ArtHERE

What brought this project about? Well, you see all along Market Street in downtown San Francisco there's an overabundance of underutilized space, causing a loss of community and economic opportunity. This is an endemic not only of San Francisco but many other urban areas around the country. And with those involved in the good fight; we have shrinking budgets, overworked staff, limited community participation, and inefficient communications between agencies, stakeholders, and constituents. Could we empower and transform a community by matching under-used public urban spaces with the placement of art and cultural projects?

So we simply set out to make these spaces more available for better use. We imagined something that would cut through the lengthy application processes, hearings, and permitting discussions. We envisioned a tool that could utilize modern capabilities, an on-line platform that could streamline and make effective the decision-making process, ease the exchange of information amongst those involved, and make a complicated matter accessible. Thus, inviting more people to participate. Ultimately, it's going to be faster, and it's going to engage a broader community.