LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District

Imagine your artwork standing astride Folsom Street, welcoming visitors to the LEATHER and LGBTQ Cultural District, like these:

We want to construct a gateway on Folsom Street near 11th, as a centerpiece of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District.  We plan for it to be constructed as part of the SFMTA upgrade to Folsom and Howard Streets.

We want YOU to design it.  We hope you can reflect Queerness and Kinkiness, physically and/or conceptually. Themes and images for your inspiration (none required):

leather pride flag	other community imagery	boots
chains	a heart	a biker cap
a leather vest	rope	a fan
a rainbow	dancing	kinkiness
sexiness	celebration	freedom
individuality	rebelliousness	touch
solidarity	mutual support	equality
justice	representation

Specs:

• • Footprint: 3’ x 3’ max
  • Height: 14’ max
  • The gateway will be two pylons, one on each side of Folsom Street, each no more than 3’ square and no more than 14’ high.
  • The gateway may not extend over the street.
  • All designs must include the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District’s name and logo. 
    • (Note that there must be clear space all around the District’s logo of ½ the logo’s height.)
  • All text must be in the Proxima Nova font family.

Your creativity and vision are what we need RIGHT NOW.

Time is of the essence.  We need to get your completed submission by July 6, 2020.

All submissions become the property of the LEATHER and LGBTQ Cultural District.  One submission will be selected to receive a prize of $500. 

Revisions may be required for various reasons.  If your design is constructed under the city’s In Kind program, we will apply for an additional stipend grant for the winner, though any additional funds depend on grant approval and are highly uncertain.

We can accept most file formats (ai, pdf, jpg, png, preferred).

Send your submission (or a URL link to it), to gateway@sflcd.org.

On your mark, get set, create!

---

Local Queer and Kinky Artists, Artisans, and Performers in all media:  Are you on our Artists Roster?  Read about it here, or go directly to sign up here.

We have been asked by SF Planning to help recruit outreach and engagement in Digital Participation Platform for the Housing Element 2022 Update.  They want to ensure inclusive participation of San Francisco’s diverse population, and to elevate voices they haven’t heard from before.

Head here to get started!  (You might also find this page this page a useful introduction.)

Muni Art 2021 Call For Artists Open for Submissions
All Bay Area Artists Invited to Apply

San Francisco—San Francisco Beautiful proudly announces that the call for artists to apply for Muni Art 2021 is open!  This will be the sixth year that the contest will feature the work of local artists and poets on Muni buses throughout San Francisco. The five winning artists will have their newly created work presented along with five poems selected by the Poetry Society of America displayed on 100 Muni buses that will be transformed into rolling art galleries beginning in January 2021.

The theme this year, “San Francisco United” to honor San Franciscans who are working together to keep our people safe. Muni Art is a collaboration with The Poetry Society of America (sponsors of Poetry in Motion ®) who will pre-select five poems that each Muni artist will creatively interpret. The five winners will be chosen by an appointed jury and announced Friday, August 21, 2020.

“Art brings people together in spirit, and this is critical during a time when we must remain physically apart” said Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “We’re excited to keep this tradition going and to bring a sense of calm and inspiration to our riders during a challenging and stressful time.”

In addition to the five poetry panels, each artist has three panels to freely use that reflect the 2021 theme for a total of eight original works. The finished work will line both interior display sides of the buses. Readings by the poets at local libraries are scheduled for Spring 2021.

“This may be the most important year yet due to our shared experience of isolation due to the lockdown,” said Darcy Brown, executive director of San Francisco Beautiful. “Art and poetry influence our society by translating our collective values into beauty which can be processed and understood by everyone. ”

In addition to each artist having 20 Muni buses to use as a canvas, each artist will be awarded $1,000 at a press conference held on the steps of City Hall in January.  The artists have until Friday, July 17 at 6 pm.

View full submission instructions and details here: Muni-Art-2021-Call-For-Artists

Learn more about the Muni Art Project here:  https://sfbeautiful.org/muniart/

Artists, please send submissions to: Peter Clarke, peter@sfbeautiful.org

Applications must be submitted via email to: muniart@sfbeautiful.org

For details on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Darcy Brown at darcy@sfbeautiful.org, 415-307-7707.