FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dara Katrina Del Rosario
Communications & Partnerships Manager
415-863-1414 x103, [email protected]

SOMArts transforms passivity into action
with Please Stand By fundraiser and digital event

Please Stand By digital event, Saturday, June 20, 2020, 6:30 pm

Wednesday, May 20, San Francisco, CA– SOMArts has launched Please Stand By, a donation campaign that culminates with a live streaming summer solstice celebration starring some of the Bay Area’s most innovative artists. Drawing inspiration from television signal interruptions, this campaign was launched in early May to demonstrate that Bay Area artists and arts advocates can stand together even as we must shelter apart, by leveraging digital opportunities for connection and disruption.

Due to the cancellation of SOMArts’ annual spring fundraiser, the organization is facing a loss of at least $45,000 in income, which severely impacts SOMArts’ ability to provide the kind of mentorship, space, and stipends that artists rely on to be creative in an already economically precarious city. This funding is also essential in keeping SOMArts’ public programs and events free or low-cost, ensuring that everyone in the Bay Area can experience the radical power of art.

On Saturday, June 20, 6:30 pm, Please Stand By goes live on Twitch, bringing a mixture of performance, music, and video into viewers’ homes. Inspired by 90’s telethons and late-night infomercials, and hosted by beloved SF nightlife personalities Yves Saint Croissant and LOL McFiercen, this can’t-be-missed digital experience showcases the midnight monsters of Creature, the importance of mindfulness and meditation with MACROWAVES, and a performance by multidisciplinary artist Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo. DJ collective and mutual aid resource network We Are The Ones will be spinning a genre-defying set. Broadcasting from Los Angeles, headliner Sister Mantos graces the digital stage with their psychedelic blend of Latin beats, funk rhythms, and punk attitude that imagine utopias free of war and oppression.

As artists around the Bay Area and beyond have been directly impacted by shelter in place ordinances and event cancellations, SOMArts will provide attendees the opportunity to also donate directly to Please Stand By hosts and performers throughout the live stream.

The Bay Area’s creative community continues to bring hope and demonstrate solidarity in the midst of this global pandemic. As art workers, advocates, and organizations reckon with the ongoing impact of the present crisis, SOMArts’ Please Stand By campaign and virtual event poses the question: what future can we build together when we stand by one another?

PLEASE STAND BY
ARTIST AND PERFORMERS
Sister Mantos
Creature
MACROWAVES
Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo

DJ
We Are The Ones

HOSTS
LOL McFiercen
Yves Saint Croissant

CALENDAR LISTINGS
Public programs are free and all-ages unless otherwise stated

Please Stand By Virtual Summer Solstice
Saturday, June 20, 6:30 pm
Culminating virtual event with headliner Sister Mantos featuring Creature, MACROWAVES, Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo. The event will be streamed on Twitch and tickets are a suggested donation of $10.

To RSVP, please visit: pleasestandby.eventbrite.com

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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 and The San Francisco Foundation and are sponsored in part by a grant from Grants for the Arts.

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.

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