ArtSpan

Art-in-Neighborhoods Exhibitions Program

Model and Strategy

ArtSpan’s innovative Arts in Neighborhood (AIN) program combats the exodus of local artists fleeing San Francisco’s high cost of living by empowering them to operate temporary arts venues in empty storefronts and existing businesses; building community connectivity through visual arts exhibitions and providing free and low-cost arts experiences at neighborhood venues throughout the City. AIN promotes empathy by connecting disparate communities – allowing diverse people to find their commonalities through meaningful participatory arts experiences. By hosting these activities in neighborhood locations throughout the City, we will allow our audiences to discover a myriad of new temporary artistic venues in the communities where they reside; creating connectivity to a sector in need of new audiences. Offering paid training and jobs to local artists, AIN puts diverse artists to work in the creative sector and give them the skills and confidence they need to not only survive, but thrive.

Impact

AIN’s long­term impact is keeping San Francisco’s creative spirit alive and centering neighborhood interactions on cultural events.

As paid participants, artists will earn income working in their field and hopefully have more time and money to devote to their creative practice, while expanding their ability to work in the field as curators and gallerists. These artists will be empowered to self­produce long past their involvement in the AIN program and they will have the confidence to self­start and create exhibitions on their own throughout their careers.

Long­term SF residents will be engaged in events that convey the character of their neighborhoods and new SF residents will learn how vital culture is to the integrity of our City.

Our performing, literary and media arts events will facilitate connectivity between arts organizations and increase visibility for the hundreds of large and small arts organizations that contribute to our cultural ecology. Long­term, this cross­pollination will strengthen our sector as a whole and build relationships between artists and organizations of different disciplines.

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Leadership

  • Allison

    Allison Snopek

    Programs Manager