Ignoring real estate forces, the Rappaports have set up a for-profit entity that vows never to make one — and the cornerstone is 1275 Minnesota St., just off the T-Third Muni line at 24th Street, which will open in a year as a multipurpose complex in a concrete warehouse. If their project works, it could signal a radical relocation of the city’s gallery world from its traditional center near Union Square to DoReMi, the new nickname for a swath that is 10 square blocks and touches parts of Dogpatch, Potrero Hill and the Mission. Just as SFMOMA is the anchor of the arts in Yerba Buena, the anchor of DoReMi will be 1275 Minnesota, with galleries, nonprofits, media arts, a restaurant and retail shopping. There will also be a climate-controlled corner for museum shows, public art in the atrium, pop-up shows, galas, a speaker program and live music — all under a trussed ceiling with skylights and full southern exposure. The key component is a configuration that allows galleries to rent smaller permanent space than they might elsewhere because there will be flux space for rent as needed for large exhibitions. Andy and Deborah Rappaport, who have never been in the arts business, plan to invest “tens of millions of dollars,” he says, in a cluster of buildings that will include studios and other arts amenities under the umbrella of the Minnesota Street Project. Besides dropping out of Princeton, Andy has failed at just two pursuits — surfing and retirement. Because she and her husband had already been buying property, they knew that warehouse buildings zoned PDR (production, distribution, repair) in the southeast corner of the city could be used for the arts but not for offices. Four galleries have already committed to the location, plus the San Francisco Arts Education Project, or SFArtsED, which is planning to consolidate its visual arts classes there after 15 years in the Civic Center. “The greatest advantage of the Minnesota Street Project is the project itself, to bring children interested in the visual arts into a building full of galleries and artists, ” says Chad Jones, interim executive director of SFArtsED. [...] there are the Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco Center for the Book, Workshop Residence, Southern Exposure and CCA’s Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts. [...] they are too spread out, and to combine them and make a day of it requires visits to three distinct neighborhoods on a tour that is divided by two highways, 101 and 280. “A lot of people just don’t know about this area, strangely enough,” says Clark, a force in galvanizing the arts community below 15th Street. [...] on Wednesday, the same day that the Rappaports take possession of 1275 Minnesota, Clark will unveil the DoReMi map while hosting an event for SFArtsED√, with singing and a dance performance choreographed by Joe Goode. A trained ballet dancer who stands 6 feet in her heels, Clark makes an energetic ambassador for DoReMi as she carries around her colored map, going door to door like a retail politician.

 

Welcome to Wopular!

Welcome to Wopular

Wopular is an online newspaper rack, giving you a summary view of the top headlines from the top news sites.

Senh Duong (Founder)
Wopular, MWB, RottenTomatoes

Subscribe to Wopular's RSS Fan Wopular on Facebook Follow Wopular on Twitter Follow Wopular on Google Plus

MoviesWithButter : Our Sister Site

More Entertainment News