In his series of books on the sequential art medium (that's comic books to you and me), cartoonist Scott McCloud discusses an intrinsic component of the art form: the necessity for readers to mentally fill in the action between one panel of art and the next, bridging the gap between frozen moments in time.
San Francisco's own venerated Cartoon Art Museum is doing something similar, maintaining a virtual museum while between permanent homes. Since the closure of its longtime space at 655 Mission St., the museum has continued to offer classes at its temporary offices at the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center at 275 Fifth St. The museum has also partnered with local arts organizations to present a variety of community programs, helping the museum keep a high profile for its supporters and attract new ones.
"For the most part, we’re seeing a lot of new faces at our off-site events, which is a great thing," observed curator Andrew Farago. "This has been a great opportunity to reach out to people who haven’t been regular visitors, or, in some cases, hadn’t heard of us before now."
An ambassador cartooning with children at AT&T Park in December.
Recent events at the Museum of the African Diaspora in Yerba Buena and the Cartoon Art Museum's Artist-in-Residence program at the Flax Art & Design store in Fort Mason were successful. More off-site projects are in the works for this transitional period, but as with SFMOMA's long-term closure, the pop-up museum model is only intended as a temporary solution.
"We paid close attention to SFMOMA and their three-year plan during their renovations," Farago said. "The Cartoon Art Museum has been through this exact situation before, too, so our game plan developed very quickly when we had to vacate our previous location."
"The biggest challenge in these programs, I would say, is that we’re a guest at our partner's venue, and that limits where and when we can participate in events. That’s a big change from our status in 2015, but we’re making the adjustment. These events will take a brief hiatus when we move into our new home, but we hope to maintain all of the partnerships that we’re developing in the first half of 2016."
The reception for Darth Vader and Friends by Jeffrey Brown, one of the final exhibitions the Cartoon Art Museum held in its previous space.
The concept of a floating museum is a novel answer to the challenges of the Bay Area real estate market, but Farago is finding that it may not be sustainable indefinitely. "The lack of our own museum space hampers our ability to generate revenue through museum admissions and on-site fundraising events, but we have been working to offset this restriction through additional grant writing and other forms of revenue. All of our efforts at the moment are with the assumption that we find a new venue in 2016."
The museum's board of directors is looking for another location in the Yerba Buena arts district, but is also considering sites in North Beach, Mid-Market and Fisherman's Wharf — any of which could dramatically alter the museum's public profile. Locating the museum in Fisherman's Wharf, for instance, would bring it to the attention of out-of-town visitors but perhaps cause it to drop off the radar of locals.
Farago remains optimistic. "In many ways, the Cartoon Art Museum faces the same challenges that any displaced San Francisco resident does in the current real estate market. Demand is high, prices are high, real estate is limited. The Yerba Buena arts district grew substantially during our tenure in the SoMa neighborhood, and we expect to have a positive influence on our next home over the course of the next decade, as well. "
You can visit the Cartoon Art Museum (in spirit) at the American Bookbinders Museum, 355 Clementina St., for its Traveling Third Thursday from 5:30-8pm tonight. There will be live art demos by creators Myisha Haynes, Melissa Pagluica, and Liz Mayorga, along with trivia games and refreshments.
Visit the museum's website for information on upcoming programming and their fundraising drive.
