Daniel del Solar

As a leader in innovative multicultural public broadcast programming, he also worked with KQED-TV’s Open Studio, served as General Manager of KALW-FM, San Francisco, from 1985–1992, and as General Manager of WYBE-TV, Philadelphia from 1992–1995, with TV programs he produced broadcast by PBS stations in many cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, and San Francisco. He was on the national board of Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting (CIPB). He also served as Development Director of the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.

His lifelong involvement with and contributions to Latino/a equality and culture include his work as co-producer of a weekly KPFA radio magazine, Reflecciónes de la Raza, contributions to the current KPFA weekly program La Raza Chronicles, and many other radio and video productions. With leading Bay Area poets, he was a founding co-editor of Tin Tan (a now legendary San Francisco Chicano/Latino cultural magazine).

Many of his photographs have appeared in books, exhibits, and online, and will be featured in an upcoming book about the stepwells of India. He also collaborated on Chile: Promise of Freedom, an audio CD distributed on worldwide radio by the Freedom Archives. He often reported on events in Cuba, Chile, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and was active in many Latin American social justice and solidarity movements.

A memorial to Daniel’s life will be held later this year. To be notified about Daniel's memorial, send your contact information to danieldelsolarmemorial@gmail.com.

This exhibition focuses on the trends of modern travel and aims to answer three questions: Where are we going? What is carrying us across the waters? How do we define this new expatriate experience?

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 19, 6-8 p.m.
Exhibition Dates: January 19 - June 17, 2012
Where: AAACC Hall of Culture, 762 Fulton Street

Photographers: Ain Bailey, Khemit Bailey, Tracy Brown, Jonathan Brumfield, Alan Kimara Dixon, Guia Dixon, Tyra Fennell, Melonie Green, Amos Lee Gregory, Kwesi InLight, Asual Kwahuumba, Nashormeh Lindo, Anthony McKissic, Eric Murphy, Marcus Lorenzo Penn, Tumani Onabiyi, Ashleigh Reddy, William Rhodes, Tasin Sabir, Fred Shavies, Ashley Jefferson White

Muralists: Jonathan Brumfield, Ras Terms, Safety First

A Q&A with session Shukree Tilghman will follow the screening. For more information, email sara_smith@itvs.org

When: Friday, January 13
Time: Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; screening at 7 p.m.
Where: AAACC, 762 Fulton Street

More Than A Month is set to air nationally on the Emmy (R) award winning PBS series Independent Lens on February 16, 2012 at 10 p.m. Be among the first to see it at this preview screening on Friday, January 13.

MoreThanAMonth_flyer_AAACC

Out of Site Youth Arts Center is a San Francisco nonprofit that provides free visual and performing arts programs for public high school students in San Francisco. The programs fill a gap for teenagers, providing safe, free, fun and challenging programs for teens. Students come to Out of Site looking for the chance to experiment in the arts, find artistic training, new mediums for self-expression, and a diverse and supportive community.

The San Francisco Youth Arts Summit brings together youth artists from organizations all over San Francisco. The festivities begin with the Saturday Night Open Mic/Kickoff Party, hosted by YBCA's Young Artists at Work and Youth Speaks:

Where: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street
When: Saturday, December 10, 6:30 p.m.
Cost: Free with R.S.V.P., email lbutler@ybca.org

Following the open mic is a screening of Louder Than A Bomb, an award–winning documentary about the world’s largest youth poetry slam, annually held in Chicago. On Sunday, there are a wide variety of activities:

Where: SOMArts, 934 Brannan Street
When: Sunday, December 11, 12–6 p.m.
Cost: Free

Student work from the architecture, printmaking and web design classes will be on display, the Marsh Youth Theater will perform Truthtopia, Youth Speaks will lead a spoken word workshop and open mic, Chrysallis Studios will lead a printmaking demo, and there will be performances by youth from Out of Site, Youth Uprising, YBCA, DJ Project, and June Jordan High School.

For more information and the day’s schedule, click here.

Media Contact:
Rebecca Gallegos, Bayview Opera House
Tel: 415/824-0386 E: rebecca@bvoh.org

BAYVIEW OPERA HOUSE RECEIVES GOVERNOR’S AWARD FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION 2011

Announced today by the State Historical Resources Commission: Bayview Opera House Save America’s Treasures Project Recognized as Notable Achievement in Preserving the Heritage of California

SAN FRANCISCO, October 28, 2011: On November 17, 2011, members of the Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theater (BVOH) and the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) will travel to Sacramento to receive the 2011 Governor’s Historic Preservation Award. The only one of its kind in the State of California, the award recognizes the BVOH’s recent completion of a “Save America’s Treasures” historic preservation project, which resulted in the restoration of the 122-year-old Opera House’s original Douglas Fir floor and auditorium stage and the building’s acceptance into the National Register of Historic Places. The Bayview Opera House is one of four city-owned cultural centers located in San Francisco and is a central community space for arts and other social activities for the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood.

“The Governor’s Award will help us shine a spotlight on the Bayview Opera House, a remarkable San Francisco treasure that continues to be relevant and serve the community through its many arts programs,” says Barbara Ockel, Interim Managing Director of the BVOH. “The over 500 children who participate annually in our programs will tell you that this place matters to them!”

Formerly known as the South San Francisco Opera House, the BVOH is the oldest standing theater in San Francisco and survived both the earthquake and fire in 1906. It is the first and only building in San Francisco’s District 10 to be included in the National Register of Historic Places. Historic preservation efforts have traditionally been focused on more affluent areas. Neighborhoods like the Bayview district have not yet been surveyed for historic structures.
“Recognizing the historic significance and preserving the architectural integrity of such an important cultural facility as the Bayview Opera House has to be part of city-wide efforts to revitalize the Bayview,” said Vanessa Hawkins Dandridge, San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Project Manager for Bayview Hunters Point.

The preservation project is a shining example of what can happen when a federal agency, a city agency and a local non-profit join forces to preserve a community treasure. The National Park Service provided the funding through its Save America’s Treasures program; the San Francisco Arts Commission, the building owner, helped facilitate the process and entered into a 50-year preservation easement with San Francisco Architectural Heritage; the BVOH managed the project and secured additional funding from the San Francisco Historic Preservation Fund to nominate the building to the National Register of Historic Places, as required by the grant agreement. Local contractors Architectural Resources Group, Bluewater Environmental Services and California Wood Floors provided excellent discounted services to accomplish the work on budget and on time.

The beautiful historic facility is available to rent for public and private events and is a local favorite for movie screenings, musical and theatrical performances, as well as family reunions, weddings, and corporate parties and meetings. The BVOH is a recent membership grant recipient of the San Francisco Travel Association and is open for historic tours and convention business.

About the Bayview Opera House
The South San Francisco Opera House was built by the Masons in 1888. Now known as the Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theatre (BVOH), it is a nationally recognized historic building. Run by the nonprofit, Bayview Opera House, Inc., the facility is dedicated to providing high quality arts education for at-risk youth year round for free or at a low cost. The organization also presents many cultural events throughout the year for all ages, including art exhibits, concerts, plays and community celebrations. It is also available for rent for other arts organizations and private parties, is easy to reach by public transit and features a large private parking lot. For more information visit, bvoh.org.

About the San Francisco Arts Commission
The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts in San Francisco. We believe that a creative cultural environment is essential to the City’s well-being. Established by charter in 1932, the SFAC integrates the arts into all aspects of City life. Programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Arts & Education, Cultural Equity Grants, Public Art, SFAC Gallery, Street Artists Licensing, and the San Francisco Symphony Youth and Community Concert Series. The agency’s core values are committed to the principle that all residents have equal access to arts experiences in all disciplines, that programs are provided comprehensively and evenly throughout the City, and that they are innovative and of the highest quality. Visit sfartscommission.org.

# # # #

The first film All The Ladies Say, is a documentary about six female street dancers who have carved a niche in the physically challenging, male dominated break dance world.

The second film, Piece by Piece is a documentary about San Francisco's graffiti culture from the early 1980's to 2004, narrated by San Francisco graffiti artist Senor One, better known as Renos.

The screening will be at the AAACC on Friday, November 4 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The cost is $5 for one screening or $8 for both. The festivities also include live art and music, full concession stands, a photo booth, and a red carpet entrance. The AAACC will also be accepting canned food donations for the Each One Feed One campaign. Click here for more information.

The SOMArts Cultural Center's Commons Curatorial Residency is now entering its third round. They are offering four $1,500 stipends to artists, curators or organizations to curate exhibitions in our Main Gallery for the November 2012 – August 2013 season.  No other space in the Bay Area offers this level of support, scale of production, and ease of accessibility.  Exhibitions are fully supported by the institution, including press and marketing, installation, and exhibition production support valued at $23,500.  It is a competitive process and letters of intent are due November 3rd.  Please review the application criteria before submitting.

Additionally, there will be an in-person Q&A session in the gallery on Thursday, October 20, 6:30–7:30 p.m. RSVP here. Two more Q&A sessions will available online on Monday, October 17 at 12 p.m. and Tuesday, October 25 at 6:30 p.m.

The events begin with the opening reception this Friday, October 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. There will be a live painting and performance by actor and artist Herbert Siguenza of Culture Clash fame. Also featured is an artists market and performances by individual artists within their installation spaces.

Photo by Rio Yañez.

On October 18 from 7 to 9 p.m., this month’s Feast of Words at SOMArts is inspired by the Day of the Dead theme of Illuminations. The potluck features the composer, violinist and writer Ron Ragin and Oakland-based performer choreographer and chef, Amara Tabor-Smith. Ragin will read from his upcoming memoir that traces the history of his family’s ancestor home. Following the reading, Tabor-Smith will perform Our Daily Bread, which celebrates what we eat and illuminates the cultures that underlie our eating practices. For more information and tickets, click here.

Illuminations: Dia de los Muertos 2011 artists’ Armanda & Natalia Vigil create a multi-disciplinary and multi-language showcase of song, poetry and storytelling titled Gathering of the Embers, on October 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. The work will pay tribute to love, life, loss and resiliency. The audience is encouraged to bring photos, letters, offerings, or write the names of loved ones on the Wall of Tributes.

Finally, wrapping up the Day of the Dead celebrations is the closing reception on Saturday, November 5, from 6 to 9 p.m. The closing reception will be the final chance to celebrate and pay your respects with SOMArts, more than 80 artists and fellow attendees.

Photo courtesy of www.jazztimes.com

On August 24, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts will host a night of engaging conversation and music as esteemed KBLX radio personality Sterling James interviews Mr. Escovedo about life in art. This event is part of the new speaker series, Art Impact, which provides a platform to explore and discuss the impact of arts education through the lens of high profile individuals who have a background in the arts, but are not currently working within the art world. Pete Escovedo is a world renowned musician, but what most people do not know is he is also an accomplished visual artist.

Where: Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission Street
When: Wednesday, August 24, 2011, 6-8 p.m.
Cost: FREE and open to the public (please RSVP)

Mr. Escovedo was born in Pittsburg, California to a Mexican-American family full of artists and musicians. He has played with world famous musicians such as Carlos Santana, in addition to releasing many solo projects and receiving numerous awards. Although he began making music at a very young age, his endeavors into visual art came at the age of 16. Over the years he has created an amazing body of artwork; his paintings and drawings consist of oils, acrylics, latex, enamels, pencil and crayons.

This intimate talk will give audience members insight into the legendary artist who broke down the barriers between musical genres and visual art.

Following the talk, there will be a reception in the MCCLA Gallery at 8 p.m. Admission is $10.