San Francisco Arts Commission facts for kids
 |
|
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1932 |
| Jurisdiction | City and County of San Francisco |
| Headquarters | 401 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 325, San Francisco, CA 94102 |
| Agency executives |
|
The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is a city agency in San Francisco, California. It helps make art an important part of daily life. The SFAC supports artists, makes the city more lively with art, and creates new rules for art. This commission looks after several art-related areas, including:
- Civic Design Review (checking designs for city buildings)
- Community Investments (funding art groups)
- Public Art (art in public spaces)
- SFAC Galleries (art exhibition spaces)
- The Civic Art Collection (art owned by the city)
- The Art Vendor Program (for artists who sell their work)
Contents
How the Arts Commission Started
The San Francisco Arts Commission began in 1932. It was first called "The San Francisco Art Commission." Its main goal was to help musicians from the San Francisco Symphony keep their jobs during the Great Depression in the United States. They did this by funding concerts that people could attend for a low price. This led to popular low-cost San Francisco Pops concerts led by Arthur Fiedler.
In 1948, the commission created the Visual Arts commission. From 1946 to 1986, they also ran the San Francisco Arts Festival, which was usually held in the Civic Center area.
Supporting Local Artists
The commission started the Neighborhood Arts Program in 1967. This program helped fund local art groups like the San Francisco Blues Festival and Precita Eyes Mural Center. Later, this program became known as the Community Arts and Education Program.
In the 1970s, the program grew a lot. Commissioner Stephen Goldstine found federal money to support local artists. An intern named John Kreidler suggested using grants from the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA). With this federal funding, the program could give monthly payments to artists, including groups like the Pickle Family Circus. This idea was inspired by a program in the 1930s that employed artists. The San Francisco program was so successful that it became a model for similar programs across the United States.
Art at the Airport
In 1977, the commission started an art program at the San Francisco International Airport. As of 2019, this airport is the only one with an art program approved by the American Association of Museums. The commission provides this public art program, which includes many different styles and types of art. It is mostly paid for with a part of the money used to build the airport's terminals.
Helping Artists During Tough Times
In March 2021, the SFAC worked with other groups to start a special program. This program gave $1,000 a month to 130 artists for six months. These artists had to be below certain income levels. The money came from a special fund created in 2018, which uses a small part of the city's hotel tax for arts and culture. This program helped artists during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Similar programs were also started in other California cities like Stockton, Oakland, and Marin County.
How the Commission Works
The San Francisco Arts Commission has fifteen members, called commissioners. The Mayor of San Francisco chooses all of these members. Even though the commission works on its own, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has power over its budget and new ideas.
Where the Commission is Located
The commission's first office was at 165 Grove Street, but that building burned down in 1980. Since then, it has moved several times. Its current main office is inside the Veterans Building at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center.
San Francisco Arts Commission Main Gallery
The San Francisco Arts Commission Main Gallery is at 401 Van Ness Avenue. It is where the commission shows contemporary art. The gallery asks artists to create new works, works with other art groups, and supports artists' projects. It is free to visit and is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This main gallery started in 1970 and was first called "Capricorn Asunder." It moved to its current spot in the War Memorial Veterans Building in 2017.
What the Commission Does
In 2008, the commission gave out about $4.5 million in funding. Most of this money came from the city's hotel tax.
Community Arts and Education
The Community Arts and Education Program helps fund art activities. This includes programs for communities that need extra support and street festivals, like the Filipino Parol Lantern Festival, in different neighborhoods.
The commission also looks after city-owned cultural centers. These include places like the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, the Bayview Opera House, and the African American Art and Culture Complex.
Visual Arts Committee
The commission's Visual Arts Committee must approve the designs for any new city buildings or structures. A rule called the Arts Enrichment Ordinance sets aside two percent of construction costs to buy art for public buildings and spaces. This committee is in charge of approving new public art projects for San Francisco.
San Francisco has won many awards for its public art from the Americans for the Arts Public Arts Network. These are the only national awards for public art in the country.
Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman
In October 2018, the city passed a rule that 30% of new public art showing historical figures must be women. A work honoring poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou was planned for outside the San Francisco Public Library by the end of 2020.
The commission started looking for artists in November 2018 with a budget of $180,000. Many artists applied, and three were chosen as finalists: Kenyatta Hinkle, Lava Thomas, and Jules Arthur. The public was asked to share their thoughts on the designs in July 2019. The committee liked Thomas's Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman best.
However, in October 2019, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who helped create the rule, asked the commission to restart the selection process. She wanted a more traditional statue. Thomas disagreed, saying her design fit the original plan, which asked for "artwork" not a "statue." She also pointed out that San Francisco is known for its modern ideas, not traditional statues like those based on colonial history.
The commission started a second search in January 2020 with new rules and a bigger budget of $250,000. Thomas chose not to take part this time. In August 2020, the commission apologized to Thomas for problems in the process. They then voted to pause the second search to get more input from people. The selection process officially ended on November 2, 2020. The commission awarded Thomas $250,000 for her original proposal.
Thomas's Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman will be a 9-foot bronze book with Maya Angelou's image and a quote etched onto it. It will be the first public monument on city property dedicated to a woman of color. It will also be the fourth public monument in the city dedicated to a woman.
Images for kids
-
San Francisco Arts Commission logo
