BLACK ROCK ARTS FOUNDATION

THE PAINTINGS OF LEE HARVEY ROSWELL

2012-01-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Blowfish Sushi is pleased to announce the first in a series of ongoing art exhibits curated by Christine Kristen aka LadyBee: Paintings by Lee Harvey Roswell. The opening will take place on Wednesday, February 15 from 6-9 at the restaurant, 2170 Bryant Street, San Francisco. 20% of the profits from this exhibit will be donated to the Black Rock Arts Foundation.

RSVP HERE

Lee Harvey Roswell is a self-taught artist from Freefall, New York, whose work is noted for its blend of angst and humor. Themes of death and entropy, tribulation and futility run amok in his distinctly surreal, sometimes slapstick, sometimes nightmarish world. The result is at once mocking and melancholic.

Lee draws his imagery from the rich sources of vaudeville, silent films, circus and mythology, and blends them in idiosyncratic, often autobiographical situations. He is not bound by conventional space; his characters wander through a skewed world where reality and fantasy collide.

In Lee’s words: “I'm interested in exactly this: creating narratives involving the fantastic images there to be culled forth from those fertile depths of the creative, neurotic-like mind. Concrete objects in mad motion, reflecting all the seductive, terrifying elements of existence. The inarguable forerunner of the senses is the eye. We are primarily an optically reliant species. So, as pictorial illusionists transforming nothing into artifacts of spiritual sustenance, I'm holding the potential painter up, not just as an admirable tradesman, but much, much more. He resides as a high-priest over that all-devouring human reality, a conducting channel through which nothing triumphantly becomes something.”

Lee now lives in San Francisco, and his work is shown, collected and published internationally.

painting: Lee Harvey Roswell

Bliss Dance

2012-01-11T07:59:00.001-08:00

Bliss Dance, a photo by Joe Dsilva on Flickr.

Have you seen this fun complilation of Bliss Dance Photos? Thanks to Joe Dsilva for making us smile this morning.

The Raygun Gothic Rocketship Gets a Tune-Up

2011-12-15T05:37:00.001-08:00

Following the Port of San Francisco's recent approval of a 1 year extension of the Rocketship installation at Pier 14, the Rocketship crew is planning a maintenance weekend, and would like to invite the public to come out and meet the crew, ask questions, and help make the Rocketship truly a part of the community.

Weather permitting, the Rocketship crew will be onsite this weekend, December 17th & 18th (as needed), from 10 AM till dark. Work will include a rebuild of the plinth, repair of the Rocket Stop audio system, and a general refresh of the installation.

Some of us from the Black Rock Arts Foundation will be stopping by and we hope you will too?

Introducing the Bay Lights Project

2011-12-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

Artist's Rendering

We at the Black Rock Arts Foundation would like to tell you about a new, exciting project that's in the works, spearheaded by our very own Advisory Board Member Leo Villareal.

Greatly influenced by his first experiences at Burning Man, back in 1994, Leo has created an impressive body of work of large scale, immersive light sculptures. He continues to dazzle us (literally!) with his groundbreaking use of L.E.D. sequencing technology and pioneering methods of using light as an expressive medium. Check out his past projects. Be ready to be wowed!

Leo impresses us with each of his new endeavors, but this one is sure to outshine (literally!) all the others. We'd like to introduce you to his newest proposal: The Bay Lights.

The Bay Lights from Words Pictures Ideas on Vimeo.

The sculpture will be installed and illuminated over the course of the Bay Bridge’s 75th Anniversary. Similar to the ambitious lighting of the Eiffel Tower for its 100th anniversary, The Bay Lights will commemorate the Bay Bridge's 75th Diamond Anniversary at seven times the scale of the famous Parisian landmark. The installation will live for two years, providing a stunning fine arts experience for the entire Bay Area and its visitors. The 25,000 LED’s will stay in place through the opening of the new East Span in 2013.

Learn more about the project, and about how to support it, at and follow this project on facebook.

Thanks, Leo, for all your past support of BRAF and Burning Man, and for your artistic contributions to our culture!

More About The Bike Bridge

2011-12-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

The Bike Bridge - Part 1 from ONE ANT RED on Vimeo.

The Bike Bridge is a monumental sculptural collaboration between artist Michael Christian and 12 young women from 7 different Oakland schools.

The Bike Bridge project is presented by The Black Rock Art Foundation in association with The Crucible.

Black Rock Arts Foundation
The Crucible
Michael Christian

Music by YACHT
Produced by ONE ANT RED

Please help us finish and install this monumental sculpture in Oakland this spring! Donate to the Black Rock Arts Foundation today!

DONATE

Ecstasy's Departure

2011-11-30T22:40:00.001-08:00

P1020615, a photo by grace.tang2004 on Flickr.

Ecstasy has left Patricia's Green in San Francisco. We are sorry to see her go! We will miss you Ecstasy, thanks for hanging out with us for such a long time!

Cardboardia - A Country Built Out of Cardboard

2011-11-30T17:06:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the big day for us to receive your Letter of Intent to apply for a Black Rock Arts Foundation Grant for your off-playa project. We are looking forward to reading all of them.

We thought you might like to see what one of our prior grant recipients is up to. We found this video to be completely charming, and we hope you do too.

Cardboardia, a country built out of cardboard by Zoomin_UK

ARTumnal Gathering 2011 v1

2011-11-22T06:23:00.000-08:00

Marian Goodell & Joe Olivier

Nicole Bloss, Katy Boynton, Sidney Erthal and Tomas McCabe

Julia Whitelaw & Laura Kimpton

Freddy Hahne, Jennifer Raiser & David Best

Drs. Brian and Deb Windham

Tom Price and Andie Grace

To see many more fabulous photos by George Post of this event, CLICK HERE

photo: George Post Photography

The ARTumnal Gathering - A Word from our Chairman

2011-11-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

At the ARTumnal Gathering Saturday night, where we were celebrating our tenth anniversary, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Black Rock Arts Foundation, Larry Harvey addressed the crowd about both the history and forward motion of BRAF.

More photos to come.

photo: George Post Photography

El Radio Fantastique at the ARTumnal Gathering this Saturday

2011-11-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

El Radio Fantastique was inspired by a bizarre family tale of a sinister radio that possessed its listeners, bandleader Giovanni DiMorente approaches his music as if turning the dial, transmitting a vibrant spectrum of musical styles, lost in time, yet timeless. This eight-piece ensemble serves up a dizzying cocktail of beautiful darkness and achingly sublime melodies - called everything from junkyard hymns to cabaret grotesque to gypsy soul to New Orleans second line noir. Their tunes are guaranteed to set your soul flying while your heart breaks and your body shakes.

Come join us at the ARTumnal Gathering and enjoy El Radio Fantastique and a fabulous lineup of entertainers.

iPhone app for Bliss Dance

2011-11-15T06:15:00.002-08:00

Check out this video from WIRED Magazine about the Bliss Dance iPhone app that allows you to control the lighting on Bliss Dance yourself. How fun is that?

To read more about the Black Rock Arts Foundation bringing Bliss Dance to Treasure Island – Click Here and Here

Seraphim Dance Theatre at the ARTumnal Gathering

2011-11-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

Seraphim Dance Theatre is a new Music and Dance performance group, summoned from the collaborative ether, featuring a fresh blend of multidimensional visionary performance art, music and story telling. With precision choreography, dynamic visual art, and live symphonic soundscapes, Seraphim focuses on offering original and inspiring art that is the evocation
of revolution and the human spirit.

The Seraphim show features an all original live and electronic music score by David Block of The Human Experience, teaming up with Vocalist Amae Love who provides her insightful lyrics and melodies to a provide a fiercely soulful live performance. Together they weave psychedelic layers of melody and harmony with organic grooves to create a live electronic symphony brimming with human emotion.

We are looking forward to seeing this exciting new show at the ARTumnal Gathering this Saturday night and hope you will be there to see it with us.

Apply for a Grant from the Black Rock Arts Foundation

2011-11-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

BRAF Grantees Across the Years

The deadline for applying for a grant from the Black Rock Arts Foundation is fast approaching...

Attention artists! In an effort to streamline our grant application process, the Black Rock Arts Foundation has initiated a new step to our application instructions. To apply for a grant from BRAF, you will now need to submit a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) before submitting a full proposal. If the grant committee feels your project is a potential fit for our grants, you will be invited to submit a full proposal.

This cuts down on the work involved for both you, the grant applicant, and for our grant review committee. You'll have the chance to give a succinct, one-page overview of your project, and to tell us why you think it's a good fit for BRAF's grants program.

Usually, at this time of year, we begin accepting online grant applications. Instead, we'll accept online LOI's at this time. Online LOI's are due December 1, 2011.

To see if your project qualifies for a BRAF grant, and to read our full grant timeline and application instructions, visit BRAF Grant Criteria .

Please contact Josie at BRAF with questions: josie@blackrockarts.org

Картонск!

2011-11-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

A visit with one of our grant recipients

Wish we could be there!

The Nautilus visits the Raygun Gothic Rocketship

2011-11-05T13:07:00.001-07:00

Untitled, a photo by AkeLeslie on Flickr.

On Thursday Nov. 3 Sean Orlando and some of the crew from both the Nautilus and the Raygun Gothic Rocketship brought the Nautilus to the Rocketship and had a little party! Sean Orlando gave a talk in the afternoon at Landor and Associates, then they all piled in the sub and drove it down the Embarcadero to the Raygun Gothic Rocketship for a photo shoot/dance party! Fun! Thanks for the photos Ake Grunditz!

The 4th Kind

2011-10-14T23:30:00.001-07:00

The 4th Kind, a photo by ProudPinoy on Flickr.

A new look at Bliss Dance. Thank you ProudPinoy for sharing your fabulous photo with us!

Karen Cusolito's "Valiant Flowers", freshly installed

2011-10-08T13:15:00.001-07:00

Karen Cusolito's "Valiant Flowers", freshly installed, a photo by sfslim on Flickr.

A photo from our own SFSlim of Karen's amazing Valiant Flowers on Market, in collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Reno - Save the Date: More Spire of Fire on the Way

2011-09-30T07:14:00.000-07:00

Spire of Fire will be lit up again Friday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday Oct. 11 and then on Sat. Oct. 29 for a HALLOWEEN EVENT by the Riverside Merchants Association! Dj's and Fire Spinners.

Not to be missed, these great FREE downtown events!

photo: Mark Hammon

Get Ready for the ARTumnal Gathering

2011-09-26T05:55:00.003-07:00

Immerse youself in a realm rich in imagination, expression and inspiration! Be the art!

Saturday, November 19 at 6:00pm - November 20 at 2:30am

Location

The Bently Reserve

400 Sansome Street

San Francisco, CA

BRAF presents our fifth annual: Artumnal Gathering

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

Join us at the magnificent Bently Reserve and enjoy fine fare, tempting libations, special treats, surprises, the best of company in their finest attire, original artwork by our favorite artists, auctions featuring one of a kind experiences and items, and abundant creativity!

Celebrate the creative spirit of our community! Enjoy captivating live performances and dance the night away in three elegant rooms of music and DJ's.

Join our community's artists, supporters, entertainers and other visionaries in celebration of a banner year for the Black Rock Arts Foundation. We'd love to see you!

Artumnal Ticket Packages:

Sponsor an Artist
$55 Main Event Sponsorship
$250 Dinner Sponsorship

Can't attend this year's event? Make this a truly inclusive event, and honor an artist by sponsoring their attendance. Purchase a 'Sponsor an Artist' ticket and we will donate it to an artist in need of a ticket.

SPONSOR AN ARTIST

The Artumnal Celebration
9:30 pm - Late

$35 online presale 1st tier, SOLD OUT.
$45 limited number 2nd tier. Buy now!
$55 3rd tier and at the door

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

Feast of Imagination Dinner
6:00 pm - Late
$250 advance purchase only

Includes an individual seat (unreserved seating) 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
6:00 - Late
$3000 advance purchase only

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
6:00 pm - Late
$5000 advance purchase only

Includes a reserved table for eight guests for the Feast of Imagination, with premium seating placement in the banquet hall, premium wine selection and treats.

Table of Jubilation: A Table for 8 at Feast of Imagination, with premium placement
6:00 pm - Late

$10,000 advance purchase only

Includes a reserved table for eight guests for the Feast of Imagination, with premium seating placement in the banquet hall, premium wine selection and treats.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Thank you for supporting BRAF's mission to inspire art, community and civic participation worldwide!

Thanks to our sponsors:

Bliss Dance

2011-09-22T06:06:00.001-07:00

Bliss Dance, a photo by JDenault on Flickr.

Bliss Dance dances toward you on this beautiful evening on Treasure Island.

Thanks JDenault

Going Places

2011-09-22T06:04:00.001-07:00

Going Places, a photo by Brisan on Flickr.

A beautiful day in San Francisco to share the Raygun Gothic Rocketship.

Thanks to Brisan for the panorama shot!

Valiant Flowers

2011-09-22T06:00:00.001-07:00

Valiant Flowers, a photo by tapbirds on Flickr.

Facinating view of Valiant Flowers by Karen Cusolito. This piece was part of Market Street Blooms.

Thanks tapbirds for the great photo!

Party at Everywhere!

2011-09-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

BRAF throws quite a party on the Playa! Hope you got to stop by and say Hi!
Rachel Carpenter and Nick Morgan from our Board of Directors

Nick Morgan and Joe Olivier, Joe is the Treasurer of the Board

Elba, Dolores Huerta and Brooke Oliver, BRAF attorney, enjoying the party

Maria Partridge and Affinity

The Partiers

More Partiers

JennyBird and Miss Kelly

Maia Anthea Marinelli, one of our 2011 grant recipients in front of a model of her Wind Playground

Crimson Rose, Board of Directors and Affinity

Tomas, our Executive Director, Rae Richman, BRAF Advisory Board Member and Syn enjoying themselves

Rod, Chris Brick and Josie having a little fun

Freddy Hahne, President of our Board of Directors

Eli Peterson works for BRAF and he looked extra special for the occasion

Moze, Barbarino and Joe, having a drink I suspect
Our ever generous supporters the Bentlys, Chris in on the Board of Directors

Come Visit Everywhere at Burning Man

2011-08-22T21:00:00.000-07:00

Our 2010 Presence at Burning Man

For many of us in the BRAF community, Burning Man is more than an event. It's our organization's birthplace. It continues to be our source of inspiration -- an example of a society where art serves an intrinsic connective function for the community. 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.

If you'll be on the playa this year, please stop by and introduce yourself, and join us at one of our events! Once again, we've teamed up with the other Burning Man Affiliate Groups (Burners Without Borders, Black Rock Solar, The Regional Network and the new Burning Man Project) to create a unified presence on the playa that we call "Everywhere!"

Everywhere is housed under one large pavilion. Together, we'll host activities, art projects, events and gatherings (listed in the What Where When guide) all geared toward kindling ideas and generating momentum for off-playa, after-Burning Man outreach efforts.

The interior space of Everywhere resembles 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 sculptural representations or flags to represent their off-playa projects and endeavors.
Visit us at Everywhere, at 6:30 and Esplanade, at the 2011 Burning Man event in Nevada!

And don't forget to stop by our Annual BRAF Playa Cocktail Party!Thursday, September 1, 2011
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
We'd love to see you!
photo: James aka extramatic

Mobule Needs You!

2011-08-10T07:57:00.001-07:00

In the spirit of the revolutionary interactive art of Burning Man and BRAF, we invite YOU to come out to celebrate and pARTicipate in the Mobule experience! Get involved with this great BRAF grantee project and help make it happen! New York, Black Rock City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. You know you want to , so make it happen!

Mobule is a kinetic, multi-media, mobile, interactive street art performance that connects people from different cities.

Check out theses videos about Mobule on the project's website: http://www.mobule.org/

The artist, Ludale, needs 3 partners for each performance. It's really easy to help! All you do is:

- Invite people to participate in an interactive game (invite them to try on the 'space helmet' and control the Mobule. Who doesn't want to wear a space helmet?!?)
- Interview people
- Help video the interviews
- Help pack up the Mobule after the show

Here are the dates the Mobule needs help. All performances are 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm:

Monday, August 15th
Tuesday August 16th
Brooklyn Bridge park - New York.

Friday, August 19th
Pier 14, Near the Raygun Gothic Rocketship, by the Ferry building - San Francisco.

Saturday 20th, August 20th
Mission Delores Park - San Francisco.

August, 29th - September 4th
Center Camp - Black Rock City.

Friday, September 9th and Saturday 10th
Santa Monica Pier - Los Angeles.

Artist Ludale and the Mobule also need places to stay during their travels, and need a ride to and from Burning Man any day between 8/23 and 8/28!

Can you help? Email ludo@ludale.fr if you can!

Loving the Raygun Gothic Rocketship!

2011-07-23T14:19:00.000-07:00

The talented creators of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship, which is part of the Black Rock Arts Foundation Civic Arts Program, received this drawing the other day. The artist had been to San Francisco and fallen in love with the Rocketship and wanted to creator to have a copy, so we are sharing this graphite rendering with you. This is what the artist had to say!

Dear Raygun Gothic Rocket Creators,

I was unaware that this magnificent sculpture existed until I went to San Francisco last November. The Raygun is a fantasy come to life. My only regret is that it’s not a bit closer to where I live so I could visit it again and again. While there, I took several photos for my own enjoyment, but decided I had to draw a study in graphite (If I can’t have the real thing, then at least I can have a picture on my wall) which I wanted to share with you.

I am a printer by profession, but create works on paper in pencil and occasionaly sell a piece here and there.

Thank you for making a SF geek’s dream come to life. Please enjoy the drawing.

artist: Christiane Raymond

Fashion in Russia!

2011-07-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

One of our 2009 Grantees, Cardboardia, in Moscow, put on a Haute Couture Fashion Show recently and it is delightful. It put a big smile on my face!

Valiant Flower

2011-07-10T06:52:00.001-07:00

Picture 057, a photo by arts.commission on Flickr.

A crowd gathers around Karen Cusolito's Valiant Flower on Market Street. It is part of Market Street Blooms. The Black Rock Arts Foundation collaborated with the San Francisco Arts Commission.

Kind of looks like a tour group. What do you think?

Happy 4th of July from Bliss Dance

2011-07-07T06:49:00.001-07:00

Bliss danced with her friends, and photographer Sidney Erthel on the 4th of July and we hope your holiday was just as beautiful. Sidney Erthal’s 2010 Burning Man photos

A treat showed up in our email box last week from Roy Two Thousand, who I met at the Bliss Dance Opening Ceremony on Treasure Island. He sent a time lapse video with his original music, of the Opening.

To read more about the Bliss Dance Opening Ceremony – Click Here

BRAF Represents at Desert Arts Preview

2011-07-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Desert Arts Preview is Burning Man's very popular annual artist lecture series, where you are given a sneak preview of some of the many notable art projects in progress right now for Burning Man 2011. You hear directly from artists who are creating spectacular works of art, often in highly collaborative ways. Some have been doing work on the playa many years and will be sharing humorous war stories associated with creating art under extreme conditions.

Once again the Black Rock Arts Foundation was invited to speak. Tomas McCabe, our Executive Director spoke about both our Civic Arts Program and ScrapEden Program and Josie Schmike, our Program and Development Assistant, spoke about the Grants to Artists Program. I loved it and hope you did too.

Desert Arts Preview Webcast

photos: Patricia "Aishah" Rusich

Spire of Fire Lights Up Downtown Reno

2011-07-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

Fire and music create a gathering for hundreds of participants each Tuesday and Wednesday night in July as part of Artown. Over 1,000 people gathered at the corner of Sierra Street and Island Ave for the opening of the temporary interactive art installation and performance venue. Hundreds of adults and children have enjoyed the unique experience of controlling a pulsing tower of flame effects while DJ’s spin dance music for the performers and pubic alike.

Brought to Reno by the Black Rock Arts Foundation and exhibited at Burning Man in 2010, Spire of Fire, by artists Steve Atkins and Eric Smith, towers over 48 feet above the Riverwalk. The tower of pulsing flame effects will be the site of continued fire dance performances by Controlled Burn each Tuesday night at 8:30pm, with “Get Hooped” taking over Wednesdays with Velocity Movement and BoHo Hoops. All of the performances are free to the public with Tuesdays featuring a beer and wine garden provided by Wild River Grille.

“We believe the ongoing exhibition of Spire of Fire during Artown will ignite the community’s passions in many ways,” said Crimson Rose, Member Board of Directors, BRAF and Art Director for Burning Man. “By enhancing civic space through the temporary transformation of an empty lot into an inviting art space and establishing a creative gathering spot for Reno citizens, BRAF continues to bring the culture of Burning Man to downtown Reno for those who have never experienced the event in the desert.”

During Artown, fire dancers and spinners from Controlled Burn will entertain Tuesday evenings 8:30pm – 10:00pm.

Hula Hoopers from Velocity Movement and BoHo Hoops present “GET HOOPED” at Hoop Jams on Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm-8:30pm. All levels and ages are welcome.

Mark Hammon’s photos of the Spire of Fire Opening

Spire of Fire photos

Jim Freeman’s from “Downtown Reno” Photos

video: Freddy Hahne
photos: Mark Hammon

Ecstasy again

2011-06-30T23:23:00.001-07:00

Ecstasy again, a photo by K Jurgens on Flickr.

Click on the photo to see the comments about how much San Francisco loves Ecstasy and this multi-dimentional photo of her!

Raygun Rocketship

2011-06-30T23:15:00.001-07:00

Raygun Rocketship, a photo by littlewonderpics on Flickr.

San Francisco is still loving the Raygun Gothic Rocketship. So do we!

The Bike Bridge

2011-06-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

A program participant of the Bike Bridge welds her bike in the welding course, hosted by The Crucible.
A program participant of the Bike Bridge paints her bike in the Art-Bike course, hosted by The Crucible

The Black Rock Arts Foundation is thrilled to announce the award of $10,000 granted from the National Endowment for the Arts for our newest project, The Bike Bridge. This new project, which launched in April of 2011, is the next evolution of our community-focused public art projects. This educational and creative program is designed specifically to engage youth living on Oakland, California.

The Bike Bridge is a collaboration with the youth of Oakland, artist Michael Christian, and with partner organization The Crucible. The 12 enrolled participants, all young women, begin the project with classes in welding and art-bicycle creation, generously hosted by The Crucible. The program culminates in the collaborative creation of a large-scale sculpture made entirely of reclaimed bicycle parts, led by Christian.

In the second phase of the project, artist Christian will work with The Crucible’s instructors and the youth participants to design a “skeleton” structure that can later be embellished by the youths. These embellishments will be made of reclaimed bicycle parts, connecting with “green,” urban bike culture and tapping into the exciting, creative buzz around “art” bikes.

The Bike Bridge sculpture is designed to be the centerpiece of the City of Oakland’s new Uptown Merritt Art Park, to be located adjacent to the Fox Theater in the city’s newly revitalized Uptown district. The City of Oakland was also awarded an N.E.A. grant, in the amount of $200,000, a portion of which will fund the development of the new park. Plans pending, The Bike Bridge sculpture will act as a gateway to the park, which will also feature temporary exhibitions of large-scale works of art.

N.E.A.’s grant of $10,000 sets this ambitious project in motion. Fundraising efforts are underway to meet the project’s overall budget of $60,000. Help us reach our goal!

DONATE NOW

Read more about the project and about the grant from the National Endowment for the Arts press release

See more photos of works in progress on our flickr page

A shout out in Leah Garchick’s Column for the Bike Bridge

The Bike Bridge project is funded in part by a grant from The National Endowment for the Arts. The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government that has awarded more than $4 billion on projects of artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the National Endowment for the Arts at arts.gov.

photos courtesy of the Crucible

Ghana ThinkTank - 2011 Grantee

2011-06-20T05:50:00.000-07:00

The Ghana ThinkTank is developing the First World. Ghana Thinktank is a worldwide network of think tanks creating strategies to resolve local problems in the "developed" world. The network is composed of people from all walks of life and levels of expertise and began with groups in Ghana, Cuba and El Salvador. It has since expanded to include Serbia, Mexico, Ethiopia, Iran, and a group of incarcerated girls in the U.S. prison system.

These think tanks analyze First World problems and propose solutions, which are enacted in the community where the problems originated – whether those solutions seem impractical or brilliant. The success or failure of the solutions is documented and sent back to the think tanks, initiating another round of dialogue and action. For exhibitions, The Ghana Thinktank manifests as elaborate installations that document the entire process and involve audience participants in each step.

The Ghana ThinkTank in Corona involves a custom-built teardrop trailer designed to journey into different locales in the “First” world, collecting community and personal issues, and sending them to think tanks in Ghana, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Serbia, Iran, Afghanistan, and others…

Once we receive the solutions, our trailer rolls back into the communities, this time as a mobile workstation, so that we can work with community members to apply the solutions we have received from our global network of think tanks.

The Ghana Think Tank operates in Corona May 21 – Aug 14.

El Ghana ThinkTank en Corona utiliza un remolque hecho a la medida para viajar entre los diferentes niveles del “Primer mundo.” El remolque sirve de punto de recogida para problemas de la comunidad y asuntos personales. Despues de la fase de collección las problemas serán eviadas a nuestra red de gabinetes estrategicos en Ghana, Cuba, El Salvador, México, Serbia, Irán, y Afganistán para ser resueltas.

Una vez que recibamos las soluciones, nuestro remolque volverá a las comunidades de Corona, esta vez como una estación de trabajo móvil para aplicar las soluciones que hemos recibido.

El Ghana ThinkTank opera en Corona desde mayo 21 hasta agosto 14.

The Ghana ThinkTank in Corona is supported by the Queens Museum of Art, Creative Time, the Black Rock Arts Foundation, Puffin Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Lily Auchincloss Foundation, and The Greenwall Foundation. Additional funding provided by New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

MARKET STREET BLOOMS: 20-Foot Flower Sculptures In Central Market

2011-06-18T09:45:00.001-07:00

MARKET STREET BLOOMS: 20-Foot Flower Sculptures In Central Market, a photo by mcgrayjr on Flickr.

I love this shot of Karen Cusolito's Dandelion. I do not think I have seen this level of detail before. Thanks mcgrayjr

Bliss Dance - Flying Her Colors

2011-06-18T09:32:00.000-07:00

Bliss Dance was flying her colors for a few days last week. Thought you might like to see it.

photo: Jeff Steinmetz

Spire of Fire Comes to Reno, NV

2011-06-14T03:38:00.000-07:00

A few shots of the Fire of Spire Installation:

Spire of Fire, by local Reno artists Steve Atkins and Eric Smith, is BRAF’s fourth installation at our public art venue in Reno, Nevada, and will be on display June 20 – Nov. 15, 2011, on the corner of Sierra Street and Island Avenue, on the bank of the Truckee River in downtown Reno.

Join us to celebrate this ongoing collaboration with the Reno community!

Friday, June 24, 2011

The River Walk
Sierra St. at Island Ave
Reno, NV
5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

- Dj's spinning form 5:00 - 10:00 pm

- Hula Hoop Jam with Velocity Movement from 5:00 - 8:00 pm

- Controlled Burn and Friends spin fire 8:30 - 10:00

- Artwork's fire effects alight! 8:30 - 10:00

- Wine and Beer will be sold as a BRAF fundraiser, courtesy of Wild River Grill

- and be sure to catch all the activities on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings during Artown. Free fun for the family!

photos: Larry DeVincenzi

The Mobule on Tour - First Stop, Paris

2011-06-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

One of our 2011 grant recipients, Mobule is going to be touring beginning in Paris, opening the FUTUR EN SEINE FESTIVAL, on June 19th. Then on to Barcelona, London, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The Mobule is a travelling video sculpture that passes on recorded 'messages of love' from one city's citizens to those of the next. This eight-foot balloon appears at night in public streets. Illuminated from within, it displays a video projection of a large eye. The eye searches and focuses on passers by, selects individuals and pursues them. Once in proximity of the individual, a recorded message from another individual, from the previous city of the tour, appears in the eye. Once the individual receives the message, he/she is invited to wear the 'space helmet' that controls the eye. The mystery of how the Mobule operates is revealed, and the individual may control its next interaction. Participants are also then invited to leave a video message for the next city's residents. The Mobule is scheduled to tour Paris, Barcelona, London, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Tour Schedule: Save the dates! More details TBA!

- Paris: Esplanade du Trocadero, July 7 - 8, 2011, from 9pm to
midnight
- Barcelona: Location TBD, July 21 - 22, 2011, from 9pm to midnight
- London: Tate Modern, August 4 - 5, 2011, from 9pm to midnight
- NYC: Location TBD, August 18 - 19, 2011, from 9pm to midnight
- Los Angeles: Location TBD, August 25 - 26, 2011, from 9pm to
midnight
- San Francisco: Location TBD, September 8 - 9, 2011, from 9pm to
midnight
- Miami: Location TBD, September 15 - 16, 2011, from 9pm to midnight

The Mobule is seeking more venues and events to visit. Please contact
the artist if you know of any opportunities or venues in the times
and locations listed above.

The Mobule will need volunteers for the following locations!

- London: Tate Modern, August 4 - 5, 2011
- NYC: Location TBD, August 18 - 19, 2011
- Los Angeles: Location TBD, August 25 - 26, 2011
- San Francisco: Location TBD, September 8 - 9, 2011
- Miami: Location TBD, September 15 - 16, 2011

For each location, the project needs:

- A local manager to:
* Suggest the best area of the city to present the show
* Ask for authorizations for such street performance
* PR staff to promote the Mobule to local and national media
- 2 volunteers to manage the audience during the art performance
- Accommodation to put up 2 operators during 6 nights

Read about the Mobule on artist Ludale's website at www.ludale.fr

Or read about Mobule in the Design Milk blog:
design-milk.com/get-out-mobule/

See prototypes of Mobule here: bit.ly/kc9uje

Contact the artist at ludo@ludale.fr

I am so excited I am going to get to see this in San Francisco and I will be looking forward to seeing what New York City has to say to San Francisco. We hope you will follow its tour and check it out if it is coming to your town.

Detroit Dream Project

2011-06-08T20:20:00.001-07:00

Detroit Dream Project, a photo by Laughing Squid on Flickr.

Did you know that when Scott Beale from Laughing Squid went to Detroit a few months ago he stopped to take a few photos of the Detroit Dream Project. One of our Civic Arts Projects by David Best and Crew. Thanks Scott.

Market Street Blooms sculpture by Karen Cusolito

2011-06-08T20:11:00.001-07:00

Market Street Blooms sculpture by Karen Cusolito, a photo by Timbuk2 Designs on Flickr.

Bliss Dance on Treasure Island

2011-06-08T20:10:00.001-07:00

Bliss Dance on Treasure Island, a photo by Michael Holden on Flickr.

Spire of Fire Comes to Reno, NV

2011-06-08T05:48:00.000-07:00

Spire of Fire, by local Reno artists Steve Atkins and Eric Smith, is BRAF’s fourth installation at our public art venue in Reno, Nevada, and will be on display June 20 – Nov. 15, 2011, on the corner of Sierra Street and Island Avenue, on the bank of the Truckee River in downtown Reno.

Join us to celebrate this ongoing collaboration with the Reno community!

Friday, June 24, 2011

The River Walk
Sierra St. at Island Ave
Reno, NV
5:00 pm - 10:00 pm

- Dj's spinning from 5:00 - 10:00 pm

- Hula Hoop Jam from 5:00 - 8:00 pm

- Controlled Burn and Friends spin fire 8:30 - 10:00

- Artwork's fire effects alight! 8:30 - 10:00

- Wine and Beer will be sold as a BRAF fundraiser, courtesy of Wild River Grill

- and be sure to catch all the activities on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings during Artown. Free fun for the family!

To Read More about the Spire of Fire CLICK HERE

photo: Leo Sauerman

ScrapEden Collaborates with Levi Strauss & Co. Community Day

2011-06-07T21:47:00.001-07:00

The Black Rock Arts Foundation, as part of our ScrapEden Program helped Levi Strauss & Co. with their May 5th Community Day, during which Levi's employees in San Francisco leave their regular office responsibilities behind and volunteer at Bay Area non-profits. BRAF was given a special role this year, supporting the company's efforts to be better caretakers of the planet and reduce both water consumption and material waste in their manufacturing and ordering processes.

Over a dozen BRAF volunteers sculpted a literal "mountain" out of samples and scraps of Levi's and Dockers that are produced each year to help demonstrate the scale of waste, the importance of reducing and re-using such items and

to encourage recycling usable samples vs. throwing them away. The mountain, which was installed at Levi's Plaza was impressive, but represented just 10% of the some 71,000 articles of clothing samples generated each year that are otherwise unusable for Levi's but perfectly good for other uses. BRAF was thrilled to be part of a project that is helping a major manufacturer in America to use creativity and art to inspire its employees to reduce, reuse and recycle. Everyone was so inspired and an absolute pleasure to work with!
Some highlights of note:

Artist Miranda Caroligne created a stage backdrop entirely out of Dockers samples and the president of Levi's stood in front of it and stressed the importance of minimizing waste and considering the impact the company is having on the planet. She also created recycled table runners and decor that underscored this point.

Miranda also led the planning of a team of artists and Levi's employees that converted waste denim into moving bags for a Homeless Prenatal program to provide young women with re-usable shoulder bags that could be initially used to move them into permanent housing. It is the hope that they will keep these bags and also use them for laundry and shopping. Levi's employees helped sew and decorate the bags with messages such as "Love" and "Home Sweet Home", using bits of trim and fabric that were machine and hand sewn onto the bags.
Other artists involved with this important effort were Tammy Hulva of Tamo Designs (who also DJed for the volunteers for inspiration), Silver of Silver Lucy Designs, Boy Blondie of the Burning Man Cafe and Special Events Team and BRAF's very own Josie Schimke. In all 86 shoulder bags were created that day and four were auctioned off to raise funds for the program.

Scatha Allison of Miss Velvet Cream led a team of Levi's employees in creating 25 bean bag chairs out of salvaged materials for the Edgewood Center youth program and a banner that says "GO EAGLES!"

People loved working with Scatha and the program director sent a letter commending her and thanking her for making the day so productive and so much fun. Apparently everyone wants to sit in those beanbag chairs at the Center now! They're very popular with the kids there.

BRAF volunteers also helped to sort items working with Goodwill and scraps and damage items were sorted to become other kinds of social benefit items and avoid becoming landfill. Truckloads of materials were brought out of storage and repurposed that day!

And to add to the festivities, Shovelman played his shovel to welcome back the nearly 900 Levi's employees that volunteered that day at some 23 Bay Area charities and non-profits around the city.

It was a grand day all around!
To see many more great photos
CLICK HERE

author: $teven Ra$pa

photos: Kasey Neuenschwander

Bliss Dance Treasure Island

2011-05-29T23:44:00.001-07:00

Bliss Dance Treasure Island, a photo by davidyuweb on Flickr.

The Composting Contraption Gets Out and About

2011-05-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

Our latest ScrapEden project, The Composting Contraption, rolls on, delighting kids and adults alike and educating about the importance of composting. This pedal powered, fun and funky kinetic sculpture is touring events throughout the summer. If you're at an outdoor event in San Francisco this summer, keep your eyes peeled for the contraption!

The ScrapEden program is supported by the San Francisco Department of the Environment.

photos: Victoria Ramirez

Flying Solo - Laura Kimpton

2011-05-24T20:20:00.000-07:00

Flying Solo Exhibit
Featuring Laura Kimpton
Opening Reception
McLaughlin Gallery 49 Geary (corner Grant). Suite 200
San Francisco
Thursday, June 2, 2011
5:30pm to 8:30pm

View new works of collage, assemblage, and sculpture by Laura Kimpton.

Works on exhibition from June 2nd to July 30th, 2011. This solo exhibition of 2D and 3D recycled mixed media creations draws upon Laura's spiritual connection to birds and her own need to tear down societal constraints that keep us from discovering and celebrating our inner core.

Register For This Event http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1636854877

AFTER PARTY at the Hotel Monaco 9 pm - 2 am. Come celebrate the completion of this Solo Show.

Marin based Laura Kimpton is known for her daring and thought-provoking work; including "Celtic Forest," a sculpture and fire site that was part of our Civic Arts Program in Reno Nevada.

ArtPadSF - A Benefit for the Black Rock Arts Foundation

2011-05-24T04:50:00.000-07:00

Dr. Deb, BRAF Advisory Board
Alix Rosenthal, BRAF Board Secretary

Eli Peterson, BRAF Office Manager and Administrative Assistant

Tomas McCabe, BRAF Executive Director

Laura Kimpton, BRAF Artist and friend

Laura's work for her new show, Flying Solo

Rae Richman, BRAF Board, Executive Vice President

Josie Schimke, BRAF Program and Development Assistant

Affinity your BRAF blogger, Pete Hudson, BRAF Zoetrope Artist and MonkeyBoy

Hotel Phoenix

Thanks to all the volunteers and performers and models and designers and photographers and DJs and the ArtPadSF team and the staff it took to put this party on. Thank you. And special thanks to the Chip Conley for inviting us to create the Opening Celebration to ArtPadSF.

photos: affinity and Robin Russell

ArtPadSF Opening Night Preview Photos - by Michael Cuffe for Warholian

2011-05-20T13:47:00.001-07:00

ArtPadSF Opening Night Preview Photos - by Michael Cuffe for Warholian, a photo by WarholianPics on Flickr.

OMG...This is a photo from our event last night, "A Private Preview of ArtPad SF: A Benefit for the Black Rock Arts Foundation". This photographer, Michael Cuffe for the Warholian, one of my favorite blogs, captured the venue, the Phoenix Hotel with our BRAF slide show on the building next door, and the photo is of Bliss Dance, who was just installed on Treasure Island last week. Lots of photos to come. Watch this space.

Bliss Dancing Under a Moon II

2011-05-18T21:20:00.001-07:00

Bliss Dancing Under a Moon II, a photo by Matthew Almon Roth on Flickr.

We're thrilled to collaborate with artist Marco Cochrane in the installation of Bliss Dance on Treasure Island. The artwork will be on display beginning May 1, and will remain until at least October of this year, possibly longer, funds permitting.

Please join us for the Opening Reception,
May 26th at 6:00pm
The Great Lawn, near 9th and Avenue of the Palms
on Treasure Island.

Come celebrate this artistic achievement with us!

Art in Storefronts - Market Street

2011-05-15T07:01:00.001-07:00

ArtInStorefronts_Launch_236, a photo by arts.commission on Flickr.

The Composting Contraption was a hit at the Art in Storefront's event on Friday that included the Black Rock Arts Foundation's installations of Karen Cusolito's Valiant Flowers and the Dandelion. More photos to come.

Ecstasy

2011-05-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

Hayes Valley San Francisco (18), a photo by jingqun luo on Flickr.

They are still loving Ecstasy in Hayes Valley!

ArtPadSF a Private Benefit for BRAF

2011-05-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

Private Preview: A Benefit for the The Black Rock Arts Foundation

May 19, 2011
7:00 pm - Midnight
The Phoenix Hotel
601 Eddy St., San Francisco

Celebrate the extraordinary contemporary artists and galleries that enrich the Bay Area and beyond, and enjoy an exclusive evening of performances, live music, the Premiere Lounge, and much more at this opening night party for ArtPadSF!

Join the producers, galleries, and artists of the first annual ArtPadSF at the legendary Phoenix Hotel for an exclusive evening of emerging contemporary art, commissioned performances, and liberal libations.

Proceeds from ArtPadSF's Opening Night celebration will benefit The [braf]'s public art and grant programs, focused on inspiring art, community and civic participation worldwide.

ArtPadSF Ticket Packages:

Premiere Lounge and Poolside Soiree
$125 online presale; $150 at the door
7:00 pm - Midnight

Includes an evening of featured and roaming performances, DJs, heavy passed hors d'oeuvres, and hosted bar and exclusive access to the lounge from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Also includes passes to the weekend's other ArtPad events!

Poolside Soiree Only
$50 online presale; $75 at the door
7:00 pm - Midnight

Includes an evening of featured and roaming performances, DJs, light passed hors d'oeuvres, and one complimentary cocktail beverage.

BUY TICKETS HERE

Don't miss this hip, homegrown alternative to the mainstream art scene. Get the first look at Chambers Restaurant and Lounge, San Francisco's newest dining and entertainment destination. Be the first to experience ArtPadSF and to interact with participating artists and galleries from around the nation in this intimate setting.

Bay Area artists set the stage for this exciting new event with site specific and multimedia performances, interactive art, live music and DJs with original scores and mixes created especially for the occasion.

Featuring Performances by:

* Infectious dance beats by DJ Jive (Heart Deco) and Smoove
* Wearable art and performances by Bad Unkl Sista, Miranda Caroligne, and Daphne Ruff
* Site specific dance performance by Capacitor
* A rather unconventional operatic performance by soprano Diva Marisa Lenhardt
* A processional performance by Loyd Family Players, mixing street theater, samba, hip-hop, funk, heavy metal, dancehall & reggae.
* Debut work by local composer and musician, EO
* San Francisco's live electric cello + vocal looping mavericks, LOOP!STATION (loopthis.com)

ArtPadSF is a provocative, new, 21st century boutique art fair that focuses on emerging and contemporary art from the Bay Area and beyond. ArtPad SF invites San Francisco's world-renowned museums, galleries, arts institutions, and artists to transform the newly renovated Phoenix Hotel into an alternative venue for art.

Market Street Blooms

2011-05-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

The Black Rock Arts Foundation has been working on many new partnerships and projects and we want you to help us celebrate them! After all, it's our community that makes it all possible.

The Black Rock Arts Foundation is honored to be part of the effort to revitalize the Central Market area in San Francisco in collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission, and we love sharing and supporting Karen Cusolito's sculptures.

Central Market will come alive for the Art in Storefronts launch celebration! The festivities include receptions at three neighborhood galleries, the debut of two temporary public art sculptures by Karen Cusolito, live music lining Central Market, and Off the Grid food trucks. The community celebration will kick off with the unveiling of six storefront installations and five murals designed by San Francisco artists.

Join the Black Rock Arts Foundation and the San Francisco Arts Commission for this FREE Market Street Blooms Opening Reception.

Music, speeches and mural unveiling:

May 13, 5:00 pm
998 Market St. San Francisco

Procession down Market St. with Gamelan X begins at 5:45

Continues festivities 6pm - 8pm U.N. Plaza

Gamelan X , a Balinese fusion ensemble, will lead a procession up Market Street where the public may catch performances by the John Brothers Piano Company* playing original music accompanied by several other visual and performing artists; the Jaz Sawyer Trio; and The Space Cowboys with the Unimog. The public may also play on "Bulbous," a temporary wall of drums created by Office Division.

ART IN STOREFRONTS ARTISTS:
Alexis Arnold
Vanesa Gingold
Madeline Trait
Erik Otto
Indigenous Arts Coalition
Cat U-Thasoonthorn
Robert Harris
Paz de la Calzada
Vicky Knoop and Beatrice Thomas
Rafael Landea
Amber Hasselbring

Read More About the Art in Storefront’s Artists

photo: Mark Hammon

Patricia's Green in Spring

2011-04-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

Patricia's in Spring, a photo by sirgious on Flickr.

BRAF was well represented at this year’s "Mayor’s Earth Day Breakfast"

2011-04-30T08:00:00.001-07:00

4782_MayorEarthDay_0008f, a photo by SF Environment on Flickr.

San Francisco Environment’s Director Melanie Nutter (BRAF's partner with Scrap Eden and the Compost Contraption) with event sponsor Jason McBriarty, (BRAF’s partner and sponsor, Director, Global Community Affairs Levi Strauss & Co., and the Levi Strauss Foundation, and the Black Rock Arts Foundation's Executive Vice-President, Rae Richman and Executive Director,Tomas McCabe.

Market Street Blooms

2011-04-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

We stopped by to see Karen Cusolito and her crew installing the first part of the Market Street Blooms installation, the Valiant Flower a couple of days ago. This installation is part of BRAF's collaboration with the San Francisco Arts Commission as part of their Art in Storefronts program in an effort to revitalize a once-vibrant commercial corridor in San Francisco.

We were pleased to note our first blog post sighting, New Flower Art on Market Street last night with some fabulous shots of the flower.

In addition, here is a news station video Market Street Blooms Video very fun.

Join us for the celebration Market Street Blooms as part of the opening reception of this years kickoff of Art in Storefronts:

Friday, May 13, 2011

Music, speeches and mural unveiling begin at 5:00 pm
at The Gray Area Foundation for the Arts
998 Market Street
San Francisco, CA

Procession down Market St. with Gamelan X begins at 5:45

Continued festivities (with the Unimog!)
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
U.N. Plaza
San Francisco, CA

More information to come!

photos: Tomas McCabe and Affinity

The Raygun Gothic Rocketship

2011-04-05T14:00:00.001-07:00

The Raygun Gothic Rocketship, a photo by davidyuweb on Flickr.

Another fabulous photo! Thanks so much!

ecstasy

2011-03-26T14:28:00.001-07:00

ecstasy, a photo by Estify on Flickr.

I keep thinking that there cannot possibly be a new way to see Ecstasy at Patricia's Green, and then there is. Thanks for the fabulous photo Estify.

A Sculpture Garden in Oakland? YES!

2011-03-20T07:25:00.000-07:00

A shout out from Living in the O, first about partnering with The Black Rock Arts Foundation to provide art for a temporary sculpture garden in Oakland, funded by the Oakland Cultural Arts Department and a $200,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

At the bottom of the post is a lovely story about their visit to Ecstacy on Patricia's Green.

photo: from Living in the O

Announcing Our 2011 Grant Recipients

2011-03-16T06:01:00.000-07:00

The Black Rock Arts Foundation is thrilled to announce our 2011 Grant Recipients. Read all about these about these inspiring, community-focused projects! Each of these projects integrate art and life in an exciting new way.

Composting Contraption

2011-02-25T19:17:00.001-08:00

Composting Contraption
Originally uploaded by nuzz

A Composting Contraption sighting. Looks like it might be on a road trip!

Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship

2011-02-24T16:00:00.001-08:00

Hipstamatic 201 Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship
Originally uploaded by tony perrie

Ecstasy - a sculpture @ Patricia Green

2011-01-30T09:53:00.001-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swampzoid/5070191453/
Originally uploaded by swampzoid

Love this! Thank You!

Community Art Makers

2011-01-30T06:27:00.000-08:00

This is one of the scenic backdrops they built that was used at Art Outside. I just love it!

"Community Art Makers" was one of the Black Rock Arts Foundation's 2010 grant recipients. They are Austin, Texas based community leaders offering work and meeting space, guidance and assistance to artists endeavoring to engage their community.

Former notable projects have included recently showcasing the 32 foot tall fire tornado from the BRC 'Fire of Fires' Temple for a public audience of thousands, and the first public burn night on NYE, 2009 of the Resolution Clock in the center of Austin, Texas for 100,000 people.

BRAF's infrastructure investment will allow the Community Art Makers to build upon current resources and offer more structured resources and work space for artists. Their upcoming projects are focused on artist empowerment and community building. Some of these projects for 2010 include partnerships with the City of Austin Library, Parks and Art in Public Places Departments, 'Art Outside' and 'First Night' pieces that showcase interactivity to a public audience and hands on classes and training for trained and aspiring artists.

This is what their most recent blog post had to say:

Thanks to the continued generosity of the Black Rock Arts Foundation , we have nearly completed a 400 SF studio space renovation at our North Austin Compound. This weekend we should be finished renovating our very own glass studio! Our space will be equipped with tools for creating stained glass, fusing and also slumping glass. Need some space to create? Want to learn? Drop us a line and get involved!

Reflections of time

2011-01-28T14:00:00.001-08:00

Reflections of time
Originally uploaded by #2 Son/John

Another view of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship we have not seen. What a fabulous shot. Thank you.

Capturing the Raygun Gothic Rocketship

2011-01-19T06:15:00.000-08:00

Our very own Josie Schimke, Program Development Associate at the Black Rock Arts Foundation was biking by the Raygun Gothic Rocketship, as she does most days on the way to work, and she came upon an artist painting the Rocketship. She stopped and chatted and took this photo. The Rocketship continues to show up in new and fun ways on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

Prior posts about the Raygun Gothic Rocketship

Detroit Dream Project

2011-01-10T20:27:00.001-08:00

IMG_0544
Originally uploaded by quidquid

Some new photos of the Detroit Dream Project, one of our 2007 Civic Arts installations.

Thanks for the great photo and giving us a peek at how the project looks today!

To read more about the temple:
Prior blog posts

Crazy rides rockets

2011-01-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

Crazy rides rockets
Originally uploaded by Brandon Doran

I continue to be amazed that the Raygun Gothic Rocketship can be photographed in such a variety of ways. Thanks to Brandon Doran for this one.

Happy New Year!

Burning Man and BRAF Art Grant Workshop and Art Lounge

2011-01-09T08:45:00.000-08:00

You must RSVP if you wish to attend. Email to: rsvp-specialevents@burningman.com

Attention Artists:

You've asked, and we've listened! This year we are hosting our first art grants workshop. Come hear from those involved in both BRAF's and Burning Man's grant processes about what is needed to create a successful grant proposal. You'll be given a chance to ask questions about the mandatory grant forms – why we ask certain questions, what information we are looking for and more. If you can't make it to the event, don't worry! Send in your question by Wednesday, January 12th and it will be answered during the workshop. The workshop will be recorded, and a video posted on the Burning Man website shortly after the event.

After the workshop, please join us for the Art Lounge. This event is a social mixer for the artists and volunteers who created work for Burning Man and BRAF last year and/or are planning art projects this coming year. Your creative spirit gives so much to the world. We want to thank you for your inventiveness and resourcefulness. We hope this will be an opportunity to meet one another and spark increased creative cross-pollination and collaboration.

We invite our community's artists to join the BRAF and Burning Man staff, members of the Burning Man Art Department, and ARTery volunteers for a little reception – our yearly, intimate gathering in appreciation of the visionaries among us!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Mission Rock Cafe
817 Terry Francois Blvd San Francisco, CA

Grant Workshop 5:30 to 7 pm
Art Lounge 7 pm to 9 pm

At approximately 7:30pm there will be brief introductions and a short talk about this years Burning Man theme: "Rites of Passage."

To attend, please RSVP to rsvp-specialevents@burningman.com.

It's an intimate space, and we need an exact number to plan for. This is not the place to review specific art grant proposals with Burning Man or BRAF staff, though staff will be on hand who can answer basic questions regarding the process. Remember, the deadline to submit art grant proposals for BRAF is January 15th and for Burning Man this year is February 1st.

Hope to see you there!

Online Grant Applications due January 15th, 2011 at 5:00 pm, PST

2011-01-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Our online application for BRAF's 2011 Grants is now live and will close on Saturday (yes, Saturday!) January 15, 2011, at 5:00 pm, sharp!

About our grants:

We fund highly interactive, community-driven works of art. We fund art that is accessible to the public, civic in scope and prompts the viewer to act. We like art that can be experienced in more ways than visually. We are fans of art that is meant to be touched, heard or experienced, as well as viewed. We prioritize funding art that involves the audience in its creation and presentation. Does this sound like your artwork?

Apply for a grant in 2011!

For more about our criteria, and for our online application, visit: Black Rock Arts Foundation Grants

We look forward to reading about your project!

Leo Villareal at the San Jose Museum of Art

2011-01-07T23:24:00.001-08:00

People and Art #129
Originally uploaded by andertho

This is the last weekend of the Leo Villareal show at the San Jose Museum of Art. We will be there, Will You?

BRAF thanks you for another spectacular year!

2010-12-27T06:01:00.000-08:00

As the year comes to a close, the Black Rock Arts Foundation was pleased to be included with the Raygun Gothic Rocketship in the San Francisco Chronicle’s Datebook piece on "Positive Changes around San Francisco and it's Environs in 2010".

2010 saw many great achievements for BRAF that you can read about here in our blog and at The Black Rock Arts Foundation. Because of the support of folks like you, we were able to ensure that art and community building continue to serve as tools for civic engagement around the globe. We know that art can build community and bring people together, and we believe that all communities deserve art. More than ever, we are encouraged by our recent successes and invigorated to expand our programs and extend our reach into more communities worldwide.

2011 is already shaping up to be a banner BRAF year. We have been awarded our first-ever grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. An N.E.A. grant of $10,000 kicks off our newest endeavor, a Civic Arts project we’re calling The Bike Bridge. In January of 2011, BRAF begins a yearlong project in Oakland, CA, collaborating with young people, with qualified artists, and with local partner organizations to create a gateway sculpture made of reclaimed bike parts. As a work of art, The Bike Bridge will be the gateway to the City of Oakland’s new Uptown Merritt Art Park, to be located adjacent to the Fox Theater. This new art park was also recently awarded $200,000 by the National Endowment for the Arts, and will feature temporary exhibitions of large-scale works of art.

We are continually grateful for the extraordinary support and investment of our community. You and other supporters share BRAF’s vision of bringing people together and creating positive change through art. The Bike Bridge is testament to the evolution of our programs, and the broadening of our ventures. Because of your support, BRAF continues to pioneer new modalities of public art.

We hope that those of you who were able to participate in the activities of the three BRAF programs in 2010, or even in the festivities of our annual ARTumnal Gathering, will agree that BRAF has made great progress in bringing the Burning Man ethos of art, interaction, and community “to the rest of the world, the other 51 weeks of the year.” But, we need your help to continue to fund, support and enable community-building, civic-minded, interactive arts projects and expand our reach to new regions.

It is your donations that sustain us. Please consider showing your support once again by making an end-of-year contribution, so that we may bring even more innovative, interactive and community-building projects to cities worldwide in 2011.

Sincerely,

Tomas McCabe
Executive Director
Black Rock Arts Foundation

DONATE

the Artumnal

2010-12-15T20:12:00.001-08:00

the Artumnal 2
Originally uploaded by john curley

John Curley's fabulous shot of the Artumnal! It was a fabulous evening and isn't this a fabulous photo!

Fly Me to the Moon

2010-12-15T00:54:00.001-08:00

Fly Me to the Moon
Originally uploaded by Jill Clardy

Another great photo of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

Visit Ecstasy On Patricia's Green

2010-12-07T18:39:00.001-08:00

kinetik korrosion
Originally uploaded by japanesejack

You should stop by and see her in all her magnificence on Patricia's Green in San Francisco.

The Bentley Reserve for the Artumnal Gathering

2010-12-03T19:47:00.001-08:00

The Bentley Reserve for the Artumnal Gathering
Originally uploaded by mr. nightshade

The Fabulous Mr. Nightshade shares his Artumnal photos!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carnivillain/sets/72157625448816692/

Artumnal Gathering 2010 v3

2010-11-27T06:51:00.000-08:00

Ed Jay got some great shots of the Artumnal performers

Ed Jay Photography

Michael Olsen/Zork Magazine took a lot of fun photos. It looks like his friends were having a great time too.

Thanks to all the volunteers and performers and models and designers and photographers and DJs and the Artumnal team and the huge staff it takes to put this party on. Thank you. And special thanks to the Bentlys for their ongoing generosity.

Artumnal Gathering 2010 v2

2010-11-27T06:20:00.001-08:00

Randal Smith aka furtoghrapher spent the evening taking fabulous portraits of many of us. As you can tell my crew from the Mansonian Institute loved having their photo taken together. I hope you had as much fun as we did!

Artumnal Gathering 2010 v1

2010-11-26T16:30:00.000-08:00

Gateway of Wishes (built by Flux Foundation) welcomed visitors to the 4th Annual BRAF Artumnal.

Christopher and Amber-Marie Bently graciously donated the Bently Reserve for the evening's festivities, as well as a bunch of auction items. Nice work kids!

The party didn't end until after 3 a.m. I was there 8 hours and it felt like 3. Great time!

After the performances, people could play it themselves, somewhat clumsily and timidly.

One of the Temple fire places that was auctioned off.

Words and Photos: Josh Keppel

Our forth annual Artumnal Gathering was fabulous! We had a great time, we loved seeing all of you there and we appreciate your support of the The Black Rock Arts Foundation

The Artumnal Gathering this Weekend!

2010-11-15T05:32:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a truly AMAZING Artumnal Gathering and do NOT miss event. Seriously! New art by the 2010 Temple crew, incredible performances starting right at opening time and going all night. These range from a globally acclaimed whirling dervish to brassy dance beats and electro-swing to laser harpist and ragtime band to seriously rockin' theme camp dance DJs to living statues, custom decor, and wearable art--including a first time unveiling of metal sculpture headpiece masks by artist Orion Fredericks--to THE most surprisingly classy and stunningly beautiful free-swinging pole duet you have ever seen by Cirque Noir. Many surprises you will be thrilled to be there for and sorry if you miss. Get your tickets and help spread the word to make this all-important BRAF annual fundraiser a tremendous and fun success. My tip is get there right away, dress to express and enjoy it all.

The Blackrock Arts Foundation Presents…

The 2010 ARTUMNAL GATHERING

Saturday, November 20, 2010

$45 second level and at door for Main Event from 9:30pm – Late

$250 and up: Dinner Banquet from 6-9pm + rest of night!

At The Bently Reserve

Enter at 400 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94111

21 and over

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Last year’s event sold out and this year is even better! Don’t wait.

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, live performances, 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!

PERFORMANCES by:

Absurge (The Fringe/Janky Barge:) http://www.soundcloud.com/absurge

Bad Unkl Sista – butoh living installations: http://www.badunklsista.com/
Bones of Circus Mecca – aerial artistry: http://www.CircusMecca.org/
Cirque Noir – dance and aerial artistry: http://www.bowandsparrow.org/Site/Cirque_Noir.html

Cyril Noir and Ella Mental of the Black Kat Kabaret – electro-swing: http://www.cyrilnoir.com/
Dan Cantrell: http://www.bellowhead.com/
Dex Stakker (Opel/Opulent Temple): http://www.dexstakker.com/
EO – electronic compositions and horn: http://www.soundsliketree.com/
FireFingers - Flamenco guitar: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=235775
Fou Fou HA! – technicolored buffoonery and dance: http://www.foufouha.com/
Gamelan X – marching gamelan: http://www.gamelanx.com/
Gregangelo of Velocity Circus – whirling dervish: http://www.gregangelo.com/
Hamilton Strings: http://bayentertainers.com/HamiltonStrings.htm
Henry Chang of Soul in the Machine – laser harp: http://www.soulinthemachine.com/
DJ Huggie (Disorient): http://soundcloud.com/alex01
DJ Jive (Heart Deco): http://www.fixsf.com/dj-jive/
Matthew Schoening – electric cello: http://www.soloelectriccello.com/
Miss Rosie – hoop moves: http://www.MovementPlay.com/
Mochipet: http://www.mochipet.com/
Parlor Tricks – industrial ragtime quartet: http://www.blogger.com/www.parlortricksmusic.com
saQi featuring Russ Liquid: http://www.saqimusic.com/
Sasha "Butterfly" Rose – electronic music and live vocals: http://www.myspace.com/sashabutterflyrose
Tamo and ViaJay (Space Cowboys/Angels of bAss): http://djtamo.com/ http://djtamo.com/%20http://www.viajay.com/
Many more!!!

ORIGINAL ART by:
Flux Factory & The Burning Man 2010 Temple Crew www.temple2010.org have created a brand new piece, “The Gateway of Wishes”, for this event (this magnificent sculpture and a fire pit from the Burning Man Temple project is also for sale this evening to benefit BRAF.); Rob Buchholz, Michael Every, Calliope Gazetas, Tamo Designs, Miranda Caroligne, Anastazia Louise, Kristen Berg, Dicky Davies, Suzanne Forbes, Spy Emerson, Lauren Mendez, Caley Johnson, Leslie Frierman Grunditz, Philippe Glade, John Curley, Phoenix Firestarter, Deborah Yoon, Elizabeth Geddes, $teven Ra$pa + work by other artists installed in the gallery and throughout the venue.

WEARABLE ART, FASHIONS, MAKEUP & HAIR by:
Miranda Caroligne: http://www.mirandacaroligne.com/
Miss Caley Johnson of Miss G Designs: http://www.missgdesigns.com/
Orion Fredericks: http://www.orionfredericks.net/
Joe Escobedo: http://www.theglambox.com/

PHOTO PORTRAITURE by:
Julian Cash - http://www.juliancash.com/
Randal Alan Smith - http://www.randalalansmith.com/

LIGHTING & VISUALS BY:
ARTisan Production Group: http://www.blogger.com/www.artisanpg.com
CaroLuna: http://www.caroluna.com/
Celestine Star: http://www.goldenstarproductions.com/
David Colin
Lasers and Lights: http://www.lasersandlights.com/
Rainbow Puddle – http://www.rainbowpuddle.com/
Rayce O’Brien
Sierra Ron Halbert
And more!

DÉCOR by Julz of Hookahdome, Marcia Crosby, $teven Ra$pa, Boy Blondie, and More

Tarot readings by the mysterious and marvelous Madame A!

DINNER AUCTIONEER: Elias Arjan - http://eliasarjan.com/

Join us for our pre-event dinner featuring delightful fare, cocktails, and both live and silent auctions. Last year's event sold out!

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Artumnal Ticket Packages:

The Artumnal Celebration
$35 online presale 1st tier (sold out): $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 other treats.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Sponsor an Artist to attend the Artumnal Gathering! Can't attend this year's event? Make this a truly inclusive event, and honor an artist by sponsoring their attendance. Purchase a 'Sponsor an Artist Ticket' and we will donate it to an artist in need of a ticket!

Thanks to our generous supporters and sponsors:
Bently Reserve
inTicketing
JK Sound
San Francisco Bay Guardian

The Raygun Gothic Rocketship

2010-10-31T16:13:00.001-07:00

The Raygun Gothic Rocketship
Originally uploaded by davidyuweb

After the rain...

Meet the Grantmakers

2010-10-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

We are excited to tell you that our very own Josie Schimke, Program and Development Assistant at the Black Rock Arts Foundation was a panelist last Monday at Meet the Grantmakers: Funding Opportunities for Individual Artists at the Foundation Center.

photo: http://theblight.net/

Leo Villareal at the San Jose Museum of Art

2010-10-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

The Black Rock Arts Foundation Advisory Board Member and Burning Man artist Leo Villareal has a show at the San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose, California until January 9, 2011.

If you like lights and art, and who doesn't, the show is really a treat.

SF Gate Review of this Exhibition

You may have seen his amazing light sculpture at the National Gallery, Multiverse.

Multiverse, the largest and most complex light sculpture created by American artist Leo Villareal, may be seen and experienced by visitors as they pass through the Concourse walkway between the East and West Buildings of the National Gallery of Art.

Video: geekgestalt
Photo: Jack Tse
Photo: David Imlay

Duel Nature by Kate Raudenbush

2010-10-09T06:54:00.001-07:00

duel nature, by kate raudenbush
Originally uploaded by catiemagee

Just wanted to share this fabulous photo of Duel Nature in Reno on the Riverwalk. Stop by and check it out!

Composting Contraption at SF Decompression Sunday

2010-10-07T06:20:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-10-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-09-26T20:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-24T06:20:00.001-07:00

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.

Raygun Gothic Rocketship

2010-09-22T17:37:00.001-07:00

Raygun Gothic Rocketship
Originally uploaded by sftrajan

Just to keep you up to date on the photos of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship out there here is my current favorite!

Thanks sfrajan for the great photo!

Party on the Playa!

2010-09-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

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

Flight delay

2010-08-25T01:52:00.001-07:00

Flight delay
Originally uploaded by Nocturnal Bob

We continue to see gorgeous and different photos of the Raygun Gothic Rocketship.

Visit BRAF at Burning Man

2010-08-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-17T06:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-17T06:06:00.001-07:00

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

Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship

2010-08-16T20:00:00.001-07:00

Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship
Originally uploaded by the other Martin Taylor

Everywhere I look there are photos and blog posts and media about the Raygun Gothic Rocket Ship on the Embarcadero. Here is a great little video montage by "The Other Martin Taylor" from flickr. How fun is this?

Storyline Transports: Shadow and Light Festival

2010-08-10T05:43:00.000-07:00

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.

More information is also available at shadowandlightfestival.blogspot.com

The Rocketship Glows

2010-08-09T17:11:00.001-07:00

Day Two Hundred Twenty
Originally uploaded by Alex Zyuzikov

Hawthorne 100 at the PDX Bridge Festival

2010-08-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

We got this little note last week and we wanted to share it with you "Thank you BRAF for supporting large-scale, interactive, public art in Portland with PDX Bridge Festival's Lift 100!!"

We are so happy when we hear from our grantees and we love to share it with you so here are a couple of videos from the Hawthorne 100 at the PDX Bridge Festival.

photo: Major Clanger

Raygun Gothic Rocketship at Pier 14 with the Crew

2010-08-08T16:44:00.001-07:00

IMG_0718
Originally uploaded by Nick Winterhalter