Our Programs
City Studio programs support young artists to take on creative challenges, broaden their practices, and deepen their critical thinking. We believe in providing free and accessible art for all.
Artivate
Artivate is a program run by artists and educators Amy Berk and Chris Treggiari, which works to bring activism and art to youth in the Bay Area while bridging communities through public art projects. The semester-long Artivate classes involve the youth collaborating in researching and in the creation of interactive public art projects with a community partner. The Artivate program has acted as a lifeline for Bay Area youth during the pandemic and post pandemic world, acting as a connection point to fellow youth, artists, and community.
Artivate creates new projects per semester and summer classes when appropriate, taking inspiration from art, events, and exhibitions in the Bay Area and beyond. Artivate treats these classes as college classes for our students giving them real-world project experiences while bolstering their resumes and portfolios for their future careers.
See the archive for images and more information about past Artivate classes.
Internships / Intensives
Working out of the historic home of the late artist David Ireland, a pillar of the California Conceptual art movement and located at 500 Capp St., San Francisco, these programs intersect and engage the artwork, house, and collection of 500 Capp St. Foundation.
The Intensive curriculum is creative, accessible, off-beat, and uniquely positioned as an exploration of the work of David Ireland and conceptual art in general. Participatory in nature, these one-day, three-day, or week-long educational workshops embrace everyone having the capacity to be an artist, a core philosophy of David Ireland. The participants dive into special projects and focused activities, usually during a period of time aligned with the SFUSD holiday break schedule.
The Internship occurs during the summer months and culminates in an event open to the public where, in the collaborative, artist-driven spirit of 500 Capp Street, interns are invited to select roles for themselves and help develop the event.
See the archive for images and more information about past Internships and Intensive.
Public Inter/Actions
Public Inter/Actions are short-term, one-day-only or a few weeks-long art projects that involve setting up a participatory art station in public settings. These can take the form of special hands-on projects for the public.
Upcoming is a project entitled Recipes of Resilience conceived to facilitate community storytelling workshops that revolve around food and family recipes as personal stories of overcoming challenges connected to global transculturation. The artist team works with families and communities to enliven and connect the community through raising community voices and sharing of these voices using contemporary art, social practice, and visual communications strategies.
Participants learn how to speak with the public, how to ask questions, solicit participation, and to direct a conversation with a visitor towards the artwork on display. Participants are also often asked to create an artwork for display in association with these Inter/Actions.
See the archive for images and more information about past Public Inter/Actions.
Art Bike
Bring a mobile art lab to your event. A fun way to provide hands-on art for all.
We set up a custom mobile print making station built on an orange cargo bike. Our team of professional artists work with you to create your own custom poster for your event. Together, we will print on-site and you and your community can create your own art to take home.
If you are a nonprofit organization, or an artist looking to collaborate with us, reach out using the form below, and we can negotiate a rate that works for you
Peace Movements
Peace Movements gets you moving through movement arts based in yoga and martial arts. Kids and adults alike learn to breathe in new ways, develop positive self-esteem, and balance, creativity and respect. We work with all types of youth especially those with developmental disabilities and with communities who are underserved.
The goal of the program is to make all the kids leave our class having exercised their minds and bodies, and received a strong positive self-esteem boost. The actions we engage are about connecting these kids to new ways to think about their bodies. We share creative ways to move and introduce new ways to breathe based in the ancient practices of yoga and martial arts. We will move like animals, we will make shapes with our bodies, we will discuss key ideas such as awareness, respect, and self-defense. We will encourage slowness and intentionality of movement, situational awareness and compassion.
This program is available for hire. We can bring this program to your school, community center, or afterschool program. Typical group rates are $30/participant. Classes last 90 minutes.