Intersection at 60: A Brief History
1965 - 2023
Intersection’s poetry series began in 1965 and was the longest continual reading series in California outside academic institutions. The longevity of the series attracted several high-profile writers. Still, it remained dedicated to regularly showcasing the work of emerging and local writers in the San Francisco Bay Area. The series featured…Read More
“Intersection” began in 1965 as a merger of several faith-based experiments using art to reach underserved youth. The organization was originally called “Intersection Center for Religion and the Arts” and was located at 150 Ellis Street in the basement of a hotel. Three church groups, sponsored by the Glide Foundation,…Read More
“I read there a lot in the late 70s. We had something called the Bay Area Poets Coalition, and we had a symbiotic relationship with Intersection. One weekend, we had 24 hours of poetry all over the city—in Laundromats, grocery stores, on cable cars, and street corners. It culminated with…Read More
“In the late 70s, a lot of talent emerged at Intersection that later became part of the establishment. Intersection was on the cutting edge. They were open to people from different backgrounds. Merging multicultural alliances were forming. Things were really jumping.” Photo Credit: Portrait Ishmael Reed, at his home in…Read More
Intersection became a refuge for a generation of artists grappling with these local tragedies as well as the horrors of the Vietnam War.
Campo Santo Theatre Company, Joe Goode, Erika Chong Shuch, Marcus Shelby, Denis Johnson, and Dave Eggers performed here. A notable visual art exhibition held at this space was “Hero Sandwiches” by Lynne Hershman.
“My memories of that space are almost visceral… it was such a quirky and interesting place.” – Frances Phillips When Frances Phillips was the Executive Director in 1988, she and a cohort of other folks worked on developing and articulating the models for fiscal sponsorship and establishing best practices. Phillips…Read More
The Loma Prieta Earthquake occurred on Tuesday, October 17, 1989. The magnitude was 6.9, the most powerful the state had experienced in several years. Sixty-three people were killed, 3,757 were reported injured and 12,053 displaced. Damage and business interruption estimates reached as high as $10 billion. Structural problems in Intersection’s…Read More
“In 1994, Intersection had had a near-death experience. But funders bailed it out. It was in chaos, so it was lovely to reinvent from scratch. I was so behind the curve, and it was great to get on my feet at the same time as the organization. I didn’t know…Read More
Intersection for the Art’s resident theater company, Campo Santo, is an award-winning multicultural ensemble dedicated to creating new performances that reflect our world. Since 1996, Campo Santo has premiered more than 50 new performance pieces, working with renowned playwrights, poets, novelists, screenwriters, musicians, and choreographers.
Renowned jazz bassist, composer, and orchestra leader becomes our musician-in-residence.
Intersection launched “Jazz at Intersection,” a series that exposed audiences to more than 60 concerts with almost 200 musicians worldwide.
The Erika Shuch Performance Project (ESP) became Intersection’s resident dance company. “Through metaphor and theatrical alchemy, the work is a mirror, a lens, an opportunity for reflection, a brainstorm, a meeting place, a prayer, a conversation, and a confession.” Image Credit: Erika Shuch & Sean San Jose performing “Sunday Will…Read More
In 2011, we moved to the 5M space in the San Francisco Chronicle Building on Mission Street in SoMa. This space offered coworking for organizations and projects in arts and culture, and the gallery lent itself to exhibitions and performances.
“Because of the amount of time Intersection has been around, its history is a complicated story to tell. It’s always going to be seen through the lens of how you experienced it and when, so there is a certain amount of refraction that takes place during each of our reflections.…Read More
To commemorate our fiftieth anniversary, Intersection presented “The Circle”, a series of arts programs and community conversations from August through November 2015, celebrating its extraordinary past and future. On September 12, 2015, we returned to our roots at Glide Memorial Church in the Tenderloin to present a 50th Anniversary Concert.…Read More
Our 50th-anniversary programming also included an Archive Show curated by artist Lexa Walsh, which was on view from October 7 – November 22, 2015. Walsh created a multi-layered installation from 200 Intersection ephemera boxes (now stored at the Bancroft Library). The exhibition also featured a recording of Intersection performances recorded…Read More
…with all of our coworking members in tow. This is Intersection for the Arts’ current home. We are thrilled to have a gorgeous, sunlit space with comfortable and spacious desks, meeting rooms, and more. We offer low-cost coworking and rental options for the arts community, and we can’t wait to…Read More
Intersection continued providing its services through these challenging quarantine times, and our members pivoted their programming to continue virtually. Intersection’s Fiscal Sponsorship Program thrived as funders shifted to provide emergency relief grants, and Intersection sponsored re-granting programs such as The Safety Net Fund. Intersection’s professional development programming expanded through its…Read More
On March 14, 2025, our dear friend, colleague, and Executive Co-Director Scott Nielsen suddenly passed away from natural causes. Scott will forever be remembered as an earnest, genuine, loving spirit. He adored drinking copious amounts of coffee, snacking on Jelly-Bellies (except the popcorn flavor!), and pouring his creative spirit into…Read More
