between art and science and advocacy in a funny way getting people to wake unand realize what is going on -- wake up and realize what is going on. so it is a memborial trying to get us to interpret history and look to the past. they have always been about lacking at the past so we proceed forward and maybe don't commit the same mistakes. >> around me what you see is an exhibition bien asian american women artist association. one of my favorites is cheers to muses which is a variety of sculpture, paintings and photographs in which the artists not only show their own work but talk about the muses who inspired them.

coming up we have a variety of exhibitions celebrating diversity and performances and every first thursday we have an opening in our main gallery. >> what kinds of organizations utilize your affordable space progr program? >> there's a huge range. last week des president clinton divas had a drag fashion show. the united states of asian american festival has events here every career as does the national career arts festival. in recent years homies organizing the empower youth had one of their first large scale neighborhood events. >> i think of it as multi-generational i see artists who are emerging and young and community members that may be from in college to, you know, some of the old-timers that have been around a long time. i think that is special about

this organization. >> it shows work by more than 1,000 bay area visual artists each year and collaborates through the programs with between 60 and 90 nonprofit cultural organizations each year. we host weekly figure drawing sessions every saturday morning. there is an accurate dojo with classes they nights a week and people can drop in. we have a free drop-in print maki making class. and print making workshops for adults a want to learn the craft. we have an open studio. >> how do you see it as distinguishing itself as a unique place and organization? >> i was just reading an interview with elizabeth streb and she was talking about her vision for the spaces of the

future being rather than being warehouse spaces, being a space where all kinds of participation on all levels is possible. i think this is already that space where artists at all levels of experience can be innovators, risk takers, learn about other cultures, find something unexpected and we are a true alternative space in that we are welcoming to everyone. i want to welcome you all. this is a really extraordinary opportunity to have major lee -- mayor lee see some of the

facilities that will be hosting the america's cup. we wanted to take this opportunity after having initially briefed mayor lee on the america's cup and having him have the opportunity to actually kind of see first hand some of the venues and the real opportunities of what the america's cup is going to bring to san francisco. we are going to hear from the -- representatives from the entire americas cup family and those folks that were responsible for helping to bring this event here. without further ado, mayor lee. [applause] mayor lee: good morning, everyone. just walking through the peers with members of the port. i can not only say that not only did we make the right decision, the world has made the right

decision. this is one of the most beautiful places on our -- earth that this 34th america's cup could possibly be. when you look out today, you'll get a glimpse of what millions of other people and viewers and visitors will see in 2013. my first thought was to let you know that this was a very high priority for me. many of you know i was not here december 31, so i have been looking for the unopened champagne bottle that was supposed to be left in room 200. maybe it is in some supervisor's office, but there has got to be one unopened bottle there to celebrate because knowing that this is coming -- on december 31, it was a culmination of what i saw was a whirl wind, a solid year of activity.

ever since the cut was one in february and the immediate negotiations that gavin newsom and others had started, culminating in the negotiations and certainly working very closely with our board of supervisors to make the very best deals that we could possibly have for our citizenry and for our visitors and for the city, and that culminating in -- on december 31, when i was not here, by the way, as you know, but yet, still celebrated. i was in hong kong at the time, and i heard the news that our family was jumping up and down. explaining to my friends in hong kong what that meant. that was extraordinary for them to understand as well. by no means is if international event. it is what gavin has often told us. it is several world series

events, several super bowls put together, strung together. i also know that it is not just a one-day event, as you all been educating yourself about this fantastic boat race. we will have entities from a round world building their boats here, coming here with their entourage, beginning now, actually, taking a look at the course and understanding what it is to build a boat here and then executing what they have to do to make sure their boats are ready. this happens now. it does not happen a year from now. they are all beginning to come now, so our restaurants and all of the businesses, the procurements of what they need to support their staffs coming over here. they are all beginning now. that is part of that $1.4 billion economic outlook that we

had when we made this decision and got the award. 9000 jobs -- that is a heck of a lot of jobs for san francisco to host in the coming years. and it is a great promise. i'm so proud of this city for having done everything it can for the full board and the mayor's office to have united on this front for the year and for the leadership that these two supervisors to my right have demonstrated to bring everybody together on this. it is a wonderful feeling, and i am so lucky to have been appointed and elected to this office at this time because it is one of my top priorities. i have said that to a number of you earlier, that the america's cup, to get it started, would be very important to me. so today, not only do we have the various speakers here, but it is the beginning of the execution on the promise of a world-class event being hosted

here in san francisco, and i want to let you know that my very first thought was -- "who is on this team? who is coming together to help me execute this thing? am i going to have to go it alone? of course not. there are thousands of people. the whole city, the work force, they are all very excited. certainly, the port is, but i wanted to let you know that the very first directive that i have issued -- and i'm not so sure i have to issue such a directive, but it is just a format, a way in which we operate to make sure everybody is on the same page. and my good friend, lt. governor newsom, is out there as well. he knows a lot more details about this, but we have been in many of his previous pronouncements where, "how are you going to implement this? how are you going to get this done?" we are going to get this done with the lieutenant governor's

help as well and his enthusiastic support and leadership. it is a great decision, and it is one that the city will cherish for years to come as we unveil all the new things that will happen. but i want to announce today, in light of what i said and what we know to be the importance of this is to put together a top- notch executive committee team to lead this effort. we are looking at a solid relationship with our event authority. we are looking at solid relationships with those private investors as well as all the different port entities that will be impacted. we are looking at solid relationships with our communities, all of the communities of san francisco, all the different agencies that need to be coordinated, and in order to do that well and all the details, you have to have right at the start a very visible steering committee of

people, of entities that reflect how important this is. so the first entity i'm looking towards -- you have heard from the director of the office of workforce development. they will be the lead in forming our relationship with the host city committee for the organizing committee with the authority and making sure that we honor all of the obligations that the board and the mayor and the city have already read and promise both to our citizenry as well as our businesses, as well as the agencies. we have a lot of regulatory and land use approvals that have to be done, and that office will be leading that effort as well. developing all of the event logistics with the authority and in coordination with all the different agencies. we will be partnering through that office with the america's cup organizing committee on all the private fund raising that has to get done and also the

obligations. we will also be working on a plan that promotes this city and the best we have been able to do. i know we have done a great defense in the city from the world series two super bowls and so forth. as i said earlier, this event will be a combination of all of those great events put together for literally the year -- the next two years leading up to it. so, of course, we will be promoting all of our great benefits and local restaurants, hotels, retailers, manufacturers, big businesses, but also small businesses. they are really a backbone. once that i have served for many years. they will be included in all of the development and planning for this. our community relations -- i said it earlier people in hong kong did not know what the

america's cup was all about. people in chinatown are still learning, and they are going to get a great dose of my opportunity to explain to all the communities what this is about and how inclusive it will be, how inclusive it can be. it is a chance for the america's cup to really rebranded itself, if you will, to make it an even bigger world-class event, and san francisco is the perfect place to do that. coordinating with our visitors convention bureau, with our other agencies to make sure that the millions of visitors to san francisco that will pay attention to this are taken care of. right with the office of economic and workforce development would be our sport of san francisco. we are standing here and sitting here on their property. brad benson is here today representing them, along with their great director, and their whole staff are very geared to this event, and how to balance it with all the other

developments we have been pushing very hard to do at the port. the cruise ship terminals, as you are well aware of, and also, they will be paying a lot of attention to any issues around displacement. if there's anything that the port has done, they have really communicated very well to their tenants. obviously, this will move things around a bit. i'm paying attention to that and working closely with the port to make sure that they fulfill all their obligations, and also, work with all the tenants throughout the port. our public works department will be part of this executive student committee, and i know that the dpw are all busy. they are busy already doing the work. and they have a tradition of doing great work. they are engineering. they are -- their architectural divisions, their project management divisions. i've been working closely with them on the 10-year capital

plan, so i know they will be able to deliver. working with the court already on the cruise ship terminal project here at this year, pier 36 and 32, they are already eyeing here for that, and they will be assisting the america's cup event authority in the development of all the major infrastructure improvements that have to occur. our planning department, of course. we have a lot of regulatory things we have to comply with, and our planning department will be helping us lead the effort, lead all the city agencies in undertaking and completing the environmental reviews under our california environmental quality act obligations, and we will be fulfilling all of those in a timely fashion, so we need the planning department right at the table. our municipal transportation authority -- this is going to be a people's event. as you know, we could not possible can -- possibly handle the millions of visitors unless

we work right up front with what we call a people's plan, a plan to transport people in the most environmentally sensitive way to get to all the beautiful sights, the viewing sites to view this race. so the mta will be working very closely with us. and of course, represented in the recreation and park commission. they have been doing wonderful things here but the public/private partnerships that they are creating. this event, this america's cup is a major public-private partnership, that i know mark b. will will be so happy and enjoy his time in performing this work. the other agencies will come along. our police department, our fire apartment, all of our emergency management divisions, the city attorney's office. thank goodness we've got a great city attorney because they will be helping us right all sorts of

agreements to make sure we are in compliance. our building inspection department and controller's office are the ones that will be forthcoming, but i've named the major departments that i have asked and expect under the leadership with gen madsen and others to take the lead and immediately get to work. there's anything reflective of my administration here, the one that i promised the board of supervisors, promised gavin newsom and others, is to get to these things the we have already promised the best we can. i will repeat this again and again until you notice maine ad nauseum. this is going to be a great event. it is one that i personally am entrusted with. i will do everything i can to bring this to the world class status that it deserves and has, and the promise that people like larry ellis and all the other private investors could be very proud, along with the authority.

thank you very much. [applause] >> if i get -- if i did not say that earlier, announcing this, i have issued and will issue my first executive director forming the steering committee, and copies of that will be available after this speech. >> i want to briefly thank mayor lee for the opportunity to direct the implementation of america's cup. it is something that we are ready, willing, and able to do, having shepherded massive retirements were projects such as the shipyard and currently treasure island. this is a wonderful opportunity and irresponsible -- responsibility we take very seriously. with that, i would like to invite board president david chiu to say a few words. [applause] supervisor chiu: good morning.

welcome to district 3, and with all due respect to my colleagues, welcome to the district that has the most amazing views of the city here in san francisco with the land and sea and sky meet at a place that has drawn millions of folks to san francisco in the past and that will draw millions of people to send and cisco when the america's cup is here. when a number of months ago, we started considering where to place the america's cup, we started the discussion at the central waterfront, and i, for one, was so pleased when they start a new conversation to bring the america's cup to the spear and to the piers that represent the northern waterfront. as we all agree for the city's finances, for the viewership of the event, really for the entire world, citing the america's cup here was a tremendous decision, and i want to thank my colleagues on the board for the unanimity that a very good

process lead to. i want to thank the former mayor as well as current mayor for their ongoing commitment to making sure that this happens. we still have a lot of work did. just at the board, we will be reading hundreds of pages of legal agreements in the coming months to make sure that the t's are crossed and tehe i's are dotted. we will be talking about things we still need to focus that hand-in-hand we will be doing to move things forward. in recent months, i'm very proud that i think the legislative branch and executive branch have been moving forward together on many fronts. this is epitomized by the work we have done on the america's cup, and i look forward in coming months and years to that work coming to fruition of not just an amazing event, but many bottles of champagne being uncorked with mayor lee.

thank you all for being here. >> as supervisor mirkarimi is coming up, lieutenant governor, you deserve to be here. come on up here and join us because you have done so much work on this. your leadership, working with the board. come on up. [applause] , on, gavin. don't tell me you have nothing to say. >> on behalf of the state of california, let me thank mayor lee for his leadership and support of this cut. truly, i have nothing to say except it is great to be in the back. during the mayor's speak so passionately about this. it was a point of real concern for me. it was important to all of us that we had the right leadership in room 200 and make sure we had a mayor that was committed to this, not just

interested in making sure this happens. we were not joking when we said a couple of weeks ago that the real work is ahead of us, not behind us, and we are going to need that kind of leadership to fulfil the promises we made, and we made a lot of promises. a lot of them have been reported. candidly, a lot of them have not been. we need to make sure this is done on time and to the level of expectation that all of us have, so i just want to congratulate mayor lee for his enthusiastic support, and i appreciate his help starting this through the process that requires, and to be here and lead us on to the extent i can to other federal partners as well as private sector partners. congratulations, everybody. [applause] >> one of the leaders we will have in the continuing conversations on implementing the america's cup is supervisor

ross mirkarimi, without his assistance, we would not be here today. [applause] supervisor mirkarimi: good morning. it is an honor and the like to be here with former mayor, n lieutenant, newsom, mayor ed lee, and the rest of the city family. many people refer to me as an early supporter of the idea to bring america's cup to san francisco. as many of you know, for me, it is a generational level of support because growing up in southern rhode island where southern rhode island newport was the host of the america's cup for 53 years out of a 150- year tradition, of course, that enthusiasm is compounded once we knew that mr. ellison had won the cup, the san francisco should pounce on the ability to try to become the host here.

naturally, we wanted to do everything we possibly could to work together as a city family to extend our families to secure that particular right. needless to say, the people of rhode island are a little bit upset with me, and i and my home town, as my mom likes to remind me. i'm sort of kidding. they said the politics thing does not work there. come back home. that idea is completely off the table. as it relates, i think, to index steps, we are very appreciative of the fact that the city family came together in what was amid very extraordinary circumstances. the board of supervisors, supervisors, room 200, as well as with the private sector to be able to proffer what seems to be the strongest deal that will possibly could devise in meeting a deadline that really was imposed upon us. we also realize in the blessing

of that particular agreement, that there needed to be some massaging of those terms, even after the deal was signed with mr. ellison, that those particular details of those terms i think still need a proper vetting, and i know, as president chiu had alluded, we will continue to be those watchdogs as well as to be that pep rally in making sure san francisco does everything it can in holding the interest of our citizens and the people of the bay area in making sure all those details are exactly as we would see to be held accountable and held true. the second milestone to add to the corny nautical references that some of us like to pride time to time, while we want to keep our eye on the charts, we are also keeping an eye on the horizon. is the ceqa test. for us to be able to pass the california environmental quality

act test is also going to require the city to come together, some of our ability to answer what will be a high bar, but one i'm confident we will be able to answer over the next six to 12 months. that is critical because that, of course, requires a more substantive interface with the public itself. the next thing, and ending on this note that i know is important to all of our colleagues on the board of supervisors, is room to hundred. the fact that the best of both worlds is that while we have done so much together to try to secure the rights of the america's cup in hosting it here, we realize that tenant displacement or relocation is on people's minds. we do not want to let that go unnoticed. through hearing that we have called at the board of supervisors, date to be announced, we will get into those details of the massaging of the terms of agreement and asking about what the city's ability are with regard to helping relocate those tenants,

certainly, that would like to be repositioned and remain. that would be the best of both worlds. that is something we will strive to to the best of our ability. thank you, mayor lee. congratulations. we look forward to working with you, and this is a great first executive order for you to have announced. thank you. [applause] >> mark buell is here today wearing two hats. one is the president of the committee organizing the america's cup, and the other as the president of the recreation and park commission. he is fond of saying that this america's cup will only be successful in all three legs of the three-legged stool are working together -- the city family, the organizing committee, and the event itself. we are blessed to have such a terrific champion for the america's cup leading the organizing committee. [applause] commissioner buell: and you very

much. we have the easy job. our committee is going to raise about $30 million in the next three years to host the event, and we are committed to helping the event of 40 raise another $270 million to put on the regatta's that lead up to and the hosting of the america's cup. i want to thank the lieutenant governor. he asked me to do this about six months ago. how can you turn down an opportunity to try to create an event in the greatest stadium god could create for the america's cup? i have already had a private conversation with him about getting engaged -- seriously engaged in helping carry out this event. mr. lieutenant governor, i want to thank you for that. to mayor ed lee, i could not be more thrilled than to have this be his first act as mayor -- official at -- and also to list it as one of his top three priorities because it will take

an enormous effort on everybody's part to raise this money, but i'm delighted to say that i have not come across anyone that is not fully enthusiastic about participating in trying to do it. mr. mayor, i know you are headed to washington tomorrow. senator feinstein, the first words she said to me, were "congratulations." the second was "no federal money." i know you are headed there tomorrow. perhaps you could demonstrate york persuasive powers while you are in washington. at any rate, thank you very much. there will be a place for you to drop your checks off on the way out. thank you very much. [applause] . >> finally, we would not be here today if the america's cup event authority had not chosen so wisely that had chosen sentences go as the venue for the 34th america's cup. it is an incredible pleasure to work with greg thompson, the director of the america's cup