Artwork credit: Adrian L. Burrell, The Game God(S) film still, 2022.
Image courtesy of the artist.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dara Katrina Del Rosario Communications Director [email protected] |
SOMArts presents Artist As Witness, an evening of film, dialogue, and dreaming
Saturday, January 25, 7:30 PM | Free, all ages
Wednesday, January 2, 2025, San Francisco, CA–SOMArts Cultural Center is proud to announce a partnership with Jonathan Carver Moore Gallery (JCM), Artist As First Responder, and Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts to present Artist As Witness, an evening of film and conversation hosted by third-generation Oakland artist Adrian L. Burrell. Scheduled for Saturday, January 25—just five days after the presidential inauguration and during the Fog Art Fair, when the international art community converges in San Francisco—Artist As Witness explores the impact of systemic inequities, personal autonomy, and collective resilience experienced by Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
Artists—through their ability to observe, envision, and create—have the power to lead our communities through times of crisis and uncertainty. Despite the ongoing efforts to dismantle DEI initiatives, attacks on Critical Race Theory, and the results of the 2024 national elections, Artist As Witness fosters a sacred and joyful space, where we can come together to for respite and dream of what futures are possible. How can we continue to have agency over our imaginations? What are the ways we can tell our stories when it’s becoming more difficult to do so?
“I have a huge amount of admiration and respect for the filmmakers and people involved in the panel. Not just for the care they take in the craft of storytelling but for the amount of creativity and loving leadership they bring to every space they enter,” shares Burrell. “It’s for that reason I’m honored they accepted the invitation to participate in Artist as Witness.”
The evening features introductions by SOMArts’ Creative & Executive Director Maria Jenson and gallerist Jonathan Carver Moore, poetry reading by Mimi Tempestt, and showcases the following four short films:
- Erina C. Alejo, Byen Pre Pa Lakay (Creole; You Are Almost But Not Yet Home)
An nonlinear experimental documentary, Byen Pre Pa Lakay (Creole; You Are Almost But Not Yet Home) immerses us into small moments and tender feelings in Veronique and her family’s resettlement in San Diego, California. - Aurora Brachman, Still Waters
Through a series of extraordinarily honest and intimate conversations, filmmaker Aurora Brachman examines the intergenerational fallout of experiences her mother endured as a child. Together, they forge a path forward that offers them a new beginning. - Imani Dennison, Bone Black: Midwives vs. The South
Bone Black: Midwives vs. The South is an experimental documentary about the history and erasure of Black midwives in the American South and how the attack on birth workers has contributed toward the Black infant and maternal mortality crisis. - Adrian L Burrell, The Game God(S)
The Game God(S) is a non-linear look into the American Dream from the Black Market’s perspective. The film points to American capitalism and its original sins: the commodification of black bodies, and the theft of indigenous lands. From Burell: “I wanted to create a meditation that forces us to hold history and its afterlives in the same vessel. A film that troubles the archive and doesn’t allow for simple endings.”
These four short films center resilience and resistance through stories of womanhood, identity, community, and histories often overlooked. The screenings will be followed by a conversation with Ashara Ekundayo and Dr. Ayodele Nzinga, and moderated by A-lan Holt, Director of Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts. By coming together, SOMArts, AAFR, IDA Stanford and JCM hope to broaden opportunities for emerging and mid-career artists of color whose values are rooted at the intersection of arts, social justice, and activism during a time of heightened political uncertainty within and beyond the arts & culture sector.
Event Details
Artist As Witness will be held at SOMArts Cultural Center located at 934 Brannan St., San Francisco, CA, 94103; This event is free, all ages with doors open by 7:30 PM. Wine provided by Eden Rift Vineyards.
To RSVP, visit: artistaswitness.eventbrite.com
PARTNERSHIPS
SPONSORS
ACCESSIBILITY
SOMArts is wheelchair accessible and in proximity to several nearby public transportation stops. SOMArts does not have automatic doors at its Main Entrance. Restrooms are ADA-accessible and low-scent cleaning products are used.
For more detailed information regarding accessibility at SOMArts, contact [email protected] with any related requests, questions, or concerns.
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ABOUT SOMARTS CULTURAL CENTER
SOMArts Cultural Center, founded in 1979, cultivates access to the arts within the Bay Area by collaborating with community-focused artists and organizations. Together, we engage the power of the arts to provoke just and fair inclusion, cultural respect, and civic participation.
SOMArts plays a vital role in the arts ecosystem by helping activate the arts citywide. We do this by providing space and production support for non-profit events, as well as fairs and festivals throughout the Bay Area, and offering a robust program of art exhibitions, classes, events, and performances that are affordable and accessible to all. SOMArts’ exhibition programs receive critical support from the San Francisco Arts Commission.
SOMArts is located at 934 Brannan Street—between 8th and 9th—within 2 blocks of 101, I-80, Muni lines, and bike paths. For public information call 415-863-1414 or visit somarts.org. Stay connected by following us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.