>> i love teaching. it is such an exhilarating experience when people began to feel their own creativity. >> this really is a place where all people can come and take a class and fill part of the community. this is very enriching as an artist. a lot of folks take these classes and take their digital imagery and turn it into negatives. >> there are not many black and white darkrooms available anymore. that is a really big draw. >> this is a signature piece. this is the bill largest

darkroom in the u.s.. >> there are a lot of people that want to get into that dark room. >> i think it is the heart of this place. you feel it when you come in. >> the people who just started taking pictures, so this is really an intersection for many generations of photographers and this is a great place to learn because if you need people from different areas and also everyone who works here is working in photography.

>> we get to build the community here. this is different. first of all, this is a great location. it is in a less-populated area. >> of lot of people come here just so that they can participate in this program. it is a great opportunity for people who have a little bit of photographic experience. the people have a lot, they can really come together and share a love and a passion. >> we offer everything from traditional black and white darkrooms to learning how to process your first roll of film. we offer classes and workshops in digital camera, digital

printing. we offer classes basically in the shooting, ton the town at night, treasure island. there is a way for the programs exploring everyone who would like to spend the day on this program. >> hello, my name is jennifer. >> my name is simone. we are going on a field trip to take pictures up the hill. >> c'mon, c'mon, c'mon. >> actually, i have been here a lot. i have never looked closely

enough to see everything. now, i get to take pictures. >> we want to try to get them to be more creative with it. we let them to be free with them but at the same time, we give them a little bit of direction. >> you can focus in here. >> that was cool. >> if you see that? >> behind the city, behind the houses, behind those hills. the see any more hills? >> these kids are wonderful. they get to explore, they get to see different things. >> we let them explore a little bit. they get their best.

if their parents ever ask, we can learn -- they can say that they learned about the depth of field or the rule of thirds or that the shadows can give a good contrast. some of the things they come up with are fantastic. that is what we're trying to encourage. these kids can bring up the creativity and also the love for photography. >> a lot of people come into my classes and they don't feel like they really are creative and through the process of working and showing them and giving them some tips and ideas. >> this is kind of the best kept secret. you should come on and take a class. we have orientations on most saturdays. this is a really wonderful

location and is the real jewel to the community. >> ready to develop your photography skills? the harvey milk photo center focuses on adult classes. and saturday workshops expose youth and adults to photography classes. >> feel like it really is a community. they are not the same thing, but it really does feel like there's that kind of a five. everybody is there to enjoy a literary reading. >> the best lit in san francisco. friendly, free, and you might get fed. ♪ [applause] >> this san francisco ryther

created the radar reading series in 2003. she was inspired when she first moved to this city in the early 1990's and discover the wild west atmosphere of open mi it's ic in the mission. >> although there were these open mics every night of the week, they were super macho. people writing poems about being jerks. beatty their chest onstage. >> she was energized by the scene and proved up with other girls who wanted their voices to be heard. touring the country and sharing gen-x 7 as a. her mainstream reputation grew with her novel. theses san francisco public

library took notice and asked her if she would begin carrying a monthly reading series based on her community. >> a lot of the raiders that i work with our like underground writers. they're just coming at publishing and at being a writer from this underground way. coming in to the library is awesome. very good for the library to show this writing community that they are welcome. at first, people were like, you want me to read at the library, really? things like that. >> as a documentary, there are interviews -- [inaudible] >> radar readings are focused on clear culture. strayed all others might write about gay authors.

gay authors might write about universal experiences. the host creates a welcoming environment for everybody. there is no cultural barrier to entry. >> the demographic of people who come will match the demographic of the reader. it is very simple. if we want more people of color, you book more people of color. you want more women, your book more women. kind of like that. it gets mixed up a little bit. in general, we kind of have a core group of people who come every month. their ages and very. we definitely have some folks who are straight. >> the loyal audience has allowed michelle to take more chances with the monthly lineup. established authors bring in an

older audience. younker authors bring in their friends from the community who might be bringing in an older author. >> raider has provided a stage for more than 400 writers. it ranges from fiction to academics stories to academic stories this service the underground of queer fell, history, or culture. >> and there are so many different literary circles in san francisco. i have been programming this reading series for nine years. and i still have a huge list on my computer of people i need to carry into this. >> the supportive audience has allowed michele to try new experiment this year, the radar book club. a deep explorationer of a single work. after the talk, she bounces on stage to jump-start the q&a.

less charlie rose and more carson daly. >> san francisco is consistently ranked as one of the most literate cities in the united states. multiple reading events are happening every night of the year, competing against a big names like city arts and lectures. radar was voted the winner of these san francisco contest. after two decades of working for free, michelle is able to make radar her full-time job. >> i am a right to myself, but i feel like my work in this world is eagerly to bring writers together and to produce literary events. if i was only doing my own work, i would not be happy. it is, like throwing a party or a dinner party. i can match that person with that person.

it is really fun for me. it is nerve wracking during the actual readings. i hope everyone is good. i hope the audience likes them. i hope everybody shows up. but everything works out. at the end of the reading, everyone is happy. ♪ >> if you hear strange sounds, we will be hearing strange sounds all the time. this is part of our new installation called "what is missing." i am the executive director of the academy. people in san francisco are very fortunate to have a truly remarkable public arts pro gram that makes projects like this one possible.

we open this building one year ago. since then, about 2.3 million visitors have come through the california academy of arts and sciences. that is ok. my original goal was to speak alcatraz. don't tell anyone, of course. i think that we did it. it is a brilliant year. if we get a real rush, we could hit 3 million by the anniversary. we would like to have a last minute push. we are fortunate enough to have two public artworks by mai ling. the first is on the west terrace where the land meets the sea. mai is a dedicated environmentalist and this is consistent with who she is as a

person. we are quite have this book and did by her works. this is an extension of all that is in between it and it encourages people to think about the world and their responsibility to it. the academy is all about two questions, how did we get here and the challenge of sustainability? i suggest that there are no more important questions for our time and all that you see around here deals with those issues. we will hear from maya in a few minutes. i would like to think many people who made this possible. first the members of the art advisory committee, bill wilson and mary [inaudible] and the arts commissioner. the golden gate music conkers advisory committee. -- concourse advisory committee.

the former curator of the deyoung museum. can you imagine? this is fantastic. the academy scientists who work during the early design phase of this installation included [inaudible] carol tang, brian fisher, jack dunn blocker, [inaudible] i also want to acknowledge my predecessor who played such a seminal role in the design of

the academy. he is now at the university of colorado. the director of the exhibit development who insured that the installation went off without a hitch just as he ensured that the entire academy moved to howard street and then moved back without one lost fish. of course, the arts commission in the city of san francisco. it is my pleasure to introduce this senior adviser to mayor gabonese som - -gavin newsom. >> i am here representing the mayor. he is anticipating the birth of

his child which should come to any minute now. on behalf of the mayor, welcome to this dedication of the sculpture. the mayor early in his career realize the transforming power of public arts. it starts a discourse. it challenges us as citizens. what is missing is the expression of what people in san francisco and the mayor are trying to achieve. we are trying to be the greatest city possible. our art should reflect our times and values. composting, water conservation, bicycling, plastic bags, plastic bottles, we are mocked sometimes for how we lead and today we are the been on public art.

90% of our big fish are gone. 1/3 of all species are missing. what is yet to be determined is that this is a memorial for us to listen. this will be spoken to millions of children. thank you for your gift. you have already exceeded our expectations. i would like to give you the president of the arts commission. >> thank you.

on behalf of the city family and all of our elected officials and especially the arts commission, it is on honor to be here and to mark this incredible vacation. -- occasion. with this addition to the city's civic collection, san francisco will become home not only to this last public memorial but also the artist's first multimedia work. if you have not had a chance to get up close, please do so as a very exciting and innovative art work. i would like to thank the academy of sciences for being

such a wonderful partner in this project with us and for welcoming not only the artist but the arts commission. some of us grew up in these avenues and it is a very joyous occasion to come back and rekindle our love in this new incredible facility. what could be a better home for these two artworks, these two pieces, then this incredible building? we now have to two amazing pieces by a world class -- one of the greatest artists working in the world today. this is perhaps one of the best masterpieces in the world. this project is the result of an

ordinance which is providing capital construction projects and the city dedicates 2% to the development of public art. although the academy of sciences is a not-for-profit institution, this is on public land after all. the san francisco arts commission worked tirelessly to applying the arts in richmond fund and then we got a little bit of help along the way. -- enrichment fund and then we got a little bit of help along the way. finally, i think that we should take a moment to not only and knowledge and celebrate the brilliance of the artists but also the hard work and the

tenacity of the many people who helped make this happen. greg mentioned a few of them, i would like to make a mention in particular, the director of public arts for the city and county of san francisco who shepherded the project from its inception to this day with a lot of help from my former colleagues on the arts commissioner. the former chair of the public art committee as well as in other former commissioner who contributed their expertise to the project and helped to guide it to success. we would not be here today without their dedication and tenacity. we'll be joined by the dean of academic affairs at the san

francisco art institute. i want to thank her and welcome her to the microphone. thank you. [applause] >> thank you for coming. it is a distinct pleasure and honor to have been lucky enough to have been there for the very beginning of this project and the selection phase. sometimes, we don't get to see things all of the way through so this will be special to me. particularly, it was a special and extraordinary and creative opportunity to work with the artist. one of the excitemenexciting tho watch the credit process unfold and also to be a part of it sometimes. -- watched the creative process unfold.

they want to aspire to work as a part of their career. sometimes, with public art, we focus so much on the environment in which we take place. the constraints under which it takes place, it can be outdoors, it can be allowed, it has to be approachable and accessible. sometimes things can become so overwhelming, i was laughing at a press conference when maya was concerned about the cooling system. sometimes we lose sight of what is so extraordinary about public art when it works so well. when she came to us for the initial proposal, she said she wanted to do two pieces. we thought that was great.

we thought it would be complicated. what happened is that she created two pieces that are not only beautiful but necessary to one another. that is what makes this work so extraordinary to me. on the other side of the building where the land lease the city, this asks us to think about what we cannot see because it is beneath the surface. to think about this is kind of imagine tiff. when she began to conceptualize this piece, she was absolutely consistent that it had some sort of sensory, tactile relationship to the people looking at it. to how the world touches you and how it involves you and makes you a part of it. we have a piece on the other side of the plaza that says this is where we are today, this is the contour of where we need to surface. then we have a piece on this

side of the building that says that we're working from here to the entire rest of the world. everything we do as individuals as we stand here in front of this piece and think about the choices that we make and think about whether we use that plastic bottle or that top, has implications in the world. we hear sounds that involves us, we hear things that put us in a particular place. we live in a world that we have to try to address even though it might seem too big for us to grasp in one class, gesture, or action. -- too big for us to grasp in one glass. this is an amazing piece. an amazing solution. an amazing challenge dealing with the ambitions to talk about questions of sustainability. to look at these preservation

efforts. to do it in a way that even a child can engage in. the we think about how the children coming to the academy will interact with it. as a former arts commissioner and as a citizen of san francisco, we want to celebrate this season and to thank maya for the pleasure of working with her. thank you. [applause] >> it is a delight to introduce the director of the academy center for biodiversity research. [applause] >> thank you for the opportunity to share a few words about what it is like from the perspective of the academy of sciences.

i had been one of many sources of information of the sciences is that has contributed to the extraordinary journey of knowledge about biodiversity. on behalf of my colleagues, i can tell you that we are thrilled to have a portal to the earth on our east terrace. what is missing is a subject that lies at the very core of the research of the institution. we are about documented and describing the diversity of life and this portal allows you to experience that directly. our research centers about going to the far corners of the world which we have been doing for 150 years. we can offer a perspective on life which is our foundation and knowledge.

in short, academy sciences have been for well over a century [inaudible] we will feel the pulse. this transforms the idea of a dry list of many species that have gone extinct into an emotional experience of how small our fish has become, how few great migrations there are. how great is the darkness of our night sky. we emerge recognizing that we are on a trajectory and what is missing allows us to understand what the scope of that trajectory is. if we look just from what is around us, the scope does not look as deep. what we'reki