2007-2008 - Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

07_08
ANNUAL REPORT
LETTER FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Cover Image: Bill T. Jones, Chapel/Chapter
Dear Friends:
The 2007-08 season at YBCA has once again proven to be one of
significant accomplishment.
As you will see by looking through this annual report, our artistic
endeavors continue unabated. While it is always difficult to select
only a few highlights from any given season, I would certainly be
remiss if I did not point to exhibitions such as The Missing Peace:
Artists Consider the Dalai Lama, Anna Halprin: At the Origin of
Performance and Dark Matters: Artists See the Impossible, as true
achievements for YBCA. Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company,
Faustin Linyekula and Ilkhom Theatre brought us extraordinary
performance from around the world and Marc Bamuthi Joseph, a
Bay Area artist with whom we have a long-standing relationship,
opened his new piece, the break/s, here at YBCA and it has gone
on to an extensive national tour. We are very proud of Marc and the
work he has done and look forward to continuing to work with him
to develop new performances. In film, the Human Rights Watch
International Film Festival continues to be an important part of our
program as does the full range of programs that make us the only
repertory film house in the city of San Francisco.
At YBCA, our Community Engagement program is deeply involved
in connecting art and the community. I am proud to say that this
year, Community Engagement, in collaboration with our Marketing
Department, received a four-year $750,000 grant from the Wallace
Foundation to develop new audiences for YBCA. We were one of only
eleven organizations in the Bay Area to receive this grant and are
honored not only to have our efforts recognized but also to be given
the resources to further develop and expand that work. Over the next
few years you will see a much more aggressive effort on our part,
both online and in person, to connect art and audience.
Not to be overlooked, the financial figures that are here will demonstrate
the fiscal responsibility that is the hallmark of our work at
YBCA. We take very seriously the responsibility invested in us not
only by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency but also by the
foundations, individuals and corporations who believe in the work
that we do and make their contributions accordingly. I am particularly
proud to note a major gift from the Novellus Systems, Inc. to name
the theater at YBCA. This is an amazing gift that will come to us over
the next ten years and will be invested in programs at YBCA.
I can say without hesitation that the staff of YBCA are dedicated,
committed and enthusiastic about the work that we do. Without their
extraordinary effort, we would not be able to accomplish as much as
we do. Similarly, we are blessed with an active and engaged Board
of Directors whose passion for YBCA is as thorough and important
as that of the staff. Together, we make great things happen.
Finally, it is the artists and the audiences who are the heart and soul
of YBCA and who make us the vibrant and exciting arts center that
I believe we are.
As we look ahead, we see many challenges on the horizon, but I feel
confident that, with your support, YBCA will continue to grow and
develop. I hope you will continue to be with us in the years ahead.
Sincerely,
Kenneth J. Foster
Executive Director
YBCA 07_08 ANNUAL REPORT / P. 0