Appearances aside, behind, inverted, twisted reveal new layers. Marked by a three-dimensional reconfiguring of larger-than-life photographs, the students of San Francisco Arts Education Project's Interdisciplinary Arts gave themselves a collage-like makeover that challenges attempts to define them from the outside. Artists: Bella Fernandez, Marina Kyle, Jasmine Liang, Kyra Monterrosa, Kristin Tan, Piper Allen

March 4-April 29, 2017 Minnesota Street Project Artists express alarm about our nation's new directions in the San Francisco Arts Education Project's latest exhibition designed to interact with young viewers. Each of the 22 participating artists has a singular voice, a point of view and a medium with which to express themselves as they respond to the state of our nation. Each artist also recognizes that being part of this exhibition for this particular organization means they are speaking directly to school-age children, ages 5 to 17, through their work and so have created prompts and ideas for involving the SFArtsED student audience to respond to the work. While all children may not understand political discourse, they have likely all felt what it is like to be bullied (or to bully), to feel unheard or to walk past a row of tents on the street offering scant shelter to the homeless. Their responses then become a cumulative component in the exhibition. The distinguished artists participating in Rise Up! ask for written or artistic or other creative responses – using words as triggers to evoke personal reactions or memories, for example – to forge a connection between a work of art and their own thoughts and emotions. In this way, the visitors will be invited to be part of the conversation and to take action. PARTICIPATING ARTISTS Seyed Alavi Chester Arnold Noa Batle Dawoud Bey Libby Black Tom Comitta Aiko Cuneo Linda Fleming Linda Gass Nancy Klein Green Taraneh Hemami Prajakti Jayavant Lynn Marie Kirby William Lukas Hung Liu Kara Maria Erik Parra Joel Daniel Phillips Michelle Pred Lily Simonson Lewis Watts Wanxin Zhang “We are delighted to welcome such a distinguished group of artists to our gallery’s exhibition Rise Up! Art As Action,” says SFArtsED Artistic Director Emily Keeler. “This will be an opportunity for artists as a group to raise their concerns about the policies that threaten our country’s values and progress on the national and world stage in regards to human rights, the environment and peace. Through their work they will express themselves in the powerful and eloquent ways that only artists can. In addition they will also offer prompts to our many young visitors that will encourage the young viewers to use the arts for their own expressions

November 5, 2016-February 25, 2017 Minnesota Street Project The San Francisco Arts Education Project explores the relationship between artist mentor and student artist in Dialogues. The exhibition will be the conversation of formal, material or conceptual elements found in the work of both the older and the younger artists. The work of SFArtsED artist mentors will hang alongside work created by students in each artist’s residency in a San Francisco public school or in an SFArtsED after-school program. Who inspires whom? Is resonance reciprocal? Lori Starr, Executive Director of The Contemporary Jewish Museum, serves as guest curator. “Artists and their students engage in dialogue, sometimes unspoken—through emotional connection, mood, and in the quiet of making the work,” Ms. Starr says. “The process of creating art together sparks imagination and risk-taking—for everyone.” SFArtsED Artists Alexis Arnold AgelioBatle Araya Boonbandansook Zoe Farmer Tiersa Nureyev Richard Olsen Wendy Robushi Josephine Taylor Participating Schools Claire Lilienthal Alternative School Commodore Sloat Elementary School Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy McKinley Elementary School Miralmoa Elementary School Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts Sherman Elementary School

July 10-Sept. 24, 2016, Minnesota Street Project Each summer for the last 21 summers, young artists collaborate with professional artists to create new work at SFArtsED Summer, a program of the San Francisco Arts Education Project. This summer, one group of students worked with Richard Olsen in a two-week mixed-media visual arts class, while another worked with Tiersa Nureyev in a two-week fashion design class. Work in That.Now.This. – created by 36 students ages 10 to 14 – comes from those sessions. MIXED MEDIA VISUAL ARTS From artist Richard Olsen: For two weeks we investigated different ways of experiencing, thinking and doing things. Themes dealing with identity reoccurred, often in surprising ways. Paintings of one’s “soul” resided alongside large figures comprising diverse elements. These works led to papier-mâché heads on spinning records as well as composite portraits of different students. The world of objects was not exempt. Drawings of objects in the room were affixed with body parts. A simple potato chip was enlarged and somehow had its identity transformed in the process. Identity is a fluid idea. In the course of the class, we stretched, deepened and, in some cases, deconstructed its representation and content. The title of this show is That.Now.This. As its acronym (TNT) implies, celebrating what young artists do can be an explosive event. FASHION DESIGN From artist Tiersa Nureyev: As humans we seek to communicate our ideas, values and commonalities. We do this via words, actions, art and with what we put on our bodies. Every outfit is a commentary, sometimes intentional and sometimes not. As Harold Koda said, “Fashion’s potency as communication is inarguable.” In the two weeks of this summer’s Fashion Camp we explored the idea of creating a very intentional persona and imagining what and how that identity could be expressed via fashion and costuming. The only parameters were to primarily use 2nd hand knitwear, create both a mask and costume for the body and to find inspiration in the unusual, mythical and fantastical. Aside from these guidelines the kids had free reign. And reign they did. The students pushed themselves to create everything from mermaid cats to geisha fish to characters inspired by Mexican folklore. All of the garments made during the two-week period were unique and thought provoking. Each student’s creation pushed and engaged with the topic of identity and clearly illustrated how you can be that, and through a simple a change of garb, become this. – Tiersa Nureyev

The selfie. Self-portrait? Or exhibitionism? Whichever is the case, the selfie is arguably the dominant form of self-expression in today's culture. Six students in San Francisco Arts Education Project's Interdisciplinary Arts Program take the selfie to new ground. Artists: Piper Alan, Bella Fernandez, Stephanie Go, Marina Kyle, Sophia Qin, Kristin Tan

For nearly 50 years, the San Francisco Arts Education Project has partnered practicing artists with students in San Francisco public schools to create hands-on creative experiences in the visual and performing arts. In celebration of SFArtsED’s new art studio classroom in the Minnesota Street Project, we honor exhibitions from our past – the student artists, the teaching artists and the extraordinary work they created together.

Changing Forms collected the work of mixed media visual arts students in Session 2 of SFArtsED Summer 2015. SFArtsED Master Artist Richard Olsen worked with the studentd for two weeks exploring a variety of styles and media, and select pieces of work were displayed at the 2291 Third Street gallery space.

In July 2015, work created by students, ages 9-14, working with artist teacher Tiersa Nureyev was displayed at 2291 3rd Street, a pop-up gallery in the Dogpatch neighborhood managed by the Minnesota Street Project. The work involved students exploring fashion as sculpture and creating garments made entirely of paper.

"Drawing on Youth" featured the work of seven high-school students in SFArtsED's Interdisciplinary Arts Program under the direction of Agelio and Delia Batle with Zoe Farmer and Tiersa Nureyev. The work was displayed at the SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason in May 2015. Participating artists: Piper Alan, Nilo Batle, Stephanie Go, Marina Kyle, Marikit Mayeno, Sofia Rothschild, and Sophia Qin.

This exhibition at the Catharine Clark Gallery showcased the work of students in the SFArtsED Art & Design after-school and weekend program for middle-school students along with work by high school students in Agelio and Delia Batle's Interdisciplinary Arts Program. Also, art from "INTERNATIONAL ORANGE: The Bridge Re-examined" was exhibited and auctioned off as a fundraiser to support SFArtsED visual arts programs.

In addition to the exhibition at the Mills Building (220 Montgomery Street), the "INTERNATIONAL ORANGE: The Bridge Re-imagined" project encompasses 75 "Bridge Galleries" all over San Francisco and beyond, thus bridging the entire area with student artwork.

An official "tribute" of the Golden Gate Bridge 75th anniversary celebration, INTERNATIONAL ORANGE features the artwork of students in nearly two dozen San Francisco public schools working with SFArtsEd Master Artist and exhibition curator Richard Olsen. INTERNATIONAL ORANGE is a work in progress -- the finished exhibition runs May 14-Aug. 4 at the Mills Building in downtown San Francisco and in 75 bridge galleries around the city. This gallery contains photos of works in progress, detail shots and classroom shots to convey the variety of ages and approaches involved in the exhibition.

Curated by Richard Olsen; In Collaboration with ArtSource Consulting; This exhibition was part of the year- long celebration of SFArtsED’s 40th anniversary. Inspired by the photographic portraits of famed photographer Dawoud Bey, this exhibition at the Mills Building featured the work from students in the SFArtsED residency programs, from Gateway Charter and School of the Arts. It also featured the portraits created by current and past SFArtsED artist teachers including Seyed Alavi (net/seyedsite/publicart/), Ray Beldner (www.raybeldner.com), Libby Black (www.libbyblack.com), Deirdra Daw, Agelio Batle (www.agelio batle.com) and Shelia Guidini.

Exhibition at ZEUM; Project Leader: Anna Von Mertens (annavonmertens.com); The project was led by Anna Von Mertens, a contemporary artist who uses the quilt as a media for her own work. She led workshops in the art and craft of quilting for the SFArtsED artist teachers who in turn used newly acquired knowledge to inform collaborative quilt projects in their classes. Many of the quilts made were seen in tandem with the performance by the SFArtsED Players “The Invisible Princess” based on the book of the same name by Faith Ringgold, (www.faithringgold.com) renowned author and quilt artist at ZEUM in Yerba Buena Center.

ZEUM, the Richmond Health Center and San Francisco State Fine Arts Gallery; Conceived by Seyed Alavi (seyedsite/publicart); Directed by Emily Keeler and Camille Olivier-Salmon; "The Color of My Dreams" involved artists and teachers working closely with the young artists in workshops and art classes in which they explored the metamorphosis of the butterfly as a symbol for transformation. They studied the process of change as a natural order in the universe, examining the needs and reasons for change, and finally exploring such related notions as hope and healing. Afterwards, the students utilized pre-cut paper butterflies as their "blank canvas", on which to express their individual feelings and discoveries through a variety of mediums and materials. The exhibition was first mounted on the ceiling of the circular lobby of the ZEUM tower in The Yerba Buena Center. It then traveled to other locations including the Richmond Arts Center and The Fine Arts Gallery at San Francisco State where the exhibition was part of a group Co-Lab: New Generations, show organized by the San Francisco Arts Commission in conjunction with that University.

Glen Park Elementary and Gateway Charter High School; Project conceived by Richard Olsen; This project was a continuation of the MIX 2000. It involved Gateway Charter High School, Glen Park Elementary and students of San Francisco Art Institute. The graduate students were assigned to classes under the direction of artist teachers Richard Olsen or Abner Nolan. The object was to bring artists together of a variety of ages for discussion and ultimately for creation of new works. There were projects that included outdoor sites, and collaborations between the older and younger students. As the first MIX had, it challenged the students of all ages to become familiar with each other’s worlds.

Francisco Middle School; Project conceived and led by Rene Yung (www.reneyoung.com); The students of Francisco Middle School and the participants of the On Lok Senior Center under the direction of artist teacher Rene Yung created ten feet long dragon from collaged materials which was finished in time to honor the Chinese New Year. In the course of planning and working together at the senior center, which was walking distance from the school, these two disparate populations came to know one another fellow artists and as people. The Dragon was placed in the lobby of Francisco Middle School and the seniors came for the opening celebration for exhibition.

The Mills Building; Conceived and curated by Richard Olsen; In collaboration with ArtSource Consulting; This exhibition was the result of a 15-week artistic conversation between students from the San Francisco Art Institute and art classes from Gateway Charter and Francisco schools. The graduate students sat in on academic and art classes at both schools, and the younger students visited the San Francisco Art Institute graduate seminars. In this way each group learned about the other, so that they came to know each other as students, as people and as artists. The exhibition evidenced this close and unusual conversation. It included unusual portraits in a variety of media and a video of the artists entering each other’s worlds.

Curated by Richard Olsen and Agelio Batle; San Francisco Art institute – Diego Riviera Gallery; The exhibition consisted of documentation and artistic responses by students from several visual arts classes taught by SFArtsED artist teachers to the creation of the GARDEN. Student docents from Francisco Middle School led viewers through the gallery answering questions about the artwork and its genesis.

Project leader: Ray Beldner (www.raybeldner.com); Francisco Middle School; GARDEN was led by site-specific artist Ray Beldner in collaboration with landscape architect Loretta Gargan. The artists, aided by a group of students from the San Francisco Art Institute led the entire Francisco Middle School through a planning and creation process of a garden sanctuary that would sit at the center of their school’s site. The sanctuary was conceived as a learning tool about nature, and a safe, outdoor space in a neighborhood where there were few parks. Besides the many plantings, it included many elements that students suggested: a wishing pool, murals and a circular stonewall. Members of the Levis Community Involvement Team were among the many adult volunteers from the neighborhood who made significant contributions to its creation.

Exhibition at the Mills Building; Conceived by Richard Olsen; Curated by Larry Rinder; In collaboration with ArtSource Consulting; Distiguished mid-career artists and young people in SFArtsED classes exchanged “problems” to be solved by making works of art. Assignments included “what does the soul look like?” “make a work for the sky,” “make something that makes you nervous.” The artists visited the classrooms twice, once for the exchange of problems and the second to discuss the solutions. Likewise, the students visited the artists in their studios, in this way seeing the work for the exhibition in progress in the context with the artist’s other work. The culminating exhibition included the work of the adults and students' “solutions” side by side using a wide range of media, video, drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics and artist’s books

San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery; Curated by Richard Olsen; This exhibition included the work from eight schools with SFArtsED residencies, WritersCorp and the Sculpture class at School of the Arts. The show included images and objects that were inspired by the dream world. In conjunction with this show there was a public conversation about arts education organized by SFArtsED. Participants included Patterson Sims, from the Education Department, Museum of Modern Art, SFUSD Superintendent Waldemar Rojas, Vas Prabhu from Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and Artist William T. Wiley.

Exhibition at the Rena Bransten Gallery; Curated by Richard Olsen; The first of the public exhibitions of SFArtsED’s visual arts exhibition program called One-to-See. Its mission: to place the work of children in art galleries and museums thus putting their offerings in dialogue with the work of adult artists. By placing the work in these traditional art exhibition settings it challenged the viewer to take the expressions of the children seriously.

The Brick Project was originally commissioned by the San Francisco Arts in Education Foundation for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's opening in January 1995. Conceived and led by members of the Foundation's "Artists Research Team" Agelio Batle, Janet Borardus and Richard Olsen. The exhibit won the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum's "Best of Design Award" for Environmental Design.