Passport 2011 October 23, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION GALLERY ANNOUNCES
PASSPORT 2011

3rd Annual DIY Art Collecting Event Comes to the Castro

Featuring Easily Walkable Route, Original Artwork by LGBT Icon Dan Nicoletta, Michelle Tea, Margaret Tedesco and many more.
With an After Party at QBar!

San Francisco, CA - The San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery (SFAC Gallery) will host its signature Passport event in the Castro District this year on Sunday, October 23, 2011. Celebrating a whole new lineup of Bay Area artists and cultural luminaries—including Chris Duncan, Margaret Tedesco, Dan Nicoletta, and Michelle Tea, among others—Passport 2011 invites the public to create a limited-edition artist’s book by collecting original, artist-designed stamps in a customized “passport” notebook.
From noon to 4 pm, hundreds of ‘do-it-yourself’ art collectors will take to the streets, following a designated, three-square-block route to collect the stamps from the artists themselves. While discovering some of the brightest spots in the Castro participants can enjoy the people and small businesses that define the neighborhood’s unique cultural character.
Passports are available for purchase online or at SFAC Gallery for $25. Proceeds from Passport 2011 benefit SFAC Gallery’s exhibition and public programming, dedicated to supporting San Francisco artists and bringing challenging contemporary art to the city.
This annual fundraising event takes place in a different neighborhood each year, and has quickly become a tradition in the Bay Area art scene. Passport offers art enthusiasts an affordable, hands-on art-collecting experience while celebrating local artists and the vibrant communities that support them. It also serves as a fresh alternative to standard fundraising models.
“We’re thrilled Passport has been received so well and is building momentum each year,” says SFAC Gallery Director Meg Shiffler. “It’s not just about the artists but the fabric of the city that inspires their work. Unlike the standard art auction benefit, Passport offers art patrons a more intimate, personal encounter with the artists they admire and want to support.”
Passport artists, such as 2010 contributor Sean McFarland, also appreciate this new twist of the traditional model for arts fundraising. “Passport is the only event of its kind in the city,” notes McFarland. “Rather than anonymously donating an artwork to an auction, you meet your collector face to face—lots of collectors in this case—and in a relaxed, everyday environment. It’s a great way to build exposure. And it’s great fun, too.”
History of Passport
In its inaugural year, Passport 2009 took place in the Mission District, arguably the heart of the local art scene, with stamps created by Libby Black, Michelle Blade, Lisa Congdon, Maria Forde, Colter Jacobsen, Veronica De Jesus, Sean McFarland, Barry McGee, Tucker Nichols, Maria Porges, Clare Rojas, Andrew Schoultz and Marci Washington. A diverse range of neighborhood supporters served as lively stamping locations, including Needles & Pens, Bombay Ice Cream Company, Paxton Gate and Casa Sanchez.
In 2010, Passport took Hayes Valley by storm, with artist contributions from Timothy Cummings, Richard Diebenkorn (courtesy of the estate), Jamaica Dyer, Ana Teresa Fernandez, Suzanne Husky, Jason Jägel, Ruth Laskey, Paul Madonna, Nigel Poor, Ricardo Richey, Lordy Rodriguez, Jovi Schnell, Travis Somerville, Deth P. Sun, Weston Teruya, and Lindsey White. Small business and organizations in the area such as local bag-designer Timbuk2, AgeSong assisted-living home, the African American Art Culture Complex, and clothing designer Lemon Twist—who outfitted a drill team to parade along stamping route—were integral to the event’s success.

Passport 2011
This year’s event in the Castro will offer participants the opportunity to collect stamps by 14 emerging and established Bay Area artists, including Tiffany Bozic, Elisheva Biernoff, Monica Canilo, Jaime Cortez, Chris Duncan, James Gobel, Pablo Guardiola, Dan Nicoletta, Alison Pebworth, Michelle Pred, Michelle Tea, Margaret Tedesco, and Jennifer Wofford. Favorite Castro outposts such as Café Flore, Unionmade, Cliff’s Variety Store, Castro Theater, the Human Rights Campaign Action Center, and many more will host stamping locations, each bringing their unique energy to the mix and continuing the community spirit of this newest San Francisco tradition.

Purchasing Passports
Passports will be available in early September and may be purchased in advance for $25 on site at the SFAC Gallery or online at eventbrite http://sfacgpassport2011.eventbrite.com/ (surcharge applies). On the day of the event, passports may be purchased at Passport 2011 “home base” (location to be announced). Only official Passport 2011 booklets will be eligible to receive stamps. For $125, collectors may purchase a Concierge Passport; gallery staff will collect all the stamps and mail it to their home. Only 25 Concierge Passports will be available, so early purchase is suggested. For information about the event, the public may visit www.sfartscommission.org/gallery, the Passport 2011 Facebook page http://on.fb.me/SFACPassport2011 or call 415.554.6080.
Passport 2011 is organized by the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery. Proceeds from the event go toward the SFAC Gallery’s Programming Fund, which supports artist honoraria and exhibition costs.
Media Contacts:
Meg Shiffler: 415.252.2568; meg.shiffler@sfgov.org
Aimee LeDuc: 415.554.6020; aimee.leduc@sfgov.org
Photos available upon request

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Passport Booth at the Castro Street Fair
Sunday October 2, 11 – 6pm
Stop by the SFAC Gallery Passport 2011 booth. You can buy a Passport, pick up information about the event and much more. We will have some surprises for everyone who stops by so come on down!
Passport 2011 Stamping Day
Sunday, October 23, noon–4 p.m.

Pick up a map at home base or find it online and begin a quest to collect artist stamps at various locations in the Castro District, San Francisco. Visit favorite neighborhood spots or discover new ones while creating a limited-edition artist’s book. Participating artists include Tiffany Bozic, Elisheva Biernoff, Monica Canilo, Jaime Cortez, Chris Duncan, James Gobel, Pablo Guardiola, Dan Nicoletta, Alison Pebworth, Michelle Pred, Michelle Tea, Margaret Tedesco, and Jennifer Wofford. Participating neighborhood businesses include Café Flore, Unionmade, Cliff’s Variety Store, Castro Theater, the Human Rights Campaign Action Center, and many more.

The Passport 2011 After Party Beer Bust
Sunday, October 23, 4-7pm
QBAR 456 Castro Street (btwn 17th and 18th Street)

Join us at QBar for an after party, Passport style. Admission is free! But a $10 donation includes all-you-can-drink beer, with all proceeds going to the SFAC Gallery artist fund. There will also be a cash bar, raffles, prizes a photo booth run by artist Sean McFarland, a live performance by the sensational Honey Mahogany and music by San Francisco Bay Guardian “Best DJ” two years running, DJNuxx

Information and Passport Purchase
Passports are $25. They will be available starting in early September at locations including the SFAC Gallery, Eventbrite, and the Castro Street fair booth
Passports may be purchased the of the event, at Passport 2011 home base between noon and 4pm. During that time, participants can stop by to pick up a map, purchase a passport, or make it a start point to meet up with family or friends.

San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery

401 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102

t: 415.554.6080 
f:415.554.6093

www.sfacgallery.org
 www.sfartscommission.org

About San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery Located in the heart of San Francisco’s Civic Center, the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery makes contemporary art accessible to broad audiences through curated exhibitions that both reflect our regional diversity and position Bay Area visual art production within an international contemporary art landscape. By commissioning new works, collaborating with arts and community organizations and supporting artist’s projects, the SFAC Gallery’s programs provide new and challenging opportunities for contemporary art to engage with a civic dialogue. The SFAC Gallery was founded in 1970 and is the exhibitions program of the San Francisco Arts Commission, the arts agency of the City and County of San Francisco.
The San Francisco Arts Commission The San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts in San Francisco. We believe that a creative cultural environment is essential to the City’s well-being. Our programs integrate the arts into all aspects of City life. The Commission was established by charter in 1932 (Charter sections 5.103 and 16.106).