We The Arts: Civic Engagement Through Art is an ArtsEd4All project taking place from June 12 – July 4, 2022, in celebration of Civic Season 2022.
From Juneteenth to the 4th of July, we invite you to participate in the second annual #CivicSeason through self-guided public art visits in San Francisco, as well as in-person and online events that invite civic engagement through the arts. We’re teaming up with hundreds of history museums and sites across the country through @HistoryMadeByUs, in partnership with the next generation shaping our democracy to launch a new tradition that makes room for all of our stories – and write the next chapter together.
AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT in Golden Gate Park
FREE Sunday, JUNE 12, 2022, 10 am – 5 pm, Robin Williams Meadow, Golden Gate Park
The National AIDS Memorial will mark the 35th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt with an historic outdoor display in Golden Gate Park that will feature nearly 3,000 hand-stitched panels of the Quilt. https://www.aidsmemorial.org/quilt35
An opening ceremony and traditional Quilt unfolding will start at 9:30 am on the 11th, followed by the continuous reading of names of lives lost to AIDS aloud by volunteers, dignitaries, and the public on both days. There will be a closing ceremony at 4:00 pm on Sunday the 12th where newly made panels will be presented to be added to the Quilt.
The National AIDS Memorial welcomes the community to participate at a special event that will mark the 35th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt with an historic outdoor display in Golden Gate Park.
How to Make a Panel For The Quilt https://www.aidsmemorial.org/make-a-panel
At each major Display, names from the Quilt are read aloud. You can participate in the meaningful and emotional ritual. More than 400 Name Readers are needed for this Display.
Volunteer to be a Name Reader: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aids-quilt-35th-anniversary-display-reader-sign-ups-june-11-12-tickets-335897537577
FILM: A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks
Register for the Film Screening on Eventbrite
FREE Online On-Demand Screening – Sunday, JUNE 12 – Monday, JULY 4, 2022
A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks explores the power of images in advancing racial, economic, and social equality as seen through the lens of Gordon Parks, one of America’s most trailblazing artists, and the generation of young photographers, filmmakers, and activists he inspired.
Directed by John Maggio; Produced by Monica Berra, Richard Lowe, George Kunhardt, Teddy Kunhardt, Matthew Henderson; Executive Produced by Alicia Keys, Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Jelani Cobb, Jacqueline Glover, Peter Kunhardt, Sr., Peter Kunhardt, Jr.
JUNETEENTH Celebration in the Healdsburg Plaza
FREE Sunday, JUNE 19, 2022, 11 am – 4 pm, Healdsburg
Make your own Juneteenth flag in the arts and crafts area in the plaza and learn about the symbolism of the Juneteenth flag created in 1997.
Juneteenth Celebration in the Healdsburg Plaza with Willie Jones III Quintet, MJ’s Brass Boppers, the Curtis Family C-notes, poets Enid Pickett and Kamau Daáood, KCSM’s Greg Bridges, educational areas, vendors and more. 11am-4pm. FREE EVENT
Presented in partnership with Healdsburg Community Services Department
Juneteenth is the African American celebration of liberation 2 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Soon after the end of the Civil War, black communities throughout the nation celebrated independence every June 19th with gatherings, delicious food, and of course good music. Healdsburg Jazz is proud to present a diverse range of music, art, culture and education in honor of this holiday, free to the public, in the Healdsburg Plaza.
Oakland First Fridays
FREE Friday, July 1st, 2022, 5pm—9pm, Telegraph Avenue (from West Grand to 27th St.)
Join Oakland First Fridays for ALL THINGS INDIE, in honor of independent business month. Supporting local artists is critical because they are the drivers of creativity and change in Oakland. https://www.oaklandfirstfridays.org/
Oakland First Fridays is an immersive art and community experience on the first Friday of each month from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Telegraph Avenue from West Grand to 27th Street. Oakland’s KONO District springs to life with for this event, with galleries, artist collectives, street artists, local culinary artisans, performers, musicians, dancers, DJ’s, and poets gathering for Oakland First Friday events.
The Last Hoisan Poets: A Tribute to Hung Liu
FREE Saturday, July 2, 2022, 1pm – 2pm, Wilsey Court, de Young Museum
The Last Hoisan Poets, Nellie Wong, Flo Oy Wong and Genny Lim pay tribute to artist Hung Liu on Saturday, July 2, 2022, from 1pm to 2 pm, at the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.
“American Born / Resident Alien,” a poetry performance by The Last Hoisan Poets, will be held in conversation with Hung Liu: Golden Gate (金門), currently installed in the de Young’s Wilsey Court, a space open to the public. This free performance of poetry and music also features violist Charlton Lee and cellist Kathryn Bates of the Del Sol String Quartet.
In this special program, inspired by personal and ancestral connections with Hung Liu’s life and art, poetry readings by these three influential women artists will explore themes of migration, sisterhood and spiritual transcendence.
SAN FRANCISCO: “The City Is The Campus”
Anytime in-person FREE exploration of San Francisco public art with online resources.
“San Francisco itself is art, above all literary art. Every block is a short story, every hill a novel. Every home a poem, every dweller within immortal. That is the whole truth.”
– William Saroyan.
San Francisco is home to one of the largest and most diverse public art collections in the country. All city residents, workers and visitors have access to world-class art in everyday settings. We’ve gathered some resources to introduce you to some of the most engaging public art that San Francisco has to offer.
- San Francisco CIty Hall
- Illuminate SF
- Rammaytush Language walk on King Street
- Pan American Unity Mural by Diego Rivera at SFMOMA
- Chinatown’s Public Art
- Ruth Asawa Public Art Tour
- Public Art at San Francisco Hospitals
- Angel Island Immigration Station
- Aquatic Park Historic District
Revitalized traditions are core to democracy
Juneteenth. July 4th. Pride month. The 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. These celebrations are “made by us” – people joining together to acknowledge our complex past, strengthen our present and build our future. They’re moments that give meaning to our action, unite our national narrative and help us find our place in the story.
Young adults are setting the agenda for America’s future. As they’re stepping into active citizenship, they’re calling for a more complete understanding of “how we got here.” History museums have resources and expertise to meet this curiosity with credibility, inspiring and informing these future builders of our nation. Made By Us, a coalition of 120+ institutions nationwide, is the engine driving this connection, bringing history directly to dorm rooms, devices and dinner tables. The Civic Season is the flagship program from Made By Us.
ArtsEd4All 