A Laboratory of Artistic Collaboration
A Laboratory of Artistic Collaboration
OUR VISION
We are a Laboratory of Artistic Collaboration and believe in art creation as a human right, therefore the Arts.Co.Lab Grassroots network promotes and supports the development of community-based artists, micro organizations, and collaborative projects, in the areas of production, arts administration, communications, and funding through the challenges of bringing their vision into physical reality.
Arts.Co.Lab is a BIIPOC led and centered space where everyone is invited to participate.
EQUITY BEYOND ETHNICITY
These are some of the intersections from our participating artists so far:
Our Pedagogy
We developed all the tools in this program through the lens of Indigenous practices and traditions, Black Liberation, and Gender non-conforming theory, through training, peer collaboration, and individual coaching.
The Transformative Grant Writing Program and Transformative Arts Business Program contribute to the professional practices of the participating artists. During our time together we prioritize the following goals:
- Learning critical concepts and strategies for marketing and self-promotion and project planning.
- Supporting in getting clarity on your core values and the audience who values your work.
- Assessing your strengths and available opportunities for funding.
- Creating personal and professional structures to meet your goals.
- Meeting peers across the creative disciplines to share collective knowledge and build relationships to support you as you grow.
OUR CONTENT GOALS
Our community efforts were created in response to the challenges faced by BIIPOC* communities due to gentrification and the health crisis of 2020. In recognition of the pressing need for equitable access to education and resources, we embarked on a transformative journey guided by the ethos of arts and culture.
As a result, our content is continuously evolving, driven by principles such as equity, inclusivity, and diversity as we strive to empower individuals within our community through educational resources. We strongly believe in prioritizing the voices and experiences of our students to truly understand their unique seeds and contributions.
Accessible
The content is created so that everybody in the space can understand it no matter their level of expertise or scholarly experience.
Flexible
The content is created to be accessed at different times that respond to our students’ workload and personal needs.
Clear
The content is created by prioritizing an approachable design and a good flow of information.
Personal
The content is relevant to your personal practice, or easily tailored as long as you put it into practice.
We believe in Arts Creation as a human right and we are developing a pedagogy to achieve this.
Our Call to Action
It is no secret that the Arts and Culture ecosystem in our communities, in the Mission District, and across the San Francisco Bay Area has been affected by years of gentrification and displacement. Based on information from the Californians for the Arts, by the end of 2019, about 80% of the artists had experienced a form of displacement from their homes, work spaces, or performance spaces, a situation quickly aggravated by the COVID19 pandemic.
According to a survey by Americans for the Arts, 95% of artists lost income during the COVID crisis limiting their access to art supplies, physical space, and their social network. Of them, a staggering 80% of surveyed artists have no plan to get back on their feet.
In the wake of the health crisis of 2020, Arts.Co.Lab activated, offering pro-bono professional coaching to artists to navigate the bureaucracy of accessing Emergency Funds from local, state, and national organizations, initially supporting 29 artists across the state of California.
It is no secret that the Arts and Culture ecosystem in our communities, in the Mission District, and across the San Francisco Bay Area has been affected by years of gentrification and displacement. Based on information from the Californians for the Arts, by the end of 2019, about 80% of the artists had experienced a form of displacement from their homes, work spaces, or performance spaces, a situation quickly aggravated by the COVID19 pandemic.
According to a survey by Americans for the Arts, 95% of artists lost income during the COVID crisis limiting their access to art supplies, physical space, and their social network. Of them, a staggering 80% of surveyed artists have no plan to get back on their feet.
In the wake of the health crisis of 2020, Arts.Co.Lab activated, offering pro-bono professional coaching to artists to navigate the bureaucracy of accessing Emergency Funds from local, state, and national organizations, initially supporting 29 artists across the state of California.
OUR TEAM
Arturo Méndez-Reyes
Founder & Executive Director
“La Cultura es una herramienta indispensable para la Dignidad de los Pueblos”
“Culture is an essential tool to grant dignity for all people”.
Arturo Méndez-Reyes
Arturo Méndez is a cultural producer, curator, visual artist, musician, and community organizer, advancing cultural equity in SF. Founder of community empowering projects, including Arts.Co.Lab, La Diáspora Festival, and Urban Prophets Illustrated and producer for the Mission Arts and Performance Project (MAPP) since 2016.
He has curated shows for the Exploratorium, Harvard and Cornell University, and the United Nations, recipient of the CALI Catalyst Grant from CCI, the Cultural Equity Initiatives Grant by the SFAC, and fellowships with the Intercultural Leadership Institute ‘22, and the Emerging Arts Professionals SF/BA ‘19.
His work strives to create generative narratives to empower people through arts and culture for collective joy and liberation, and to advocate for institutional policies and practices that center the voices of people from the most vulnerable communities.
“Culture is an essential tool to pursue dignity for all people.”
Therese Davis
Co-Founder & Program Manager
“I see that life is a spectrum and where you put your energy is what is worth looking at.”
Therese Davis
Therese Davis (Mo. Cheeskos) is an SF Bay Area Social Practice Artist, Administrator, Creative and Life Coach, Social Media Specialist, Event Planning Specialist, and Marketing Specialist Contractor. She is a certified Life and Creativity Coach who specializes in coaching BIPOCs and LGBTQ+ communities. She is the founder of the San Francisco Songbird Festival and co-founder of Arts.Co.lab. She was a Queer Rebel Resident Artist for 2022, a Co-Creator of the Immigrant Artist Network, and a Fellow and Mentor at the San Francisco Emerging Artist Professionals Program. In addition, she is a Leadership Development Coordinator, focusing on professional and individual development.
Clients are guided to take care of themselves through her coaching, which focuses on moving them away from burnout into self-care. In her work, she supports people who wish to change their circumstances or create new realities. In addition to emerging and mid-career artists, she also works with established artists and professionals. Their lives and professional growth are enhanced because they have more balance and access to their own creativity.
She is invested in healing-centered practices, restorative justice, culture- and diversity-affirming activities, and training for the community. She supports leveling up, so individual artists, educators, professionals, and change-makers can become part of the conversation moving justice forward. Her political focus is centered on human rights, fair housing, food, and social justice. As an activist, she explores the troubling persistence of the prison-industrial complex and its impact on communities of color.
Tray
Communications
Tray
Tray is a San Francisco native who has an intense passion for fashion, art ventures, photography & building community.
He is a strong believer in using his talents to give back to the community and believes that everyone deserves to have their stories told and their voices heard- an advocate for black and queer visibility. He uses his business Realest Exposure to platform the voices of those who are often marginalized.
Tray is dedicated to curating, creating and contributing to safe spaces where BIPOC and queer people can be their authentic selves, and he works tirelessly to make sure that everyone has a seat at the table.
Sen Mendez
Administrative & Leadership Assistant
Sen Mendez
Sen Mendez (they/them), also known as Queen Sen, is a non-binary indigenous (Otomí and Nahua-Pipil) multidisciplinary artist, cultural practitioner, entrepreneur, and educator deeply rooted and born in the Huichin Ohlone Territory/Oakland, California.
Their artistic practice employs visual storytelling through block printing, murals, paintings, classes and community workshops by creating a space for engagement among the communities of Bay Area youth, LGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Disabled, Refugees and Immigrant individuals to empower personal narratives, envision futures of liberation, and heal intergenerational trauma.
Contact Us
Hey! We’d love to hear from you, whether it’s about our artwork, upcoming events, or just to say hi. Drop us a line using the contact form below, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!