“Yours Truly,” the first group art exhibition by residents of the Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH) community, opened March 12, 2021, at Swim Gallery in San Francisco, CA. Organized and curated by EngAGE Program Director Mattie Loyce, the exhibit is an opportunity for the Tenderloin DISH residents to send a message to the world about who they are through the art they make, and share a reflection of what is going on within their community and experience.
Blossoming from the historic year of 2020, the exhibition focuses on themes of hope, strength, and resilience by resident artists of The Le Nain, Empress, and Windsor hotels. The exhibition includes artworks from more than 15 resident artists, and the debut of a community Hope Quilt created by DISH staff, residents, and supporters.
Please scroll down to see a video and a large gallery of photos from the show!
Hope Quilt
The Hope Quilt is a social artwork made by DISH residents and staff, members of the City of San Francisco’s social work teams who support DISH sites, and constructed with support of Mission Praxis. The quilt is composed of squares designed in response to the idea of what hope means to each individual artist. The Hope Quilt builds from other radical quilting traditions like the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which started in San Francisco, and Gee’s Bend Quilts from a southern African-American community. In this historic time, through the experience of pandemic and social uprisings, we felt it was important to explore this theme of hope with the frontline Tenderloin community.
Exhibition Dates: March 12 – April 10, 2021
Location: SWIM Gallery 509 Ellis Street, San Francisco CA 94109
All viewings must be scheduled by appointment at DISHartshow@gmail.com
For more information about the exhibit, contact Mattie Loyce, EngAGE Program Director at mattie.engage@gmail.com
Enjoy this video about the creation of “Yours Truly,” then scroll down to see a large gallery of photos from the show!
COLLABORATORS
DISH believes that everyone deserves a home. The DISH team operates eight permanent housing sites in the Tenderloin and Mission neighborhoods, providing permanent supportive housing for 570 San Franciscans with serious health issues. With our help, they can get off the streets, rebuild their lives, and strengthen our communities. www.dishsf.org
EngAGE changes lives by transforming affordable senior and multigenerational apartment communities into vibrant centers of learning, wellness and creativity. We serve more than 5,500 seniors and families throughout California, Oregon, and Minnesota. In San Francisco, we currently provide health, wellness, and creative arts programming for three sites operated by Delivering Innovation in Supportive Housing (DISH). EngAGE Program Director Mattie Loyce is an interdisciplinary arts curator & community organizer focused on community empowerment through creative engagement. Born and raised in San Francisco, Mattie received her B.A. in Sociology from Northeastern University and her Masters in Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship from Goldsmiths University in London. She worked for 5 years in community mental health and later founded her own travelling art gallery to support emerging artists of color through pop-up exhibitions across the US & London. www.engageforlife.org
SWIM Gallery is a contemporary art gallery located at 509 Ellis St. in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. The mission of SWIM Gallery is to provide a space for emerging and established artists to showcase their work in a way that will foster the growth of their artistic careers. SWIM was founded in 2013 by Yarrow Slaps and Auguste Somers as a curated blog/traveling exhibition combining art, fashion and music. In 2018 SWIM materialized into a physical space that continues to operate to this day. www.luggagestoregallery.org
Mission Praxis is a sewing studio, artisan clothing shop, and community art space. With Community engagement as a core value, all purchases and contributions go towards paying rent and helping to support time spent teaching free sewing classes to youth in our neighborhood, and community art. Located at Treat and 24th Streets since 2013, Mission Praxis has deep gratitude for everyone who comes through to support, bring magic and joy, and for artists who come to play and collaborate. It is more than a hustle, it is a spiritual experience that transforms lives. www.missionpraxis.com
Dignity Health at Sequoia Hospital focuses on the human connection at the heart of medicine. Human connection is the catalyst for healing – body, mind and soul. Our purpose is to unleash the healing power of humanity. Through teamwork, innovation, faith, compassion, advocacy and action, we endeavor to keep our patients happy, healthy and whole. dignityhlth.org
Sadiq Norris, Videographer – Sadiq has been creating films since 2018, getting his start with New Door. Most recently he has graduated as Bay Area Video Coalition Fellow in 2020, making his directorial debut with the documentary, A Window Out, a piece highlighting the effects of artistic and creative expression on mental health. Initially having an eye focused on narrative filmmaking, Sadiq continues to explore storytelling in a variety of ways, currently pursuing freelance videography. Photography, cinema, music, and the exploration of artforms have fueled him as he proceeds on his journey as both a filmmaker and creative.
Thanks to Rob Suguitan (@rawkbeez) for the photos in the gallery below!
