Kapwa Gardens and Republika Bring Art & Wellness to SOMA Pilipinas
Art and wellness space set to heal the community and boost economic activity a year after San Francisco’s
first Covid-19 SIP order
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - March 9, 2021 - Art, wellness and economic opportunity are coming to San Francisco’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District SOMA Pilipinas, this spring. Kapwa Gardens — a city-owned parking lot turned art & wellness pop-up and healing space for the community — will open in April 2021. Kapwa Gardens is the first public space in San Francisco designed with COVID-19 in mind to create a healing space for people to be outdoors and gather safely. The ambitious project is spearheaded by non-profit Kultivate Labs, in part to develop a commercial corridor for the cultural district.
Together with Republika — another Kultivate Labs project and one of the first retail, event and art spaces in the nation solely dedicated to supporting Filipino business in San Francisco — Kapwa Gardens represents Kultivate Labs’ vision of community conscious development and a foundation of a new commercial corridor in SOMA Pilipinas.
Desi Danganan, Executive Director of Kultivate Labs (photo credit Mogli Maureal)
“Our economic activities have centered around extravagant pop-ups; taking spaces intended for other uses and turning them into vibrant places for culture, commerce, and community to thrive.” shares Desi Danganan, Executive Director of Kultivate Labs. “We will find new ways to bring life to vacant storefronts and reimagine how we develop commercial corridors going forward. The pandemic may have slowed us down, but it hasn’t stopped us from persevering.”
A Reflection of Covid Resiliency and Entrepreneurial Adaptation
Set to open a year after San Francisco’s first Covid-19 shelter-in-place order went into effect and the #FilipinosFeedTheFrontlines initiative began, Kapwa Gardens reflects the key decisions business owners across the nation made throughout the pandemic. Not only is Kapwa Gardens intended to be a safe space to gather during this pandemic, the space will also function as a Covid-19 testing site. Starting in April, every first and third Wednesday of the month, Kapwa Gardens will host free no-appointment necessary COVID testing & yoga for the local community courtesy of San Francisco’s Department of Public Health & Planning Department, the Latino Task Force, and United Playaz.
Republika Storefront Temporarily Pivots To Pop-up Artist Studios
While Kultivate Labs designed Kapwa Gardens with COVID-19 precautions in mind, they also adapted Republika amid the pandemic. With a partnership from SF-MTA, San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and the MOHCD, the long-vacant retail space at Mission St and 5th parking garage that is to become Republika will turn into a pop-up artist studio, curated by cultural center Balay Kreative. Republika will then develop into a fully-fledged retail business incubator & cafe including an art gallery by Balay Kreative. Republika will accelerate the growth of dozens of new businesses in the cultural district while hosting the works of artists such as Ramon Abad and Cir Sayoc.
Kapwa Gardens: A Lush, Creative Oasis
Kapwa Gardens, a healing garden space filled with plants native to the San Bruno mountains, dragonfruit, and Philippine citrus fruits like the Calamansi tree, will involve community members and the public in a number of ways. Weekly programming, hosted by local businesses and figures, will cover self-care, wellness, and self-expression. For local artists, Kapwa will partner with Balay Kreative to host a Mural Residency. Bindlestiff Studio — the only permanent, community-based performing arts venue in the nation dedicated to showcasing emerging Filipino American and Pilipino artists — will have an outdoor performance space. Additionally, people who choose to sponsor the garden by “adopting'' various parts of the garden, such as calamansi trees and a living wall, will earn a donor plaque for their contributions. Donor plaques will be displayed at the garden.
After 4 years of planning, the seeds of Kultivate Labs’ dream of a commercial corridor in SOMA Pilipinas are beginning to sprout. In the past year alone, over 300 volunteers from all over the Bay Area, as far as Bucktown and Antioch, have come to help build Kapwa Gardens. The team is still seeking volunteers to finish building the garden.
For volunteer opportunities, please visit https://www.kapwagardens.com/help. For more information on Kapwa Gardens or Republika, please visit: https://www.kapwagardens.com/ or https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/republika-sf-filipino-retail-business-incubator
Opening Event Details:
"Bloom" A Kapwa Gardens VIP Opening Reception (invitation only)
Friday, 4/9/21
3p - 6p
Community Opening Reception (invitation only)
Saturday, 4/10/21
1p - 3p
"Give Thanks" A Kapwa Gardens Volunteer Opening Reception
Sunday, 4/10/21
1p - 4p
Operating Hours (starting 4/14/21)
Tue - Sun, 10a - 6pm
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About Kultivate Labs
Kultivate Labs is a Non-profit Economic Development and Arts Organization. They create thriving commercial ecosystems by accelerating businesses that preserve culture and community. They provide space and opportunities for the arts to flourish so that commercial activities are activated and reflect the community at large. The diverse team behind Kultivate Labs itself demonstrates a considerable range of experience (Undiscovered SF night market, Balay Kreative - A Filipino arts and cultural org, with more projects to be announced in 2020.)
About Republika
Republika is a new retail & event space and incubator for innovative retail concepts and food pop-ups that will preserve Filipino cultural identity and community. The new space will be the permanent home to 3 of UNDISCOVERED SF’s most successful vendors and will include space to incubate 4 more rotating vendors. Republika, a collaboration between Kultivate Labs and O+A Studio, will serve as the canvas for a new wave of entrepreneurs as they define the future of Filipino culture in San Francisco.
About Balay Kreative
Balay Kreative is a future Filipino-American arts hub in SOMA Pilipinas. With the overwhelming success of the UNDISCOVERED SF Night Markets, Kultivate Labs won a large grant by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development in May 2019 to develop a new Filipino American Cultural Center — Balay Kreative (Creative Home) — in the Filipino cultural district, SOMA Pilipinas. This initial grant kicks off a multi-year process to build a ~8,000 sq ft space with a visual arts gallery, a multi-purpose event space, a food court complete with a chef’s table and bar, along with space for artists workshops.