San Francisco’s Galería de la Raza has been told by its landlord that it will not be given a long-term lease for the space it’s occupied in the Mission District for over 43 years, gallery representatives announced Thursday.
Galería’s Executive Director Ani Rivera sent a mass email to its supporters Thursday stating that after more than a year of talks, the owners of the gallery space on 24th street and Bryant have refused to change their current month-to-month arrangement.
“Given the demographic and economic changes happening in the city and in the Mission District, we felt that it was appropriate and pressing for us to begin a ‘place keeping’ process. Above all, we aimed to secure a home for Galería, preferably in the space where we’ve called home for the last 4+ decades,” Rivera wrote. “However, we regret to inform you that our landlord has turned down our request to enter into conversation to negotiate a long-term lease. They resolutely stated that they have no interest in our offer and have no intention of revisiting the matter in the near future. For now, the rental agreement will continue on a month-to-month basis.”
Founded in 1970 by a group of Chicano artists and community activists, Galería has been a cultural focal point in the Mission District ever since it began. But now as the identity of the neighborhood changes due to the influx of new, wealthier residents, Rivera says she’s concerned that it will become more difficult to keep around.
“Galeria for many in the community is a safe space, and it’s also at the verge of going under,” Rivera said in an earlier interview with KQED Arts. “So I am in a constant mourning, I am in a constant action, trying to figure out how to protect, how to sustain, and this incidents of violence that get inflict upon us. We constantly walk with a warrior shields.”
