A collaborative effort built at American Steel Studios, this piece was installed on Central Market Street in partnership with the Burning Man Project and Black Rock Arts Foundation. Interventions like this have been a part of the Burning Man Project's efforts to revitalize Mid-Market through immersive, interactive art.
Market Street, San Francisco, 2012
The practice of injecting urban neighborhoods with art and cultural amenities has gained enormous traction in recent years as an effective strategy to improve economic and social conditions in communities. Artistic activities fit well into an urban renewal agenda; they are ideally situated in undervalued or underutilized properties because affordability and raw space are often crucial to a wide range of creative uses. Even temporary initial interventions can catalyze permanent change, as art-related activities tend to attract and multiply each other, spurring additional interest and investment.
Learning from what is arguably the largest temporary urban intervention in the world, the Burning Man festival that takes place at the end of each summer in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada, the nonprofit Burning Man Project seeks to extend the ten principles on which it was founded – concepts like civic responsibility and decommodification – beyond the playa to cities everywhere, instilling them with vibrant, inclusive, radically expressive collaborations that can draw people together and act as a catalyst for creative culture and positive change in the world.
Working with staff and volunteers through the art, culture and civic involvement teams at the Burning Man Project, a variety of cross-agency urban projects have been explored and developed. These focus on tapping into the region's existing cultural amenities to grow and expand arts-based programming for a traditionally underserved neighborhood. More about Mid-Market
Latest innovations from the Burning Man Project and partners:
San Francisco Arts Activation + Urban Prototyping Festival