Art+Action Unveils Arts-Driven Campaign to Mobilize
San Francisco’s Participation in the 2020 Census
The COME TO YOUR CENSUS, S.F. campaign is produced by a community coalition and created by artists connected to the Bay Area. The coalition and campaign seek to motivate communities to participate in the 2020 Census to receive their fair share of federal funding. In San Francisco, each person counted represents $20,000 for services over the next 10 years, putting over $17 billion into our city—or not.
Artwork left to right, top: Emory Douglas, Father’s Love; Marcela Pardo Ariza, Congregation
Artwork left to right, bottom: Hung Liu, Sisterhood; Stephanie Syjuco, Color Checker (Pileup 2)
What:
Art+Action announces a San Francisco-wide arts-driven 2020 Census campaign, COME TO YOUR CENSUS, S.F..This campaign encourages residents—both citizens and non-citizens—to safely complete the confidential 9-question, 10-minute survey, to ensure communities receive their fair share of federal funding, resources, and representation for the next 10 years.
For this initiative, the newly formed Art+Action—supported by funding from the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, City and County of San Francisco (OCEIA)—has built the first-ever San Francisco coalition for civic participation across art, creative, community, business, technology, philanthropy, activist, and government sectors. Their seven-month initiative includes an arts-driven public media campaign and city-wide art activations staged throughout San Francisco, kicking off in January during Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Week and running through July 2020. Headquartered at and partnered with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), Art+Action will also have an open-to-all physical and digital headquarters.
In order to reach a broad and diverse audience with its messaging, Art+Action is collaborating with over 80 trusted community partners and 30 artists connected to the San Francisco Bay Area.In addition to educating and mobilizing the general public around the urgency and crucial long-term impact of the Census, the initiative seeks to speak with and to San Francisco’s hard-to-count populations who are disproportionately affected by barriers to participation, including limited English proficiency, homelessness, digital literacy, and access.
The first iteration of COME TO YOUR CENSUS, S.F. is a public media campaign—presented in the four official languages of San Francisco: English, Chinese, Spanish, and Tagalog—that will be unveiled via 38 kiosks in downtown San Francisco along the Market Street corridor during MLK Jr. Week. Ten artists—Marcela Pardo Ariza, Miguel Arzabe, Emory Douglas, Andrew Li, Hung Liu, George McCalman, Masako Miki, Joel Daniel Philips, Clare Rojas, and Stephanie Syjuco—representing a myriad of San Francisco’s communities and neighborhoods are featured in the first edition of the campaign. Tré Seals, founder of Vocal Type Co. created the campaign’s MARTIN font, inspired by the Memphis Strike of 1968, in which Martin Luther King joined workers in demanding recognition for their union, better wages, and safer working conditions.The COME TO YOUR CENSUS, S.F campaign concept was developed with local creative syndicate Partners in Crime, and the Market Street posters were designed by MCCALMAN.CO design studio. An online open-source toolkit will offer versions of select posters to be downloaded or utilized on social media, to support regional and national communities to galvanize their neighborhoods to take action.
The January iteration of the campaign launches an education and awareness phase about the significance of the Census—prior to the active Census-taking phase which begins in March—and seeks to counter fear created by the current administration’s failed attempt to add a citizenship question to the confidential survey.It also informs people that when you fill out the Census, each person in your household brings $20,000 into the community over the next ten years, for affordable housing, healthy food, healthcare, public schools, foster care, free meals, job training, essential emergency services, roads, preschools, and more. Throughout 2020, additional iterations of the campaign—featuring youth and community artists—will be expanded throughout San Francisco with neighborhood and targeted community messages.
Why:
The decision to anchor San Francisco’s 2020 Census campaign in artwork originated from Adrienne Pon, Executive Director, Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA), City & County of San Francisco—based on the belief that art has the capacity to move people to action, deepen public discussions around civic agency, and serve as a vehicle to civic participation. San Francisco is currently the only city nationwide whose campaign is centered around art. An accurate 2020 census count in San Francisco could mean potential funding of over $17B over the next 10 years.
Where:
San Francisco—and nationally via an open-source campaign toolkit on Art+Action’s website (www.artandaction.us).
When:
The Art+Action 2020 Census campaign will launch over Martin Luther King Jr. week in January and extend to July 2020. Detailed programming information will be updated via press release and on the Art+Action website (www.artandaction.us)
Interview with Amy Kisch, Founder + Artistic Director of Social Impact of Art+Action
Interview with Amy Schoening, Director of Campaign Messaging + Creative of Art+Action
Interview with Adrienne Pon, Executive Director, Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs, City & County of San Francisco
Interview with Robert Clinton, 2020 Census Project Manager, Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs, City & County of San Francisco
Interview with Deborah Cullinan, CEO of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)
Interview with Tré Seals, founder Vocal Type Co. and Studio Seals design studio
Interview with designer and artist George McCalman, founder MCCALMAN.CO
Interview with creative agency Partners In Crime
Interviews with participating artists
Interviews with community spokespersons available in Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog through OCEIA
About Art+Action Art+Action—San Francisco’s first coalition for civic participation that spans art, creative, community, business, technology, philanthropy, activist, and government sectors—is building a city-wide arts-driven campaign that positions artists as catalysts to humanize the issues around the 2020 Census. In partnership with trusted institutions and messengers, including Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)—their Headquarters and a Lead Partner—and ignited by support from San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA), they’ll be launching an art-based public media campaign and city-wide art activations throughout San Francisco from January-July 2020, to galvanize communities to participate to receive their fair share of resources and representation. Although the movement is starting locally, the goal is to set off a national spark.
About San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) The Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) is a policy, compliance, direct services and grantmaking office. OCEIA’s mission is to promote inclusive policies and foster immigrant assistance programs that lead to full civic, economic and linguistic integration. OCEIA seeks a safe, engaged and inclusive San Francisco where everyone can contribute and thrive. OCEIA coordinates San Francisco’s 2020 Census citywide outreach activities, through the campaign SF Counts.
About Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA)
Opened to the public in 1993, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) was founded as the cultural anchor of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Gardens neighborhood. Their work spans the realms of contemporary art, performance, film, civic engagement, and public life. By centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA is reimagining the role an arts institution can play in the community it serves. Their mission is to generate culture that moves people.
Art+Action Coalition Partners Annenberg Innovation Lab Artspan Black & Brown Comix Arts Festival Brick Design Studio California College of the Arts (CCA) Catharine Clark Gallery Census Open Innovation Lab City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Count the Nation Creativity Explored Dancers' Group Digital Uncut Firefly For Freedoms FRAMEWORK Imprint City Incline Gallery Intersection for the Arts JCDecaux Jewish Community Center of San Francisco Jessica Silverman Gallery Kronos Quartet Lava Mae
Minnesota Street Project Foundation Museum of the African Diaspora Norcal MLK Foundation NOW Hunters Point Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) Pacific Felt Factory Partners in Crime pattern Protect Democracy PROXY re.riddle Rena Bransten Gallery Root Division San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) San Francisco Public Library (SFPL)
San Jose Museum SOAK Sprayview The Leadership Conference The People's Conservatory Theatre Bay Area Vocal Type Co. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) … and more in development
OCEIA Census Grantee Art+Action Coalition Partners APA Family Support Services Arab Resource & Organizing Center Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus Asociacion Mayab Bayanihan Equity Center Catholic Charities Chinatown Community Development Center Chinatown YMCA Chinese for Affirmative Action Code Tenderloin Good Samaritan Family Resource Center Japantown Task Force Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of SF Mission Economic Development Agency Mission Graduates
North East Medical Services Renaissance Parents of Success Samoan Community Development Center Self-Help for the Elderly South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN) Southeast Asian Community Center Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation Wu Yee Children’s Services A. Phillip Randolph Institute San Francisco API Council of San Francisco SF Labor Council/AFL-CIO SF Latino Parity & Equity Coalition (SFLPEC) SF Rising Chinese for Affirmative Action Accion Latina Ethnic Media Services Alive & Free
