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Shaping San Francisco celebrates 25 years!

Special offsite events at various locations (see below)

After our inaugural rollout at the Koret Auditorium in 1998, where we demonstrated the original version of Shaping San Francisco on Windows95 compatible CD-ROMs, and installed the first of our WindowsNT-based kiosks, our project has twisted and turned to arrive at this thriving moment in 2023. Join us for fun and frolic as we indulge ourselves in adventures near and far with old friends and longtime collaborators.

Sunday, September 17, 9 am CANCELLED!

Kayak Tour of Islais Creek


Due to fire at Kayaks Unlimited, we have cancelled the 9/17 Kayak Tour. We will share information through our email newsletter on how to support them in the rebuilding of their enterprise and gear, as soon as we can.

Saturday, September 23, 2-6 pm

Fall Equinox Picnic

at Precita Park, Folsom and Precita Streets

A joint anniversary celebratory picnic with Planet Drum Foundation (50 years) and Shaping San Francisco (25 years). A brief presentation on the history and actions of the Frisco Bay Mussel Group will erupt in the midst of a potluck picnic on the green slopes of Precita Park. Please bring something delicious to share!


This is a free event, but we gladly accept donations. Donate now!

Saturday, October 7, 7:30 pm

Mission Project

FILM PROGRAM! $10 payable at the door
at Artists Television Access, 992 Valencia Street

Gather at ATA for a night of Craig Baldwin’s Other Cinema for films curated by Vero Majano. Dive into life on the streets of the Mission District. Short films include a visual representation of one chapter of Michelle Tea’s book Valencia (5 min.), Vero Majano’s I Reminisce (3 min.), Ray Balberan’s Blame it on the Reds (14 min.), Larrylandia by Karim Scarlata (18 min.), and Alfred Hernandez’s That Mission Rising! (8 min.). Plus ¡Viva 16! by Tina Valentin Aguirre and Augie Robles (26 min.). We round out the evening with Sabrina Alonso’s Mischief at 16th and Florida (30 min.), which summons an insignificant corner’s place in our collective San Francisco history.

Saturday, November 4, 2 pm

Reflections on the San Francisco Bay!

FILM PROGRAM!
at Exploratorium's Osher Gallery 1, Kanbar Forum, Pier 15

Co-directors Chris Carlsson and LisaRuth Elliott and filmmaker Andrew Black in person!

Films and a boat ride celebrating 40 years of the Exploratorium Cinema Arts Program created by Liz Keim. Together we present short films, created by artists, which explore unique cultural aspects of our Bay – its waterways, shorelines, the natural elements, and humans at work and play.

Light Year by Paul Clipson (2013, 10 min.)

A unique cinematic portrait of San Francisco filmed along the edge of the Bay, captures both natural and industrial landscapes. The filmmaker crafts beauty from puddles, light poles, old signs, and fences while focusing on the visceral textures, reflections, and other architectural elements found along the Embarcadero.

Chinese Whispers: Bay Chronicles by Rene Yung (2015, 9 min.)

This short documentary, created for an installation at the National Maritime Museum in San Francisco, brings to light the forgotten history of Chinese Shrimp fisherman in the Bay Area. Working with a team of artists, historical ecologists, and cultural experts sailing the original bay routes on the replica Chinese fishing boat, the Grace Quan, the artist surfaces lost stories as she revisits their once thriving camps situated along the shoreline.

Crossing the Bar by Andrew Black (1992, 8 min., 16mm)

A meditation on the landscapes of the San Francisco Bay as seen from the deck of a tugboat where Mr. Black was employed for several years in the late eighties. The film invites us to experience the Bay from multiple perspectives using black and white and color 16mm images, music, and narration.

Junkopia by Chris Marker (1983, 6 min.)

Filmed in July 1981 by renown French director Marker and cohorts Frank Simeone and John Chapman, this visually evocative documentary captures a unique aspect of the Emeryville mudflat sculptures (“objects of strange beauty”) that many of us here in the 1960s and 1970s remember fondly. Visible from the freeway along the eastern edge of the Bay Bridge, the installations (“fascinating oddities”) were assembled by artists from discarded materials such as driftwood found on site.after which we’ll board the Pacific Pearl and cruise around the Bay for a historical exploration.


The film program alone requires entry to the Exploratorium.

Film + Bay Cruise: "City Front"
Special Short Film Program at Exploratorium at 2 pm, followed by boat tour 3-5:30. Anniversary price: $35 per person!
Book with Shaping SF directly!.

Saturday, November 11, 4 pm

Transit in the Archives

FILM PROGRAM!
at Prelinger Library, 301 8th Street

As part of Shaping San Francisco's ongoing 25th anniversary celebration in 2023 gather at the Prelinger Library for an afternoon of transportation films from the Prelinger Archives, and browse a special exhibition highlighting a wealth of new transportation materials drawn from the stacks. As a special bonus, take the opportunity pore over Norman Therkelson's scrapbooks, extensively documenting urban evolution in our fair city. THIS EVENT IS FULL! NO MORE SPOTS AVAILABLE!


This is a free event, but we gladly accept donations. donate now!