Gray Area Foundation For The Arts

GRAY AREA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS APPLIES ART AND TECHNOLOGY TO CREATE POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT.

PUBLIC EVENTS:WE HOSTED NINETY-FIVE (70) TOTAL EVENTS IN 2023. TWENTY-ONE (21) OF THESE WERE FREE FOR THE PUBLIC. EIGHTEEN (18) OF THESE EVENTS WERE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL COMMUNITY NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WHICH WE SUPPORTED THROUGH SHARING RESOURCES AND STAFF. WE DIRECTLY PAID 397 ARTISTS. WE ELEVATE A PLURALITY OF VOICES THROUGH THOUGHTFUL CURATION OF ARTISTS AND PRESENTERS, INCLUDING LGBTQIA2+ AND BIPOC ARTISTS, HIGHLIGHTING ISSUES AND INTERESTS IMPORTANT TO THEIR COMMUNITIES. IN 2023, WE GENERATED $1.8MM IN REVENUE PAID DIRECTLY TO 93 UNDERREPRESENTED OR MARGINALIZED ARTISTS, REPRESENTING 33% OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET. GRAY AREA ENJOYS AN IN-PERSON AUDIENCE OF OVER 30,000 VISITORS A YEAR. OUR AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHICS INCLUDE DIVERSE GENDER, ETHNICITY, INCOME, AND AGE REPRESENTATION: 72% OF OUR AUDIENCE IDENTIFIES AS BIPOC, AND 70% AS LGBTQIA2+.AS A FLAGSHIP EFFORT TO CREATE DIALOGUE WITH OUR LOCAL MISSION DISTRICT, IN 2023 GRAY AREA PRODUCED TECHS-MECHS, A NEW SURVEY OF TEN WORKS BY RENOWNED MEXICAN-CANADIAN MEDIA ARTIST RAFAEL LOZANO-HEMMER. SPANNING IMMERSIVE INSTALLATIONS, KINETIC SCULPTURES, GENERATIVE ANIMATIONS, AND LARGE-SCALE SHADOW THEATERS, TECHS-MECHS PRESENTED CANONICAL WORKS FROM THE ARTIST'S OEUVRE ALONGSIDE A RICH CHRONOLOGY OF TECHNOLOGICAL CULTURAL HISTORY IN LOZANO-HEMMER'S NATIVE MEXICO. TECHS-MECHS WELCOMED AROUND 10,000 VISITORS OVER ITS TWO MONTH RUN. ADMISSION WAS OFFERED FOR FREE TO MISSION DISTRICT RESIDENTS, REPRESENTING AROUND 25% OF ALL ATTENDEES.WE DID NOT PRODUCE A DEDICATED FUNDRAISING EVENT IN 2023.

MEMBERSHIP AND OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES:

EDUCATION:GRAY AREA'S EDUCATION PROGRAM SERVICES INCLUDE WORKSHOPS AND INTENSIVE COURSES. GRAY AREA DEVELOPS STEAM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, ART, AND MATHEMATICS) CURRICULUM FOR ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT BY TEACHING INTERDISCIPLINARY SKILLS THROUGH THE CREATION OF ARTWORK. WE PRIORITIZE ENROLLMENT FOR A DIVERSITY OF BACKGROUNDS WITHIN OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMS, 80% OF OUR STUDENTS SELF-IDENTIFIED AS WOMEN, MINORITIES, OR OTHER UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN TECHNOLOGY FIELDS. IN THE LAST YEAR, WE RAN 25+ UNIQUE ONLINE, FREE, AND LOW-COST EDUCATION ACTIVITIES LED BY ARTISTS, OFFERED TO OVER 1600 STUDENTS, 73% OF WHOM WERE WOMEN/LGBTQIA2+ AND 72% BIPOC. OUR ONLINE COURSES WELCOMED OVER 300 GLOBAL STUDENTS.GRAY AREA'S CREATIVE RESOURCE LIBRARY IS A FREE LENDING LIBRARY OFFERING THE TOOLS NEEDED TO CREATE ELECTRONIC MUSIC AND SOUND ART. PAIRED WITH ACCESS TO WORKSHOPS, LABS, AND EVENTS THIS COLLECTIVE RESOURCE HELPS ELIMINATE BARRIERS TO CREATION FOR COMMUNITY ARTISTS.

RESEARCH:GRAY AREA'S RESEARCH SERVICES INCLUDE RESIDENCY, RESEARCH LAB, AND FISCAL SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES. GRAY AREA COLLABORATES WITH ARTISTS AND CREATIVE PRACTITIONERS WHO CRITICALLY INVESTIGATE NEW IDEAS, CREATE AND ADAPT TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH THEIR WORK, AND ENGAGE WITH PRESSING SOCIAL AND CIVIC ISSUES.OUR CRIPTECH METAVERSE LAB GATHERED A NATIONAL COHORT OF DISABLED CREATIVES IN SAN FRANCISCO TO EXPERIENCE IMMERSIVE MEDIA WORKS. THIS LAB SOUGHT TO GENERATE COLLECTIVE, PARTICIPATORY ACCESS THROUGH CONVENINGS THAT INVITED TEN ARTISTS WORKING IN DIFFERENT MODALITIES FROM SOUND DESIGN AND DANCE TO VIRTUAL REALITYTO ENCOUNTER AND COLLECTIVELY IMAGINE OR "CRIP" NEW CREATIVE PATHWAYS FOR EXPERIENCING METAVERSE ARTWORKS.