The Valencia Corridor has long been associated with the arts, artists, and creative enterprise, and in 2008 was named “the hippest street in America” by the New York Times. It was not that long ago that the population of the corridor reflected this claim, with owner-operated shops of artists and artisans making up the majority of the storefronts along Valencia.  Despite the VCMA’s efforts to protect it, this has begun to change, likely due to skyrocketing commercial rents and the increased cost of doing business in San Francisco.

As a response, we have founded the Valencia Arts Grant in recognition of the essential role artists play in our community. We believe that the unique character of our corridor is something to be strengthened rather than preserved — one that is kept alive due to the vibrancy of our local artists. To that end, the Valencia Arts Grant aims to support these artists while also bringing new and engaging works to the corridor. Partnerships between small business and the arts have a history of making both communities stronger and we hope to continue in this tradition.

Applications will be evaluated on the basis of the quality of the artist’s work, boldness of the proposed installation, and the potential to draw audiences to the Valencia Corridor. Works can be permanent or temporary, can be presented in the form of visual arts, cinematic installations, street performers, etc. but must be free to anyone who visits the neighborhood. Preference will be given to those proposed projects with more longevity.

Initial funding comes from the CDMA and will be supplemented with donations from the 2019 Valencia Cookie Crawl.  

Stay tuned for application opening early 2020!