As ArtSeed completes 25 years of vibrant learnings, life-changing mentorships, and sustained creative practice, we pause to reflect on the people, ideas, and relationships that have shaped our journey. This timeline reflects the evolution of ArtSeed, it’s moments of emergence, growth, resilience and the collective spirit that continues to guide our commitment to art-making as a meaningful force in young lives.
2000-2001 Gods and Monsters : Virgil’s Dante's Inferno & Nelson Mandela’s Imprisonment
ArtSeed was founded in 2000 by teaching artists Josefa Vaughan, Laura Kamian, Marissa Kunz with other board members as an effort to bring youngsters into meaningful contact with the world of professional art. The organisation received its first grant of $8000 from the LEF Foundation at the Southern Exposure exhibition: “Gods and Monsters” supported by Diana Stockton.
Shebangs (events)
• de Young Museum Artist Studio, “ArtSeed: Fruits of an Imaginary School,” March.
• de Young Museum Artist Studio, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Tim Rollins + K.O.S. with ArtSeed.
• Studio One Oakland classes, “Drawing;” “Oil Painting;” “About Face;” “Inferno;” “Get Your Art Out There;”
• Summer camps and art classes at Beacon Center and Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
2001-2002 Postcard to People in Power: Media & Communications
ArtSeed received its first donation of $58 from Mary Agnes Kumar at the Hunters Point Open Studio and launched its website thanks to Arwen Vaughan, Josefa’s son and his wife Heather.
Shebangs (events)
• Spring, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, ”Family Day Oil Painting with Josefa Vaughan and ArtSeed.”
• Synergy School classes: “Dante’s Inferno” fall 2000, “Multiple Choice/Plentiful Chances” & “German Art”, “Animation” Summer Camp.
• Chinese American International School, “World of Our Own” after school enrichment class, Winter, Spring and Fall.
• Park Day Fine Arts Camp, Oakland, “Drawing from the Sage”, Summer.
• Hunter’s Point ArtSeed Studio, Open Studios, Spring.
• The Point Gallery, “Sticky Business: Overview”, Spring.
• Bronze Medal, Zeum Youth Arts Festival, ArtSeed Collaborative Portrait of Nelson Mandela, Spring.
2002-2003 Coloring Sounds: Music, Visual Arts and Collaboration
ArtSeed deepened its commitment to collaboration across artistic disciplines by bringing together visual art, music, performance, and dialogue in Coloring Sounds: Songlines for Siebert’s Pipes exhibition, an effort by Josefa at The LAB that both benefited and showcased ArtSeed’s work. William Scott starts his apprenticeship with Josefa initiating a lasting connection with ArtSeed.
Shebangs (events)
• From Hand to Hand, panel discussion with David Hegarty, Raymond Holbert, Richard Felciano, Jeanne Foss, Charles Shere & Meredith Tromble, The LAB, Spring.
• Flash! performances by William Klinglehoffer, Laetitia Sonami, Kinji Hayashi, Charles Boone, Chris Burns, Beau Casey, Alden Jenks & Artseed youth, The LAB, Spring.
• ArtSeed’s Fine Arts Summer Camp, Bayview Opera House, funded by the Shipyard Trust for the Arts, teaching artists: JV & Marissa Kunz; ArtSeed interns: Bonnie Kirkland, Baktash Sorkhabi, Monica Mercado, Stephanie Majia with Burnett CDC students.
• Virgil’s Spoken Word, Brandon Jones / Micheal Tilotson, classics expert, Lydia Titcomb’s Pacific Heights Home (first board development event) Spring.
• Art IS Education Day: ArtSeed Oil Painting on Canvas Workshop, Oakland Museum of California, Spring.
• Bay Area Directory of Resources for Artists and Youth drafted from our community needs assessment and ArtSeed feasibility study, Summer.
2003-2004 Hiking Across America: Appalachia & Burnett CDC Outdoor Exchange:
ArtSeed reached a significant organizational milestone by achieving 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Arwen Vaughn (Josefa’s son) and Heather (his wife) go on a 6-month long Appalachian Trail Hike to raise funds for the elementary school students of the Burnett Child Development Center (CDC) in the Bayview Hunter’s Point district of San Francisco. A shooting that happened near their premises had forced the kids to stay indoors and the hikers exchanged photos, drawings and letters through web and mail so that the kids could learn about nature, camping and just get outside, if only in their imaginations.
Shebangs (events)
• Marin Headlands Youth Hostel overnight retreat
• ArtSeed Intensive Exhibition, San Francisco Art Institute graduate studios Swell Gallery, Summer
• Summer 2004 ArtSeed Apprenticeship Intensive, San Francisco Art Institute graduate studios, Summer
• San Francisco Education Fund, 2004-2005 Leadership and Professional Development Grant Proposal
• Burnett Child Development Center, Bayview Hunters Point, Bob and Betty Klausner, early sponsors
• Pacific Community Charter School Conceptual Art Seminar, Point Arena
• Inside City Limits, Heather Schultz, Channel 11/Cable 23
• CNYD Scholarship training for Josefa Vaughan and Marissa Kunz
• Alvarado Elementary School residency, Marissa Kunz, teaching, 9/03-5/04
2004-2005 Bridges: Engineering and City Planning
Shebangs (events)
• Drexel University students designed & implemented a Bridge Engineering Intensive at Burnett CDC, Alvarado Elementary, and Town School with ArtSeed artists.
• ArtSeed Bridges: Fresh Roots to Full Bloom, a black tie art auction event performance, and exhibition at the San Francisco Art Institute.
• San Francisco Education Fund Grant for weekly Burnett Child Development Center afterschool classes
Housecalls (people)
• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Young Artists at Work Internships: Ryan Collins, Rosemarie Ruel, Luba Yusim, Richard Cheung w/volunteer Laura Garcia (installation @ Bayview Hunters Point Foundation).
• Our visit w/Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, Winter 2005.
2005-2006 Money Makeovers: Office Move & 5th Anniversary Accounting
• Artseed moves to the Tides Foundation office space in the Presidio.
• First summer intensive and exhibition held at Thoreau Center for Sustainability.
• Dance-A-Thon Movement Education Project and Kickoff Picnic.
• TV article, “Inside City Limits” on Comcast Cable Channel 11 produced about ArtSeed’s Thoreau Gallery show. Aired Wed. July 5 at 9 pm, Thurs. July 6 at 8 pm and Fri. & Sat. July 7 & 8 at 6:30 pm
2006-2007 If I Ruled the World: Governance, Identity, and the Creative Process
• First California Arts Council Artists in Schools Program Matching Grant.
• Moon and Stars Project, postcard by YBCA and Burnett student & teachers sent to artist Peter Hristoff and Buket Sahim to be exhibited in New York City and Istanbul.
• Kevin Quan, ArtSeed Treasurer
• Zeum Exhibition/ World Savvy Collaboration
• Achenbach Inspired, The Point Gallery Exhibition of works on paper, Achenbach Graphic Arts Council with opening and closing receptions
• Devin Miller & Tyva Kyzy, Tuvan Throat Singers from Mongolia, Performance/Presentation for Burnett Child Development Center (CDC) and Grace CDC
• Winter Soirée, ArtSeed Musical Performance and Celebration at board member Justin Hoover’s Pacific Heights home
• Burnett Child Development Center, professional art studio set up
• Pacific Community Charter School, Point Arena, workshop
• Online Review of ArtSeed’s Thoreau Gallery Exhibition on artbusiness.com
2007-2008 Hereafter: Futures with which we can live?
• Gimme Shelter paintings publicly displayed in three Oakland Clear Channel Bus Shelters.
• The new Thoreau Center office location moved from 1012 Torney to 1007 Gen. Kennedy Ave, Suite 206.
• First Annual Board Retreat, Donna Logan facilitator, home of Matt Boris and Greg Paxton, Berkeley
• Presidio Trust, ArtSeed artists & youth get access to the Presidio’s the Public Health Services Hospital to photograph 20 years worth of graffiti inside before it is renovated. ArtSeed Youth Council write grant: $7,800 won from Youth Funding Youth Ideas/CHALK and Department of Children, Youth and their Families grant for Urban Art: 11th Hour, a youth-led photography project documenting graffiti before it is destroyed (by Erin Wallace)
• James Grant & Company, curated by Tony Grant & Josefa Vaughan (May 21 – June 5)
• Mandala Project, Collaboration with Unitarian Universalist Society & The Faithful Fools
• Presidio Trust partnership paintings Sherman Elementary Schools, arts integration classes with Marissa Kunz
• Start Cultural Data Project online profile
• Plans for new ArtSeed brochure design started with Nina Zurier
• California Arts Council Artists in Schools Program Matching Grant from Sherman Elementary PTA
• Wachovia Foundation Alan Coleman matching gift
• Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, Summer Intensive scholarships for Nathan Seastrunk & Zoriyah Carter
• The Hinkley Fund grant, The Mandala Project, collaboration with Unitarian Universalist Society & The Faithful Fools
• Perforce Foundation, gift in honor of employee Hamish Reid
• Tony and Caroline Grant major gifts
2008-2009 Structure & The Meaning of Life
• ArtSeed Fast Art Stop at Macy’s Community Shopping Day and for hospitalized children at UCSF Harvest Fest.
• First Earth Week Art-a-thon, Thoreau Center for Sustainability, 12 hour art-making fundraiser with 12 workshops by distinguished SF artists in a variety of fields, April 18, 2009.
• Annual Exhibition Closing Receptions, Annual Theme – Structure and the Meaning of Life, curated by Chris Treggiari Thoreau Center Main Gallery, May 1 – June 3, 2009
• The Art Run Fun Run organized by Kevin Quan, home brew by James Joves, baked goods & cake decorating by Steve Funk & Lauren Korshal. Event sponsored by Fleet Feet Sports Store owners Brett Lamb & Kim Holt, Sept. 3
• T-shirt Contest organized by Kevin Quan with Jurors Bill Web and Matt Forsman, Aug 10
• ArtSeed Summer Intensive at the Bay School of San Francisco, Aug. 5-12, 2009
• Nigerian Artist Bright Ugochukwu Eke’s presentation at the Burnett Child Development Center, Feb.
• Junior Apprenticeship: Weekly open studio sessions with Mentoring Artist Marc Ellen Hamel and Burnett students Roberto Manzon, Ricardo Rojas, Josue, Dayanna Seymour, Quinshae Jackson, Latojone, Kirby Luk, Juan Restrepo, Chelsea Herrera, Benny Lui, Marquis White, Randy Windom, Paul Mackenzie, Christaupher Peacock, and Randy Windom.
• DVD Summer Intensive 2009 Participant Keepsake
• JEFF GRUBLER’S WET WEDNESDAY AT THE RIP TIDE ANGELS Raised: $1,725; Cost: 0; Net: $1,725