CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO AWARDS INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL CONTRACT TO MISSION BASED ARTS PRESENTING ORGANIZATION
It was announced last week that Dance Mission Theater’s application, in conjunction with the San Francisco International Arts Festival and 27 other local arts organization, to stage an international festival in 2007 has been chosen by the City to receive at least $100,000 in support to go towards the successful implementation of the event. The funding was awarded by a panel of experts who voted in favour of the Dance Mission plan over proposals submitted by three other groups of organizations.
The 2007 Festival, with a theme of "The Truth in Knowing/Now, A conversation across the African Diaspora" will run from May 16 – June 3 and include productions, exhibits and films staged by the following Bay Area based presenting partners: ABADA-Capoeira SF, the African American Art & Culture Complex, AfroSolo Theatre Company, Alliance Francais, the Arab Cultural & Community Center, ArtworkSF, Brasarte, Brava! for Women in the Arts, Carnaval San Francisco, the Cultural Heritage Choir, Cultural Odyssey, Dimensions Dance Theater, Earplay, Flag of Freedom Production, Friends of Negro Spirituals, the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, the Israel Center San Francisco, the Magic Theatre, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the National Queer Arts Festival, Robert Moses' Kin, the San Francisco Black Film Festival, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Tabernacle Development Corporation, Thalia Productions, Zaccho Dance Theater and Zawaya.
The Festival’s multiple presenting partners will continue to be in fundraising mode throughout the year and the full line-up for SFIAF 2007 will be announced in late November 2006.
By coincidence, the news was announced just as the Festival’s artistic director, Rhodessa Jones was heading to Paris to attend the Danse l’Afrique Danse Festival, where she expects to complete the performing arts line-up for SFIAF 2007. She said upon hearing the news, “We are very pleased that the City of San Francisco is recognizing our work in this way. It helps us to have the City’s official blessing as we continue to raise funds to support our vision for SFIAF 2007. It proves San Francisco can be a visionary place.”
Krissy Keefer, the founding artistic director of Dance Mission Theater said one of her main interests in working on an international arts festival was, “To keep the channels of communication open between artists in the US and countries at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so. San Francisco’s message has to be heard nationally and internationally and this is a good way of getting that to happen.”
SFIAF’s board president, Thelma Fuqua, said of the award, “We feel very honored by the panel’s decision and we would like to thank all of the presenting partners that we are working with on next year’s festival, they’re support has been invaluable. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the organizations that have been involved with the Festival over the last four years. They have all made important contributions to the creation of this event. A lot of people have worked very hard to turn the idea of a San Francisco International Arts Festival into a reality.”
At City Hall, Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who has long been a proponent of a city-wide international arts festival said, “Dance Mission Theater and the Festival organizers have worked very hard over the past few years to make this project a success. I think the panel made the right decision. Congratulations to Dance Mission on winning the contract, I wish them the best of luck.”
Funding for the 2007 Festival will become available after July 1, 2006. The Festival is currently accepting proposals for SFIAF 2008. For more information members of the public should call 415-399-9554.
Tickets are already on sale for this year's festival May 18 - 22, 2006.
