San Francisco International Arts Festival
World arts and cultures
The mission of the San Francisco International Arts Festival (SFIAF) is to promote the arts and San Francisco through the production of an annual, multi-disciplinary festival that brings together the world community of artists and audiences. SFIAF is a catalyst for the emergence of a cohesive, culturally and socially diverse artistic community in San Francisco that is actively engaged in addressing the civic, social, and cultural issues of our environment and time. SFIAF strives to establish San Francisco as a model for integration of the arts into the fabric of the community in a meaningful, productive, and mutually beneficial fashion.
SFIAF was founded in 2002 by arts presenter Andrew Wood and has since produced an annual festival that have included multiple San Francisco-based arts organizations working togehter to produce each festival event. SFIAF has featured both contemporary and traditional artists, as well as combinations of both.
In 2007, SFIAF received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program to support their 4th annual festival, The Truth in Knowing/Now, A Conversation Across Africa and the Diaspora. The grant supported the performance and community residence activities of Ayanagalu, a traditional Yoruban music and dance performance group from Nigeria. This troupe is comprised of dancers, masqueraders, and praise singers who have passed down their skills and knowledge from generation to generation. The project included master classes at the African American Art & Culture Complex in San Francisco, as well as a performance for middle school students.