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DreamingSpaces

Dreaming Spaces places artists, cultural workers, and creatives at the center of the dreaming process. Together with community members, artists, architects, engineers, city planners, and public health officials, we envision what can be done to create and share art in safe environments, free from disease, discrimination, and violence.

Designing a cultural hub at 447 Minna

The Dreaming Spaces San Francisco Steering Committee convene at 447 Minna for the first design session, May 2022.

Dreaming Spaces San Francisco began with a focus on 447 Minna, a building in SoMa stewarded by CAST that opened to the public in March 2022.

We brought together artists, cultural workers, and community residents to dream up and collectively design a cultural hub at 447 Minna that meets the collective needs and desires of the SoMa neighborhood and community. Together, we reimagined the 1st and 2nd floor spaces of 447 Minna to be inclusive and reflective of the SoMa community through arts and culture. We also explored how to foster a sense of community that also provides a safer environment through arts and culture in outdoor and community spaces around the 447 Minna neighborhood.

The Dreaming Spaces Steering Committee

As the steward of the space at 447 Minna, CAST made an early commitment to inclusivity and community engagement. We assembled a steering committee to reflect the diversity of the SoMa neighborhood through the Dreaming Spaces Steering Committee.

 

Demetri Broxton

Senior Director of Education

Museum of the African Diaspora

There’s been a lot of intention behind setting the expectations, but also setting the tone that this is an inclusive space…focusing on the arts, but also focusing on the people who live in the neighborhood.

Robin Abad Ocubillo

Director

Shared Spaces, City of San Francisco

What’s so critical about what CAST is doing in the Bay Area, and specifically, what we’re doing here in South of Market, is that we’re focusing on the artist. We’re focusing on culture workers, and these are folks, practitioners, who typically are more vulnerable to the seismic forces of economy and displacement. We need to guard against further displacement and nurture that resident here in our city.

Get to Know the Committee

Facilitators & Designers

Aimee Espiritu, M. Ed.
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Aimee Espiritu, M. Ed.

Dreaming Spaces Co-Facilitator

Kristen Brillantes
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Kristen Brillantes

Dreaming Spaces Co-Facilitator

Jessika Amato
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Jessika Amato

Designer

Chris Ard
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Chris Ard

Designer

Katie Larson
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Katie Larson

Designer

Milan Outlaw
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Milan Outlaw

Designer

Ben Stone
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Ben Stone

Designer

Yu Tsuji
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Yu Tsuji

Designer

CAST Real Estate Project Manager Yi Zhong walks the steering committee through the 2nd floor of 447 Minna during the Community Design Day, August 2022

Timeline

Virtual listening sessions kick off

Dreaming Spaces San Francisco launches

Community Design Day: community members translated their dreams into sketches and visualized how 447 Minna can be a safe, welcoming and inclusive space.

Design proposals were showcased at Reimagining Minna Street, a community celebration with over 100 attendees

Neighborhood residents and community members add to the prototyped “graffiti wall”, one of the design ideas from the Community Design Day. Photo by Robbie Sweeny

 

Design sketches from the Community Design Day.

 

6th on 7th Gallery pop-up during CAST’s “Reimagining Minna Street” community celebration. Photo by Robbie Sweeny

Watch the Recap

 

Funding for Dreaming Spaces San Francisco is provided by the San Francisco Arts Commission