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You probably saw the Chronicle article about the Lorraine Hansberry
Theater being asked to leave their theatre space. KPOO broke this
story last Tuesday and here's an article I wrote about this situation
that will be in tomorrow's beyondchron.org. Sources say that the
Academy of Art refuses to discuss this situation with members of the arts
community or African American community leaders. The school needs
to hear from Academy of Art College alumni and people in the position of
recommending students to the Academey of Art University. Since they
are a for-profit school, a boycott will hurt them in the
pocketbook. Their phone number is (800) 544-2787 and their email is
: admissions@academyart.edu the Lorraine Hansberry website is
lhtsf.org Pass this on to all the people on your email list.
The reaction to the Yoshi's situation indicates that community outrage
and pressure still can bring about positive results.<br><br>
<br>
Harrison Chastang<br>
KPOO FM Radio<br>
beyondchron.org<br><br>
<br>
by Harrison Chastang<br><br>
San Francisco African American leaders and Bay Area theatre lovers were
shocked earlier this week by emails stating that the Lorraine Hansberry
Theatre could be forced out from its long time home at 620 Sutter Street.
The Lorraine Hansberry, which last year celebrate its 25th anniversary
and has been cited by theatre critics as one of the premier African
American theatre companies in the United States, could lose its
performance space because the Academy of Art University, the San
Francisco for-profit art school (not to be confused with the non-profit
San Francisco Art Institute) that recently purchased the former Julia
Morgan designed YMCA building that houses the theatre, informed Lorraine
Hansberry directors Stanley Williams and Quentin Easter on June 5 that
their lease would not be renewed. Williams and Easter have attempted to
negotiate an amicable agreement with the Academy of Art University to
remain at the 620 Sutter theatre space, but sources close to those
discussions say the University is determined to turn the theatre space
into a gym.<br><br>
<br><br>
News of the possible eviction of the Lorraine Hansberry comes just weeks
after another Bay Area controversy concerning African Americans and the
arts. Management at Oakland's Yoshi's jazz club apologized after
African Americans jazz fans and musicians complained about being excluded
from a 10th anniversary CD showcasing live performances at Yoshi's that
did not feature any African American artists. Black leaders say the
possible closure of the Lorraine Hansberry would be a much more
devastating blow to the Bay Area African American arts community than the
Yoshi's controversy. The 300 seat Lorraine Hansberry Theater is one of
the largest independent theatres in the Bay Area and one of two San
Francisco theatres devoted exclusively to African American theatre
production. Bay Area theater producers are watching the
Lorraine Hansberry situation closely over concerns they could soon face a
similar fate.<br><br>
<br><br>
Leaders of The City's artistic community say it's ironic that a
scholastic and artistic institution like the Academy of Art University is
evicting the Lorraine Hansberry. Brad Erickson, executive director
of Theatre Bay Area, a performing arts support organization, said while
occasional squabbles occur between arts organizations in The City, arts
and cultural organizations in San Francisco usually support each
other. Erickson said he could not remember a situation in San
Francisco where disagreements between arts organizations reached a point
to where the survival of a major performing arts organization was at
stake.<br><br>
<br><br>
Erickson said The City's performing arts community was "quite
concerned" about the prospect of the Lorraine Hansberry being forced
out of its current home. Erickson said he didn't understand the
motives behind the Academy of Art's decision not to renew the Lorraine
Hansberry's lease, and that it was particularly ironic that the Academy
of Art, an artistic institution, plans to turn the Lorraine
Hansberry theatre space into a gym rather than to utilize the space for
artistic instruction and theatre performances.<br><br>
<br><br>
Erickson said the key to the Lorraine Hansberry's success has been its
location in the downtown Union Square theatre district that's accessible
to tourists and familiar to regular theatre-goers. Erickson said that
there aren't many downtown theatre spaces and that fewer people would
attend Lorraine Hansberry productions if the theatre moved away from the
traditional downtown theatre district. Erickson said "it's extremely
important that the Lorraine Hansberry remain downtown because it's the
only African American theatre downtown and their presence contributes to
the diversity of the downtown theatre district."
Erickson said that as an art school, the Academy of Art should realize
the value of sharing a dorm facility with one of the top Black theatre
companies in the United States. The Academy of Art University doesn't
have a theatre program but the school does teach acting through its
School of Motion Pictures & Television department.<br><br>
<br><br>
San Francisco African American community activist Joe Blue did not mince
words when he learned about efforts to shut down the Lorraine Hansberry.
Blue, a former Golden Gate Bridge, Transit, and Highway District director
said he was insulted and horrified at the prospect of the Lorraine
Hansberry being evicted from its Union Square location. Blue
said that African Americans in The City are "being whitewashed from
the entire San Francisco scene; our heritage is being extremely eclipsed
and I am horrified that the Academy of Art would even contemplate
something of this sort, this is totally outrageous and it's just the
latest attempt to move African Americans out of San
Francisco." Blue speculated that the Academy of Art University
assumed it would be easy to force out the Lorraine Hansberry because of a
perception that San Francisco's declining African American community no
longer has any influence at San Francisco City Hall or with The City's
movers and shakers. Blue said "the White establishment in San
Francisco doesn't fear any Black protest these days and there's a view
that African Americans are the weakest group in The City."
Blue said that "the Academy of Art would not try a similar move
against any other ethnic group in The City, and that efforts to remove
the Lorraine Hansberry from its current space is a calculated move by the
Academy of Art University against an African American community that's
perceived to be very weak. Blue said the Academy of Art University
actions against the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre is evidence that
"racism is alive and well in San Francisco." Blue
also wondered if the Academy of Art officials who made the decision to
evict the Lorraine Hansberry had any consultation with anyone in the
African American community or if any African Americans are part of the
Academy of Art's full time faculty or administration.<br><br>
<br><br>
Blue said efforts to force the Lorraine Hansberry out of its current home
reflects a move "to eliminate any vestige of Black culture and Black
influence in San Francisco and represents a methodical approach to
removing Blacks from this City that was done a generation ago with Black
housing in San Francisco and is now being done in the San Francisco
cultural area."<br><br>
<br><br>
Other arts administrators in The City, including Art Commission Director
Nancy Gonchar and California Lawyers for the Arts Director Alma Robinson
said that it would be a tragedy to lose the Lorraine Hansberry from the
theatre district and both hoped that the University would find some way
to coexist and cooperate with the Lorraine Hansberry at its current
theatre location.<br><br>
<br>
The Academy of Art University is the nation's largest private arts school
established in San Francisco in 1929 by painter Richard S. Stephens and
his wife Clara Stephens. The school has been run by a Stephens
family member throughout its 78 year history and the current president,
Dr. Elisa Stephens is the granddaughter of the school's founder.
The school has approximately 9,000 students spread out in more than 30
buildings in the financial district, Civic Center, Pacific Heights, and
Nob Hill, including 17 former hotels and apartment buildings serving as
dorms. The Academy of Art University offers degree programs leading
to a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Associate of Arts, Master of Fine Arts,
Master of Architecture and Certificate Programs in more than 30 academic
areas.<br><br>
<br>
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