Feb
2
2012
Article and Photos by Noah Arroyo (more photos on their page)
Artist Russell Howze isn’t sure how they got to Cell Space, but five more pieces of a historic mural series appeared at the art collective on Monday and will be turned over to its caretakers.
Howze said that when he arrived at Cell Space, at 2050 Bryant St., the pieces were in a back room. (more…)
Aug
5
2011
May
11
2011
Sunday Streets was a great time on 19th and Valencia. I barely saw any other part of the event, but managed to hula hoop more than ever in my life. Got the hang of it and then started another trick. Will have to work on it next time. Bay Area Hoopers really filled out CELL’s area. We had maybe 15 hoopers at the most, many of them children who couldn’t resist trying it out. I didn’t realize that BAH has been spending wet season at CELLspace for 8 years now! Laura baked cookies and lemon squares for Sat. night’s Funkathon, so we had the extras to hand out and try to sell. I tried to get a Funky Puppet Supper reunion together for the day, but it just didn’t happen. The most committed alum, Nate Holguin, had to work an emergency shift at the Brava Theater. A few others alums stopped by to say hey and hang out.
After running an errand, I finally made it over to CELLspace for the birthday bbq. Dave X had several grills going, and Antonio and some of the hoopers had beaten me there. Nate was there, so I was glad to get to catch up with him after a long time of no seeing. Ben Smith, an early co-founder of CELLspace, stopped by as did several folks who saw the bbq advertised online. Soft, a former caretaker, just happened to be biking by, so he stopped for a burger and some hanging out.
Photographer Steve Rhodes showed up too. When Dave saw his camera, he asked if Steve could take a group photo by the Doggie Diner Heads. And he did. You can see them all here, along with some other photographs of the murals and Jeremy Novy’s latest additions. Right before I left for my 7pm appointment, CELL’s birthday cake was cut and being consumed. For some of the group shots, we sang “happy birthday” to CELL and then gave a hearty pirate “arrrrgh!” If you care to know, back in the CELLspace days of collective meetings, we approved all passed agenda items with a loud “arrrgh!” Makes sense that the crowd at the bbq was more into the scream than the banal birthday song.
CELL:15 ended a great success. We got some press, made a little money, created a whole lot of community, and shared some good times with new and old friends. Like I said on FaceBook… “now we return to the regular program.”
Apr
28
2010
A Florida St. Community Celebration
Spend a day creating community through art, bicycles, and gardening!
Sat., May 8
noon to 6pm
Esperanza Gardens
685 Florida St. @ 19th
San Francisco, CA
(if there is rain, the music and mural painting will be in the CELLspace Gallery noon to 3pm)
Activities for the Day:
- Help paint the Bike Kitchen mural with artist Henry Kitchen
- Work with the Esperanza Gardens volunteers
- Listen to live music from community performers
- Ask questions about CELLspace’s Florida St. Mural Project
- Work on your bike at the Bike Kitchen ($5)
- Grill out and eat some food (some food provided while supplies last)
Florida St. has gone through many changes recently, with a square block of new neighbors, a new Bike Kitchen, a revived garden, and an in-progress mural project. On Saturday, May 8, all of these neighbors, artists, and volunteers will get a chance to meet one another, learn about the projects, and participate in some community activities. No experience is necessary, and all are invited to drop in on the fun! Paints will be available to help paint the Bike Kitchen mural, and you might want to wear work clothes if you wish to help in the garden.
Florida Street ha pasado por muchos cambios recientemente, con un bloque cuadrado de los nuevos vecinos, un nuevo Bike Kitchen, un jardín renovado, y con una proyecto mural. El Sábado, 08 de mayo 2010, todos estos vecinos, artistas y voluntarios tendrá la oportunidad de conocerse entre ellos, aprender acerca de los proyectos, y participar en algunas actividades de la comunidad. No se necesita experiencia y todos están invitados a divertirse! Las pinturas estarán disponibles para ayudar a pintar The Bike Kitchen Mural. Por favor, use ropa de trabajo si quieres ayudar en el jardín.
Hope to see you there!
www.cellspace.org
www.bikekitchen.org
Nov
14
2009
(thanks to Laura for this pic from Dachau, Germany)
A month or so ago, I photographed a new stencil in Clarion Alley, the funky painted street by Community Thrift on Valencia St. I wasn’t sure at first if I was going to post the image to Stencil Archive, because for the first time in San Francisco, I had captured a White Supremest logo as negative space. Huh? The “New Right”? Why the hell are they tagging a right wing stencil in Clarion Alley? [I posted the stencil, because people need to know what their icons are and deface them whenever they can.]
Before the Clarion Alley block party, a friend buffed the stencils. I don’t blame him, especially since Clarion Alley is a lefty, Anarcho-Radical zone, with murals that make hate-free political statements as well as critique capitalist society. Before the Block Party, I got word that the SFPD were going to crack down on open alcohol containers during the event. I stopped by the alley early to look for stencils and double check that rumor. Sure enough, a volunteer was making a sign telling people to behave that day. (The SFPD harassed participants by riding motorcycles through the party and did issue open container citations.)
Nov
5
2009
5:30 PM - 8:45 PM
November 6, 2009
The HEART of the Mission, a Celebration of Art and Community, including many of the artists, photographers, and writers featured in Street Art San Francisco: Mission Muralismo; live music by Dr. Loco’s Rockin’ Jalapeno Band; poetry and performances by Lorna Dee Cervantes, Stephen Cervantes, Francisco X, Lori B (Bloustein) and Andrew Voight; talks by the book’s editor, Annice Jacoby, artist and writer Jaime Cortez; projections of thousands of archival and current Mission murals, including a ten-year span of the deAppropriation wall; art activities for people of all ages and MORE! Free for All.
The de Young Museum hosts a year-long series celebrating the just released Street Art San Francisco: Mission Muralismo (Abrams, 2009), edited by Annice Jacoby, with a foreword by Carlos Santana, as part of the museum’s weekly program Cultural Encounters: Friday Nights at the de Young.
(more…)
