Common Grounds Arts Festival brings a myriad of works and performances to the alleys of SoMa
Artist Strider Patton. (Courtesy of Intersection for the Arts)

Common Grounds Arts Festival brings a myriad of works and performances to the alleys of SoMa

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Art is everywhere—in public alleys, parking lots, on rooftops, and in tunnels—and a new (free) festival in San Francisco is shining a light on works in those unexpected places.

Presented by Intersection for the Arts, the 52-year-old city institution that supports the development of the arts in the Bay Area, the two-week-long Common Grounds Arts Festival is bringing together 23 local arts organizations comprised of 105 artists for programs in five categories: family, performance, music, visual arts, and gatherings.


We Will Work Here by Grace Rosario Perkins, Project O(Courtesy of Intersection for the Arts)

Don't miss:

On Thursday, May 25th, look for Glass Eye Shadow Pictures, founded by artist Alisa Javits and musician Adam Lipsky, to take over the Minna Street tunnel with interactive projections that allow attendees embed themselves in the narrative.


On Friday, jazz musician Brian Moran, the 7 string guitarist for the Brazilian choro quartet Grupo Falso Baiano, will play a free show in the tunnel.


On Saturday, Project O will host a pottery throw down in Parallel Park—anyone who wants to join can make sculpture and art from clay.

Last Blue Couch in the SkyCourtesy of The Intersection for the Arts

From June 2nd through June 4th, Kim Epifano of Epiphany Dance Theater, in conjunction with Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, will stage "Last Blue Couch in the Sky," a piece of dance that will lead participants on a free dance/theater journey through SoMa (from Tutubi plaza to YBCA).


More fun things include drag shows for kids and a drive-in movie where you can get your nails glittered. Common Grounds is a partnership with the 5M Project, which will, over the next several years, bring a new assortment of housing, arts and culture, and public spaces to SoMa.


// Common Grounds runs through June 6th, 2017; for the full schedule, go to theinterstection.org/commongrounds.

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