| Revision as of 17:37, 7 February 2014 editJames Carroll (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users857 edits Create new article about the San Francisco Street Artists Program | Revision as of 17:41, 7 February 2014 edit undoJames Carroll (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users857 edits Create new History SectionNext edit → | ||
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| However time would reveal the Street Artists Program to be more than a municipal arts program – it would also serve a training ground for grassroots political activism, and also open a ongoing political dialogue about what activities should, and should not be, allowed in public areas.<ref>"New Artists' Court Plea", San Francisco Chronicle (12 April 1974), p. 4</ref> The arts program would also as serve as a template for other cities wanting to create their own street artists programs, and whose officials would contact the Street Artists Program's office in requesting advice and documentation about the procedures which govern the San Francisco Street Artists Program. | However time would reveal the Street Artists Program to be more than a municipal arts program – it would also serve a training ground for grassroots political activism, and also open a ongoing political dialogue about what activities should, and should not be, allowed in public areas.<ref>"New Artists' Court Plea", San Francisco Chronicle (12 April 1974), p. 4</ref> The arts program would also as serve as a template for other cities wanting to create their own street artists programs, and whose officials would contact the Street Artists Program's office in requesting advice and documentation about the procedures which govern the San Francisco Street Artists Program. | ||
| == History == | |||
| The actual roots of the San Francisco Street Artist Program begin way before the defining legislation of 1972. During the 1960s, California was experiencing many outdoor art fairs which grew a culture of independent artists and craftspersons who would support themselves with the sale of their artwork. And at the same time in the liberal Haight Asbury neighborhood, there was an effort to sell crafts on Haight Street's sidewalks.<ref>http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Sanfransa/History.html Dennis Dooley, Tom Usher: Concrete Roots – San Francisco Street Artists Memories & Lore, City Miner Magazine</ref> Later In the early 1970s two gay artists, Warren Garrick and Frank Whyte, would be instrumental in petitioning San Francisco's government for an arts program that enabled artists to legally sell on the city's sidewalks.<ref>http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Sanfransa/History.html Dennis Dooley, Tom Usher: Concrete Roots – San Francisco Street Artists Memories & Lore, City Miner Magazine</ref> Prior to the legislation of 1972, artists and street performers would informally set up in public areas but were frequently harassed and arrested by the police. Aquatic Park near Fishermans Wharf was just such an area where twenty or so artists would sell with the help of ''look-outs'' – people who would watch for the police and then warn the artists, so they could temporarily move and avoid arrest.<ref>http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Sanfransa/History.html Dennis Dooley, Tom Usher: Concrete Roots – San Francisco Street Artists Memories & Lore, City Miner Magazine</ref> During the late 1960s and early 1970s America was engulfed in the controversial Vietnam War which resulted in widespread political activism and protests at cities and universities across the county. That era's intense political activism, nearby as Berkeley University, is seen as a cultural catalyst for the grassroots political energy of the San Francisco street-art advocates who would create one of the first street artists programs in America. | |||
Revision as of 17:41, 7 February 2014
The San Francisco Street Artists Program had its official start in June of 1972, and has since enabled locally independent artists to purchase a municipal license which allows them to sell arts and crafts of their own creation in designated selling spaces throughout the city. The program did not come easily, but was the result of a hard fought political battle by street-art advocates who were not only resourceful enough to strategically organize, but were so committed that they would be arrested many times in drawing the essential media attention necessary for their vision to be realized into law.
The licensed artists of the program are only allowed to sell items that they have predominately created, and not commercially manufactured goods – thus striking an important compromise with local retail establishments. Now some four decades later and with the participation of hundreds of artists, the San Francisco Street Artists Program continues to create inexpensive marketing opportunities for independent artists and craftspeople. The program is entirely funded by the artists' license fees, and generates $4 million annually to the city's economic life.
However time would reveal the Street Artists Program to be more than a municipal arts program – it would also serve a training ground for grassroots political activism, and also open a ongoing political dialogue about what activities should, and should not be, allowed in public areas. The arts program would also as serve as a template for other cities wanting to create their own street artists programs, and whose officials would contact the Street Artists Program's office in requesting advice and documentation about the procedures which govern the San Francisco Street Artists Program.
History
The actual roots of the San Francisco Street Artist Program begin way before the defining legislation of 1972. During the 1960s, California was experiencing many outdoor art fairs which grew a culture of independent artists and craftspersons who would support themselves with the sale of their artwork. And at the same time in the liberal Haight Asbury neighborhood, there was an effort to sell crafts on Haight Street's sidewalks. Later In the early 1970s two gay artists, Warren Garrick and Frank Whyte, would be instrumental in petitioning San Francisco's government for an arts program that enabled artists to legally sell on the city's sidewalks. Prior to the legislation of 1972, artists and street performers would informally set up in public areas but were frequently harassed and arrested by the police. Aquatic Park near Fishermans Wharf was just such an area where twenty or so artists would sell with the help of look-outs – people who would watch for the police and then warn the artists, so they could temporarily move and avoid arrest. During the late 1960s and early 1970s America was engulfed in the controversial Vietnam War which resulted in widespread political activism and protests at cities and universities across the county. That era's intense political activism, nearby as Berkeley University, is seen as a cultural catalyst for the grassroots political energy of the San Francisco street-art advocates who would create one of the first street artists programs in America.
References
- http://www.sfartscommission.org/street_artists_program/ San Francisco Street Artists Web Site – SFAC
- "Judge's Boost for S.F. Street Artists", San Francisco Chronicle (18 May 1971), p. 3
- "More Peddler Busts", San Francisco Chronicle (20 September 1971), p. 2
- http://www.sfartscommission.org/street_artists_program/Street_Artist_Bluebook.pdf, Street Artists Bluebook – Certification and Sales Space Assignment Procedures, Arts and Crafts Criteria, Regulations", San Francisco Arts Commission, 2008, p. 15
- San Francisco Arts Commission Brochure – World Class Art for A World Class City, 2011, p. 6
- "New Artists' Court Plea", San Francisco Chronicle (12 April 1974), p. 4
- http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Sanfransa/History.html Dennis Dooley, Tom Usher: Concrete Roots – San Francisco Street Artists Memories & Lore, City Miner Magazine
- http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Sanfransa/History.html Dennis Dooley, Tom Usher: Concrete Roots – San Francisco Street Artists Memories & Lore, City Miner Magazine
- http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/shenandoah/Sanfransa/History.html Dennis Dooley, Tom Usher: Concrete Roots – San Francisco Street Artists Memories & Lore, City Miner Magazine