Introducing Resource Mondays: Community Arts Program

I love to get people talking about the wonderful resources that exist in our community! I’ll be sharing my favorites here on my blog each Monday, and I'd also like to extend the invitation for YOU to respond with your own suggestions, referrals, and helpful information. Our collective wisdom is a richer source of support than one person could ever provide.

Today, I’d like to bring attention to Hospitality House’s Community Arts Program (CAP), the only free-of-charge fine arts studio for homeless and poor artists in San Francisco.

The director of Hospitality House recently offered my program's management team a tour of their services, and I felt particularly inspired by CAP’s mission: to promote creative self-expression as an antidote to the dehumanizing forces of poverty and homelessness.

CAP provides the materials and space for artists to create, store, exhibit, and sell their artwork. Artists have access to a variety of media, including painting, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture. Studio assistants are available for artistic instruction and project guidance, and also provide referrals for case management, shelter, counseling, and crisis intervention. It functions effectively as a drop-in center, while still providing a calm, creative refuge.

CAP offers weekly visual arts and creative writing workshops, exhibits artist projects throughout the year, and has hosted annual art auctions for the last 25 years. I'm looking forward to attending this year's silent auction and free art event co-hosted by Yammer on Thursday, October 16th.

I enjoy passing their vibrant window display each week; go check out your mid-Market neighbors! They're located at 1009 Market Street (at 6th Street). Studio hours are M/W/F 1-6pm, and T/Th 10am-3pm.

Additionally, if you are looking for a charitable way for you or your organization to contribute to the diverse mid-Market community, I would recommend supporting a well-established grassroots agency like Hospitality House. You can learn more about CAP and Hospitality House’s overall mission to address the root issues of poverty and homelessness on their website.

Please feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested, and I welcome your suggestions and requests for future topics. Thank you for reading, and welcome to Resource Mondays!