During this week’s First Thursday Art Walk in San Francisco’s Tenderloin Museum, neighbors and guests celebrated “Tenderloin Blackness,” an upbeat exhibition about the notable personalities who made the area a hub for Black people.
“People think of the Tenderloin as a place where only the homeless, drug addicted, and drug dealers live. We wanted to show this was a place of dignity for its Black residents,” said Del Seymour, the show’s organizer, aka “Mayor of the Tenderloin,” and founder of Code Tenderloin, which teaches job skills to homeless, drug-addicted and low-income residents of the area.
The display of photos, newspaper clippings, video and personal notes accompanied descriptions of eminent individuals such as Leroy Looper, who made the Cadillac Hotel a model for single-residency occupancy housing, and Rev. Cecil Williams, the charismatic late pastor of Glide Memorial Church. Silena Layne of the grassroots group Faithful Fools, Richard Beal of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, and longtime community activist Cheryl Shanks are among others represented.
Tenderloin Museum Executive Director Katie Conry called the exhibition “very much up our alley.”
The Tenderloin Museum boasts archival material including historical plaques and videos depicting the neighborhood from the 19th century to the present. The Roaring 20s, Great Depression, World War II as well as the high jinks, crime and corruption that found a home in the Tenderloin also are covered.
The museum also shares information about the area’s hyper-local nonprofit organizations offering services for area residents, many living in poverty; hosts numerous events and artists, particularly LGBPTQ performers and creators; and participates in the The First Thursday Art Walk.
The self-guided event, which began in 2010, showcases Tenderloin businesses and artists that open their doors in the evening, providing an opportunity for visitors to mingle with locals, and make purchases, on the first Thursday of each month.
Artist John Vochatzer, who owns Moth Belly Gallery and organizes the Art Walk, called it the “single most important night of the month for our art galleries. The majority of our business is done on this one night.”
At the Sept. 5 Art Walk, Justin Bautista of the Larkin Street clothing store Tilted Brim called his business “one of the intrepid ones” to reopen after the pandemic’s lockdown. The shop’s eclectic display of accessories and garments, which have a flavor of “old-school cool,” are interspersed with art and hardy, not-for-sale plants.
“We’re a store that sells good s—. We carry our own clothing label, and stock small labels from around the world,” said Bautista.
Emperor Norton’s Boozeland, a colorful, biker-friendly bar on the route, has a sample of genuine Emperor Norton currency and large blown-up images of vintage saloon matchbook covers on display. Patrons can play pool, carouse on the patio below, or drape themselves over the dimly lit mahogany bar.
“Tenderloin Blackness” continues through Nov. 2 in the Tenderloin Museum gallery, 398 Eddy St., San Francisco. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays; admission to gallery is free and $6-$10 for the museum. Visit tenderloinmuseum.org.
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