Latest news with #SanFranciscoStateUniversity
San Francisco Chronicle
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
How a San Francisco ceramicist built a creative haven for artist-parents and their kids
When San Francisco artist Ilana Crispi had a baby in February 2019, she soon found herself facing a dilemma she knew was familiar to many of her creative peers: It was going to be difficult, if not impossible, to keep her art practice separate from her life as a parent. 'I would drive 45 minutes to my studio in Half Moon Bay, only to spend my time there pumping (breastmilk) instead of working,' recalls Crispi, who teaches ceramics at San Francisco State University. The COVID-19 pandemic only made the balancing act more of a struggle. Crispi's son, Davi, turned one just weeks before the world shut down in March 2020. Crispi, her woodworker partner Tim McGhee and their toddler found themselves sheltering in place in a one-bedroom apartment in the Mission, without a backyard or childcare. 'Separating my son from my practice wasn't possible,' Crispi reflected on a recent morning at the Good Ship Dodo, her new alternative art exhibition and community project space across the street from Precita Park. 'The only way to keep making art was for him to be a part of it,' she explained. 'If I was out sourcing local clay, my child came with me. If I was teaching a virtual ceramics demonstration, he came along.' More Information 'Mother of Collaboration': Mixed view through June 15. Free. By appointment only. Email TheGoodShipDodo@ The Good Ship Dodo, 3234 Folsom Street, S.F. Upcoming parent-child workshops: 1-3 p.m. Sunday, May 25. Cardboard and Paper Mâché Sculpture Workshop. Led by Hannah Ireland and Jasper Ireland 1-3 p.m. Sunday, June 1. Zine Making Workshop Led by Asa Glacier Hollander (assisted by Liz Worthy) 1-3 p.m. Sunday, June 8. Ceramic Cup Making and Exchange Led by Ilana Crispi and Davi Crispi McGhee 12-5 p.m. Father's Day, Sunday, June 15 CLOSING BBQ & outdoor Lego building Crispi is known for her site-specific installations that investigate local history and tell stories rooted to geology and place. Her Mission Dirt Project involved harvesting urban soil (rich in clay from the long-buried Mission Creek) from underneath her pre-1906 apartment building and inviting her community to sluice for gold in the middle of Valencia Street. She recalled how often as an artist she's run into fellow artist-parents and their children at Bay Area gallery events and openings. While the kids run around and play, the adults have shared stories of contending with a similar struggle of keeping up their creative practices while being hands-on parents. She acknowledged that work-life balance is a nearly universal quandary for working parents, but it can be especially challenging for artists who require unscheduled expanses of time to ideate and experiment. 'I got this idea that I wanted to create a space where we could be practicing artists and mothers at the same time, instead of pretending these parts of our lives were distinct or detached from each other,' she said. The result is the Good Ship Dodo, 'a space for creative action and gathering,' named after the made-up stories of friendship and exploration she's been telling Davi since he was three. Crispi cleared out the unused ground floor of her Victorian building on Folsom Street, formerly a 'hoarder's mess,' and transformed it into a modest, wood-walled space for installations, performances and exhibitions. A small sign in child's handwriting is visible from the sidewalk, where people often walk up Folsom to reach the top of Bernal Hill. The space opened on Mother's Day with its delightful inaugural show, 'Mother of Collaboration.' Crispi invited 15 interdisciplinary Bay Area artists to create work collaboratively with their children – to 'invite in the chaos and the mess,' she said. The young co-artists range in age from 10 months (Cathy Lu's infant, Mica, squeezed a cherry-sized lump of clay that's installed beside his mom's stoneware plate depicting the Chinese goddess Nuwa) to 17 (Chelsea América Torres let her three teenagers re-edit, to humorous effect, her MFA thesis videos). ' I'm taking your serious art and making it funny,' writes Torres' 13-year-old daughter, Frankie, in the exhibition's endearing handout guide. Most of the work on display is exhibited, appropriately, at child's eye height. Berkeley artist Julia Goodman, who teaches papermaking at California College of the Arts and currently has work in the group show, 'Fabrication' at Saint Joseph's Art Society, created with her six-year-old son, Irving, an abstract, semi-sculptural piece of hand-formed paper made from pulped bedsheets and colored T-shirts. Irving, she explained, has spent a lot of time in his mom's backyard studio, and 'was already very aware of my process. He knows when he wears down a shirt, it could go into an art piece.' But allowing him for the first time to not just observe, but work alongside his artist mom, making color and composition choices together for their piece 'Love Galaxy,' 'made for an unpredictably tender and joyful process,' Goodman said. 'I can be precious with materials, and I'm always navigating the balance between chaos and control, whereas Irving worked ecstatically. Watching him let loose was inspiring.' Crispi has heard similar comments from the artists who contributed to 'Mother of Collaboration.' 'Many of us had to open up our practices to our kids at some point by necessity,' due to time or space constraints, she explained, 'but I think we all learned from inviting in the chaos and mess that kids bring, but also their spontaneity and fearlessness, their willingness to see where things go, rather than having a plan from the beginning.' She pointed to the carvings on the ceramic urn she and Davi created for the exhibition using clay they dug up together at Alemany Farm and Fort Point. 'Look at his line quality,' she said in appreciation. 'When I'm carving in clay, my lines are so flat. Sometimes as we get older, we lose that energy and fluidity. I hope he holds onto it.' Artist and curator Rhiannon Evans MacFadyen co-created with her 10-year-old daughter, Sunny, a site-specific altar, 'Seeded,' made of Ankara fabric, seeds and shellsthat celebrates the creativity and spiritual traditions of African- American women. 'I wasexcited when Ilana told me about the new space and her idea of it being a place where you can show up as your whole family,' she said. 'That's really unusual in the art world.' Evans MacFadyen, a San Francisco native and founder of the arts nonprofit Black & White Projects, has fond memories of growing up in the Mission and 'experiencing art and culture in everyone's houses. It felt community-centered, rather than about making art to sell in an expensive gallery. 'If Ilana's wonderful space allows us to connect like that as a community, as artists and parents and families, what a valuable thing that is right now.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
San Jose's first charter school to close after graduation
SAN JOSE, Calif. - It's the end of an era for San Jose's first charter school. El Primero High School, along with two other campuses operated by Downtown College Preparatory, will permanently close their doors after graduation next month. What we know "It was wonderful. I've been going here since like fifth grade," said Aaron Ledezma, a graduating senior who will attend San Francisco State University in the fall. "I still do have the time to enjoy it, but for other people not as much." For Ledezma, the closure brings mixed emotions, pride in what he's accomplished, and concern for his friends in lower grades. "I do have some junior friends. Yeah, like, they are trying to find new schools," said Ledezma. Downtown College Preparatory, based in San Jose, announced earlier this year it will also shutter El Camino Middle School and Alum Rock Middle School. Last year, the network closed Alum Rock High School. In a January letter, the school's board of directors cited declining enrollment and a resulting "precarious financial position" as the driving forces behind the closures. Sal Williams, an English teacher at El Primero and president of the school's teachers' union, said he would like to see more government oversight over charter schools in general. "One of the reasons we're closing is the building behind you," said Williams. "They took out a bond that, unfortunately, the bills caught up with them, and they're having to close the entire organization." The closures will result in the layoffs of around 100 teachers and staff. "Some are still interviewing," said Williams. Williams said faculty are struggling to find new positions that match the school's close-knit community and its focus on supporting largely low-income students of color in preparing for and succeeding in college. Among the approximately 950 students affected is Jackie Ortiz's family. Her two children attend one of the closing schools. "I love charters." said Ortiz. "These kinds of schools have more programs to help the kids." She's managed to find a new school for her 12-year-old, but is still searching for a good fit for her 13-year-old. Graduation at El Primero High is scheduled for June 6. All Downtown College Prep schools will officially close on June 30.
Daily Record
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Channel 4's Virgin Island where people lose their virginity is described as 'new tv low'
Viewers tuning in to the show were left squirming in their seats. A new reality show that features 12 adults trying to lose their virginity has been described as 'excruciating' and 'a new low for television'. Channel 4 's controversial show Virgin Island aired for the first time on Monday and viewers have been squirming in their seats ever since. The series follows 12 adults who have never had sex before. They travel to a retreat in Croatia to complete a range of tasks in the hope of losing their virginity. The opening episode introduced virgins who have their various fears around intimacy, including a bisexual receptionist called Taylor, 29, who burst into tears while maintaining eye contact with another contestant. Zac, 28, is keen to have sex with his assigned surrogate partner in the first session. Fans were quick to share their disgust for the show, with one even branding it a 'new low' for television. While the show uses a range of methods, as well as guidance from sexologists and surrogate partner therapy, viewers were quick to share their views on the show. Posts on X included: 'In my opinion, this is a bit twisted, they need to work on themselves first, being a virgin is nothing to be embarrassed about #virginisland I think is bizarre. FFS get ready for my rants." Another said: 'This is so exploitative. I'm panicking myself and now I'm watching it at home!! I can't even imagine being one of them right now. This is awful.' A third posted: 'I'm finding this very creepy, I wouldn't like that and I'm not a virgin, the therapists are strange this is not right.' One said: 'Anyone else a bit creeped out by this show?; Didn't think TV would get any lower, then pops along #virginisland.' 'It feels wrong to be watching this. That was an absolutely excruciating watch - see you all tomorrow.' The new six-part series sees sexologists Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschman and their team, guide the group of virgins on a unique course. According to her website, Dr. Danielle is 'passionately committed to helping people grow, heal, and fully embrace the richness of their erotic and emotional lives.' She has a PHD in Human Sexuality, a Master's in Clinical Social Work, and a Bachelor's in Psychology and Educational Counselling. Celeste is trained in attachment psychology, sociology, gender studies, and body-based modalities. She has a Masters in Human Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University and a BA in Women's Studies from UCSC. The contributors, all aged between 22 and 30 years old aim to overcome a range of emotional hurdles to take their first steps towards sex and intimacy. 'Sexological Bodyworkers' — Aisha, Thomas, and Joy — are brought in to guide the participants through erotic techniques. They're joined by two 'surrogate partners', Kat and Andre, who help the virgins build emotional and physical connection through direct experience. While some viewers have praised the show for breaking down sexual taboos, others have been left gobsmacked by how far it goes — with one calling it 'basically porn with coaching.' Ahead of the series' launch, co-founders of the Somatica Institute, Danielle and Celeste defended the use of 'surrogates' who are helping the 12 people lose their virginity on camera – as they branded sex on other TV shows 'harmful and unrealistic'. When asked if she felt there was too much sex on TV, Celeste said: 'I don't know if there's too much, but the quality of sex on television is abysmal. 'It's like three kisses up against the wall, pulling off the pants, sticking it in, and then it's over.' Celeste described the relationship between the client and surrogate as 'authentic' and shared how the dynamic can reflect what would happen in a 'real relationships', including the possibility of 'performance problems' from either the surrogate or client. 'It is really an authentic relationship,' she explained. 'So one thing that can happen in a relationship is that someone has performance problems, and so they would just communicate about it and say, oh, you know, something's not working here. Let's take a break. Let's try again.' The sexologist added: 'That authenticity is what actually prepares people to have real relationships out in the world. 'So it's not just like trying to force something and a lot of times surrogates do work with people who have pretty significant dysfunctions, and so they need to work with those kinds of things, both in their clients and if it comes up in themselves as well.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
California State students protest aid blockade in Gaza with hunger strike
Around two dozen California State University students began a hunger strike last week to protest starvation in Gaza due to Israel's aid blockade, marking the latest act of political protest on college campuses. The strikers – students from San Jose State, Sacramento State, San Francisco State and CSU Long Beach – began their fast on 5 May 'We, the students of San Francisco, Sacramento, Long Beach, and San Jose State Universities, are beginning a united hunger strike in solidarity with the two million Palestinians at risk of starvation in Gaza,' Students for Justice in Palestine wrote in a press release. They are also pushing the university system to divest from weapons manufacturers, among other stated goals. Related: Dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after Columbia calls in police The hunger strikes come as Israel's aid blockade in Gaza passes its second month, and is facing mounting international criticism for the millions of Palestinians pushed toward famine, as well as Israel's finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich's, recent assertion that 'Gaza will be entirely destroyed.' Max Flynt, a hunger striker and undergraduate student at San Francisco State University, cited the aid blockade as a decisive factor for organizing the strike. Flynt sets up daily on the campus quad with other organizers and strikers under a 'Hunger Strike for Gaza' canopy. Organizers hold educational workshops and strikers have their vitals taken every few hours, but do not stay overnight. 'Many of the forms of protests that were used last year, specifically the encampments, have become effectively illegal in the United States,' Flynt said. 'If we were to put up a tent today, the police would be called on us almost immediately.' Jaime Jackson, a professor at Sacramento State and member of Faculty for Justice in Palestine who studies non-violent protest, pointed out the hunger strike's symbolic ties with the realities in Gaza. 'The bombing, the killing, the massive violations of human rights have been an ongoing issue throughout,' Jackson said. 'But the recent, really big thing has been the blocking of humanitarian aid and the ongoing starvation of people in Gaza.' The crackdown on college protesters from the police to policy level, began during the Biden administration last year and has only increased under Trump. International students with vocal support for Palestinians have been especially targeted. 'We know that the Trump administration is doing this because they're scared of the student movement, they're scared of what they saw last year, and they're scared that it will come back again,' Flynt said. The divestment demands from Flynt and other protesters include the California State University system's adoption of San Francisco State University's Human Rights IPS Screening, the severance of study abroad programs with Israeli universities, and divestment from companies producing military, weapons and surveillance technology. 'We're aware of where they are sending our money, and we don't want to be used to any of these war efforts, genocide through these companies,' said Amal Dawud, and undergraduate and organizer at Sacramento State University. Two schools in the California State University system, Sacramento State University and San Francisco State University, began some form of divestment last year after meeting with student protesters. San Francisco State University confirmed the offloading of assets in Lockheed Martin, Palantir, Leonardo and Palantir, while some questions remain surrounding the mechanics of Sacramento State's divestment. Questions linger surrounding the mechanics and concrete implications of divestment. A recently killed congressional bill would have expanded penalties for boycotting and divestment. Related: Palestinian student freed after Ice arrest forms group to aid other immigrants Marcus Bode, an undergraduate and hunger striker at California State, Long Beach, cited his university's partnership with Boeing, a major supplier to the Israel Defense Forces, as something that would disappear under divestment. Bode can consume water, powder electrolytes and sports fluid under the conditions of the strike, and said that he is already feeling the physical effects of the strike, including aching joints, muscle cramps and lightheadedness. 'We don't see those increases in tuition and fees, those hikes and prices, being returned as a benefit to the student. It isn't being reinvested into our campus and into our student body,' Bode said. 'It's instead being used to fund war and genocide abroad.' Bode and his fellow hunger strikers face an uphill battle with the university system. Amy Bentley-Smith, CSU's director of media relations, said the system and its campuses will not alter investment policies but honor the right to protest. 'We will continue to uphold the values of free inquiry, peaceful protest and academic freedom,' Smith said to the Guardian in a statement.
Boston Globe
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
For many, proving US citizenship to vote could be costly and difficult
'It would impact millions of people,' said Ron Hayduk, a political science professor at San Francisco State University. 'It would radically upend voter registration.' Advertisement Many Real IDs do not indicate whether its holder is a US citizen. Just five states offer 'an enhanced driver's license' that explicitly indicates citizenship status, and experts warned that the Real IDs being rolled out in each state might not qualify as proof of citizenship on their own. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That means a passport would be the most realistic — if not the only — option for the vast majority of Americans to provide proof of citizenship, experts said. About 170 million Americans possess a valid passport, according to the State Department — which is roughly half the population. 'People just don't have a passport because they're not frequent international travelers,' Hayduk said. 'For anyone that has ever tried to get a passport: It takes a long time, it's a lot of documentation required.' It's also not cheap. Applying for a new passport costs $160, according to the State Department, which also charges $60 for expedited service. 'The primary reason anybody would get a passport is to do international travel, and that's not something that a lot of Americans do because they can't afford it, or perhaps they're not interested in it,' said Greta Bedekovics, the associate director of democracy policy at the Center for American Progress. 'The executive order is basically saying, like, if you are not a person who travels internationally or can afford travel internationally, now, you also might be blocked in the ballot box.' Advertisement Bedekovics said requiring passports could amount to a 'poll tax,' which is outlawed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Ceridwen Cherry, legal director of the advocacy group VoteRiders, added that securing a passport also involves traveling to relevant agencies to secure and submit documents — many of which are only open during most people's working hours and may be miles away, posing another hurdle. 'It's expensive, it's time-consuming, and it can be weeks or months to get it,' she said, adding that many people may inadvertently miss voter registration cutoffs because of the lengthy process. The issue of noncitizen voting is rare, according to academic and court reviews. Republicans across the nation have sought for decades to mandate identification at the ballot box, and Trump's order marks a new frontier in those efforts. It reflects his fixation on election administration and his baseless claims that the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections were riddled with fraud, particularly illegal voting by noncitizens. There is no evidence that widespread corruption tainted either election. Some election experts said Trump doesn't have the power to issue this order. The US Constitution gives states the ability to regulate the 'time, place and manner' of elections but allows Congress to override those laws. It gives no power to the president to do so. Meanwhile, the House is poised to pass legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. It's unclear whether that will pass the Senate. (That statute would allow voters to use birth certificates as proof of citizenship. The White House did not immediately say why it excluded birth certificates from its executive order, but Trump has sought to end birthright citizenship.) Advertisement Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Brennan Center's voting rights program, is among several legal scholars to say that Trump does not have the power to impose such requirements. But assuming the executive order remains in effect, he said, 'the consequences would be pretty disastrous.' 'States have multiple systems in place to ensure that only eligible citizens are allowed to vote,' Morales-Doyle said. 'We don't need a requirement that people show a passport in order to enforce those laws; those laws are already being enforced successfully.' Morales-Doyle said he believes that, if enforced, the order would affect Republicans and Democrats across the electorate. 'It will impact people of every race and every ethnicity, every age group, no matter how you splice the demographics,' he said.
