Wellness Fiesta at Plaza 16, July 20th, 2006
A Free, Public Celebration of Health and Art
Thursday, July 20, 2006
3:00-5:00 pm
Plaza 16 (16th Street BART Station, 16th and Mission Streets, San Francisco, CA 94110)
Free and open to the public
Article by Christine Wong Yap - July 21st, 2006
Photo Gallery
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Kids and leaders from Saint John's Educational Thresholds Center paint watercolors beneath Margarita Lara's new exhibit at the Wellness Fiesta. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 704kb) |
Boys from Saint John's Educational Thresholds Center paint watercolors beneath Margarita Lara's new exhibit at the Wellness Fiesta. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 650 kb) |
Children's art from Saint John's Educational Thresholds Center is part of an ongoing service learning project involving sending postcards for community members. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 608kb) |
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A dancer from BAYSIC Project dances at Wellness Fiesta. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 468kb)
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A student from DEF ED performs at Wellness Fiesta. Sisterz of the Underground teaches youth through DEF ED, a class at CELLspace that promotes the Hip Hop values of acceptance, non-violence, creative self-expression and physical fitness through breakdancing. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 407 kb) |
DEF ED and BAYSIC Project breakdancers enjoy a large crowd of onlookers. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 420 kb) |
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Still from "“Cooking with Margarita,” a manic, off-the-wall kid’s cooking show. Written, directed, and produced by San Francisco artist Margarita Lara. An exhibition of Lara's art opens at the Wellness Fest at the Plaza. Video still courtesy of Margarita Lara. Download JPG (1200x1521 pixels / 820kb)
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Still from "“Cooking with Margarita,” a manic, off-the-wall kid's cooking show. Written, directed, and produced by San Francisco artist Margarita Lara. An exhibition of Lara's art opens at the Wellness Fest at the Plaza. Video still courtesy of Margarita Lara. Download JPG (1200x854 pixels / 652kb) |
Matthew Blazon Yee, an instructor from the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, conducts a demonstration of Qi Gong with a young participant. Yee has been called "a gifted teacher, very engaging and lots of fun." Qi Gong is a form of Chinese breathing and movement exercises. Download JPG (1200x1600 pixels / 529kb) |
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Children's art on the iron fences in the Plaza. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 350 kb)
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A representative of non-profit organization Pie Ranch discusses organic, locally grown ingredients. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 699 kb)
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A display from the UCSF Valencia Health Clinic reveals the amount of sugar in soft drinks. Download JPG (1600x1200 pixels / 649 kb)
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A girl from Saint John's Educational Thresholds Center paints watercolors at the Wellness Fiesta. Download JPG (1200x1600 pixels / 644 kb)
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A boys from Saint John's Educational Thresholds Center drawing at the Wellness Fiesta. Download JPG (1200x1600 pixels / 576kb)
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San Francisco, CA, July 5, 2006 — The Mission Community Council is pleased to announce Wellness Fiesta at Plaza 16, a free, public cultural event on Thursday, July 20 from 3:00 to 5:00 PM. The event will take place at Plaza 16, the street-level plaza at the 16 th Street BART Station in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA.
The public is invited to enjoy:
- Live breakdancing performances by DEF ED and Baysic Project, projects of Sisterz of the Underground, a San Francisco B-girl collective. Through its class at CELLspace, DEF ED promotes the Hip Hop values of acceptance, non-violence, creative self-expression and physical fitness through breakdancing.
- Opening reception featuring visual art by Margarita Lara , the writer, director, and producer of Cooking with Margarita – a manic, off-the-wall kid's cooking show highlighting Latin cuisine with the help of local artists and musicians.
- Live Qi Gong demonstration by Matthew Blazon Yee, an instructor from the Quan Yin Healing Arts Center. Yee has been called "a gifted teacher, very engaging and lots of fun." Qi Gong is a form of Chinese breathing and movement exercises.
- Information tables from community organizations like:
- La Cocina Community Kitchen, a Mission District non-profit organization which helps low-income women start their own food businesses.
- Information about healthy food will also be available in Spanish and Chinese courtesy of Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
- Trilingual representatives of Wu Yee Children's Services will distribute applications for free and subsidized child care programs.
- Pie Ranch, an organization that fosters stronger relationships between urban and rural communities and inspires people to build a healthier food system.
- “What do you eat?,” an educational drawing activity that charts participant's eating habits on the new food pyramid. Open to all ages.
Wellness Fiesta at Plaza 16 is organized by the Mission Community Council's Plaza 16 Affinity Group. The collaborative hopes to create a safe and beautiful place by promoting community-oriented cultural activities. This past February, the group organized “Love your Mission Neighborhood Day,” a Valentines Day-themed experience including youth dance performances and a make-your-own Valentine card activity.
The Mission Community Council also conducts free weekly cultural activities at Plaza 16 on Thursdays from 3:00-5:00 pm. Past activities have included coloring celebrating Juneteenth and make-your-own origami flower.
The event is free and open to the public. It is also wheelchair accessible.
About the Participating Artists & Organizations
DEF ED is a class at CELLspace that promotes the Hip Hop values of acceptance, non-violence, creative self expression and physical fitness. It is taught by Sarah Smalls. Smalls is a b-girl, graff writer and founding member of Sisterz of the Undergroud, a San Francisco-based b-girl collective founded in 2001. www.sisterzunderground.com/
Baysic Project is a bboy/bgirl dance company based out of San Francisco. We are a collaboration of Extra Credit/Sisterz of the Underground, Rockforce, Media Sirkus, and 5150. Our members include: Sarah Smalls, Jana Jones, Cryx, Nurseboogie, Machine, Profo, Fluid Girl, Milestone, and Hollywood. You can check us out at www.myspace.com/baysicproject.
La Cocina Community Kitchen is a nonprofit shared use commercial kitchen and business incubator. La Cocina was founded to serve as a platform for low-income entrepreneurs launching or expanding their food businesses. La Cocina assists low-income food entrepreneurs by providing access to a fully approved and equipped commercial kitchen and to the training and technical assistance they need. http://lacocinasf.org/
A longtime San Francisco resident, Margarita Lara enjoys bringing communities together through music, cuisine, and art. She has a penchant for taking people's talents and arranging them into humorous collages. Her desire is to create entertainment which teaches children about cooking in an exciting and playful environment. Most recently, Lara collaborated on the children's music video,“La Risa de las Vocales”, which received an honorable mention at the 2006 Mission Creek Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco.
The Mission Community Council is a collaborative network of over 35 Mission non–profit organizations, businesses, faith groups, and public departments committed to promoting the vitality of the Mission District. MCC would like to thank the Walter & Elise Haas Fund and Wells Fargo for their support.
Through hands-on learning about the full cycle of food production -- from seed and shoot to scrumptious meal to steaming compost -- Pie Ranch inspires people to build a healthier food system. A commercial storefront in the Mission district will serve as the urban link to Pie Ranch and to other local farms. http://www.pieranch.org/
The Quan Yin Healing Arts Center, located near the intersection of Valencia and 16th Streets, offers a wide range of affordable alternative healthcare services. http://www.quanyinhealingarts.com
Wu Yee Children's Services promotes the healthy development of children and families by providing high quality, linguistically and culturally appropriate children and family support services. http://www.wuyee.org/