With support from the California Arts Council, SOMArts will partner with Bay Area queer performance trio Toxic Waste Face to produce a series of four monthly performance workshops for youth participants of LYRIC LGBT Youth Center’s summer program, a panel discussion with diverse stakeholders to brainstorm creative solutions to artist sustainability in a rapidly gentrifying Bay Area, and a culminating weekend of immersive interdisciplinary performance at SOMArts. T
Our core programs include:
– the Curatorial Residency program – incubates and supports projects from two curatorial teams each year;
– our Dia de Los Muertos exhibition – illuminates the connections between cultural traditions and contemporary aesthetics, personal loss and urgent local & global issues;
– the annual Murphy & Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards exhibition – presents the work of emerging artists from the Bay Area’s MFA Fine Arts programs in partnership with The San Francisco Foundation;
– our Solo Exhibition series – honors the work of a local, mid-career artist; and
– the Ramp Gallery – a highly visible space in our front lobby that presents intimate solo exhibitions from emerging artists.
As a cultural center, we administer:
– a Fiscal Sponsorship program – supports the financial and administrative capacity of artists and organizations, including a neighborhood cultural district and an arts field building coalition.
– a Venue Rental Program – that supports the presentation of community-driven exhibitions, productions, workshops, and events at affordable rates, and a robust array of production support and equipment that prioritizes accessibility.

