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Indigenous Peoples Day Music & Arts Festival | SF

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Monday, October 14, 2019 - 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm | Cost: FREE
Yerba Buena Gardens (Esplanade) | 773 Mission St., San Francisco, CA

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SF’s New American Indian Art & Culture Festival | Oct. 4 – Dec. 4

The San Francisco Arts Commission announces a new, ambitious American Indian Initiative that celebrates the culture and contributions of local Indigenous Peoples.

Spanning three months, The Continuous Thread: Celebrating Our Interwoven Histories, Identities and Contributions will include over 14 public events including exhibitions, a temporary light-art project, community celebrations, concerts, a film festival, a fashion show and more.

The Initiative kicks off on October 4 with the opening of the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Main Gallery’s new exhibition, The Continuous Thread: Celebrating Our Interwoven Histories, Identities, and Contributions.   The exhibition highlights the local Indigenous Peoples through visual and multimedia formats.

“The Continuous Thread” Exhibition
On view October 4 – December 14, 2019
SFAC Main Gallery, 401 Van Ness, Veterans Building
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11 am – 6 pm
Opening Reception, Friday, October 4, 6 – 8 pm
Free and open to the public

Reclaiming Space: Projected Portraits of the American Indian Community
Large-scale Projections of 150+ Portraits in the Civic Center on the facades of the SF Public Library and Asian Art Museum
On view October 4-11, dusk to dawn
Free and open to the public

On October 16, the SFAC is proud to partner with the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) on a special evening featuring award-winning novelist Tommy Orange in conversation with San Francisco Poet Laureate Kim Shuck at the Koret Auditorium at the Main Library. Later in the month on October 26, the SFPL will commence Native American Heritage Month with an exhibition on its 6th floor and a series of events lead by Shuck.

Coinciding with the Native American Heritage Month kick-off, the SFAC will present its first fashion show featuring four Indigenous fashion designers who will present their designs on a runway encircling the Pioneer Monument.

On November 22, acclaimed recording artist Buffy St. Marie will help honor Native American activists who have led resistance movements from 1969’s reclamation of Alcatraz to the present day. 

Join us in celebration of San Francisco’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival with Native American art, music, and vendors. Jonathan Cordero (Ramaytush Ohlone) begins the celebration with an opening and land acknowledgment.

The program highlights the vastly diverse and talented community of Indigenous artists, featuring performances from:

  • Round Valley Traditional Dancers & Round Valley Feather Dancers (Pomo)
  • Pura Fé (Tuscarora), Raye Zaragoza (Akimel O’otham descent)
  • Hinewirangi Kohu (Maori), Ostwelve (Stō:lo)
  • Pamyua (Inuit), Teokalli Aztec Dancers
  • Emceed by Jackie Keliiaa (Washoe and Paiute)

Disclaimer: Please double check event information with the event organizer as events can be canceled, details can change after they are added to our calendar, and errors do occur.


Cost: FREE
Categories: *Top Pick*, Art & Museums, Fairs & Festivals, Live Music
Address: 773 Mission St., San Francisco, CA