MMAP Exhibition</h1> <article> <h1>MMAP Exhibition</h1> <p>Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:45:06 GMT</p> <p> Join us for our upcoming MMAP Exhibition, featuring artist work as well as a information about Mid-Market and a preview of MMAP's publication. Open April 16-21st at the Diego Rivera Gallery. See below for more information--see you soon!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> </p> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>The Mid-Market Memory Shop by NODE (Network of Daily Experience)</h1> <p>Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:55:26 GMT</p> <p> Be sure to check out NODE's Mid-Market Memory Shop this Sunday near 939 Market Street from 9:30am-3:00pm!</p> <p> Learn more about their project on the <a href="http://www.midmarketartproject.org/#!projects/vstc3=article-2">MMAP website</a>, <a href="http://www.archive-soma.com">NODE's website</a>, and take their online survey<a href="http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5FJRK5N"> here</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p> Today was the first of two performances by NODE (Network of Daily Experience), made up of artist team Kim Cook and Emily Dippo. It was a wonderful experience watching as passerby stopped to share their memories and hopes for the future of the Mid-Market neighborhood. </p> <p> </p> <p> What memories and stories would you like to share about Mid-Market? Stop by on this Sunday April 8th and share with us!</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> Write down your memory on a slip of paper and in exchange receive a small jar containing a historical narrative of the Mid-Market neighborhood.</p> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> Collected memories!</p> </div> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Hospitality House</h1> <p>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 06:45:43 GMT</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> ' <em>Inside Hospitality House's Community Arts Programmed, currently housed within The Luggage Store Gallery</em></div> <p> </p> <p> Today I sat down with Ivan Vera, the Community Arts Program Manager at Hospitality House, for an interview to be featured in the Mid-Market Art Project's upcoming publication. This local non-profit organization was founded in 1967, and began as a place for members of the Tenderloin community to come together with a common area to live and create. Today, Hospitality House is located on Leavenworth St, although the building is undergoing construction for wheel-chair accessibility. Subsequently, the Community Arts Program is now renting storefront space just below the Luggage Store Gallery on Market St, fused together in a working partnership of creation and exhibition.</p> <p> </p> <p> I arrived soon after the day's opening at 10:30 A.M., where just a few constituents were preparing their supplies. Ivan greeted me at the front door, introduced his sole staff of two, and urged me to look around the space. Surrounding the artists' shelves and numerous tables, a retrospective show that wraps through the exterior display windows onto the interior walls reveals the changing trends and themes of artwork produced by community members through the last 43 years. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> <em>Artwork from various years of Hospitality House's artists</em></p> <p> </p> <p> For the interview, Ivan and I discussed the current trends in urban redevelopment or "revitalization", as he termed it, in the Mid-Market and surrounding Tenderloin and South of Market areas. He was most excited about the opportunity for engagement that the arts provided and the influx of traffic carried along by innovative tech resources in neighborhoods that he believes have seen too much vacancy. More on these subjects will be included in the publication's release.</p> <p> </p> <p> Outside of the publication interview, he also delved into the recent history of the Hospitality House, which uses one of the earliest "harm-reduction" models of sponsorship in San Francisco. Under this model, community members with mental health issues or substance addictions can find a place to sleep, seek treatment, and also have the opportunity to create artwork in a safe and accessible environment that encourages them to learn from their peers. "Artwork is about sharing", Ivan says; and through the Community Arts Program, artists can not only share amongst themselves, but also with the larger neighborhood. They often receive sponsorships from local businesses and have the chance to show their work in curated exhibitions through other organizations like the Luggage Store. </p> <p> </p> <p> Ivan admitted that while the Tenderloin location of the Hospitality House art center is being refurbished, he does hope that they might continue to inhabit the Luggage Store's space. The Market Street location provides more exposure for the works created, passers-by linger for more time for viewing, local businesses are more aware of what the program does, and proceeds from artwork sales have more than tripled...all of which goes back to the artists who created them. With this desire to support their artists and their open door policy, they rely heavily on government funding which has often led to struggle as politics shift. Luckily, the increased awareness of how vital the arts are to community building has allowed them to open another similar location in South of Market in 2008. With the goal of supporting a healthier and more creative neighborhood, Ivan was optomistic about the future of the organization and the community as a whole: "we are here".</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> <em>Ivan Vera, Community Arts Program Manager at Hospitality House</em></p> <p> </p> <p> --Candace Cui</p> </article> <article> <h1>Studio Visit with Linda Trunzo</h1> <p>Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:56:30 GMT</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:.1pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:.1pt;margin-left:0in;mso-para-margin-top:.01gd;mso-para-margin-right:0in;mso-para-margin-bottom:.01gd;mso-para-margin-left:0in"> <font class="Apple-style-span" face="Times" size="2">Ephemera from Artist Linda Trunzo's studio in San Francisco, CA.</font></p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> <em>Linda Trunzo</em>, photograph sketches, 2012.</p> </div> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> <em>Linda Trunzo </em>Studio with <em>Sheeka Arbuthnot, 2012</em></p> </div> <p> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family:"Gill Sans";mso-bidi-font-family:"Gill Sans""> </span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>A Stroll Down Memory Lane</h1> <p>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:24:14 GMT</p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> <p> With the future of Market Street in question, I would like to take a moment to reflect on its past.</p> </div> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> </p> <p> This film, available as numerous youtube videos and on the Prelinger archives page, is dated just days before the great earthquake of 1906. Watching it is like excavating an urban geography, destroyed and all but forgotten.</p> <p> This captivating film unfolds in an unbroken shot. The static camera remains transfixed on the street ahead; the cable car on which it rests slowly drifts through downtown San Francisco’s main thoroughfare.</p> <p> Today, audiovisual glimpses of daily life proliferate the web and media in thirty second sound bites. Depending on the projection speed this film unfolds between ten and fifteen minutes. Try to watch it in its entirety if you can combat the minute attention spans we hold. The length alone is a reminder of rich history of Market Street. The drawn out temporality reminds us that quick changes to the area are only possible through disastrous natural phenomena and effective changes take time and meditation.</p> <p> -Rebecca</p> </article> <article> <h1>Identifying 'Idle' Spaces on Market Street</h1> <p>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:08:19 GMT</p> <p> The MMAP team, as well as the artist Louise Mackie, from <a href="http://www.midmarketartproject.org/#!projects/vstc3=article-1">Warmbaby</a>, and the artist <a href="http://www.midmarketartproject.org/#!projects/vstc3=article-3">Linda Trunzo</a> walked along Market Street on Monday morning identifying possible 'idle' spaces in which to stage our projects in March. As the number of vacant storefronts in mid-market is quite high, it gave us many exciting possibilities. Take a look at our pictures below!</p> <p> </p> <p> Which site(s) would you want to use for an art installation?</p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> The old Strand Theatre, now boarded up and covered with a lovely mural by Paz de la Calzada. Read more about the history of the Strand and Paz's mural <a href="http://pazdelacalzada.blogspot.com/2011/05/dreamscape-at-strand-theatre.html">here</a>.</p> </div> <p> </p> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> The MMAP team and Louise Mackie in front of a boarded up vacant lot on Market between 7th and 8th. A possible site for Warmbaby's peepholes?</p> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> The MMAP team in front of the old Merrill's Drug Store with a newly painted sun mural by a local mid-market artist.</p> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> Peering down Market Street with Chor Boogie's mural, <em>The Color Therapy of Perception</em>, on the right hand side of the vacant Hollywood Billiards building. Read more about his project <a href="http://sf.streetsblog.org/2009/10/23/painting-eyes-on-the-street-debut-of-sfs-art-in-storefronts-program/">here</a>.</p> </div> <p> </p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> The MMAP group walking towards <a href="http://www.luggagestoregallery.org/">The Luggage Store</a>.</p> <p> </p> </div> <p> </p> <p> Now that we have identified possible sites for our artist's projects, our next step is contacting the landlords and the city for the appropriate permissions and permits.</p> <p> </p> <p> -Emily</p> </article> <article> <h1>Mid-Market Brainstorm</h1> <p>Sun, 22 Jan 2012 01:27:55 GMT</p> <p> Last Wednesday January 18<sup>th</sup>, 2012 <a href="http://www.midmarketartproject.org"><strong>MMAP</strong></a> participated in a brainstorming session organized by the <a href="http://www.sfartscommission.org/"><strong>San Francisco Arts Commission</strong></a>, calling for a broader community of art initiatives and cultural producers located in Mid-Market neighborhood of San Francisco.</p> <p> </p> <p> The meeting aimed at consolidating existing art community, performing as an intellectual platform for exchange of various strategies and perspectives to further advance, or ‘culturally renovate’ the image of this, today, undervalued but historically culturally intensive area of the city. The discussion space provided by this meeting was extremely relevant as it allowed professional but rather informal communication between these cultural agents, which was not framed by their existing programming but, nevertheless, unified by common location and its heritage. It also welcomed presentations of new projects: MMAP student initiative was one of those and it was accepted with great interest and support.</p> <p> </p> <p> The immediate results of the brainstorming process revealed several approaches to the neighborhood. Two major ones could be described as an event-based approach, where the arts would be utilized to create a pulsatile network of diverse temporary public events versus long-term programming strategies that aim at creating public spaces, installing urban furniture, or forming a habit of a general public to come to the neighborhood on annually recurring occasions. Other solutions would focus on possible collaboration between art organizations and existing educational, commercial and even environmental establishments to create both intriguing and sustainable projects able to serve the community on multiple levels.</p> <p> </p> <p> Although this meeting was very inspiring for all of us, it was symptomatic to the general situation of the ‘Mid-Market discussion’. Only few residents made it to the meeting – either due to limited distribution of the information about the event, or due to lack of interest among residents, or whatever the reason might be which inhibits greater involvement of the actual community of those living and working in the neighborhood. In other words, many of the arts organizations were speaking for the residents, with little reaction to these proposals from the residents. Also, the notion of the community itself was constantly shifting from the Mid-Market various populations to the cultural organizations situated in or devoted to Mid-Market. It felt that this shift was necessary to justify the commitment of these organizations to the area that they therefore identified themselves with; yet it does not necessarily mean that the Mid-Market communities would be willing to identify themselves with arts in general and with ‘Mid-Market Arts District’-kind proposals in particular. All that makes one be more realistic about the complicated current process of functional and psychological integration of the arts into the neighborhood.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> Nadia Khismatulina </p> <div id="myEventWatcherDiv" style="display:none;"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>What do YOU want to see on Market Street?</h1> <p>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:34:35 GMT</p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> <em>Warmbaby needs your input! </em></p> <p> </p> <p> <strong>What would you want to see on Market Street? How would you turn an 'idle' or 'vacant' building into something you treasure? </strong></p> <p> </p> <p> Use your imagination--- would you want... an urban garden? a zoo? a treehouse? dance club?</p> <p> </p> <p> Comment below! Or visit the <a href="http://wouldntitbenice-midmarket.tumblr.com/">"Wouldn't it be Nice..."</a> blog to leave your ideas for Warmbaby.</p> <p> </p> <p> -Emily</p> </div> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Announcement of Chosen Projects & Thank You!</h1> <p>Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:10:41 GMT</p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> Thank you to all of those who submitted to our call! We received a large amount of proposals, and it was very difficult narrowing it down to three. We appreciate your thoughtfulness, professionalism, and fantastic ideas, and wish you all the best in your future artistic careers!</div> <div content-type="media" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div> <div content-type="media" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> Without further ado, we shall introduce the three projects to you:</div> <div content-type="media" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <strong>1). Warmbaby--- Wouldn't it be Nice...</strong></div> <div content-type="media" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> Warmbaby's "Wouldn't It Be Nice..." sketch, showing a person looking through a peephole into an imagined space.</p> </div> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> From Warmbaby's proposal:</p> <p> </p> <p> "Wouldn't it be nice...</p> <p> .... if in Market Street somebody built....<br /> a palace for everyone<br /> a tropical paradise<br /> a scene from a !lm<br /> a space ship<br /> a chocolate factory<br /> a fun fair<br /> a playground<br /> an abstract piece<br /> the inside of a bank vault<br /> the surreal thoughts inside somebody’s head<br /> whatever local people decide would be nice to have in this area.....<br /> and let us peer into it...."</p> <p> </p> <p> Warmbaby's peepboxes will be located on Market Street behind boarded up exteriors. Learn more about their project <a href="http://www.midmarketartproject.org/#!projects/vstc3=article-1">here</a>.</p> </div> <div content-type="media" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div> <div content-type="media" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> </div> <div content-type="media" style="width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <strong>2). NODE (Network of Daily Experience) by Kim Cook and Emily Dippo-- Mid-Market Memory Shop</strong></div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> Image from NODE: Lunch Swap. Learn more about this project <a href="http://kimlynncook.com/artwork/1632085.html">here</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p> From NODE's proposal:</p> <p> </p> <p> "Mid-Market Memory Shop is a one-day-only interactive inside-out store in front of a vacant storefront on the south side of Market Street between 5th and 8th Streets where store patrons (community members and passerby) will exchange ideas of community instead of money. The Mid-Market Memory Shop is a private booth (reflecting a changing area) where participants can interact through video and sound, and a small filing cabinet housing the archive. Participants are invited to browse the archive for inspiration."</p> <p> </p> </div> <p> Learn more about Mid-Market Memory Shop <a href="http://www.midmarketartproject.org/#!projects/vstc3=article-2">here</a>.</p> <style type="text/css"> </style> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> <strong>3). Linda Trunzo-- 9 Flights</strong></p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <div content-type="media-description" style="width:100%"> <p> A video still from "9 Flights"</p> </div> <p> </p> <p> From Linda's proposal:</p> <p> </p> <p> "My project, 9 Flights, is a video projection. It is representative of memory, empowerment, and community as seen through the projection of video interviews with past members about their experiences of the former mid-market YMCA."</p> <p> </p> <p> Learn more about 9 Flights <a href="http://www.midmarketartproject.org/#!projects/vstc3=article-3">here</a>.</p> <p> </p> <p> -Emily</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <style type="text/css"> </style> </div> </article> <article> <h1>MMAP seeks artistic collaborators</h1> <p>Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:56:46 GMT</p> <div content-type="media" style="width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"> </div> <p> </p> </article> </main></body></html>