Archival Update

At 500 Capp Street, we preserve all facets of David Ireland’s legacy, even the problematic aspects of his past. We acknowledge that the objects displayed in Ireland’s dining room, including the taxidermied animals and cultural artifacts acquired during his time as a safari guide in East Africa, tie him to extractive colonial histories and practices rooted in imperial fascination and exploitation. We also acknowledge how the objects have made the space uncomfortable for the museum’s staff, visitors, and collaborating artists.

Under our current leadership, we choose to address these issues head on rather than gloss over or hide this layer of Ireland’s life from public view. Through meaningful programming we will explore how these troublesome histories still resonate in our lives today. In collaboration with our team, researchers, and scholars, we will be hosting a series of programming that asks: how does colonization and the exploitation of people and resources shape the trail of object collection? And, what steps can we take to actively decolonize the root of exhibition-making within a museum context? We look forward to your continued support as we begin sharing this important work-in-progress with you over the coming year.

Photo by Henrik Kam

Twilight Tour With Live Accordion Performance by Jonathan Kipp

Date: April 20, 2023 (Thursday) 6:30 PM-8:30 PM

Tickets: $25

PURCHASE HERE

Come and experience the changes twilight brings to the amber walls of David Ireland’s house as you enjoy a performance by accomplished accordionist, musician, and accordion repairman Jonathan Kipp. The evening is part of Ann Hamilton’s project, Process + Place: here • there • then • now, currently on view at two sites: Headlands Center for the Arts and 500 Capp Street. Prior to Ireland’s purchase of 500 Capp Street, the House was the home and repair shop of Paul Greub, a Swiss accordion maker. In her project, Hamilton conjures the early history of 500 Capp Street and connects Ireland’s spaces across time and distance as the day fades to twilight. The evening event is a rare opportunity to experience the convergence of Hamilton’s research and Kipp’s response to it in a live performance.

More information on Ann Hamilton’s project, Process + Place: here • there • then • now can be found here.

About Jonathan Kipp:

Jonathan Kipp is a percussionist, accordionist, teacher, and accordion repairman based in San Francisco. He plays a wide variety of styles, from classical to folk, acoustic to electronic, jazz to pop to avant garde. These days you can find him accompanying the Turkish bands Nakarat and Metanastys.

Youth Education Program

YOUTH EDUCATION PROGRAM

Designed by 500 Capp Street Artist Guides with educator Amy Berk, the youth education curriculum fosters hands-on experiences and introduces concepts in very accessible terms. Expanding on the artist-driven initiatives of 500 Capp Street, teaching artists are invited to create their own curriculum for workshops built around experimentation, interpretation, and community. The curriculum is creative, accessible, off-beat, and uniquely positioned as an exploration of the work of David Ireland and conceptual art in general. Participatory in nature, educational workshops embrace everyone having the capacity to be an artist, a core philosophy of David Ireland.

David Ireland did not take himself too seriously, and his sense of humor provides a crucial access point for young artists to learn that art can be a portal to what’s possible and imaginable. The curriculum itself is intended as an evolving document built around core concepts and signature lesson plans. For something as abstract as conceptual art, performance, and interpretation, our workshops by design result in a concrete expression, object, experience, and memory.

HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Beginning in 2022, 500 Capp Street issues open calls to local high school students each year to apply for summer internship opportunities. Four to five week long internships for 2-3 selected interns will be composed of three 4-hour shifts per week, working at the David Ireland House under the guidance of the art and education staff. Summer internships will culminate in an event open to the public where, in the collaborative, artist-driven spirit of 500 Capp Street, interns are invited to select roles for themselves and help develop the event.

Artists in Conversation: Amy Berk and Georgia Horgan

High School Summer Internship Program

Education Tours

YOUTH EDUCATION TOURS

Schedule your next class field trip at The David Ireland House – a living sculpture! Facilitated by our Artist-Educators at the David Ireland House, private youth education tours expose students to the art of the everyday and the conceptual framework and clever interventions of David Ireland. With an emphasis on the humor, playfulness, and experimentation of finding art anywhere and everywhere, youth tours center on making conceptual art accessible to young people. Students will learn a brief history of 500 Capp Street and David Ireland before touring the House and current exhibitions. Tours take about an hour and a half, opening up to discussion and questions with students, teachers, and facilitators. All ages, including parents, are welcome to join your group for the tour. For more information or to schedule your class tour, contact education@500cappstreet.org.

UNDERGRADUATE & GRADUATE STUDENT TOURS:

We also offer private tours serving undergraduate and graduate classes in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Students are guided through the House, introduced to current exhibitions, and have the opportunity to explore the Paule Anglim Archive Room in addition to learning about the history of the House and the work of David Ireland. Led by artist guides, curator of exhibitions and programs, and our archivist, students will experience a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of 500 Capp Street. For more information or to schedule your class tour, contact visit@500cappstreet.org.

PAST VISITORS:

Columbia Park Boys and Girls Club

San Francisco Art Institute’s City Studios Youth Program

The Berkeley School, K-8 Students

SF Parks and Recreation’s Mission Arts Center

FAMSF Internship Program

41 Ross Youth Artist Residency Program, High School Students

Marin Country Day School, K-8 Students

Omnes Education

Architectural Association, School of Architecture

California College of the Arts, Architecture

California College of the Arts, Fine Arts

California College of the Arts, Design

California College of the Arts, Humanities

University of San Francisco, Art History and Museum Studies (Graduate)

University of San Francisco, Art Studies

San Francisco State University, Art (Graduate)

San Francisco State University, Studio Art

Stanford University, Undergraduate Arts Intensive

Memoria Trans SF

Memoria Trans SF hosted by Julián Delgado Lopera & Marcel Pardo Ariza

Drop by and share your trans archives. Let’s write our story together.

For questions or more info please contact visit@500cappstreet.org

Upcoming Dates

Thursday, November 9th, 5:00-7:00 PM

Thursday, November 30th, 5:00-7:00 PM