CALL FOR PEACE

For our December 2nd MAPP, 20 artists came together to hold space to acknowledge the tragic loss of thousands of innocent civilians, Palestinians, and Israelis, including countless children.

The evening was led by artists and activists who have been rooted in this struggle for years.
They were joined by local actors, poets, visual artists, and musicians to create a resounding active symphony of resistance, and healing.

We reject the dissonance of antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism, oppression, and all forms of violence.

In the tapestry of existence, each life is a precious thread, weaving a narrative of inherent worth and boundless dignity.

Our canvas is peace,
Our palette is understanding,
And our space is a world where dialogue and compassion paint the future.

Red Poppy Art House Team

BLACK LIVES MATTER

This time weighs heavy on all of us, as it should.

We recognize that the events of recent weeks are not exceptional within the context of the history of our country and its relationship to black communities. The ongoing status quo since the founding of the nation and continual denial of the truth from one generation to the next. Today, social media has allowed the repressed to broadcast the truth with greater honesty because they hold the camera to tell the stories of injustice and racism.

We mourn the deaths of our Black brothers and sisters murdered by the culture of violence that flows unrestrained within the police forces of our country. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmad Aubrey. And our hearts go out to the hundreds of civilian casualties who sustained injuries while exercising their right to protest the systemic racism that continues to undermine the true social and economic health of our country.

As friends of the Poppy, you know it is a space where people gather to encounter one another, to share in the spirit of being who we are, with our histories and their respective complexity, personal and collective. To grow, we must simultaneously accept one another and challenge one another, in good faith.
On this day, we felt it appropriate to share this quote from Martin Luther King, his letter from Birmingham jail. It’s not the usual pacifying MLK quote, but one that shines a light on where his disappointment fell, where clearly deep work still needs to be done, our work today. While white supremacist appears to be on the rise (again), and police violence is more transparent than ever, we must consider that the greatest block to transformation is not extremists, but the expansive population of ordinary people that remain undecided and in between, perhaps with good intentions but lacking in substantive action. So we decided to share this quote, to highlight this challenge that he saw so clearly in a jail in Birmingham.

Now is not a time to seek phrases that make us feel comfortable. We need this discomfort to push us to do better.
Red Poppy stands in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. 50% of the June 6th MAPP event donations, including the visual art workshop and the performances, will immediately go to the non-profit “Black Lives Matter”. Thank you for supporting.

Together we will make critical change for equality and justice. Places where you can find more resources and share your support:

NAACP
ACLU
Black Lives Matter
Campaign Zero
Minnesota Freedom Fund

In solidarity with the national and global movement to hold up and honor Black lives, and to all of you who have been such a dedicated part of our community.

We love you,
The Red Poppy Art House

QUALITY OF LIVING & BEING

The Red Poppy Art House is a room on a corner in the Mission District of San Francisco, nestled between a myriad of communities. It is a place for slowness and the nuanced intermingling of ideas and activities generally termed “art.” In this little room, we present a vigorous performance program spanning multiple disciplines and embracing both traditional and contemporary forms. We also host artist residencies, a socially-engaged professional development track, and assist in curating space for the neighborhood-wide bimonthly MAPP happening (Mission Arts & Performance Project). Behind the scenes, we relish in the role of matchmaker, seeding new relationships wherever we can, among friends and strangers, artists, community members, people without communities, people from near and far, just about anyone that comes through the door. Our desire is to serve as a space of multiplicity, not defined by a singular culture or aesthetic, but as a well-spring of socially-engaged art and discourse that invites growth and transformation. If we had to name our dominant aesthetic, we would call it… “slow.”