Art in Storefronts
Art in Storefronts temporarily places original art installations by San Francisco artists in vacant and under-used storefronts, engaging artists in reinvigorating neighborhoods and commercial corridors hard-hit by the economic downturn. Artists, affected by the economy, receive a unique opportunity to showcase their creativity in transforming vacant storefronts into free exhibition spaces and celebrate the neighborhood where they live and work.
About You
About You
First Name
Kathy
Last Name
Judkins
Website
Organization
San Francisco Arts Commission
Country
United States, CA
About Your Organization
Organization Name
San Francisco Arts Commission
Organization Website
Organization Phone
415-252-2590
Organization Address
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94102
Organization Country
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Your idea
Name Your Project
Art in Storefronts
Country your work focuses on
United States, CA
Describe Your Idea
Art in Storefronts temporarily places original art installations by San Francisco artists in vacant and under-used storefronts, engaging artists in reinvigorating neighborhoods and commercial corridors hard-hit by the economic downturn. Artists, affected by the economy, receive a unique opportunity to showcase their creativity in transforming vacant storefronts into free exhibition spaces and celebrate the neighborhood where they live and work.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
The San Francisco Art Commission’s Art in Storefronts is an innovative approach to economic and urban development. Art has, of course, been previously placed in storefronts. This program successfully re-vitalizes blighted neighborhoods in San Francisco using local artists collaborating with community partners. Previously boarded up and empty storefronts in commercial corridors are creatively re-purposed into three dimensional, temporary and site-specific art installations that increase foot traffic and business, improve streetscapes and safety while instilling community pride.
Art in Storefronts is an integral part of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s economic development plan. Five San Francisco neighborhoods, identified by the Office of Economic Workforce and Development (OEWD) as critically in need, were targeted for Art in Storefronts in 2009-2010. These parts of the city were the hardest hit by the current economic downturn. To revitalize and improve the quality of life and business climates in these commercial corridors, a number of San Francisco city departments, property owners and local community groups enlisted the creative capital and skills of San Francisco artists living and/or working in these respective communities.
A public call for original, three dimensional, multi-media art was made with priority given to artists who address the history, unique character and positive qualities of the neighborhoods. The Art in Storefronts coalition of community partners selected the installations. San Francisco’s inventive Art in Storefronts has proven that artistic opportunity, economic, community and cultural development can be universally beneficial and innovative partnerships.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
While the boarded-up windows of vacant storefronts may be an eyesore, Art in Storefronts takes advantage of the empty space to create forums for artists to showcase their creativity. The selected artists worked in a variety of media including mural painting, sculpture, craft arts, time-based art, and film.
A worker in a targeted neighborhood said, “The Central Market segment used to be all boarded up and decrepit-looking. Suddenly my walk was enhanced by interesting installations. It made me briefly forget the conditions of the neighborhood and elevated the visual experience.”
A resident attending a launch party noted, “I find myself walking here on my way to or from somewhere, but not as a destination and definitely not for art or hanging out. Tonight, my experience has been great. I’m in favor of public art. It makes people more conscientious and increases the aesthetic value of a city, especially in an area that’s not associated with positive things.”
The property owners benefited from cleaned up storefronts, a decrease in graffiti on the properties when artists installed or painted the location and the increased attention lead to a number of rental properties.
Most importantly, passersby who might never have considered visiting a museum or gallery were exposed to contemporary art created by artists from their community.
Problem
Art in Storefronts is addressing the declining economic, social and cultural vitality of communities. Similarly, the artists living and working in these neighborhoods are hard hit.
In San Francisco, like many cities across in the US, certain neighborhoods offer few opportunities for growth and change. Many businesses are struggling and failing. Vacancy rates are at an historic high and investment is almost non existent.
San Francisco artists have few opportunities to showcase their creativity. Exhibition spaces to showcase artists’ work, talents, build an audience and increase visibility are extremely limited. Opportunities to display work addressing themes of gentrification, the environment, the economic downturn, city life and cultural identity in the neighborhoods rarely occur.
These neighborhoods, businesses and artists have partnered and are all now working together to create innovative and adaptive solutions.
Actions
Almost 200 artists applied for 20 slots in AIS’s first round, reflecting the need artists have for engaging with their communities in innovative ways. Staff continues to recruit talented artists who are passionate about combining their talents with community need. AIS launches celebrate the neighborhoods with art, music, performances and food and are “alive with super energy and community pride, mixing and mingling … people from all walks of life.” The program’s outreach to media has garnered extensive print, online, and broadcast coverage and drove visitors and locals alike to the installations. Staff held Facebook and Twitter trainings for artists participating in the program which generated a tremendous amount of attention in social network outlets.
San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) staff is working with local police to decrease the incidents of vandalism or theft of artwork. Graffiti and potential violence are an ongoing concern being addressed by staff.
Results
In every neighborhood, there are people who want to see and be part of change. This program has offered them this opportunity. The transformative change begun in AIS neighborhoods is continuing.
Neighborhoods are revitalized. Mural sites are respected and artwork that speaks to the community is found in an expected places. Less sidewalk trash and graffiti improves cityscape conditions. People who previously avoided these neighborhoods come and spend money at local businesses. Properties become rented and owners keep installations in place longer. Increased web traffic, extensive press coverage, higher profiles and offers to participate in group, gallery and museum shows benefit artists. The soul of these communities is celebrated and nurtured.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
AIS addresses decades of abandoned neighborhoods, poverty and disinvestment. A sustained economic commitment and neighborhood presence will be required to address these issues.
In the next three years, improving conditions in AIS neighborhoods will also depend on piggybacking additional economic opportunities. If this is done, community pride will likewise increase and these neighborhoods will be seen as places where culture is celebrated.
In Central Market, a 2009 site, community, business and arts groups now have funding and plans for a number of similar economic/social/cultural partnership projects and programs. They include three lighting installations, an outdoor antique market and branding this area as an arts zone. This multi-year project also includes substantial financial incentives encouraging businesses, community groups and artists to work and live there. As AIS and other projects expand the appreciation of the value of art as an economic stimulator, additional funding will also follow.
In 2010-2011, AIS is slated in five neighborhoods: Central Market, North Beach, Japantown, Fillmore and SOMA. As the program continues to gain momentum and attract more vacant and underutilized buildings, its vibrancy and viability will be further insured.
Beyond 2011, no specific plans designating Art in Storefronts neighborhoods have been formulated. Success will depend on creating similar, strong AIS community partnerships in other underserved neighborhoods. Locating additional funding to sustain or expand the program over the next three years will be critical.
Numerous questions about and requests for ASI’s “toolkit” have come from the US and abroad. The Art in Storefronts’ model will be replicated and improved.
Finally, the success of AIS will additionally be measured by the testimonies of the merchants, neighbors and artists, the attention the project (City or world-wide) receives and its continuation and expansion.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
AIS’s FY 2009-2010 pilot program leads us to believe that it will succeed. Having stated that, two threats to its continuation do exist: an inability to locate funding to cover the minimal cost of the program or a serious, devastating event acutely effecting The City of San Francisco’s ability to conduct “business as usual.”.
Finding funding to support important and innovative solutions that address difficult issues is always problematic. The San Francisco Arts Commission was able to identify the necessary funding for the five FY 2009-2010 Art in Storefront sites. A commitment to partially fund our FY 2010-2011 program has been located. We need to continue exploring additional funding opportunities.
The potential for unexpected and/or extraordinarily rare events such as a severe earthquake, economic crisis or an extraordinarily act of terrorism is always a possibility. San Francisco is earthquake country and the inevitability of a devastating earthquake is simply a fact of Bay Area life. Natural disasters, economic and political realities have certainly taught us that events with enormous and far reaching ramifications, although unpredictable, are a reality.
Having noted these, Art in Storefronts will succeed. In FY 2009 -2010, on a modest budget of $45,000 Art in Storefronts was in five neighborhoods, benefitted all its stakeholders, received extensive media and press coverage and received two grants. Currently, the collective will in the coalition of artists, property owners, neighborhood cultural and economic development organizations, city government agencies, Mayor Gavin Newsom and local business owners exists for the program to continue.
How many people will your project serve annually?
1001‐10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
Please select
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for 1‐5 years
Is your organization a
Government
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
Yes
If yes, provide organization name.
: San Francisco Arts Commission
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
Each partner organization brings unique resources and skills. Shared responsibilities, discrete partner contributions and a common purpose create Art in Storefronts’ success.
Funding and expertise in creating better business climates in commercial corridors come from OWED. SFAC recruits talented artists, graphic designers and performers for the launch celebrations and shares installation choice with members of the neighborhood.
Community development partners have valuable neighborhood relationships to secure the participation of the property owners, local vendor donations and attract a diverse audience to the inaugural festivities. Kearny Street Workshop, a 37 year old Chinatown arts organization, brought founding members from Hawaii and New York to celebrate the continued use of arts and culture for community development, a movement they started three decades earlier.
Property owners share the rich history of the neighborhood and buildings with the artists. This leads to much more compelling installations and murals that truly speak to the community.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
As we plan future sites, three actions learned from our FY 2009-2010 evaluation need to be implemented to grow AIS. They are analyzing and incorporating feedback from our partners and neighborhoods, growing our outreach and locating additional funding.
Comments from participants identified the desire for certain procedural changes and more precise guidelines delineating the roles and responsibilities of each partner. Prior to issuing a call for artists, both community based organizations’ knowledge about property owners could be better utilized and SFAC staff should confirm owners’ participation. The Project Managers should pay insurance coverage for all parties and more specific arrangements for access to installations, bathrooms, running water and storage space are essential.
AIS’s site and “toolkit” generated a buzz across the country. SFAC was cited as an example for Norfolk, Virginia’s storefront program and requests for advice from community organizations, arts organizations, city agencies and merchant associations came from ten cities. These may help create new vacant storefront initiatives. Other models illustrating the intersection between economic development and artistic opportunity have also been shared.
We are confident that AIS will help educate funders and city officials to understand the impact the arts have in creating positive physical, social, and economic change in communities. It is our hope that this will result in additional financial support. Backing to support more generous honorariums is also needed as the compensation fees “did not cover the supplies” for several artists.
A Central Market artist described the expected outcome of these actions: “You can crack down on panhandling and drug dealing by filling the streets with more police, but you can also do it by filling them with cleaning crews, flowers and art. The promise of AIS is bringing beauty, intelligence and craft to the marginalized areas of our city, filling our streets with dignity.”
The Story
What was the defining moment that you led to this innovation?
Judy Nemzoff and Robynn Takayama, two staff members of the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Community Arts and Education Program, believe, rather than a defining moment, two essential moments, a “seed and an “ah ha” moment, were necessary to create Art in Storefronts.
The “seed” moment occurred when San Francisco’s Mayor Gavin Newsom asked Judy for “some art in the storefronts.” He did not specify in his request what kind of art, in what neighborhoods or any additional information. Judy and Robynn relate that they developed AIS, as they always did in creating any SFAC community arts program, by brainstorming. Leave it to two community arts organizers to downplay their participation in the “defining moment.” Instead, they see Mayor Newsom’s comment as a “seed” moment that allowed them to envision AIS.
Their preference is to think that a second factor, a crucial “ah ha” moment, was also required for the innovation of AIS. To transition AIS’s program idea to its “on the ground,” preliminary launching, a partnership between two very different City of San Francisco departments, the Office of Economic Work Development (OEWD) and SFAC, needed to occur. OEWD and SFAC have not traditionally worked together and have distinctively diverse missions. OCWD is responsible for enhancing San Francisco’s economic vitality, strengthening its diverse neighborhoods and commercial corridors and creating a business climate for companies to grow and thrive. SFAC is dedicated to championing the arts by providing equally dispersed, innovative and the highest quality arts experiences and programs possible to all San Francisco’s citizens. As city departments, these two agencies share the common objective of insuring a continually high quality of life for all San Franciscans. Judy witnessed the “ah ha” moment when OEWD understood that 3D art installations created by San Francisco artists in vacant storefronts could provide economic, social and cultural opportunities and change in neighborhoods. These two agencies committed funding and galvanized their discrete project management knowledge and experience with business, community and arts neighborhood organizations to make Art in Storefronts a reality.
Clearly for its’ innovators, Judy Nemzoff and Robynn Takayama, an idea, even an innovative one like Art in Storefronts, only derives its meaning when it is implemented in the community it is created to serve.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
Like the program itself, the innovator of AIS is a partnership. Judy Nemzoff and Robynn Takayama have an impressive forty+ years of community, political and arts program management and experience. They are deeply committed to the philosophy that arts experiences and programming need to driven by the needs of the communities, be in neighborhoods and serve the local and special constituencies, such as youth, the homeless, and others. Their overarching goal is access. Everyone should have access to the arts in the neighborhoods where they live and work.
Judy is the Director of the Community Arts and Education Program at the San Francisco Arts Commission and Robynn is the Program Associate. Together, they have implemented innovative citywide initiatives, including Art in Storefronts, StreetsmArts and WritersCorps, and have partnered with numerous community organizations. The programs they have create and implemented reflect their belief that a creative cultural environment is essential to well-being and the arts and art programs should be integrated into all aspects of City life. In conjunction with community based organizations such as The Lighthouse for the Blind, the Association for Retarded Citizens, Hospitality House, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts and Larkin Youth Center, they have created and brought programs directly to these populations.
The Community Arts and Education Program also serves as a resource hub for the arts education field and advocates for the importance of the arts for children and families. It supports the creation and implementation of the Arts Education Master Plan and advocates for youth arts at critical department meetings. In partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District and the Arts Providers Alliance of San Francisco, a program was implemented for professional development for teaching artists. An ongoing partnership with the Arts Education Funders Collaborative is producing a new edition of Inside/Out, a guide to arts and arts education resources for children and teens in San Francisco. The WritersCorps program places professional writers in community settings teaching creative writing to youth. Since its inception in 1994, this program has helped over 15,000 young people from neighborhoods throughout San Francisco improve their literacy and increase their desire to learn. WritersCorps has published award-winning publications and produced local and national events featuring young people.
It is clear these two dedicated, outgoing and generous women are truly committed to community public service.
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 | 140 weeks ago Rachelle Axel said: It's great to read all the comments about this program. Hearing from artists and community members truly attests to the power of art to ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 140 weeks ago v knoop said: On top of all the great things this program does for neighborhoods and community, I love that Art in Storefronts gives local emerging ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 140 weeks ago Kathy Judkins said: Thank you everyone for reading and commenting on our entry. Kathy about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 141 weeks ago Robynn Takayama said: It was great to see a photo of your installation in Art Ltd., too. about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 141 weeks ago Kristine Mays said: As a participating artist in the inaugural Art in Storefronts program in the Bayview District, I cannot say enough about this program. ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 141 weeks ago Robynn Takayama said: Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Shiz. If we receive funding, we have plans to move this project into Japantown. I want to do it at ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 141 weeks ago Robynn Takayama said: The thing that I loved about Art in Storefronts is the way it encouraged the community to share in a public space. The launch on Market ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 141 weeks ago Jenny Wiley said: Art in Storefronts has been a vibrant way to showcase community strengths. Envision a neighborhood with a number of vacant storefronts. ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 141 weeks ago Phillip Hua said: Art in Storefronts is an example of how art can be a civic benefit and a part of a community engine. I was fortunate to be part of the ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 141 weeks ago Angela Linebaugh said: Thank you for the link to your website. I was particularly interested to see the videos of youth reading their poems. Writing poems ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
