Free with museum admission. This event takes place on a First Thursday when the museum is free to Bay Area residents.
Curated by Ruth’s Table and inspired by Ruth Asawa’s dedication to using art as a means of collaboration and community building, this First Thursday event invites you to take part in one of Asawa’s signature hands-on art-making activities and experience a performance honoring her leadership in the arts.
Led by SCRAP and Aiko Cuneo, this workshop reimagines milk cartons as intricate geometric forms, with each participant contributing to and expanding upon one another’s work. Asawa first explored this activity in her impactful arts education initiatives at the Alvarado School Arts Workshop in the early 1970s and expanded on it during her residency at the Exploratorium in 1974.
The evening also features a special performance by Nobuko Miyamoto, offered in tribute to Asawa. A pioneering Japanese American songwriter, dancer, and activist, Miyamoto experienced forced removal during World War II. Her six-decade career has been defined by her commitment to using art as a tool for community building, change, and protest. This special performance is crafted as an offering to Asawa and will invite the audience to come together in shared experience and reflection.
Also, connect with Yes SF innovators who are working to revitalize San Francisco through their sustainable solutions. For more information on the Yes SF initiative, go to YesSF.org.
4–7 p.m. | Making with Milk Cartons with SCRAP and Aiko Cuneo, Floor 2, Koret Education Center
4–7 p.m. | Meet the Yes SF Innovators, Floor 2, Helen and Charles Schwab Hall
6 p.m. | Live performance by Nobuko Miyamoto, Floor 4, Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box
Aiko Cuneo is an artist who taught in San Francisco schools for many years. She works with mixed media, preferring to use repurposed materials from SCRAP. The challenge of making art from someone else’s discards brings her joy and satisfaction during the process of transformation.
Ruth’s Table, named in celebration of Ruth Asawa and her table that sits in their studio, is a Front Porch program committed to increasing access to creative opportunities for older adults and adults with disabilities, providing an inclusive and inspiring environment for creative expression and meaningful connections. With intergenerational exchange at the core of their mission, Ruth’s Table offers a dynamic combination of rotating gallery exhibitions, creative programming, and community initiatives.
Nobuko Miyamoto is a third-generation Japanese American songwriter, dance and theater artist, and activist, and is the artistic director of Great Leap. Her work has explored ways to reclaim and decolonize our minds, bodies, histories, and communities, using the arts to create social change and solidarity across cultural borders.
Founded in 1976 by Anne Marie Theilen and based in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood, SCRAP works at the intersection of the arts, arts education, and the environment. SCRAP’s mission is to make the materials and methods of art making accessible to everyone, helping people transform everyday objects into creative projects that fuel the human spirit, support community vibrancy, and reinforce environmental awareness. At the time of its founding, Theilen oversaw a program that placed professional artists in schools. Unfortunately, there was no budget for materials, so the artists struggled to find supplies for their classrooms. Meanwhile, many local businesses were filling landfills with perfectly usable items for artwork — such as paper with incorrect logos, fabric samples from interior designers, industrial discards, product overruns, and other materials. Recognizing an opportunity to solve both problems with one solution, Theilen founded SCRAP in 1976. She teamed up with Ruth Asawa, who became the organization’s first Board President. Each year, SCRAP’s programs serve over 33,000 people by providing circular access to creative materials and services — both at its depot and in the community — all while diverting over 200 tons of waste from landfills.
Yes SF supports entrepreneurship that brings innovative solutions to San Francisco, spurring economic growth and positive impacts on SF’s revitalization efforts. Yes SF aims to create positive change by empowering local innovation ecosystems to help SF thrive as a place where people love to live and work.
Presenting Sponsor of Create and Connect is Deloitte, a Founding Collaborator of Yes SF.
With support from Google.org.
Presenting support for First Thursdays is provided by Penny S. and James G. Coulter.
Major support is provided by Concepción S. and Irwin Federman.
Significant support is provided by illy.