THE ARTS
San Francisco lacks a clear public policy for fostering the arts community. Because of this lack of vision, San Francisco’s artists continue to leave the City. Since the “dot com” days, artists have fled to more affordable places like the East Bay and Vallejo. Unfortunately, the current Supervisor has done little or nothing to help build a sustainable community for artists in San Francisco.
Artists make San Francisco a more livable, vibrant city – a city of unique people and neighborhoods, a center for culture, and economic activity. Not only do artists make our City more interesting and diverse, but the arts provides job opportunities and services for local residents.
District 6 has the opportunity to become a thriving arts environment. The district is already home to many of the City’s theaters, museums and galleries. The area can become a center of activity for art studios, exhibits, theater events, festivals, art classes and workshops for youth.
The work done by Red Ink Studios is one example of the type of programs we should actively support. Red Ink Studios provides free studio space in vacant commercial buildings for emerging artists. By creating public / private partnerships with arts community non-profits we can create exciting cultural districts, affordable studio space and affordable housing opportunities, such as:
· London’s ACME Studios which has created a permanent and sustainable
network of affordable, accessible and high-quality studios for artists in
London.
· Boston’s Redevelopment Agency which has created an Artist Space
Initiative that answered Mayor Thomas Menino's call to create both affordable
housing and permanent artist housing.
· The Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia. Located at a place where
dilapidated buildings once stood, it is currently the premier entertainment
and cultural district in Philadelphia. Avenue of the Arts is home to theaters,
the University of the Arts, the Academy of Music and the Kimmel Center for
the Performing Arts.
To ensure that artists can live and thrive in the City and especially in District 6, San Francisco can move forward by:
· Using current City agencies including the Redevelopment Agency, The Mayor’s Office of Housing and the Art Commission to retain existing spaces for artists and create new ones.
· Conduct a city-wide survey of artists to measure housing and studio needs.
· Create a city-wide database of artists who are currently looking for available housing and studio space. This database would provide artists regular updates on available space, homeownership workshops and other relevant information.
It is time for District 6 to have real leadership when it comes to the Arts Community. A strong voice is needed for artists who want to create, perform and exhibit and live in San Francisco.
paid for by Rob Black for Supervisor - FPPC # 1285801