mission & history

The Mission of CELLspace

Our mission is to provide a safe and supportive public environment for the exploration of art, education, performance and community building. Through cooperative relationships, CELLspace encourages the celebration of intergenerational, cross-cultural collaborations and the promotion of social justice.

CELLspace Today

A 501c3 non-profit, CELLspace provides space and facility usage for the creation and presentation of the arts. The volunteer-driven organization does not provide any direct programs.
 
CELLspace occasionally offers fiscal sponsorship for emerging community projects. We currently are the fiscal sponsor of the following projects: Green Depot Sustainable Solutions Project, HealthFuel, The Big Tadoo Puppet Crew, and the Hoffman Music Project.

History

CELLspace was founded on the Spring Equinox of 1996 when a group of artists and educators leased a former screen printing warehouse on Bryant Street to develop a communal workspace for collaborative and community-based arts. This dedicated staff of volunteers nurtured and developed their vision over the years, and eventually filed for 501c3 (non-profit) status. Events, classes, exhibits, and other types of arts and programming happened while the community developed the actual space inside of CELL, and grants soon came in to support our mission. CELLspace grew in its scope and outreach, expanding into youth services that offered after school arts classes, tutoring, counseling, off-site workshops, leadership opportunities, and vocational training. A three year capital campaign helped a city-mandated renovation project needed to obtain our Place of Entertainment permit. Since our inception, we have provided affordable space for artists to work on many types of media. This not only includes events and exhibits, but also the following: puppetry, circus arts, metalsmithing, fine arts, performing arts, craft making, music recording, and more. As we head into our 15th year as a Mission District multi-use arts facility, we continue to support and incunbate local and international artists.