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)

• Mayor London Breed
• President Aaron Peskin
• Daniel Lurie

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

• Local propositions that could have an impact on arts & culture (Props D & E)
• State proposition and information on local housing for artists

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 Center - 201 Franklin St., San Francisco

* Please register to attend. Thank you

 

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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

::  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:

• Video 1 - Introductions and Keynote Speakers (please see video full description below the videos for links to jump to video speaker components)
• Video 2 - Economic Recovery in the Arts: Regaining Patrons and Artistic Engagement - Breakout session
• Video 3 - Housing for the Artist Workforce: Revisiting Artists’ Housing - Breakout session
• Video 4 - Regional Economic Recovery Through the Arts - Breakout session (partial video)
• Video 5 - Proposition E, 2018 & Arts Impact Endowment Update - Breakout session (partial video)
• Interview - Jonathan Moscone, Executive Director - California Arts Council
• Interview - Ralph Remington, Director of Cultural Affairs - San Francisco Arts Commission
• Interview - Maria Jenson, Creative & Executive Director - SOMArts Cultural Center
• Interview - Meredith Winner - Co-Founder & COO, Building 180 & Paint the Void & Lyzette Wanzer - Author, Editor, Instructor
• Interview - Fernando Pujals, Deputy Director - Mid-Market Business Association & Foundation & Rachel Osajima, Director - Alameda County Arts Commission
  
• Interview - Vallie Brown, Director - San Francisco Grants for the Arts

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: 

• Economic Recovery in the Arts
• Housing for the Artist Workforce
• Proposition E Updates and Discussion (general information from the 2018 campaign)
• Regional Economic Recovery Through the Arts

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):

• No-host bar throughout the event
• Light refreshments to be provided during the networking hour
• Covid Policy
• Visiting: The Strand Theater offers ADA-accessible entries, seating, bathrooms, and elevators. Please visit The Strand's website to learn about public transit and parking options.

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. 

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!

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! <<<

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

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!

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

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!

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!