Activities 2010 – 2011

ArtSeed Programming Year 2010 – 2011 Report Outline

Theme: Charting the Depths from the High Seas to the Mysterious Mind 

(Melville’s Moby Dick and the Maritime professions)

PEOPLE

Board of Directors: Edna Arterberry, Bayview Hunters Point Community Liaison; Matthew Boriskin, President; Marissa Kunz, Founding Artist/Educator, Secretary, Program Officer; Kevin Quan, Treasurer; Keith Van Bueren, Development Officer and Youth Council Coordinator; Josefa Vaughan, Founding Artist/Educator, Executive Director

Most Active Advisors: Arwen & Heather Vaughan, Tony Grant, Richard Mitchell, John Davis, James Cunningham, Michelle Vignes, Charles Boone; Accounting: Allerton Steel, Joan Nelson, David Hollands, Edna Arterberry, Vinnie Rogers

Mentoring Artists: Charles “Trey” Houston, film-maker (Sydney Van Bueren), Charles Boone, composer (Sasha Kharag); Josefa Vaughan painter (Christine Le & Jade Kukuchi); Alexandra Bastias and Maria Coomber (James Dailey, Paul MacKenzie, Roberto Monzon Jr.)

Teaching and Assisting Artists: Marissa Kunz and Jessica Robin; Josefa Vaughan        with Alexandra Bastias; Manon Bogerd-Wada with Kenneth Kolevzon, Alex & Veronica    Bastias, Yvel Sagaille, Peter Hyer, Yoshi Wada

Presenting/Exhibiting Artists and Musicians: Trey Houston, Peter Mann, Marissa Kunz, Olaitan Callender, Raymond Holbert, Will Barclift, Claire Jackel, Josefa Vaughan, Meegan Barns, Tycho Horan, Kristin Jackson, Steven Chin, Stringer Belle: Matt and Emily McClean, Paul O’Leary; Devon McClive and Sons, Michael Tornatore; Crank Ensemble: Larnie and Bodil Fox, Lena Strayhorn, Chris Miller, Matt Davignon

Youth Council: Sydney Van Bueren, Daria Baydina, Dina & Sasha Kharag, Andrew & Austin Poli

Summer Intensive Youth: Allen Yesin, Elisha Barbaree, Isabella Bauer, Christine Le, Roxana Zigman, James Dailey, Paul MacKenzie,  Jade Kukuchi, Micha Kim, Abigail Kim, Anna Mae Yarbrough, Andrew Poli, Austin Poli, Justine Jang

Interns/ Volunteers: Jeff Van Bueren, Thomas Tandy, Ali Weaver, Tycho Horan, Yvonne Yarbrough, Marsha Lew, Katrina Yarbrough, Kristin Jackson, John Scheib, Jeff Van Bueren, Nicole Rose Gelormino, Vincent Kukua, Amy Crumpacker (ArtSeed’s Studio Affiliate), Maria Coomber, Aoi Yamaguchi, Jessica Robin, Hayley Lew, Victor Zho Jun Chen, Kristin Jackson, John Scheib, Malik-Heru Seneferu

Most Active Parents: Keith & Velvet Van Bueren and Ludmila Turok, Megumi Poli, Shannon MacKenzie, Vinnie Rogers, Roberto Monzon Sr., Marsha Lew

Staff: Josefa Vaughan, Marissa Kunz, Steven Chin, Trey Houston, Will Barclift, Reyna Kontos, Xiani Wang, Anton Belov

EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS

Leola Havard Early Education School dedication ArtSeed studio (room 218) Fall 2010 Open House

Annual Exhibition: Stocking the Piquod Annual Theme – Charting the Depths curated by Josefa Vaughan Thoreau Center Corridor Gallery, July 5 -31, 2011

Hearth Community Garden Project in partnership with Bridges Academy at Melrose, Manon Bogerd-Wada, teaching artist sponsored by ArtSeed with a grant from Open Circle Foundation, December 15, 2010

Arion Press exhibition, reception and reading, Summer Intensive 2010 selections from Don Quixote Series

Flax exhibition of ArtSeed 2009 photo documentation of historic Presidio Hospital graffiti Presidio Teacher’s Night, Aoi Yamaguchi, Oct 7, 2010

Summer Resource Fair, Concourse Center, March 19, SF Department of Children, Youth, and their Families

Fall Open Studios, Hunters Point Shipyard, October 30 & 31 featured Artists: Charles “Trey” Houston and Sydney “Raven’ Van Bueren Video Installation

Spring Open Studios, Hunters Point Shipyard, Featured Studio Affiliate Artist: Amy Crumpacker, Theater Arts, Leola Havard (Burnett CDC) Pre-K and Art-a-thon Remnants

Sherman Elementary School Art walk, Marissa Kunz Resident Teaching Artist, December 16, 2011.

Jellyfish Gallery exhibition of photo documentation of historic Presidio Hospital graffiti
ArtSeed Summer Intensive at Pine United Methodist Church, Marissa Kunz and Peter Mann, lead artists June 26-July 1, 2011

Earth Week Art-a-thon, Thoreau Center for Sustainability, 10 hour art-making fundraiser, April 16 sponsored by the Pamakid Runners

Thoreau Center for Sustainability Craft Fair

Leola Havard Early Education School Pre-K field trip to their Presidio exhibition, Stocking  the Piquod at the Thoreau Center for Sustainability, with Teachers James Mayfield and Lupe Navarro and parents Monique Boone and Shawnta Rogers, Summer 2011

Board Meetings: 9/19/10; 11/7/10; 12/10/10; (Holiday Party with Charles Boone and Sasha Kharag presentation) 1/28/11; 3/15/11; 5/14/11; 7/5/11

WORKSHOPS AND CLASSES

Sherman Elementary School, arts integration K-5 classes all students, every week with Marissa Kunz and Jessica Robin

Burnett Child Development Center (renamed Leola Havard Early Elementary School), arts integration two weekly Pre-K classes and four weekly apprenticeship meetings and workshops with Josefa Vaughan, Alexandra Bastias, Maria Coomber and other guest artists (Thomas Tandy, Malik-Heru Seneferu, Trey Houston, Will Barclift and Marissa Kunz.

Private lessons: Isabella Bauer, Madison Olds, Christine Le, Janette Salcedo Roura and Jade Kikuchi, James Dailey, Roberto Monzon, Paul McKenzie

Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program (MYEEP) workshop lead by Anton Belov, ArtSeed MYEEP program alum.

Apprenticeships with Mentoring Artists: Charles “Trey” Houston, film-maker (Sydney Van Bueren), Charles Boone, composer (Sasha Kharag); Josefa Vaughan painter (Christine Le & Jade Kukuchi); Alexandra Bastias and Maria Coomber (James Dailey, Paul MacKenzie, Roberto Monzon Jr.) Apprenticeships culminated in a video presented at Fall Open Studio, a power point presented at ArtSeed’s Baker Beach Holiday Party and ArtSeed’s end-of-year Thoreau Center exhibition, Stocking the Pequod.

Buriram, Thailand Still-life. Marissa Kunz and Peter Mann organized a three-hour     workshop for forty elementary to high school age children in a rural community who worked for the first time with conte crayon, watercolor and acrylic, July 2010

Charles Boone served as a short-term mentor to Cambodian dancer Prumsodun Ok.    Prumsodun had been a student of Charles’s at the San Francisco Art Institute and wished to continue their work together. The mentorship was facilitated by San Francisco’s CounterPulse organization and took place the end of 2010.

FIELD TRIPS:

Gallery Paule Anglim, Rena Bransten Gallery, Bekris Gallery, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, George Krevsky Gallery, Catherine Clark Gallery, Jack Van Heile Gallery

San Francisco Art Institute

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art,

Fine Arts Museums, Palace of the Legion of Honor

San Francisco Ballet (Petruska and Rite of Spring, Charles Boone & Sasha Kharag       Apprenticeship)

Hunter’s Point Open Studios, Golden Gate Park, Sutro Park/Baths, Ocean Beach, Presidio + Golden Gate Bridge, Pine Methodist for audio recording.

PUBLICITY

Heidi De Vries, Ready, Set, Create, San Francisco Weekly, April 13-19 2011

Spanish translations: Summer Intensive application and letters to parents

Pamakid Runners Club ArtSeed Presentation by Josefa Vaughan

DVD Art-a-thon/Summer 2010

Website posts and 8 mass emails

Two postal mailers (one letter and one post card, of more than 2,000 pieces each)

The San Francisco Arts Quarterly, general listing

OPERATIONS, FACILITIES & CAPACITY BUILDING

Cultural Data Project updates by bookkeeper Joan Nelson

Total Revenue for 2010: $116,581 Total Expenses: $98,518

Keith Van Bueren plaques installed at both the Leola Havard and the Point studios     acknowledging this board member’s contribution of time and energy for renovations.

New ArtSeed Studio Affiliate Program Awardee: Amy Crumpacker

California Arts Council grants workshop, Berkeley Reparatory Theater, Berkeley

New Website Team established and progress made toward new website launch

NEW AWARDS, FUNDRAISERS, AND MAJOR GIFTS

Macy’s West Community Shopping Day with ArtSeed Fairies-making Station by ArtSeed’s Youth Council and Apprentices, May 14, 2011

ArtSeed Raffle at Joxer’s Daly by Jeff Grubler with dinner by Yolanda Garcia, July 11, 2010

California Arts Council Artists in Schools Program (fourth year), Second year to receive highest possible points and invited to apply for a 2-year grant next year.

Matching Grants from Sherman Elementary PTA, IBM, Oracle, Gap, Adobe, The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation

Philanthropic Ventures Foundation Affinity, Fund Summer Intensive scholarships for Christine Le

Grant applications: California Arts Council Artists in Schools Program ($10,200 Marissa); Open Circle Foundation ($5,000, Manon); Sustainable Arts Foundation ($20,000); Voluntary Arts Contribution, Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Fund ($3,150); Tony & Caroline Grant ($3,000); Pamakid Runners ($3,000); Macy’s West ($1,950); Philanthropic Ventures Foundation ($470)

Sustainable Arts Foundation, Tony and Caroline Grant major gifts

PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH

Leola Havard Early Education School (Burnett Child Development Center) eighth year of programming, sixth year that ArtSeed Apprenticeship Program has a dedicated art studio. Pre-K classroom teachers Lupe Navarro and Nancy Boyle (Josefa Vaughan & Alex Bastias, Teaching Artists)

Sherman Elementary School, sixth year that ArtSeed has had a dedicated art studio for teaching artist Marissa Kunz who teaches all 450 students one class weekly.

Thoreau Center, Tides, The presidio Trust Salvage Department

Arion Press exhibition and reception

Flax Exhibition Program and reception plus they hosted an ArtSeed board meeting

Pine United Methodist Church, The Point at Hunters Point Studios

ArtSeed Internships: Mayor’s Youth Employment and Education Program (MYEEP)

Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP)

Arts Providers Alliance of San Francisco

ART-A-THON COMMITTEE/LEAD ARTISTS Marissa Kunz (1st place and most sponsors winner), Peter Mann (2nd place), Josefa Vaughan & Bayview students (2nd most sponsors winner), Luned Palmer, Vincent Kukua, Meegan Barnes, Matt Boris, Raven Van Bueren (youth winner), Jessica Robin and Christine Le (2nd youth winner).

GRAND TOTAL (Raised): $9,988.23

 APPRENTICESHIP AND OTHER TESTIMONIES:

Sasha Kharag with mentoring composer Charles Boone

Sydney Van Bueren with mentoring film-maker Charles “Trey” Houston

Christine Le & Jade Kukuchi with mentoring painter Josefa Vaughan

James Dailey, Paul MacKenzie, and Roberto Monzon Jr. with visual artist mentors    Alexandra Bastias, Maria Coomber and Josefa Vaughan at Leola Havard Early Education School ArtSeed Studio and beyond.

My apprenticeship with Charles Boone:

“It was definitely an experience I did not expect. Shortly after my sister became a part of the ArtSeed Youth Advisory Board, I met this intelligent man named Charles Boone. One day, he asked me if I could be part of an apprenticeship program. I was not really sure what I was getting myself into, but I joined Charles. We discussed abilities we had and came to the final outcome of doing a PowerPoint presentation about the old becoming the new. Charles is a composer and was a professor at the San Francisco Art Institute. He taught me many things about people from my Russian heritage such as the renowned composer Igor Stravinsky. We went around San Francisco while Charles showed me different sculptures made by Richard Serra and many others. He also pointed out many buildings that have great architectural significance. One of these was Frank Lloyd Wright’s building that is a small version of his later Guggenheim Museum in New York. We went together to the San Francisco Symphony to hear Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. He even introduced me to the conductor, who gave me his autograph. Charles let me borrow CDs of other great Stravinsky pieces and we went together to see the Stravinsky ballet Petrouchka.”

“After months of looking at videos, listening to music, going around town to see sights, and so on, we knew what we wanted to do. We scoured for pictures on the Internet to put in the presentation. With our carefully selected pictures, Charles created an amazing script. When we showed our work, people definitely enjoyed our presentation and were surprised to find out that it was a massive forty-five minutes. I enjoyed the reaction of the audience. Charles was a great mentor and a good friend. Maybe we can do another project together.”

— Sasha Kharag, 2010

Apprenticeships culminated in a video presented at Fall Open Studio, a power point presentation at ArtSeed’s Baker Beach Holiday Party and ArtSeed’s end-of-year Thoreau Center exhibition, Stocking the Pequod.

Additionally:

Charles Boone served as a short-term mentor to Cambodian dancer Prumsodun Ok. Prumsodun had been a student of Charles’s at the San Francisco Art Institute and wished to continue their work together. The mentorship took place the end of 2010, was facilitated by San Francisco’s Counterpulse organization, and culminated in a dance performance there.

New Apprenticeship Pilot:

“Having had nice exchanges with Paul MacKenzie at this summer’s ArtSeed Intensive, I invited him to spend a couple of hours having lunch and doing some exploring downtown. After dim sum, we looked at the Cupid’s Arrow and Charlie Brown sculptures in front of and inside the GAP headquarters building, walked through the Ferry Building, bought two boxes of strawberries (many of which had been consumed before the day was over), and took the streetcar back to Paul’s apartment. I suggested to him, and repeated to his mother, that I’m good at all of the humanities and would be happy to help Paul with any of his schoolwork he might wish to meet with me about. I look forward to staying in touch with Paul.”

– Charles Boone, Composer

Final Report from film-maker Charles “Trey” Houston mentoring Sydney Van Bueren 2010-11:

“This was an extraordinary year for my work in collaboration with ArtSeed. Capturing the variations of work being done with children and youth across the Bay was enlightening and exhilarating, namely capturing the Summer Intensive for the third consecutive year, the Art-a-thon, Marissa’s work at Sherman, Manon at Burnett, Amy at Hunter’s Point and a few others to boost. Though the resounding highlight of the year my fostering the Youth Apprenticeship with Sydney!

“This organically grew from my jovial relationship with Sydney, after getting to know each other from the intensives and her active participation in ArtSeed, since she was the Youth representative on the Board of Directors. We shared a commonality and imagination in our everyday language which I thought would translate into a positive work relationship. My prior apprenticeship ended prematurely because the student and I did not gel as a pair. In order for an apprenticeship to work over a long period of time, at least as was the case for me, there needs to be a commonality between the mentor and the apprentice. As the case with Sydney, we could both actively discuss our trips to the moon and what kind of rocks we collected.

“Over the year, I can say that not only was the apprenticeship successful, but I have also created a strong bond with Sydney and her family which is worth as much to me as the end products of the instruction. ArtSeed can be another art organization teaching children indiscriminately, or it can be a family. With Josefa’s leadership, I have adopted a family attitude.

“We started with some guidelines. Though I had many goals for the year, it was most important that we take an organic and relaxed approach to instructing and learning. I wanted to adapt the projects to Sydney’s focuses and gifts, rather than dictate a rigid order of projects and events.  Also, I wanted to hold her to higher standards, treating her as I would an older teenager.

“I look back at some of my goals and feel they were accomplished:

  • Introduce and foster versatile skills which may be a applied to future projects, both personal and commercial.
  • Apply broad artistic mediums which my be incorporated into projects giving an all encompassing development as an artist such as painting, drawing, etc.
  • Maintain positive work relationship, creating an organic collaboration between mentor and apprentice
  • Expose apprentice own professional work and other professional’s work in the art community
  • Empower apprentice to exhibit their work by creating media identity on the internet; facilitate screenings and exhibitions
  • Focus on organizational skills; healthy critiquing of other artist’s work as well as personal work

“We met consistently for twice a month, spending an average of 3-4 hours each session, with exception of the Fall Open Studios project, where we met nearly every weekend.  Sessions often consisted of an even mix of discussion and video work. We would go for walks in the neighborhood to catch up on life before ever turning a camera on, though many of our video or photo adventures were on these walks. We would often walk to Sutro Park, Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park. We did work in the Presidio, at the Golden Gate Bridge. At first, basic video skills were done through finding interesting sights in these locations. Sydney would bring her small HD camera, which I happily found to be a suitable camera for her to begin with, with many needed functions I hoped it would have. However, she did operate a professional camera on a few occasions.

“During the week, her video skills were fostered through various projects by filming everyday events with her family, her home neighborhood quirks, applying images to music, capturing ArtSeed events (such as the Intensive & Art-a-thon), fairies in different environments and beyond. Some of these projects were difficult, because Sydney would take them on with a mind of her own, not adhering to the “rules” of a project. At a point, I made it clear we must have an understanding between the two of us culminating in a mutual respect. I was open to her working her own way as long as she was employing my teaching methods. It was clear I didn’t want to waste my time. So we agreed to go 50/50 on the projects, 50% her ideas and 50% my instruction. This proved to be a successful way to work. Sydney is a multi-talented person who I did not want to hamper her creative impulses, yet I did not want her to have unobstructed reign on projects.

“She shot still photographs, creating narratives on her camera, which was fun. She also shot B&W film photographs as a discipline to be applied to filming moving pictures.

“We watched music videos, deconstructed movies, and explored documentaries. She watched short films I had made and ones I did not. I enjoyed watching what she enjoyed as well. I was happy to hear of filming techniques she caught upon seeing a movie with her parents in the theater, which she replicated in another project. I also offered books, which she would enjoy, a couple of which she read and we discussed.

“After creating a few small projects we worked to focus on a larger project: Fritzie the tic. We had open and thoughtful discussions about her Tourettes syndrome and how she coped with it. She was comfortable in creating a short film about living with Fritzie. So we spent a fair amount of time discussing story structure, filming techniques and ultimately how we could make the film represent her feelings and struggle. After a time, she had decided not to move forward on the project and to focus on a music video. Though we did not move forward on this project as whole, she filmed some smaller ideas in relationship to the Fritizie project, such as a mock interview with herself. In the end, our candid discussions about her disability proved to be positive and built trust between us. I was able to talk about my own disability, dealing with ADD, which proved to be important later when Sydney herself was diagnosed with ADD.

“The music video was a perfect marriage of her music and new visual language. That was the most exciting part of the mentorship: listening to music, working with her to create a song. At first she decided to record one song called Ascending, which we recorded with her some of her friends at Pine UMC, though she decided this was not the song she wanted to use. The first session was scattered, she was nervous, plus I was not as prepared as I wanted to be. We moved forward with another song, which she and I recorded on our own. When we recorded the second song, “Me and Harmony,” we both walked away much happier with the results. It worked much better working without her friends. I was also happy to accompany her, playing the drums on the final track.

“We worked on this one project over the course just shy of two months. The last month consisted of us meeting each weekend to mix the music, edit the images, which were shot both randomly and specifically for the music, applying the images to the music as well as preparing it for Fall Open Studios. We even met twice in one weekend. For each session I pushed her to create something, which was worthy of her skills. The end product was labored on a shot by shot basis, with me asking why each cut was made, why images were selected and the relevancy of where they were placed. In the end, the video was her own, from start to finish. Also, during this time, I edited my Open Studios project alongside her, so she had the opportunity the see the way that I worked. We spent most of the time working at her house, editing footage she had shot for “Harmony” and incorporating random footage earlier in the year which she found suitable. Her parents embraced this work ethic and even provided dinners and encouragement along the way.

“We discussed the presentation of Open Studios itself in atmosphere, content and what we needed to prepare beforehand. Her keenly intuitive input was helpful while bouncing design ideas off of her. This was very supportive for me overall, and the goals I was trying to accomplish. Throughout the apprenticeship her amiable attitude and good heart helped sustain me through my own periods of doubt.

“The Open Studios weekend was itself wonderful! It was so much fun preparing the room with her and her father, from conception to physically set up. She selected a few of her favorite works to be displayed, which included some of the black and white photos. Her father even created the illuminated table in the center of the room. I believe she benefited from meeting so many people on the day of the show, which I hope she will always remember whenever she has doubts, or if she has doubts. She is a creative machine, which may never stop! She came both days, of her own volition, which I appreciated. She was dedicated through and through. The month building up to Open Studios was worth the labor.

“Throughout the year she had also participated in two professional shoots with me. Her footage was even utilized in a final product for a video to be shown on Dogstar daily, as well as participating in a green screen shoot with another professional. She was also exposed to local musicians, had the chance to collaborate at other ArtSeed events, and get an insight to other projects I was engaged in.

“It is so hard to sum up all that has happened during the year. It was joyous, challenging, inspiring and all-together amazing experience. I believe she walked away with an insight into an art which she could apply to her many talents. During a transitional time in my life, the work with Syd was a foundation, which kept me true to myself and inspired to take my own work to the next level. Getting to know Keith and Velvet during this whole process was unquantifiable. They took me in and made me a part of their family, often at times when I was not feeling well.

“We have decided to continue with the Apprenticeship for several reasons. This time we will focus on photography, though we will work on some video, namely editing. I am excited to see her edit a plethora of footage, which was never properly assembled in 2010. Sydney contends that no one else can steal me away from her and I feel the same way about her.

“2011 will prove to be a challenging year for the both of us. She has to survive the horror of losing her father. I cannot begin to understand how that feels. I have made myself available to her and Velvet for whatever purpose. I can only hope that our working together will be a consistent place to distract herself, be inspired, find consolation or function for whatever she needs it to be.

“Here were some of the skills she learned:

Foundation Production Projects

Foundations Photographic Techniques

  • Depth of Field, Foreground & Background
  • Tripod & Handheld
  • Color and B&W
  • Lens function
  • Framing the Action
  • Use of natural light & simulated light

Digital Photography: Fairy Stories – Using digital camera function, telling a story with stills.

Capturing the Neighborhood: Filming outside. Using tripod, filming local spots as well as home.

In-camera Sequence: Cutting from one shot to another sequentially. Changing positions to simulate a linear chain of events.

30 Seconds of Music: Using 30 sec. from several songs and matching their mood with images.

Words and Image: Writing poetry to coincide with long shots.

Black and White Photography: Using a more disciplined approach to filming. Focusing on light sources, manually setting each shot and logging information from each picture. May be scanned and blown up. Hopefully, she may utilize darkroom.

Watch and review: Writing with Light

Foundation Editing

Foundation Photographic Techniques

  • Learning in-camera editing, linear editing as well as non-linear computer editing
  • Vegas on home computer, iMovie
  • Exposure to more advanced Final Cut Pro
  • Sound editing
  • Story editing and importance

Art Intensive – Working to edit specific parts from camp together, independently and with mentor