Keeping the arts in Japantown is vital to maintaining a thriving cultural district. Our proposal for the future of Japantown imagines a InterACTive Art Center to serve as a cultural hub for visual and performance art, as well as history and community.

Components of the art center

Lobby

• “Walk through Time” -Permanent Visual art collection & video Story of SF Japantown
  • Extension of the SF Japantown history walk through art and historical artifacts 
  • World War II veterans 442 troop, incarceration story
  • YWCA Sutter Bldg story of Yona Abiko Diary
  • SF Redevelopment Story – CANE, activist music, poetry, and dance. connection to Ethnic Studies Departments at Universities.
  • Specific contributions from community organizations and individuals that created Japantown and how Japantown was created.
  • Web hub – Live internet w/last 3 remaining Japantown’s in the USA, and Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Asian American visual art movable gallery within lobby:
  • Sakura matsuri, Nihonmachi Streetfair, Asian American Heritage Festival
  • NLF, NJAHS, SFSU (ethnic dept., visual, music, literature), Locus, Kearny Street, other arts orgs.
  • JBBP Programs display work, have activities around asian/asian American themes
  • Senior arts/ crafts, intergenerational art activities
  • Japantown Internet Hub – international portal link
  • Youth link
  • Nikkei weblink / Japantown websites, and virtual connection
  • Intergenerational monthly news site created by participants in program
• Gift store – Sell local artist works visual, crafts, dvd, cd, etc

Art Café

Art Café – Seats 250 indoor/patio overlooking Peace Plaza

Theater

InterACTive theater 500 seats

• promote cultural performing arts
• interdisciplinary art
• Asian American film festival and international film festival
• convention use/ lectures
• community programs
  • youth
  • DOR
  • NLF
  • Festivals
  • Intergenerational

Multi-purpose rooms

• Visual Art Classes, and Dance classes occupancy 25 (750-1000 square feet)
  • Cultural dance classes held by SF Bay Area master artists
  • Local visual artists teach classes to senior, kids, family, and tourists

• Multi-media rooms to create news for the monthly news site;
  • Photography
  • Music recording
  • Videotaping
  • Editing room
• Business conference rooms with drop down projection screen for 50 seated.