The arts are a powerful force in our cities. Art changes the way we see the world, it can transport us to imagine different ways of living. Culture creates community and a sense of belonging. Yet many artists and culture organizations are surviving under fragile conditions and precarious support systems.

There is a grassroots movement in organizing cultural districts that is getting traction with support from governmental agencies and private philanthropy that seeks to create more robust policies and urban planning processes that involve artists and vulnerable communities they are a part of.

Join us under the stars in YBCA’s courtyard for a celebratory evening of short films, spoken word, and dance performances to showcase San Francisco’s vibrant, diverse, and deeply rooted communities. In the second half of the evening, we invite the audience, artists and representatives from San Francisco’s cultural districts to participate in a fun interactive exercise to strategize together what actions are needed to strengthen the cultural fabric of our city. Throughout the program, we invite you to enjoy a cash bar and local chef Azalina’s handmade appetizers.