Toolbox: Resources for Artists Engaged in Community Building

 

As a practicing artist, I do a lot of research to support my projects. Here are some resources I have found, that support the independent, self-organized work of artists and small groups that play a critical and significant role within the San Francisco Bay Area communities. None of these require a fiscal agent or 501c3 status.

Go out and make some art.

Rick Darnell, CounterPulse Community Engagement Fellow
Have anything to share or comments? engagefellow@counterpulse.org

In this TOOLBOX post: a list of arts, activism, social justice, community building websites (note: any comments that appear in parentheses are editorial additions)

Bay Area Society for Art & Activism
http://artandactivism.org
We are a diverse and intergenerational community celebrating the way artists and activists engage with issues of social justice, hope, freedom, history, democracy, love, labor, class, the environment and more. We accomplish this through our programs, including community events, exhibitions, informal gatherings, and our blog, online archive and quarterly newsletter. (There is a small grants program of $1,000, or less.)

 

Arts for a Better Bay Area
http://arts4bayarea.nationbuilder.com
ABBA is building a movement of arts practitioners invested in quality of life, creative expression, cultural equity and vibrant neighborhoods. (political and cultural advocacy, and policy making)
Email info@betterbayarea.org

 

League of Creative Intervention
www.creativeinterventionists.com/san-francisco

-The League of Creative Interventionists uses public art to reimagine the social and physical landscape of our cities. We believe that our cities are more vibrant and resilient when our public spaces foster conversation and play. We create participatory public installations that engage communities and prompt curiosity, creativity, and connection. (This is an outgrowth from the Free Space project)

 

One Degree
https://www.1deg.org

Resources for families, individuals: housing, financial, counseling and more. Free and low cost services
(One Degree has no artists specific focus, it’s just a good resource list. If anyone knows of artist specific mental health, physical health, or service providers, please get back to me. It would be a great resource to share)

 

Collective Memory: Art and Activism Archive
http://collectivememory.artandactivism.org/index.php/Main_Page

Modeled on Wikipedia, the Collective Memory: Art & Activism Archive is an online regional archive for socially-engaged art practices and creative political activism. This community archive documents the prolific and longstanding tradition of art and activism in the Bay Area to provide context and inspiration for future generations of artists and activists. (Collective Memory is a program of Bay Area Society for Art & Activism, and can be found on their website. Collective memory is being presented separately, because it’s awesome.)

 

TECH CU: Technology Credit Union
www.techcu.com

Always wondered what the difference was between a bank and a credit union? It’s more than just a name.

Free credit score and free credit monitoring
Over 65,000 fee-free ATMs worldwide — that’s more than Chase, Wells Fargo and Bank of America combined.
Free Mobile Banking and Send Money Powered by PayPal.™

(Credit unions are great, many times more personable than banks. Found out about TECH CU at a student information fair CounterPulse was participated in. There is a San Francisco, branch)

 

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Rick Darnell is the CounterPulse Community Engagement Fellow. He is a practicing artist, and long time Tenderloin resident. Rick is the Project Coordinator for TAll, the Tenderloin Art Lending Library.