Composting Contraption at SF Decompression Sunday

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The Composting Contraption will be at San Francisco Decompression this Sunday, we hope you will stop by and see how it works, we promise you will have fun!

The Black Rock Arts Foundation in partnership with San Francisco Department of the Environment have developed the Composting Contraption. This human-powered, interactive, kinetic artwork is designed to travel to local festivals, street fairs, farmers markets and schools to inspire, motivate and educate San Francisco residents to increase their practice of composting, and it has really been in the streets in the last few weeks.

The Contraption has been out and about. It was at Power to the Peaceful (where these wonderful photos were taken, can’t you just tell that the kids loved that they got to make it work), then it stopped by the new Mission Community Market and then San Francisco Sunday Streets. Just this week the Contraption spent some time at the Castro Farmers Market.

As you can see from the photos, these visits are a chance for the adults and children alike to interact with the Composting Contraption and talk about how composting works from a scientific, practical and environmental point of view, and it is fun to ride the bike and make the Contraption make our food scraps and compostable materials move a little closer to being mulch for our gardens.

The Composting Contraption will be at the Black Rock Arts Foundation booth at Decompression this Sunday, we hope you will stop by and check us out and take a ride on the Composting Contraption.

Our Presence on the Playa!

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This is when we knew we were ready for your visit!

Y’all made signs representing where you were from.
One of our continent inspired tables, representing all of the places you are, right now.
That is one of our Board Members, Dicky Davies, painting the bar.
Getting ready for your arrival!
We hope you had a chance to stop by and visit us at District Everywhere at Burning Man this year. We had a great time meeting you or seeing you again if you dropped by, but we have been missing you and missing the Playa so we thought we would share a few of our favorite photos just to remind us what a fabulous time we had this year.
We hope you are having a great time out there during the other 51 weeks of the year and just know that we are out there with you supporting and promoting community, interactive art and civic participation.

photos: James Addison aka Extramatic

The Artumnal Gathering is Coming!

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Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Bently Reserve
400 Sansome St.San Francisco, CA 94111

The Black Rock Arts Foundation’s annual celebration of the vital spirit and extraordinary artists that enrich us all.

Feast of Imagination Dinner 6:00 pm
Artumnal Celebration 9:30 pm

You are invited to the magnificent Bently Reserve for BRAF’s fourth annual Artumnal Gathering, an exquisite evening of tempting libations, bountiful fare, engaging art, and lavish attire. You’ll enjoy three elegant rooms, each overflowing with art and offering a stunning array of featured live performances including soaring aerial artistry, and music and DJ’s to dance the night away.

Come revel in the abundance of our community’s creative spirit, celebrate Black Rock Arts Foundation’s artists and projects, and support the proliferation of even more community art projects around the world in 2011!

A limited number of $35 online first tier tickets go on sale September 24th. Second tier tickets are $45 dollars. Join us for our pre-event dinner featuring delightful fare, cocktails, and both live and silent auctions. Last year’s event sold out! Get your tickets today!

Artumnal Ticket Packages:

The Artumnal Celebration
$35 online presale 1st tier;
$45 thereafter and at the door
9:30 pm – Late

Includes an evening of featured and roaming performances, DJs, dancing, raffle, silent auction, photography sale and surprises.

Feast of Imagination
$250 advance purchase only
6:00 pm – Late
Includes an individual seat for a sumptuous dinner, auction, performances, signature drinks, wine, dessert and entry to the Artumnal Celebration.

Table of Plenty: A Table for 8 at Feast of Imagination

$3000 advance purchase only
6:00 pm – Late
Includes a reserved table for eight guests for the Feast of Imagination dinner.

Table of Abundance: A Table for 8 at Feast of Imagination, with premium placement
$5000 advance purchase only
6:00 pm – Late
Includes a reserved table for eight guests for the Feast of Imagination, with premium seating placement in the banquet hall, premium wine selection with personal sommelier, champagne toast and treats.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Artwork by R. Black

BRAF is Honored

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Tomas McCabe, our Executive Director, accepting the Certificate of Honor from the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco

The Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco presented the Black Rock Arts Foundation with a Certificate of Honor in appreciation and public recognition of distinction and merit for outstanding service to a significant portion of the people of the city and county of San Francisco.

The Black Rock Arts Foundation received this award for the promotion of interactive public art in open spaces, for the creative inspiration that our works bring in our communities and neighborhoods, and our education of young people of the expressive capacities and meaningfulness of public art, and our advocacy of sustainable and responsible living through art.

This is what Commissioner Chiu had to say to the Black Rock Arts Foundation while presenting a Certificate of Honor to our Executive Director, Tomas McCabe; President of the Board, Freddy Hahne; Secretary of the Board, Alix Rosenthal; Vice President of the Board, Rae Richman; and one of the artists of the wonderful installation the Raygun Gothic Rocketship at Pier 14 on the Embarcadero.

The Black Rock Arts Foundation was the organization behind bringing this great project to our spaces. They have been pioneering a very exciting new model for public art in which they partner with neighborhoods and communities and city governments to temporarily place city art projects. This has facilitated collaboration. Since the first installation that they assisted with several years ago, we have now had several major installations in various major public spaces throughout the city, which have been extremely well received from every neighborhood that they have been in.

From my perspective and I think many of my colleagues share this perspective, we need to do everything we can to help our city really grow the artistic community and our city’s artistic economy. We need to promote best core values of activity, community, and activism. I want to thank those of you with the Foundation and the community for all you have been doing both for San Francisco, for the world and for our wonderful public spaces in our city. Thank you.

Tomas McCabe, as the Executive Director for The Black Rock Arts Foundation then thanks the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco for this Certificate of Honor.

It is a real privilege to be able to serve the community with the Black Rock Arts Foundation’ s work. This is where our roots are, and this is where a lot of our activity happens. Although we are expanding worldwide, the Burning Man organization is world renowned, and a lot of people do not understand or realize that the Black Rock Arts Foundation supports artists all year round, and we have a big presence in San Francisco. Have you all see the rocket ship down at Pier 14? I highly recommend you go check it out. It is this beautiful retro futuristic looking rocket ship from the 1920′ s or 1930’s, and Flash Gordon comes to mind.

When we were installing it, some elderly gentlemen wearing service caps, they were veterans of foreign wars, giggling like schoolchildren, were climbing up on to the concrete blocks trying to get photos of each other on the fence, so I offered to take some photos of them, and it was really touching.

I was trying to make sure they got them all in there, and they said they did not care about them, but just get the rocket. The action was not behind a fence half an hour later and were still taking photographs and having a good time.

That is the kind of work that the Black Rock Arts Foundation is able to bring to a civic setting. It is work that is cutting edge and fun and play ball, and it is not just a guy on a horse with a sword — fun and playful. I want to thank you for your support as well as the grants for the art — the department of art environment, who we have a program with.

I would like to thank our board members who were introduced, and especially the artist, one of which is representative. If it were not for them, we would not be doing what we’ re doing.

If you have a neighborhood with a park that could use some art, you have a community that wants some art, you know an artist that could use some funding, let us know, and we can help. Thank you.

Party on the Playa!

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It was quite a party, and if you were not there we missed you!
Tomas, our Executive Director said a few words to welcome us!

Audrey and Not That Dave of FIGMENT, one of BRAF’s grantees
Josie, BRAF could not do it without you, Program and Development Assistant
Oliva and Mike, BRAF Web Team
The ExplOratorium visits BRAF!! Thanks for stopping by!
Maria and Crimson make Reno Happen!
Loren, Will, Mark and Rachel, BRAF Advisory Board and Board Members
Michael and Olaf, two Germans who donated to BRAF when they bought their Burning Man ticket and stopped by to see what it was all about. WOW! Thanks for coming so far!
Freddy and Alix, more representation from the BRAF Board
Jessica and Tucker of the PDX Bridge Festival, BRAF grantees
Jeremy, Leslie and Steve of the Crucible Board stopped by!
Yep, that is me, Affinity, your BRAF blogger
Lloyd of Bliss Dance and the Celtic Forest Crew with Maria
James a newbie and Melissa of the BRAF Advisory Board are having fun
David, one of the creators of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship, our most recent Civic Arts Project
Nick and Dr. Deb of the BRAF Board and Advisory Board
David Best, BRAF Board Member and Melissa, BRAF Advisory Board Member
Chris Bently, BRAF Board
photos: affinity

Visit BRAF at Burning Man

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Our 2009 Presence at Burning Man

Visit the Black Rock Arts Foundation at Burning Man 2010! Each year, BRAF returns to our source of our inspiration, to that citywhere interactive art is everywhere you look: Black Rock City. We eagerly look forward to our stay on the playa as an opportunity to connect with our supporters, to inspire others to instigate interactive artworks in their hometown and to educate about our mission and our projects. Once again, the outreach groups of Burning Man (Burners Without Borders, The Black Rock Arts Foundation, Black Rock Solar and The Regional Network) have teamed up to create a unified presence on the playa: District Everywhere!
District Everywhere is housed under one large pavilion. This year, our interior space will take on the appearance of a large world map, with continents cut out of wood, set up at table height. With the assistance of our World Domination Team, guests will create miniature sculptures or flags to represent their off-playa projects and endeavors. Together, the outreach groups will also host interactive activities, art projects, events and gatherings, all geared toward kindling ideas and generating momentum for off-playa, after-Burning Man out reach efforts. Join us for daily BurnSide Chats, hosted lectures, salons and discussions about art, community and culture. Each outreach group will also be hosting cocktail parties and mixers specifically for their group at District Everywhere. Please visit BRAF any day of the week to learn more about recent projects and future endeavors, and to add to our community-created art installation. We will be lounging in the shade, sipping lemonade and conspiring to bring interactive art to communities beyond the playa.
BRAF at Burning Man
Monday, August 30, 2010 – Sunday, September 6, 2010
6:30 and Esplanade
Black Rock City, NV
10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Burnside Chats
Monday, August 30, 2010 – Saturday, September 4, 2010
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, and 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Party Everywhere – opening reception for District Everywhere
Monday, August 30, 20105:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Annual BRAF Playa Cocktail Party
Thursday, September 2, 20104:00 pm – 6:00 pm
District Everywhere is located at 6:30 and Esplanade.
We’d love to see you!
photo: James aka extramatic

San Francisco Embraces the Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship!

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We have been excited to see all the excitement about the Raygun Gothic RocketShip:

News:
NBC – From Burning Man to the Embarcadero

Video:
SFGTV, San Francisco’s Cable Channel 26

NBC –Ready to Blast Off

Blogs:
Jody Medich, Contributed to the Rocket Ship

Civic Center is one of my favorite local bloggers, He is a long time supporter of BRAF

The Toasted Bagel

X-flow

Photos:
Photos on flickr – Heather Smith

photos on flickr – AkeLeslie

photos on flickr – Black Rock Arts Foundation

photos by Bill Wilson

All posts regarding the Raygun Gothic Rocketship

photo: Brandon Doran

Mayor Unveils Monumental Raygun Gothic Rocketship Sculpture

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San Francisco, CA—Mayor Gavin Newsom today joined the Black Rock Arts Foundation (BRAF) and the Port of San Francisco to celebrate the unveiling of Raygun Gothic Rocketship, a 40-foot-tall sculpture created by a team of Bay Area artists lead by Sean Orlando, Nathaniel Taylor, and David Shulman. The Rocketship, poised as if to board passengers for a typical run to a nearby stellar destination, will remain at the Pier 14 Tidal Plaza, at the base of Mission Street, on the Embarcadero for a 14-month temporary exhibition.

The 40-foot-tall artwork offers a retro-futuristic, highly-stylized vision of space travel circa 1930’s-1940’s science fiction and is the latest in a series of temporary public art exhibitions sponsored by BRAF to enliven and activate public spaces. The sculpture will be accompanied by a companion piece, the Rocket Stop designed by Alan Rorie, which tells the story of the Rocketship’s exploits, providing route, schedule and other information. The installation will be illuminated for nighttime viewing.

“We are very proud to have the work of local artists of this caliber represented along San Francisco’s iconic waterfront,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “Sean, Nathaniel, and David’s Raygun Gothic Rocketship is an important piece of our City’s strong temporary public art program that adds an important vibrancy and a vitality to our public spaces.”

“We at the Port are charged with creating opportunities for residents and visitors alike to connect with San Francisco’s spectacular waterfront,” said Port Executive Director Monique Moyer. “As the third in a series of large-scale sculptures to be installed temporarily at Pier 14, we are confident that this compelling piece will engage people and enhance their experience of the area. Pier 14 provides a fitting and fantastic backdrop for this whimsical work of art.”

See the Full Post on the official SF Gov Site

All posts regarding the Rocket Stop

photo: Josie Schimke

Storyline Transports: Shadow and Light Festival

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One of our 2010 grant recipients, Storyline Transports: Shadow and Light Festival, is a traveling festival bringing hands-on shadow puppet and lantern makingworkshops, a shadow puppet performance stage, and curated videoscreenings to neighborhoods in the Chicago metropolitan area, during weekends this month.

In collaboration with architreasures, an arts-based community development organization, the festival targets children and adults of all ages in under-served communities throughout Chicago.

Festival Dates and Locations

Public Locations:
August 20th – Experimental Station (Hyde Park) 5-8pm
www.experimentalstation.org/

Community Locations (archi-treasures Sites):
August 10th – Barbara Jean Wright Courts 5-9pm
August 14th – Westhaven Park 4-9pm
August 24th – Germano Millgate Apartments 5-9pm

Storyline Transports is seeking Volunteers! Get involved with this great project! Come be a part of this exciting festival, learn shadow puppet-making skills and teach them to kids! The festival is needs of volunteers to help with running workshops and with set-up and tear down of the mobile festival. If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, pleaseemail David Prince at wooleeprince @gmail.com  (wooleeprince @gmail.com)   .

More information is also available at shadowandlightfestival.blogspot.com