The Visual Arts 1 Mexican Museum: A long and complex 2 Artes6 (1969–1970): Cary Cordova points 3 Casa Hispana (1966 to 1983): The seeds of 4 Project Artaud: This member-run nonprofit history of relocations haunts the Mexican out in Heart of the Mission that Artes 6 Galería de began with Casa Hispana provides affordable studios — and affordable Museum, whose 15,500-piece collection is (Seis), which opened in 1969 at a storefront and its group of artists, who met at La housing — to some 70 artists, including housed mostly at , exhibited at 18th and Dolores, paid tribute to “the Rondalla and settled later at 362 Capp Street, sculptors, painters, writers, photographers, piecemeal in two galleries in Building D. famous Beats hangout the Six Gallery, according to UT Austin professor Cary and multimedia producers. It began in 1971 resident and artist Peter which existed from 1954 until 1957 in the Cordova’s soon-to-be-published book The when a group of artists acquired an empty Rodríguez founded the museum in 1975 in Marina District.” As she notes, “Its public- Heart of the Mission, Latino Art and Identity space, built 46 years earlier for the American two rooms on the corner of Folsom and ity flyer entitled ‘Mexican Uprising!’ in San Francisco. When Cordova asked artist Can Company. The building had a succession 15th Streets to exhibit the artistic tradition suggested a more pronounced militancy Carlos Loarca in 2003, why it was called of uses, including a turn as a shop for of Mexico and of Mexican-Americans. In than Casa Hispana.” While Arte 6 lasted Casa Hispana, he replied, “Because we all construction of airplane parts during World 2006, the museum was in such dire straits only a year, it gave rise to Galería de La spoke Spanish. We were all from Latin War II. The structure also houses two that it was forced to fire most of its staff Raza, originally at 14th Street and Valen- America.” The Casa Hispana, Cordova theaters, true to its namesake, avant-garde and close its permanent exhibition. In cia. “The location was a little out of the writes, was less political than the institutions French theater artist Antonin Artaud, who 2009, the San Francisco Redevelopment way for pedestrian traffic, but the building it seeded, but among its other accomplish- believed art should be performed in strange Agency tossed the museum a $250,000 was already set up as a painting studio. ments, it was important in establishing the spaces. Project Artaud also incubated other lifeline. These days, the museum is Fredric Hobbs, a local painter, had Pan Latino identity of Mission artists. organizations, including Z space and South- looking forward to reopening its doors at a relocated his Beat gallery from the ern Exposure. permanent spot at Mission and Third Marina/Cow Hollow area to the 14th Street streets in the Yerba Buena Arts District. location and was willing to rent out his space to the new group of up and coming artists,” writes Cordova. “The artists N 1000 ft 6 David Ireland House: “If it looks like art, it 5 ATA: Although ATA has been in the christened the building Galería de la Raza.” 250 m can’t be,” was one of the mantras of the Mission since 1986, founders Marshall  genial conceptual artist who lived in and Webber and John Martin, two video artists selectively restored 500 Capp Street, which bankrolled by their parents, opened their 14TH he bought in 1975 from an accordion maker. first location in the early ’80s in a South of MARKET (You can still see his sign in the front Market warehouse on Eighth Street. 1 window.) Webber writes in his online history that one  One of Ireland’s first art projects began of the project’s instigators was Rene 16TH with a notice from the city to repair the sidewalk in front of 500 Capp, according to Yañez, then at Galería de la Raza. He told Franklin them, “You guys have to go for it…you Square Karen Tsujimoto, the curator at the Oakland

have gotta get off your little YUPster butts ALABAMA Museum. Once Ireland started the process, and do the work.” 4 MARIPOSA he noticed that he had to make the same They did, forming a nonprofit, opening  choices an artist would make. Soon he was 18TH 2 their equipment to the community, and  sanding floors and stripping old windows. 3 partying — a lot. In the midst of one Dolores  Ireland said working on an old plaster wall particularly loud Halloween celebration, Park was like working on fresco, Tsujimoto said. ATA burst into flames. Really. No one Ireland died in 2009, but early in 2005, seems to know how (the online history 20TH 7 when preservationists feared it would be lost suggests it could have been Webber’s 6 as an art treasure, Carlie Wilmans, a trustee highly prized set of polyester suits), but the 5 of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art place went up in smoke.  and California College of the Arts purchased Webber and Martin again got off their the home to maintain it as an artistic institu- butts, moving this time to the current 22ND tion. Conservation work on the building will Valencia storefront that seats from 40 to keep it closed until December 2015. Part of 75, and more if need be. The place runs on the house will be converted into a studio

volunteer energy, revenue from door sales, CAPP space for artist residencies. A book on the

BRYANT

MISSION

CHURCH

POTRERO

DOLORES VALENCIA

and a few grants. The window galleries HARRISON history and context of Ireland’s house will be

24TH NESS S. VAN have ever-changing shows. The left 9 10 published in March 2015. window belongs to ATA, but the right one 8 FOLSOM is curated by an independent artist’s collec- Gar eld Potrero tive aptly named Right Window. Square del Sol 26TH James 10 CESAR CHAVEZ Rolph Jr. Galería de la Raza: The Galería’s founders — more than a dozen artists and 7 Southern Exposure: Though it struggled community activists — included René through a several-month period of home- Yañez, Rupert García and Peter Rodríguez. lessness, Southern Exposure has become The project began at 14th and Valencia in one of the most successful and cutting-edge 1970, but moved two years later to 24th and artist-run galleries in the country, now 8 Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts: 9 : With little enthusiasm for Bryant streets. Early on, the Galería showed housed in a sleek gray building on 20th A group of San Francisco State University gallery culture but a deeply rooted connec- Frida Kahlo, who had yet to take off in the Street and Alabama. SoEx, as it’s affection- students founded MCCLA in 1977 in what tion to the community, Susan Kelk Cervantes United States, as well as Diego Rivera, ately known, moved there in 2009 after was once Schaff’s Furniture on Mission and her husband Luis Cervantes founded already an icon of 20th-century art, and many leasing storefront space at 26th and Street. Then known as the Palmeto Precita Eyes in 1977. Since then it has prominent Chicano and Latin American Mission, the current site of Mission Pie. Museum and barely in condition to be painted more than 500 . “I think I did artists early in their careers. It continues With persistent negotiation, SoEx managed considered an artistic center, the MCCLA my first in the Mission in 1965,” Kelk today to show cutting-edge art and perfor- to secure a 15-year lease on what had once went on to win two graphic arts biennials, Cervantes told Mission Local. “No one even mance artists. been a sausage factory. The collective is in Cuba and in Germany. The center’s knew what a mural was.” Weekly walking Nothing came easily for the early known for, among other thing, its grant graphics department, Mission Gráfica, has tours of the Mission’s murals offer historic directors. The digital murals that we take for program; supported in part by the Andy an international reputation. Carlos Santana and artistic insight into the nature of the granted on the billboard outside the gallery Warhol Foundation, it awards around and U2 have also been clients. Mission, and classes for children and adults on Bryant Street began as a protest against $60,000 a year to local artists and visual Although Rene Yañez and others alike give community members a chance to the advertisements for alcohol and cigarettes arts groups. established the Día de los Muertos festival participate in collaborative art projects. that went up there. Artists persistently at the Galería, historian Cary Cordova Luis Cervantes had been one of the painted over the ads until they succesfully writes that Yañez took it to a different level co-founders of the New Mission Gallery in claimed the space for art. *As cited, the entries on the Latino cultural when he curated the center’s 1990 Rooms early 1962, which a reviewer in Artforum In the 1970s, when Mission residents institutions, relied heavily - either directly for the Dead. Yañez split up the top floor called “an important event in the cultural life hesitated to come into the gallery for a show or indirectly - on UT Austin professor Cary into a maze of 29 private rooms, each eight of San Francisco,” according to Cordova. that featured Rivera and David Alfaro Cordova’s manuscript, The Heart of the foot by eight foot, and “each containing a Kelk Cervantes became key in the gallery as Siqueiros, Yañez took the works and hung Mission, Latino Art and Identity in San universe of creations, memories and reflec- well. It was most likely the first contempo- them in for a day to let everyone Francisco. Mission Local editors first read tions on life and death.” More than 1,000 rary visual art gallery in the Mission District, enjoy them. (Yes, they guarded them the manuscript in 2009 and it is now under visitors went through, and Cordova writes and it opened at a time when the city’s Latino carefully.) contract with the University of Pennsylva- that at the time Yañez said, “This is an population was moving from North Beach — nia Press. We will advise readers as soon as American custom now. I don’t know where once the Latin Quarter and the center of it is published. it’s going; it’s taken on a life of its own.” Latino club life — to the Mission, says Cordova.*