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42-606: Yerba Buena was the name of the town in the Mexican territory of Alta California that became the city of San Francisco , California , after it was claimed by the United States in 1846. It was itself named after the yerba buena ( Micromeria douglasii ) plant which used to be abundant in the area. The plant's common name, yerba buena , is an alternate form of the Spanish hierba buena (meaning "good herb"). The idea of

84-553: A league below the Presidio in a place they called Yerba Buena". Following the Vancouver Expedition, the Presidio anchorage continued to be the more commonly-used landing point. However, during the particularly harsh winter of 1824, ships began to favor the anchorage at Yerba Buena and so Yerba Buena Cove became the main disembarkation point for ships visiting San Francisco. In 1797, the Spanish presidio constructed

126-837: A chic atmosphere, while Space 1026 created YBCA's mural, a showcase of social and physical dimensions. Solo exhibitions for artists include Tania Bruguera 's Talking to Power and Damon Rich and Jae Shin's Space Brainz . (2017). Dance at YBCA includes various forms from many various cultures. In October 2008, Israeli choreographers Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak presented their production of "Shaker" by combining ballet, modern dance, mime, and acrobatic techniques. In addition to more collaborative art forms, YBCA also presents more classical forms of dance, such as ballet. Alonzo King held his company LINES Ballet at YBCA in November 2004, which centered on African American field recordings with various forms of music, narrative, and film playing in

168-488: A conference center named the Yerba Buena Center itself first emerged in the early 1960s. At that time there was a concern about how development could occur in the downtown area. The South of Market area offered hundreds of acres of flat land at low land prices. Various corporate committees were founded to lobby for the redevelopment, which would also include high-rise office buildings, a vast parking garage, and

210-674: A hugely diverse group of artists, activists and leaders and celebrating a nationwide community of innovative and inspirational individuals and organizations." In March 2021 YBCA partnered with San Francisco Arts Commission , San Francisco Grants for the Arts, and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission to launch a guaranteed income program. The pilot program would give $ 1,000 a month to 130 artists below certain income levels for six months, beginning in May 2021. It

252-818: A manicured garden with plants representing each of San Francisco's sister cities and a view of the downtown skyline. Located in the Gardens proper are the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts , a contemporary arts center in the North block, and the Children's Creativity Museum , a children's museum in the South block. An ice skating rink , a bowling alley , and the LeRoy King Carousel -— a restored 1906 carousel by Charles I. D. Looff can also be found in

294-532: A new city mayor, George Moscone , in 1976, who spearheaded construction. The Gardens was later built as part of a deal by Mayor Moscone with developers to "set aside land and funds for cultural institutions such as museums, exhibits, and theaters." In 1999 the Yerba Buena Gardens received the Gold Medal of the biannual Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence . In praising the design of the work,

336-490: A sports center. At the center of operations was the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) first headed by Joseph Alioto , who would go on to become mayor of the city in 1968. The area of the development was regarded as a blighted area of the city, even referred to by local media, local business and city officials as ' skid row '. However, the developers did not figure on the persistence of

378-698: Is paid through the Arts Impact Endowment established by Proposition E in 2018, which allocates 1.5% of the city's hotel tax to arts and cultural services. This follows similar programs in Stockton , Oakland , and Marin County to support artists during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States . In 2024, YBCA galleries closed for a month following disruptions from an artist collective in

420-489: Is the intent for social change through education provided by another culture or by creating a community around a purpose. Although month to month there are not many purely musical performances, music is often incorporated with other performing arts, such as dance or theater. In addition to being a venue for musical performances, YBCA also acts as a non-collecting museum. The various art exhibits YBCA offers emphasize its celebration of both local and world art. For example, in 2008

462-453: Is used for a number of place names in modern San Francisco. Yerba Buena Island has retained its name from the Spanish era up to modern times, although from 1895 to 1931, it was officially designated Goat Island. Yerba Buena Gardens , which includes Yerba Buena Center for the Arts , is a complex of parks, museums, theaters, and malls in the South of Market (SoMa) district of San Francisco that

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504-486: The misiónes (missions), religious settlements run by Franciscan priests to evangelize the indigenous peoples of California . Presidios were military fortifications, responsible for protecting the missions, controlling the native population, and defending Spanish and later Mexican territory against foreign incursions. Ranchos were land grants to Spanish and later Mexican settlers in California, mainly for

546-619: The Bateria de Yerba Buena at Punta Medanos ( Black Point ) as an artillery battery to provide additional protection to the Yerba Buena anchorage. The site was only briefly occupied and was abandoned by 1806. With the enactment of the Mexican Secularization Act of 1833 , the missions were made to divest themselves of their extensive landholdings and emancipate the indigenous people under their control. As part of

588-795: The Bay Area 9 exhibit, in which artists altered their own works on display with messages in support of freedom for Palestinians and a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war . Organizers demanded that the museum remove all "Zionist Board members and funders" of YBCA, participate in the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel , and not censor artists from solidarity statements. The museum had previously prevented artist Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo from displaying "Free Palestine" in an outdoor exhibition, and censored artist Jeff Cheung's intended mural featuring colors of

630-838: The California Gold Rush transformed Yerba Buena into the major city on the North American west coast. On July 7, 1846, US Navy Commodore John D. Sloat , in the Battle of Yerba Buena , claimed Alta California for the United States during the Mexican–American War , and US Navy Captain John Berrien Montgomery and US Marine Second Lieutenant Henry Bulls Watson of the USS ; Portsmouth arrived to claim Yerba Buena two days later by raising

672-636: The Mexican Secularization Act of 1833 . The uninhabited northeastern area of San Francisco was called El Paraje de Yerba Buena (The Place of the Good Herb), derived from the Spanish geographical term paraje , meaning "place", "camp", or "stopping point" and yerba buena , the Spanish name for plants in the mint family, used in Alta California for Clinopodium douglasii , which grew abundantly in this area. There were several anchorage spots for ships visiting San Francisco. The earliest one

714-464: The Palestinian flag . An open letter by current and former museum employees expressed solidarity with the artist collective. Interim CEO Sara Fenske Bahat resigned amid the backlash, and county supervisor Hillary Ronen called for a special hearing into the museum's continued closure. The exhibition re-opened with the artist alterations intact, accompanied by new signage. Yerba Buena Center for

756-725: The de Anza Expedition . The Presidio of San Francisco was founded on September 18th of that year near the southern side of the Golden Gate . Mission San Francisco de Asís was founded on October 9 a little further inland near the Laguna de los Dolores , for the purpose of concentrating the Ohlone and Miwok peoples of the northern San Francisco Bay area and converting them to Christianity. There were no rancho , pueblo , or other civilian settlements in San Francisco until after

798-569: The American flag over the town plaza, which is now Portsmouth Square in honor of the ship. Henry Bulls Watson was placed in command of the garrison there. On July 31, 1846, Yerba Buena doubled in population when about 240 Mormon migrants from the East coast arrived on the ship Brooklyn , led by Sam Brannan . In August 1846, Lt. Washington Allon Bartlett was named alcalde of Yerba Buena. On January 30, 1847, Lt. Bartlett's proclamation changing

840-729: The Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts ( YBCA ) is a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco , California , United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens , YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, national, and international artists and the Bay Area 's diverse communities. YBCA programs year-round in two landmark buildings—the Galleries and Forum by Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki and

882-546: The Arts embraces many musical genres and styles. Not only does the center provide a stage for Bay Area instrumental and vocal musicians and ensembles, it also offers a sampling of musical practices from all over the world. Along with solo performances, YBCA also has invited various musical projects to use its facilities, such as the tribute to composer Elliott Carter in 2008 and the Long Now Foundation in 2010. The connection between these various musical practices

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924-584: The British HBC and the Mexican government of California, making the HBC's fur trapping expeditions into California's Central Valley politically acceptable. Despite the mercantile potential of the HBC store in Yerba Buena, in 1842 it was ordered to be closed by George Simpson as part of Simpson's general reorganization of the HBC's Columbia District . The HBC store in Yerba Buena was sold in 1846, two years before

966-536: The South block. The Mexican Museum is (as of 2021) planned to inhabit the lower several floors of a building across Mission Street as part the 53-story 706 Mission / Four Seasons Residence tower. The project is planned to cost $ 500 million ($ 30 million of which for the museum) and will complete the "Yerba Buena district" redevelopment area, which apart from the Yerba Buena Gardens includes the Metreon and Moscone Center. Yerba Buena, California Yerba Buena

1008-410: The adjacent Theater by American architect James Stewart Polshek and Todd Schliemann. Betti-Sue Hertz served as Curator from 2008 through 2015. The museum was conceived as part of a deal by mayor George Moscone with developers to "set aside land and funds for cultural institutions such as museums, exhibits, and theaters" for the redevelopment projects in South of Market, San Francisco . The museum

1050-510: The art group Royal Art Lodge presented their psychologically surrealist works, challenging the viewer using simple drawings and more pronounced techniques like cutups. YBCA not only holds specific art shows and exhibits but also is carefully aided by various artists in creating particular atmospheres for its spaces. For instance, Instant Coffee, another artist group, designed a lounge room within YBCA for visitors to simply sit and listen to records with

1092-457: The background. YBCA features all types of cinematic endeavors, including documentaries on a variety of subjects, art-house movies and foreign films. For instance, during the 2009 summer season, it showed documentaries dealing with female masochists ( Graphic Sexual Horror ), and industrial design ( Objectified ) while also presenting obscure movie topics, such as its show Winning Isn't Everything: A Tribute to 1970's Sports Film which included

1134-746: The building program. After John Elberling, of the Tenants and Owners Development Corporation (TODCO) protested the removal of a bowling alley from the plans, the San Francisco Development Agency (SFRA) backed down and the bowling alley was re-included and eventually built. The original block opened in 1993 contains several public art installations. One cornerstone is the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and Fountain. The King memorial, titled "Revelations," consists of large, etched glass excerpts of King's speeches in

1176-399: The development of San Francisco from the 1950s to the 1990s Chester Hartman recounts that the entire Yerba Buena project was long drawn out over 3 decades, born of a local struggle that included evictions and harassment of the previous tenants in the area, most of them old and poor, but who had joined to fight for their rights. Even during the final design stages there were struggles regarding

1218-539: The earlier spot being close to North Point , but was later located a little further to the south, at Yerba Buena Cove . The name was eventually extended to the island facing Yerba Buena Cove, the Isla de Yerba Buena ( Yerba Buena Island ), originally known as Isla de Alcatraces . The earliest report of the use of Yerba Buena as a place name comes from the log of George Vancouver , who in 1792 sailed his ship HMS  Discovery into San Francisco Bay and anchored "about

1260-637: The expanded settlement, which retained the name Yerba Buena. In early 1841 James Douglas of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), operating on the Pacific coast from Fort Vancouver , went to Yerba Buena to establish an HBC trading post. A large building on the water's edge was purchased. The HBC post had several purposes. It operated as a wholesale store, selling goods exported from Fort Vancouver such as salmon, lumber, and British manufactures in exchange for hides and tallow. The post improved diplomatic relations between

1302-486: The jury noted the process that led to the creation of the gardens, as well as its inclusiveness in terms of the population it serves and its neighborhood: "The mixed-use development enables cultural, social justice, and economic development agendas to coexist within a network of collaborative management practices." Furthermore, the jury "applauded the evolution of the project's development process to an inclusive model involving multiple constituencies." However, in his history of

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1344-438: The languages of San Francisco's sister cities. The entire memorial was a collaborative project between sculptor Houston Conwill , poet Estella Majoza and architect Joseph De Pace. Conwill said Revelations is “a sacred space … meant to be experienced as a cultural pilgrimage and a journey of transformation.” The act of entering the fountain from the Gardens, reading of the text from North wall to East then, South Wall while beneath

1386-522: The local community, the vast majority of which were aged, male, ex-industrial workers who lived alone in the many cheap hotels in the area. Together the latter formed the Tenants and Owners in Opposition to Redevelopment (TOOR). Their demand was to be rehoused in the area in low-rent housing. The case went to court where the judge, Stan Weigel, judged in favor of TOOR. Things changed with the election of

1428-461: The name Yerba Buena to San Francisco took effect. The city and the rest of Alta California officially became a United States military territory in 1848 by the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo , which ended the Mexican–American War . California was admitted for statehood to the United States on September 9, 1850. The State soon chartered San Francisco as both a City and a County . Yerba Buena

1470-415: The process of secularization, Governor José Figueroa opened up San Francisco to civilian settlement. In 1834, the pueblo of Yerba Buena was founded on the shores of Yerba Buena Cove. In 1835, William A. Richardson , a naturalized Mexican citizen of English birth, erected a homestead near the boat anchorage of Yerba Buena Cove. Together with Alcalde Francisco de Haro , he laid out a street plan for

1512-468: The purpose of raising cattle and sheep. Finally, pueblos were civilian villages, started mainly for the purpose of agriculture, supplementing existing food production on the other settlement types. Missions were the core institution of the Spanish era of California, but declined during the Mexican era, while ranchos and pueblos expanded during the latter era. The two earliest Spanish colonial settlements in San Francisco were both made in 1776 following

1554-625: The water, then exiting back out into the garden, represents 'a cultural pilgrimage and contemplative metaphorical journey of transformation,' parallel to the Southern tradition of baptism by full immersion in water common within Old School Baptist churches like those of King's grandfather, legendary minister Adam Daniel Williams. On the terrace level above the waterfall is the Sister Cities Garden, where visitors can see

1596-707: Was founded in 1993. The Yerba Buena Community Benefits District has designated an area centered on Yerba Buena Gardens and bounded by Market , Howard, Second, and Fifth streets as the Yerba Buena District, a subdistrict of the SoMa neighborhood. A Yerba Buena Avenue runs through the St. Francis Wood and Westwood Highlands neighborhoods on the southwestern side of San Francisco. 37°47′35″N 122°23′47″W  /  37.79306°N 122.39639°W  / 37.79306; -122.39639 Yerba Buena Center for

1638-478: Was opened in 1993. YBCA produces a triennial of Northern California art called Bay Area Now . Sarah Hotchkiss states of the 2018 Bay Area Now 8, "It's so rare for the local art scene to see its own members getting large-scale institutional attention— while those artists are still alive —that Bay Area Now has come to occupy a hallowed role in the community." In 2014 YBCA initiated the YBCA 100 list "honoring

1680-574: Was originally intended as a trading post for ships visiting San Francisco Bay . The settlement was arranged in the Spanish style around a plaza that remains as the present day Portsmouth Square . The area that was the Yerba Buena settlement is now in the Financial District and Chinatown neighborhoods of San Francisco. Spanish colonial and Mexican settlements in Alta California were of four types. The earliest settlements were

1722-479: Was the Presidio anchorage, located just inside the Golden Gate, within a mile to the east of Punta del Cantil Blanco (what was later called Fort Point ). The Yerba Buena anchorage eventually came to be more favored, as it was more sheltered and less precarious than the Presidio anchorage, even though it was farther from the Presidio headquarters. The Yerba Buena anchorage actually referred to two locations, with

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1764-477: Was the name of an anchorage spot and later a town that grew into the city of San Francisco, California . The settlement was founded in 1834 and was located near the northeastern end of the San Francisco Peninsula , on the shores of Yerba Buena Cove . Yerba Buena was the first civilian pueblo in San Francisco, which had previously only had indigenous, missionary, and military settlements, and

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