Newsom unveils original artwork from Jerry Garcia private collection

From the Mayor's Office of Communications

October 28, 2005

Mayor Newsom, joined by several members of the Garcia Family, unveiled original artwork from the private collection of famed Bay Area musician, Jerry Garcia.

The exhibition, which will be on display until November 4, includes rare drawings from Garcia's childhood and early paintings from his days at The California School of the Arts, now The San Francisco Art Institute. Also on display are selected prints from "The Jerry Garcia Tour 2004-2005."

Newsom's unveiling of Garcia's private art collection comes as part of the Grand Opening of the Art@MONS Community Gallery at City Hall.

"This exhibition is an appreciation and recognition of a legendary artist and Bay Area native whose compassion and humanity is clearly reflected in his music and artworks," said Mayor Newsom. "I'm sure Jerry would be very pleased to know that his creative gifts will benefit and inspire young students. Providing our young people with art, music and other means for cultural expressions is fundamental to their personal growth," continued Newsom.

Grateful Dead Drummer Mickey Hart was also on hand for the exhibit and led a 200-person drum circle which allowed everyone at the event to get involved and feel connected.

A silent auction was available for fans and art collectors to bid on special Jerry Garcia fine art prints. Many of the prints were hand-signed by Jerry Garcia himself, along with some signed by his family members. Also on auction was a limited edition Collectors Edition of the new book: JERRY GARCIA: The Collected Artwork.

The auction raised over $30,000.00 with proceeds going to support children's arts programs in the Outer Mission/ Excelsior community. The Michael Martin Galleries' MMG Foundation, whose mission is to bring art back to the school children of San Francisco, agreed to donate proceeds that will go toward implementing the Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) Program at Marshall Elementary School in the Excelsior District. VTS is a method of looking at art which, when used with children, has been shown to enhance visual literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills, and improving children's overall school performance.

Arts@MONS is sponsored by the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services (MONS) and is instrumental in showcasing local artists, musicians, and other creative talents in San Francisco's City Hall. For more information on this and other programs offered by MONS, please call 554-7111 or visit www.sfgov.org.

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