Shaping Legacy Project Unveils Art Installations and Free Community Events

SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Arts Commission’s (SFAC) Shaping Legacy Project today announced a major lineup of public art installations, interactive workshops, film screenings, and monument re-examinations spanning from July through October 2026. Designed to foster community reflection and honor local narratives, the initiative transforms public spaces across San Francisco into venues for memory, dialogue, and creation.

"The Shaping Legacy Project asks us to look closely at who and what we memorialize in our shared public spaces," said Matthew Goudeau, Executive Director of Arts and Culture. "From downtown kiosks to the historic waterfront at Hunters Point, these events invite every San Franciscan to participate directly in shaping the city's living memory."

The project brings together a dynamic group of multidisciplinary artists whose commissions redefine public space, honor community histories, and create living memorials. The 2026 programming highlights major temporary exhibits by Ariana Martinez-Cruz (Threaded Histories), Caleb Duarte (Embassy of the Refugee), Adrián Arias (A Sweet Route: A Tribute to Paleteros), Afatasi the artist (Memory Portal), and Stacey Carter (CRANE Illumination). Complementing these large-scale activations are downtown public art kiosks featuring original artwork by George McCalman, Miriam Thompson, and Ayana Miyoshi.

Together these artists center the stories of garment workers, street vendors, refugees, industrial dockworkers, and local neighborhoods.

Shaping Legacy Calendar of Events

• July 25 | Embassy of the Refugee at Pioneer Monument
  • Location: Pioneer Monument, Civic Center
  • Time: 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM
  • Featuring Artist Residency performances atop the empty plinth alongside community activations around the monument, challenging traditional notions of public commemoration.
• July 25 | Threaded Histories Monument Patch Distribution & Celebration
  • Location: Cultura y Arte Nativa de las Américas (CANA)
  • Time: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
  • A community celebration showcasing the outcomes of the mending circles, including custom patch distribution and live art-making.
• August 2 | A Sweet Route: A Tribute to Paleteros
  • Location: Potrero del Sol Park
  • Time: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Reinstallation ceremony and community gathering honoring San Francisco’s street vendors and paleteros, highlighting their cultural and economic contributions to neighborhood life.
• August 5 | Shaping Legacy Monument Case Studies Panel
  • Location: San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), Main Branch
  • Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
  • A community-led panel discussion examining recent monument transformations, urban memory, and how cities re-evaluate historical public art.
• September 2 | Shaping Legacy Mini Filmfest & Panel
  • Location: San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), Main Branch
  • Time: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
  • A curated screening of short films documenting public art creation, historical preservation, and grassroots community activism, followed by an artist Q&A.
• September 12 | Public Art in Chinatown Community Celebration
  • Location: Chinatown - Rose Pak Station
  • Time: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • A celebration of Chinatown’s rich public art tradition and cultural heritage in collaboration with Threaded Histories.
• October 9–11 & October 16–18 | CRANE Illumination by Stacey Carter & Team
  • Location: Historic Shipyard Gantry Crane, Hunters Point
  • Time: TBA
  • A large-scale, site-specific light installation transforming the historic Hunter’s Point industrial crane into a beacon of community resilience, history, and light.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, event details, and full artist bios, visit https://www.sf.gov/shaping-legacy

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About the Shaping Legacy Project
The Shaping Legacy Project is a city-wide public art and civic initiative led by San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) and is dedicated to reimagining public monuments, celebrating neighborhood histories, and centering diverse artist voices across San Francisco.

(Image Credit: Kaleb Duarte’s “Embassy of the Refugee” Courtesy of Kaleb Duarte)