The MA Collaborative Project* of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) presents the Mid-Market Art Project (MMAP)--- a collaboration that investigates the role of the arts in urban renewal.

By working in partnership with participating artists and organizations, MMAP will stage significant, creative public interventions in the "idle" or "abandoned" spaces on Market Street, between 5th and 8th, in the mid-market neighborhood of San Francisco. Through careful research and investigation into avenues of urban redevelopment, social activism, and cultural development through the arts, with a particular focus on the history of mid-market, MMAP will spark conversations regarding cultural significance, community, and space. MMAP asks:

How is a community defined, and how do communities change over time through external and internal forces?

•How are “idle/abandoned” spaces perceived and utilized?

•What does urban redevelopment or cultural development mean to its enactors and its area inhabitants, i.e. government agencies, citizens, artists, students, etc.?

•In what ways does the evolution of a building’s history contribute to its environment?

MMAP will engage with these and other issues through curated art events, a follow-up exhibition, print publications, and critical discussions.

MMAP Team:

Rebecca Ahrens

Sheeka Arbuthnot

Candace Cui

Hadass Gerson

Nadia Khismatulina

Orlando Lacro

Zoe Martell

Cole Robbins

Emily Shallman

Alicia Soja

Meg Shiffler, Instructor

*The MA Collaborative Project is an important component of the San Francisco Art Institute’s MA Programs in Exhibitions and Museum Studies, History and Theory of Contemporary Art, and Urban Studies.