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With all the dire news about the AI invasion pricing artists out of San Francisco and killing the city’s creative soul, it’s easy to get depressed about our communal future. Aprill Lacey, co-founder and executive director of nonprofit Creative Collective, gets that. Yet in spite of the challenges artists face in our current climate, she remains optimistic about the city’s art scene.
“In the event world, I see lots of opportunities for musicians, other artists, and makers,” Lacey, who has 25 years of experience managing events in the Bay Area, explained to 48 Hills. “In San Francisco, there are lots of things happening, often on the same day. On our end, artists we reach out to aren’t always available because they’re already involved in so many other things.”
Formed two years ago, Creative Collective partners with community benefit organizations and businesses to provide commission-free gig opportunities and resources for artists. Their events include the Fern Alley Music Series and an art space pop-up in Lower Polk as part of SF First Thursdays. Attendees enjoy an evening of exploring galleries, artist-run spaces, and neighborhood businesses.
“The pop-up storefront features a rotation of anywhere from 15 to 20 artists we showcase each month,” said Lacey. “Our main focus is artists who are hyper-local to the surrounding areas, from Lower Polk, the Tenderloin, North Beach, and then greater San Francisco and Bay Area artists.”
While she loves advocating for creatives in all of these places and producing events throughout San Francisco, she has a soft spot for Lower Polk. Lacey sees the neighborhood as having vibrant arts community that is chronically overlooked. She’s on a mission to change that.
“It’s a great place to come and see art and experience events,” Lacey said. Working with the Lower Polk Community Benefit District, Lacey and her team are gearing up for one of the neighborhood’s biggest events, the second annual Lower Polk Live! night market happening on October 23.
Her team is also wrapping up work on Pier Party, a free summer concert series at Fisherman’s Wharf. And in partnership with the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy, the collective is busy preparing for the San Francisco Diwali Festival on November 8.
“San Francisco is still a wonderful, creative place with lots of stuff happening and people just like us (event producers) who are doing great things in the city,” said Lacey. Attending a Creative Collective event might just be one way for SF doomers to start believing her.
Get more information on Creative Collective’s events here.
