Based on the declaration by Mayor London Breed this afternoon (12/4/2020), and in the interest of the safety and health of everyone involved, we are cancelling all three Kinky and Queer Art Shows for the month of December.
Thank you for your interest in participating in our Sunday Afternoon Art Shows.
Key facts:
The event is happening on Sundays, 11/15, 11/22, 12/6, 12/13 and 12/20.
Doors will be open to the public from 11 am to 4 pm.
The event is free for both the artists and the patrons. Donations will be accepted
The location is the patio of 190 Russ Street, near Folsom, in San Francisco.
This is an adult event. No one under 18 will be admitted.
Signage will attract patrons attending the Sunday Streets SOMA event, being held simultaneously on Folsom Street.
Due to COVID restrictions, the space can only hold 12 people at a time. We will have 4 artists, and 2 volunteers, so we can admit no more than 6 patrons at a time.
Info for Artists:
Please understand that we are limited to just a few artists per show. We are not jurying artwork, but we are giving preference to artists from marginalized communities, and/or whose work reflects their queer or kinky sensibilities.
If you cannot attend in person, you can make arrangements to lend us artworks for a shared display table or wall. We can make signs for your items if you give us the text you want. If you include the Web address of a display or sales page, we will print out a QR code for folks to use to instantly reach your page. Or you can lend us your own signage if you prefer.
If you lend us your artwork, we will do our best to take good care of it, but we cannot be responsible for loss, theft, weather, or other damage to your items.
If you are displaying your art, you are responsible for protecting your artwork from weather, theft, patron carelessness, earthquake damage, or anything else.
Whether you are present or not, neither the Cultural District, nor the Leather Alliance, nor the event organizers and volunteers, are responsible or liable for loss, theft, damage, or loss of value of your artwork. We will repeat this message often, and require you to sign off on it.
We will be promoting the event both to the general SOMA community (via signage, social media, Livable City promotions, etc.), and to our local kinky and queer community (via community events, social media, etc.) You can help promote it also.
Although we can accommodate only a small audience, perhaps only 50 people per day, we hope that this opportunity to display and sell art directly to our community will be worthwhile and appreciated.
Social distance and mask requirements will be enforced. Other than masks, clothing is optional within the patio.
You may display as many works as you like, subject to space limitations. Each artist will get either an 8′ table or roughly 8′ of wall or other hanging space.
Please plan to arrive between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. for setup, and to stay until at least 4:00 p.m.
We will assist in hanging your artwork on the exterior walls surrounding the patio, but no permanent attachments to those walls are permitted.
You may also provide signage, including item titles, media info, and prices, along with personal info, QR codes, Venmo, Patron or similar donation options, etc. Please do not offer flyers, business cards, etc. to patrons.
For commercial reasons, we would encourage you to select items that are easily transportable, or might be considered potential holiday gifts.
Due to occupancy limits, you may not have anyone with you through the day; you may have an assistant assist you before 11 or after 4, or cover for you part of the time, but you and they should both be in the patio together only briefly when patrons are present.
There is a sandwich shop very close by, and lunch delivery can be arranged. Bottled water will provided to artists and volunteers. Or bring a lunch — our volunteers can keep it in our refrigerator for you.
Some of these shows may be cancelled due to weather or other factors. If cancellations are needed, we will contact you as soon as possible, and also post information on our Web page at https://sfleatherdistrict.org/show/
“Art works” includes crafts, (especially work in leather, steel, or other potentially erotic materials), adult toys, “souvenirs”, etc. All items must be your original creation, and should not be “mass produced”.
Artists are responsible for handling and managing all artwork sales. WiFi will be available to facilitate transactions.. Artists are also responsible for delivering artwork to purchasers where applicable.
Please do not participate in the show if you are unwell. If you need to cancel, please advise us asap.
Please use great care to comply with COVID-19 restrictions in dealing with patrons. You should review the city documents linked at the bottom of this page for reference..
If you have questions, please reach us at arts-chair@sflcd.org, or text David at 415-652-6790.
Sign Up Here to Show or Sell Your Work
Info for Volunteers:
Thanks! Please review key facts at the top of this page.
Because of the strict occupancy limits, we are limiting ourselves to 4 artists, and to just 2 volunteers at a time. This will allow up to 6 patrons in the space at a time.
This means that it is vital that all volunteers show up for their shift(s). Please sign up only for times you are confident about, and let us know asap if your availability changes.
We will need four folks each Sunday, one Entrance Volunteer and one Roaming Volunteer, in shifts from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, and from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Since we are planning for 5 Sundays, we need to cover 20 3-hour shifts. Please sign up for more than one if you can.
All volunteers must read and comply with the pages provided by the City of San Francisco, linked below. Other COVID-related training may also be given to volunteers.
Please do not join us if you are unwell. If you need to cancel, please advise us asap.
Entrance volunteers will sit just outside or just inside the patio space. They will greet patrons, check IDs (18+ only permitted in), encourage folks to sign the guest book (as required for contract tracing if needed) . They will remind patrons of the social distancing rules, confirm that each person entering is properly wearing a mask, and answer questions about the show and the Cultural District. They will also encourage patrons to use the hand sanitizer provided, and will disinfect the pen used for sign-in after each use. They will thank folks as leaving, perhaps gently encouraging donations (either to the provided container, or pointing to the printed “DONATE” QR code).
Once things get busy, they will enforce occupancy limits, keeping track to make sure than no more than 12 folks are in the space at a time. If a line forms, they will make sure that folks waiting to enter keep 6 feet apart.
Roaming volunteers will primarily keep an eye on the “displayed items” table, and provide information and support to guests and artists. As needed, they will remind patrons of the social distancing rules, and enforce proper mask usage. They will answer questions about the show and the Cultural District. They will encourage patrons to use the hand sanitizer provided before and after touching any of the artwork.
They will also do regular disinfection of all high-touch areas, including in the bathroom. (The bathroom will be restricted to use by artists and volunteers, and should be cleaned between users.) They will check in regularly with each artist, providing bottled water, bathroom-break coverage, lunch retrieval, or other assistance as appropriate.
Both of the first-shift volunteers will be responsible for retrieving materials from inside Catalyst, as indicated by Catalyst representative. They will post signs, hang the curtains at the gate, set up tables and chairs, etc. They should use chalk to mark 6-foot intervals on the pavement outside the entrance. They should verify (and coordinate with Sunday Streets SOMA staff if needed) regarding signage at the intersection of Folsom and Russ.
They will work with the artists to assign display spaces, verify that they are not hanging items permanently on the exterior patio walls, etc. They will retrieve “loaner” items from secure storage space within Catalyst and display them, with signage, on the shared display table. They will set up and start background music from the Catalyst sound system.
Just before opening, they should do a thorough cleaning and disinfection of all touchable spaces in the patio.
Both of the second-shift volunteers will be responsible for taking down signs and curtains, and storing them in designated space within SF Catalyst, along with tables, chairs, sign-in book, disinfection supplies, sound system, etc.
They should coordinate with Sunday Streets SOMA staff to remove and store the signage at the intersection of Folsom and Russ.
They will verify that artists clean up their display areas, and return “loaner” items, with their associated signage, to a secure storage location, as pre-arranged.
After everyone has left, and a final cleanup completed, they should (unless otherwise advised by Catalyst staff) exit via the gate and lock it behind them.
Useful Links
If you are interested in displaying and/or selling your work with us, please fill out the form here. Let us know a little about your work, how many items you would like to display, and which Sundays (if any) you would be available in person.
If you are not an artist yourself, but you are free on one or more of these Sunday, and would like to help us out, please use the form here, or write to arts-chair@sflcd.org to volunteer. It should be fun.
If you know someone who might be interested in showing, selling or volunteering, please send them to this page (https://sfleatherdistrict.org/art-show-info).
If you wish to promote the event, send folks to https://sfleatherdistrict.org/show/, to the Facebook event, or to the Fetlife event (coming soon). Look also for our postings on Instagram and Twitter, and share or retweet them. Posters are also available on request.
Please review the relevant City regulations and guidelines, so that you can properly comply with the City regulations, keep us from getting into trouble, and help keep yourself and others healthy. Portions of these documents are particularly useful: