Back in December 2003, a group of artists in the mission district of San Francisco began what was then known as Mission Arts Party (MAP). The original idea was to have different locations around the neighborhood were artists could share their projects with each other and at the same time, have members of the community come out and see. The point was - and still is - that by using alternative spaces (think backyards, garages, gardens someone’s living room etc.) to showcase art, both artists and audiences alike could enjoy culture in a comfortable, relaxed and free way. According to Todd Brown, one of the initiators of this project “the idea was to activate these spaces and to take art, the presentation and sharing of art of formal spaces, to bring it into a more intimate space, a more accessible space.” What started out as a collective of artists getting together to showcase their art has now become the Mission Arts and Performance Project (MAPP), a bimonthly event that brings people from all walks of life together into a night full of interdisciplinary and multicultural arts and performances.

The pictures featured below are just a peek into what their last event on April 4^th, 2015 was like. In light of recent events that have everyone talking about police violence, last edition of the MAPP was dedicated to Alex Nieto, Amilcar Perez-Lopez and all victims of SF Police brutality.