(San Francisco – April 3, 2012) The Excelsior community is abuzz in front of Mama Art Café (4754 Mission Street), marveling at the work of two local nonprofit organizations that have joined together to bring the neighborhood its first public parklet.  Harnessing the creativity of San Francisco public high school students and the overwhelming support of community members and local government, Out of Site Youth Arts Center and Excelsior Action Group have made this student-designed parklet a reality.    
 
The Out of Site Youth Arts Center, which offers free after school, weekend, and summer programs in visual, literary, and performing arts to public high school students, engaged approximately 50 students over the past year in both the design and construction of the parklet.  The Excelsior Action Group, a community and economic development organization that works to revitalize the Excelsior’s commercial corridor, provided seed funding for the project with a grant from the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD).  The organization has also engaged the participation of Mama Art Café, as well as completed a robust campaign of community outreach to vet the project and the design with Excelsior community members.  In partnering, both organizations have lent unique focus and expertise to this project, which has amplified its incredible success.  

The initial concept for the parklet sprung from the recurring complaint among community members about the lack of public space on the commercial corridor.  “The commercial corridor feels inhospitable!  On the whole ten block stretch, there is not a single place to sit down,” observed one community member in Excelsior Action Group’s 2010 needs assessment.  Situated near the midpoint of the corridor, the parklet aims to establish a creative and green gathering space for the Excelsior’s diverse community, which increases pedestrian activity and fosters a sense of pride in the community.  “Before we even completed construction, the parklet was doing everything we hoped it would,” remarked Excelsior Action Group’s Corridor Manager Nicole Agbayani, “The community settled into the space immediately, sitting on the unfinished seats to enjoy their coffee and chat with their neighbors.  This parklet will have tremendous benefits for the surrounding businesses and really enhance the quality of the pedestrian experience on our commercial corridor.  Most importantly, the fundraising, design, and construction of this parklet has truly been a community building experience, bringing multigenerational stakeholders to the same table and challenging them to work together to improve their surroundings.”    
 
 
Throughout this project, the youth involved have showcased their extraordinary creativity, determination, and leadership.  They've gained invaluable experience as artists and architects, demonstrating real leadership in going through an exhaustive design process, writing and receiving a grant through the Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) to support their work, and working on a team to construct the parklet.  Most importantly, Out of Site youth living and working in the Excelsior have used their creativity to build something that will have a permanent and positive impact in the community.  "Teenage youth in our neighborhood want to be involved," commented Beth Rubenstein, Executive Director of Out of Site, "They want to be recognized as smart, engaged community members.  What keeps them motivated?  As one of our Out of Site youth leaders says, 'we have the power to make real change in our neighborhood!'"
 
Despite the rainy weather over the past few weeks, Out of Site students have labored hand in hand with community volunteers from the Excelsior Action Group to construct the parklet.  Instrumental in bringing this project to fruition was designer Craig Hollow of Sagan Piechota Architecture, who planned and supervised construction in collaboration with Out of Site instructor Raffaella Falchi.  In addition to funding from OEWD and YEF, the production of the parklet was also supported by many generous benefactors, including Escheguron Slate, Ashby Lumber, Heritage Salvage, Walter Mork Company, Pagoda Arts, and over 60 individual donors who attended the Excelsior Action Group's Parklet Fundraiser.  Finally, this project has received immense support and guidance from local government agencies, including OEWD, the Planning Department, MTA, DPW, and District 11 Supervisor Avalos's office.
 
“We applaud the students and local organizers for creating a unique space that everyone can use by building the first parklet in the Excelsior community,” said John Rahaim, Planning Director. “Community-driven initiatives like this have taken up the challenge of the ‘Pavement to Parks’ program, bringing vibrancy and life to San Francisco’s public realm.”
 
Conversing with customers at the parklet in the afternoon sun, owner of Mama Art Cafe Paulo Cabezas exclaimed, "I speak on behalf of my team and my customers when I say that we are humbled and grateful that Mama Art Cafe has been selected to be the site of the first parklet in the Excelsior.  Our community parklet will be a site of inspiration, improving the overall atmosphere of our corridor on Mission Street, making the Excelsior a better place to live and work!"  On Friday, April 20, 2012 at 4:00 PM, the Excelsior Action Group, Out of Site, and Mama Art Cafe will sponsor an Excelsior Community Block Party at the parklet, inviting all to honor and celebrate the incredible work that has gone into creating this new public space for the Excelsior.   

The Excelsior Action Group and Out of Site Youth Arts Center will be starting construction on the first Excelsior public parklet this upcoming Saturday, March 24th and continuing through March 31st. This will be the culmination of a year long community design process and collaboration between EAG, OOS, and Mama Art Cafe.
 
We encourage all interested residents to come out and view the construction effort or, better yet, lend a helping hand! Email or call us to find out volunteer times and sign up to help build the parklet, no experience is necessary. Contact EAG at (415) 585-0110 or Excelsior.AG@gmail.com for more information! 

When: Saturday, March 24th -- Saturday, March 31st. Times will vary day to day but will generally be between 11am - 4pm. 
Where: Parklet installation will be taking place in front of Mama Art Cafe, 35 San Juan Avenue. 

Join the Excelsior Action Group at Mama Art Cafe on February 24th to support the creation of the first Excelsior Parklet and witness the  public unveiling of its design by Out of Site Youth Arts Center

Festivities will include live music, food, and a silent auction

When: Friday, February 24th from 6:30pm -9pm
Where: Mama Art Cafe, 4754 Mission Street

On October 27, 2011, the Wall Street Journal published "San Francisco Tries Again to Upgrade Excelsior District," an article by Vauhini Vara outlining efforts to improve the neighborhood and commercial corridor over the years.  Excelsior Action Group submitted the following response in a Letter to the Editor:

We at the Excelsior Action Group (EAG) were pleased to see the article in the Wall Street Journal shedding some attention on this underserved district of San Francisco.  The issues of blight and lack of safety and cleanliness described in the article are what necessitate groups like EAG and the work we do here.  As the article described, the terrible economic climate has hit the Excelsior very hard, making EAG’s efforts to revitalize the Excelsior’s commercial corridor more difficult, but also much more needed.

Of the $393,400 of city funding cited in the article, only $184,000 has gone directly to capital improvement projects, while the rest has helped to keep our organization’s doors open for almost a decade now.  Beyond the ad-hoc cleanings referred to in the article, EAG also engages in campaigns year after year for safety, beautification, business attraction, and community engagement.  Last year alone, over 350 community members dedicated over 1200 volunteer hours to work with EAG on community improvement projects, such as painting 10 murals along the corridor, planting greenery, and cleaning the corridor monthly.  EAG also organizes the Annual Excelsior Art and Music Festival, which draws over 3,000 participants from around the Bay Area to experience the culture and local flavor of our corridor. 

We are hopeful that the most recent $50,000 investment the city has made in the Excelsior will help to make a visible and inspiring impact on the commercial corridor through our façade improvement program, Excelsior Extreme Makeover.  To this end, we have garnered a significant amount of volunteer support to supplement these funds and stretch the impact of this program beyond just $50,000. 

Buy-in from local merchants is essential to the success of this program and the work that we do in general.  As an example, Paulo Acosta Cabezas, owner of Mama Art Café, has been integral in our effort to construct a parklet in front of his business as part of this program.  Established in 2004, Mama Art Café is a strong and active advocate for youth development and the arts in the Excelsior.  Ultimately, partnerships with businesses like this one are what will move our neighborhood forward.

As Amy Cohen, the city’s Director of Neighborhood Business Development, reflected, the goal of this facade improvement program is to make a visible impact that inspires Excelsior businesses and individuals to take further action.  We think Zhong Luo, owner of the Dragon House in the Excelsior, exemplifies the success of this philosophy in saying, “When I see people stopping by my front door and picking up garbage, it motivates me to pick up my garbage too.” 

Nicole Agbayani, Excelsior Action Group Corridor Manager