REPORT

Shaping Legacy

Arts Commission
Logo of legacy
Shaping Legacy is a multi-year commitment to critically examine the monuments and memorials in San Francisco’s Civic Art collection. ​ We believe artists and their communities can guide us towards a future where monuments and memorials are spaces of inclusion, belonging and recognition of our shared humanity.

This project is an opportunity for our agency to holistically assess the Civic Art Collection, build awareness around the collection and processes, rectify current power imbalances, and engage community in a sustained, relevant way.

SFAC will engage communities that have historically been excluded from discussions, produce an Audit report, create opportunities for artist-led activations in public space and support temporary installations that reimagine future monuments and memorials in our city.​

Shaping Legacy Audit Report

Download the final Report

How to get involved and participate in Shaping Legacy

Sign up for Shaping Legacy updates to stay informed of project updates and opportunities to participate in Shaping Legacy. We’ll be posting upcoming events on this page. 

For questions, email: monumentsandmemorials@sfgov.org or leave a voicemail by calling: 415-252-2214. 

Monuments & Memorials and Shaping Legacy Project Timeline

MMAC SL Timeline (3)

Events

Upcoming Events:

Available Online:

  • Legacy as Living Practice: A conversation with artists rethinking legacy and public memory in San Francisco. Featuring Artists Tricia Rainwater, Sophia Tupuola, and Ambrose Trataris followed by a moderated discussion. In partnership with San Francisco Public Library. 
  • Home Without Borders: A collaborative community art project that encourages intersectional resistance through celebrating immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. With Macrowaves and Gray Area.
  • Lotta's Fountain History Program: Celebrating the 150th anniversary of city and national landmark, Lotta's Fountain with SF Heritage.

Shaping Legacy Newsletter:

Past Events:

Artist Circle Community Collaborators

Community Engagement & Case Study Collaborators

Funding

Shaping Legacy is funded by a grant from the Mellon Foundation. 

Logo for Mellon Foundation

Frequently Asked Questions About Shaping Legacy

Q.Project Goals

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Shaping Legacy, a three-year, grant funded initiative, will assess the current monuments and memorials in the Civic Art Collection, engage underrepresented communities in discussions about the commemorative landscape, and create opportunities for artists to reimagine future monuments and memorials in our city.​

The Arts Commission will:

  • Work with consultant HR&A Advisors to produce an Audit report on the existing monuments and memorials in the Civic Art Collection; 
  • Engage communities that have historically been excluded from discussions and decisions regarding the commemorative landscape;  
  • Create opportunities for artist-led activations in public space and support temporary installations that reimagine future monuments and memorials in our city.  

Q.Why is SFAC doing this?

A.

Many of the monuments and memorials in the collection do not reflect the diversity of San Francisco, ignore stories of communities of color, and reinforce inequities in race, gender, and culture. This project is an opportunity for our agency to holistically assess the Civic Art Collection, build awareness around the collection and processes, rectify current power imbalances, and engage community in a sustained, relevant way.

Other reasons include:

  • To reckon with the legacy of white supremacy, patriarchy, and colonialism reflected in public spaces, specifically in monuments and memorials that are part of the Civic Art Collection.  
  • To follow through on the recommendations outlined in the Monuments & Memorial Advisory Committee’s Final Report released in May 2023, to work towards an equitable commemorative landscape that reflects the diversity of San Francisco and promotes stories of communities of color.  
  • To prioritize meaningful community engagement to holistically assess the Civic Art Collection, build awareness around the civic process, rectify current power imbalances, and engage community in a sustained, relevant way. 

Q.Who is funding this project?

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Q.What is an Audit?

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  • An analysis of current monuments and memorials in Civic Art Collection to identify inequities in the collection and results in recommendations on monuments and memorials to remove, relocate or contextualize, and community stories and narratives to be included in future commemorative projects. A recent example of this type of work is the National Monument Audit report. 

Q.Who gets to decide which monuments or memorials are considered for removal, relocation or recontextualization?

A.

Any decisions regarding removal, relocation or reinterpretation of specific monuments will be made through an open, public, and transparent process following SFAC’s Public Art Policies and Guidelines and presented to the Arts Commission for approval. 

Q.Resources & Background

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Q.How can I support & get involved?

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Frequently Asked Questions About Monuments and Memorials