Neighborhood Notes: Pandemic arts & recovery, holiday drives, vaccines and more

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Los Delicados poets return to the Mission 

Poet performers Norman Antonio Zelaya, Darren J. DeLeon and Paul S. Flores return to their roots in the Mission District this Friday to honor the neighborhood’s “Floricanto” legacy of Chicano-Latino poetry from the ‘70s, and the Latino Spoken Word movement of the ‘90s. 

For their 25th anniversary, Los Delicados will perform at the Brava Theater at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 20. For details and tickets, click here.

Mission Library community meetings

The public library wants to share its plans about the Mission Branch renovations and a temporary site during the upcoming construction. There will be two community meetings to choose from to learn more about project and ask questions.

Meeting 1: Saturday Dec. 4, 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Meeting 2: Tuesday Dec. 7, 6 to 7:30 p.m.

The meetings will be held at the Mission Branch, at 300 Bartlett St. Spanish interpretation will be available.

New mural honors Mission pandemic response

The Mission is known for its street art and murals: Just last week, a new piece went up in Lilac Alley in honor of the Mission’s Graffiti Godfather. Meanwhile, a longer-term project, underway since the summer and completed in September, only reached its funding goal of $3,000 to pay the artists a few weeks ago. 

The mural, located at 24th and York streets next to Juana Alicia’s iconic La Llorona mural, was a collaboration between nurses at San Francisco General Hospital and artists with Precita Eyes Muralists. 

Originally, three nurses volunteered to work at shelter-in-place hotels early in the pandemic and, in response, their coworkers put together some money so they could treat themselves. Instead, the nurses decided to put the fund toward commissioning a permanent work of art in the community, one which “captures local responses to the pandemic, honoring the lives lost and the courage of frontline and essential workers.” 

Check out the mural from Elaine Chu, Marina Perez-Wong (aka Twin Walls) and Priya Handa when you’re in the Southeast Mission for unforgettable sights from the pandemic: an abuelita sewing face masks, a car parade in lieu of high school graduation, and healthcare workers in PPE. 

Thanksgiving food drive needs your help 

The Mission Food Hub, an essential service for so many during the pandemic, is raising funds to provide families with the ingredients for a traditional Salvadoran Pan con Pavo (or turkey with bread) meal. 

Turkeys will start going out on Friday, but they are still over 1,000 short and could use your help. To donate click here or mail check to CANA — Mission Food Hub at 1333 Florida St. San Francisco, CA, 94110 

• $30 sponsor a turkey
• $90 sponsor a turkey and side dishes for a family of 4
• $120 sponsor a turkey and side dishes for a family of 6
• $150 sponsor a turkey and side dishes for a family of 8 

Or, you can also donate your time and sign up to volunteer. Click here to see how to help out. 

Women’s clothing drive 

The Women’s Building has launched a Winter Community Drive, which will collect scarves, gloves, beanies, and blankets through December 14. Items should be in new or like-new condition. 

Donations are being accepted at the Women’s Building at 3543 18th St. #8 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alternatively, message Kristen Acosta to coordinate at kristen@womensbuilding.org or 415-651-2963. 

Etcetera celebrates 10 years of wine 

Etcetera Wine Bar is celebrating its 10-year anniversary on Valencia Street. This Saturday, Nov. 20, it will be hosting a party, complete with a DJ and champagne. 

Come out and dance, drink, and be merry. For reservations, contact info@etceterawinebar.com or call 415-706-7625. 

Arts Commission gallery reopens 

The first exhibitions in the SF Arts Commission Main Gallery open tomorrow, Nov. 19, with a free show and reception. 

As part of the first showing since the gallery’s closure in March, 2020, “Taking Place: Untold Stories of the City” “unearths histories, legacies and points of erasure in the Civic Center, Bayview Hunters Point and the Presidio.” Mansur Nurullah touches on urban development, while storyteller Trina Michelle Robinson researches her great-great uncle, a WWI officer who spent his entire military career passing as white.  

The other exhibit, “Black Magic,” features a collection of videos premiering on the West Coast, created by members of the the Three Point Nine Art Collective, an association of African American artists, curators and art writers living in San Francisco. 

The shows will be held at the SFAC’s gallery at the War Memorial Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Ave, Suite 126. After Friday’s reception, they will remain open through March, 2022. 

Transgender Day of Remembrance

To cap off transgender awareness week, Manny’s will host Transgender Day of Remembrance at 6 p.m. on Saturday to remember those lost to anti-transgender violence, and to demand justice and equity. Event details are here. 

Bay Area arts orgs receive $2 million

Local Bay Area arts organizations are to receive $2 million in grants from the Koret Foundation to help venues reopen after the pandemic, welcome back visitors in person, and revitalize the local arts scene. 

Funding will go to 10 organizations: Stanford Live, the San Francisco Symphony, Cal Performances, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Opera, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the American Conservatory Theater, the Berkeley Repertory, the Asian Art Museum, and the San Francisco Ballet. 

Update: Information about a vaccine clinic at César Chávez Elementary School has been removed, as it is not open to the public. Information about the Mission library community meetings has been added.