the nostalgia, the letters, the appreciation. i love the music and i love the way that people have gotten into it. it has become a part of people's lives. i wrecked my car the other night and was waiting for triple a. this man came up and said was the one who put on the bluegrass festival. he said it is the best thing that happens to him all year. the pleasure of that, i love the appreciation there is for the festival. what snow in the lineup of the 10th anniversary concert -- >> knowing the line of of the 10th anniversary concert, what are you looking forward to? >> there is one band we met up in colorado. i am sure nobody in san francisco is familiar with.

they recalled the ebony hillbillies. i hope everyone will come to hear them. you will not believe them. >> what are some of the other groups who are looking forward to? >> trombone shorty is that in the deal of publicity lately. he is off the charts. we have a band coming up from new york. margo is phenomenal. the chocolate drops did a special on public broadcasting. they are fantastic. the anderson family band, i live in sheer terror of us having to follow a family band. they're performing saturday morning at 11:00 for 40 minutes. we have enough stuff to play the whole time. we are ready.

>> it has been a delight to have you on "culture wire." i want to thank you personally for this great musical festival you have given us. >> is a lot of fun. >> remembered the hardly strictly bluegrass festival will be in san francisco. visit the website to get information on all of the performances. ♪ >> what i think about the arts

in san francisco, i think of an ecosystem that has many different constituents and components. you have many large organizations, mid-sized groups, and smaller organizations looking to prevent their ideas to the public. part of the ecosystem includes a parade of committing. individuals have to partner with the organizations. today, we are speaking with one of the important components of that ecosystem which is the role of the art incubator. we are fitting with [inaudible] joining me to talk about this is jessica robinson love, the executive director. welcome to culture wire. >> thank you for having me. >> can you tell me about your organization? >> we serve as an incubator for artists who are experimenting,

departing from, and developing their performance work. we support this through an artist in residence program, through festivals, and also through a variety of commission programs and shorter showings. >> what prompted us to come and visit with you is that in the month of november, you have brought to life as you have nurtured for a couple of years. >> performing diaspora came to me for an idea several years ago when i was looking at a the ecosystem and the cultural community of the bay area. artists who are rooted in traditional performance of forms have a certain amount of opportunity to show their work. often, when they want to

transform that work, there's not a support system. contemporary presenters are more and more open to additional work but without a lot of context. what i want to do is to create an opportunity for artists, give them a chance to develop new work not just to the festival but through a residency program and decommissioning process so we can fully support the work and it's development. >> what i want is for the dancers to feel like dancers, not like folklorico dancers. the choreographer, i want to be able to do a much more personal work that speaks about the reality that we live then.

not the reality of our parents. even more importantly, not every dance is about happy people and happy places. we need to use the vocabulary i have always known within this context. i've tried to do that again and again. never with the support of an organization behind me. that is the big difference. >> how would you describe the performance that you demonstrated. >> we have an after-school program. there, we service children from the third grade to the 12th grade. then we have the company that has been dancing from 3 to however many years. what we have been doing is

having some institute people tend to we wanted a family feel to it. it is about family and the values of family. >> what will you take from the experience? >> this is a wonderful thing to be able to perform the same program for four years in a row. this is a way to grow the product that i have seldom experienced. i feel like it is a broadway musical. i am taking this on the road. >> thank you so much for bringing your company to san francisco. >> i got a grant in 2008

and there is a disconnect between african-americans and africans that live on the continent. >> participating in this festival, does this serve as a kind of incentives and processed experience? >> this is the first opportunity that i have had to express my true feelings about my trip. in african culture, you don't go and talk about your family. even though we had a rough time understanding each other, we understood each other. a understood that i was

american. i never had a relationship to my citizenship until that. >> it sounds like these are pretty profound issues and issues. what was the creative process like to bring those issues to the fore? >> when they want us to speak, it might be inconvenient for us. it has been very emotional for me. dealing with the work in progress, listening to what people had to say about it. >> many people have given you this opportunity to present this to work. has that been useful for you? >> i am so grateful for this experience. like i said, in the bay area, it

is very traditional. any opportunity to step in and show that we understand what we have been taught and how we are putting our own voice into this is very pleasing. i get to stand in front of my elders and be me and also be them. improvisation in rhythmic is closely intertwined in the classical music. >> the musician is the dancer as well. we are dancing and music and the rhythm. we improvise with the musicians. >> your whole body is an instrument. >> our body is the instrument. this house that we produce with our mouth, we produce with our

feet and also the instrument produces the same sounds. we can communicate by reciting, dancing, by movement. the body is an instrument. >> how has this helped to move >> we are not only have these residence where we get to go deeply into it all work with other artists, but we get to talk about it. we get to write about it. we have to think about it. belaruour gurus weesee this and there is feedback. we are revising this. this is relevant to contemporary

kind. it has been a real blessing and a wonderful opportunity for me as a solo artist. >> thank you for being in such a great culture. >> thank you. my pleasure. >> it has been extraordinary to have this opportunity to talk with some of the performers who are performing in the diaspora. it really piqued my interest. where can get more information? >> the festival in november has been really well documented and this is available in our website. performing diaspora is more than just a performance, it is a committee and an ongoing dialogue of interaction. anyone who likes to, they can go on our website to watch interviews with the audience, to watch rehearsals footage, to read journals. each of the artists that you spoke with have written extensively and articulate about what it was like to develop their performance in the

program. all of that, the writing, the video, discussion. fitch on the symposium, all of that is available on our website. >> it has been an interesting experience. i am sure that people take advantage of the web site. >> performing diaspora will continue next year with performances by several of the artists. >> thank you for being part of "culture wire." >> thank you so much.

>> as the city of san francisco has grown, there are a number of cultural organizations that have grown with it. the san francisco symphony, the ballet, and ensure we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the san francisco museum of modern art's. one of the things many of our viewers may not understand about museums is the way they grow and evolve is really about a broad. his patient and support from many individuals who give their collections -- and broad support from many individuals who give their collections to the museum. this year it will be celebrating and abolishing those individuals through exhibition -- and acknowledging those

individuals throughout asia. joining me is janet bishop, the curator. i understand you have been with the museum quite a number of years. you remember its original home on van ness. now you are part of that transition to the center, the civic center, and of course your museum has been really the anchor of cultural tenants that has helped us transform this area of the city. >> to my mind, it is wonderful to be part of such a rich cultural community. when visitors come to this area, that have so many different options. >> let's talk about the anniversary show, which will be a phenomenal opportunity for san franciscans and all visitors of the city to get a real sense of how the city has grown and the importance of culture.

>> we focus on moments where it was involved in pushing the dialogue about contemporary art forward. the jackson pollock exhibition in 1945 is a perfect example of that. our founding director was deeply interested in abstraction and was engaged in dialogue with the guggenheim about bringing the jackson pollack showed to the west coast. the original price for the painting, $750. are directors thought that was too much of a stretch before the board of trustees, so she convinced them to reduce the price to firefighter dollars. it was just -- to $500. it was what was needed to persuade the board. it is a very subjective history of art. it has been very much shaped by the individuals involved with the museum over the years. in 1935, would start with the

gallery with works that came in through albert bender, one of our founding trusties. when we opened our doors in 1935, 181 of the 186 pieces in our permanent collection had been gifted. >> what are the names that pop out as the museum evolved? >> we have another gallery that looks at the theories that the museum has since the late 1980's. we focus on a particular aspect of that program that developed under one of art curators. he arrived in 1989 and was especially interested in artists. >> are some of the highlights? >> one of the aspects of the

museum program that i have been especially involved with have been the exhibitions that stand for society for the encouragement of contemporary art. it is encouraged to honor exceptional bay area artists during their careers. for instance, an early worked who showed here in 1996. for this exhibition, he has extended an updated it to 2010 with the addition of photographs and other frameworks. >> thank you for joining us. >> my pleasure. >> as we examine the 75th anniversary, we cannot overlook its important role as an educational institution and how it brings public program to all of our citizens in the bay area. try me now to talk about that is dominick, the curator of

education and public programs. you are vested with a multifaceted responsibility, with education and also multimedia. could you explain that? >> there are three main areas. we produce education activities for all ages, k-12, and adults, and we also produce a lot of educational media, a lot of interviews with artists, stuff that we published online, and other galleries. there's also a public program, which include some educational activities, but also live cultural programming for the artists projects. >> what are all the ways that the museum reaches out? >> the latest platform for educational media is launching right now with his anniversary.

we have gotten to the point where we could put a lot of the content about artists, the stories behind artists we have had on line, but those on to the ipod touch. >> could you talk about the education role that the museum plays in the city of san francisco? >> we are in the middle of a new initiative to provide more resources and programs for families and the locality. we are benefiting from a grant from the wallace foundation, and in the last two years many more bay area families have come to the museum, participated in the programs, most of which take place on sundays. we will see more and more different offerings rolled out in the coming months. >> thank you, dominic, for being

part of "culture wire." >> the museums are almost like a team sport. there is a tremendous amount of talented staff that puts together patrons to help support the institutions, but they all need a coach. the coach is the director. neal, could you let the viewers know, you have been director how long? >> we are working on eight years. >> now you have the 75th anniversary. how does that feel? >> we opened this building in 1995. it was bought at that time as a move from the civic center and the veterans building 2 third street, into our new building, a much expanded space, better space. it will be wonderful for the museum for decades to come.

and 15 short years we have been amazed by we have outgrown the building. the collection has grown to 26,000 works. >> was a challenging to decide what was going to be put on display during the anniversary year? >> 3 people on our staff spent 2 1/2 years of going through archives, the storage vaults, honor think all kinds of works that we have not seen -- uncovering lot of works that we have not seen but also history we uncovered about how we presented a television show produced by the museum, in the museum, in 1950. a lot of great stories that the presentation tells. >> the most recent news was the incredible decision on the part of donna morris fisher to give their collection to sfmoma.

>> think it is commonly understood that the fischer collection was 1100 works by some of the great contemporary works, one of the great collections in the world. in fact, the collection has not been seen. it has been largely stored at the headquarters, there has never been a publication or exhibition. >> but fischer collection and the additional expansion over the next 50 years, what in the next 25 years will the museum be doing? >> we are very committed to expanding the museum, expanding the collection, the overall growth of the museum. that is one of the things that is very important to us. we are about to enter a strategic planning process. the fundamental question we want to address is, how wil sfmoma

growth and enhanced its engagement with the community? it is not enough that the museum has great works in its collection, has great exhibitions, wonderful education programs, it is how does the institution grow and enhance its relationship with the community. it is very important to us. >> on behalf of the residents of san francisco, we thank you for shepherding this institution through this incredible growth phase, and thank you for being part of "culture wire." >> my pleasure, thank you. >> the museum has exciting anni

governor welcome to culturewire. on march 18 the san francisco arts commission hosted the 2010 mayor's artwork. the mayor's arts award was established to honor an individual artist with a lifetime of outstanding achievement in the art and civic life. this year's award is to none other than carlos santana. before the award ceremony, the director of cultural affairs had a chance to sit down with carlos to ask him a few questions.

>> once a year, mayor gavin newsom gets to select one distinguished individual to receive the mayor's arts award. in 2010,á(át that distinguished individual was none other than the legendary musician carlos santana. carlos, it is so great for the city to be able to recognize you. given all of your accomplishments already, from the awards, all of the other distinctions you have received, what does it mean for you to get the mayor's part award? >> i am very grateful, moved. i always want to be in the company of illuminaries like cesar chavez.

people making a difference, but to people's hearts. giving people a sense of tangible hope. one thing is to be famous, it is quite another for people to like you. i am grateful for this award. it is another blessing. i do not take it for granted. this is an incredible city. everywhere i go, i tell everyone that this is the atlantis of today. there is no other city in the world -- i have been everywhere. there is nothing like san francisco. in fact, to me, it is not even the united states. you can see how fox network always attacks us. we do not have an inferiority complex. we just do not follow blindly.

we question authority. as i said before, a person for person, there are more artists and con artists in the bay area. >> you are someone who has identified so strongly with the bay area. a lot of it reflects the values that you also identify with. i know that you have been promoting an idea for a work of public art that could be pretty transformative. could you talk about that? >> peace brother is something that i saw, i think in the 1980's there was this lady. she started back there and converted -- she went to the neighborhood and was collecting the guns from some of the gang members.

she had it melted and turned into angels. we want to do the same thing and take it to the next level we want to build a boom box by his feet, he will be 7 feet tall. this will be made up of military guns. the boom box will be playing some great songs. marvin gaye. john legenlennon. bob marley. sam cooke. >> songs that really touch people deeply. >> i have come to a place where i call it the sound of maternity. bob dylan calls it eternal young. i think there are certain songs that help you live without fear. when you are living in fear, you invest in