership, event planning, and communications and more deeply connect with and serve area arts workers, officials and advocates.

    Download the Full Opportunity Description and Application Instructions here. 

     

    About ABBA: 

    Mission: Arts for a Better Bay Area (ABBA) is a network of artists, advocates, and supporters dedicated to building community-wide solidarity to increase support and equitable access to the arts in the Bay Area. A coalition of individuals and organizations, we inform and mobilize the arts community through community-driven action. Since our inception, we have focused on serving underrepresented and under-resourced organizations and individuals.

     

    Thank you!

     

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    CALL TO ACTION: Continued Support to Hotel Tax Arts & Culture Allocation

    Budget 2022/23 Recommendation for Continued Support to Hotel Tax Arts & Culture Allocation

     

    CALL TO ACTION: >>> Arts for a Better Bay Area, the San Francisco Arts Alliance and its partnering organizations have drafted a letter to send to our City's officials to request and ensure ongoing support to supplement Hotel Tax shortfalls due to the pandemic as we move into the budgeting cycle for 2022/23. JOIN US IN THIS EFFORT, PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME! <<<

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    REBOUND - ARTS Equity & Recovery Series (#4) 2/17/22 - Rising from the Ashes

    SAVE THE DATE: Developing a Sustainable Creative Workforce Spurred by Economic Recovery ~ A Regional Conversation with Californians for the Arts in Partnership with Arts for a Better Bay Area and Theatre Bay Area

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    REBOUND 3: 10/7 - BIPOC Voices & Reflection on Local Arts & Culture Materials & Survey

    On Oct. 7th, 2021 Arts for a Better Bay Area and SAFEHouse Arts initiated the 3rd Rebound - ARTS Equity & Recovery series: BIPOC Voices & Reflection on Local Arts & Culture. The event was designed and planned by an influential and thoughtful steering committee of local BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) arts and culture leaders. Click 'continue reading' for a recap and materials, and to share your thoughts on reopening arts & culture!

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    REBOUND - ARTS Equity & Recovery Series (#3) 10/7/21 - BIPOC Voices & Reflections on Local Arts & Culture

    How can we move towards increased stability, and a thriving local Arts & Culture sector?

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    REBOUND 3: Survey to Inform Next REBOUND Event

    To learn about emerging issues and concerns directly from the community as we reopen, we ask you take this short survey to help us determine the focus of the next REBOUND - ARTS Equity & Recovery event. We want the event to be representative of our arts & culture communities and be driven by your interest and needs. Please share this survey with your communities (too) - Thank you!

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    REBOUND 12/17 - Re-imagine San Francisco Through the Arts Recap & Resources

    On 12/17/20, Arts for a Better Bay Area and SAFEHouse Arts initiated the 2nd Rebound: ARTS, Equity & Recover series, Re-Imagine San Francisco Through the Arts. The event was realized through a significant collaboration between several arts organizations, cultural centers, cultural districts, and leaders. Click 'continue reading' for a recap, materials, and to share your thoughts on the event and topic!

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