Editorial
December, 2019
- The Continuous Thread: Celebrating Our Interwoven Histories, Identities and Contributions
- James Tissot: Fashion & Faith
- Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963-1983
- November Theater Roundup
- Immersed in Light at Grace Cathedral
- At Minnesota Street Project, the Sky’s the Limit
- Introductions: Tenderloin Museum
November, 2019
October, 2019
September, 2019
August, 2019
July, 2019
June, 2019
May, 2019
April, 2019
March, 2019
- Lauren Yee’s Multi-Layered Play is a Chinese Puzzlebox
- MoAD Hosts Exhibition from Harlem’s Studio Museum
- New Asian Art Exhibition Spotlights Kimono
- New Opera Reimagines “Howards End”
- British Light Artist Bruce Munro Illuminates Montalvo
- Berlin & Beyond Showcases German Film
- Matthew Goudeau Takes Helm of Grants for the Arts
- Art-making From a Trans/Queer POV
February, 2019
January, 2019
December, 2018
November, 2018
October, 2018
September, 2018
August, 2018
July, 2018
June, 2018
May, 2018
April, 2018
March, 2018
February, 2018
January, 2018
December, 2017
November, 2017
October, 2017
September, 2017
- Cunning Sociopolitical Tale Premieres at Crowded Fire
- Why Citizenship? YBCA Invites Artists to Ponder the Question
- Margaret Jenkins Dance Opens 43rd Season
- One-Woman Play Captures Yearning for Home
- Poignant Ballet Examines Homelessness
- Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed
- Degas: A Tip of the Hat to Milliners
August, 2017
July, 2017
June, 2017
May, 2017
April, 2017
March, 2017
February, 2017
- “The Blues Project”: A Performance for Our Time
- Faith-Based Play Explores Compassion, Belief, Community
- Photo Exhibit Captures a Lost Generation of Syrians
- Noche Flamenca Brings Passion, Soul to “Antigona”
- The Tale of Two Afghan Women at Heart of New A.C.T. Play
- Feb Film Fests: Eclectic, Compelling
- Cal Performances: A Home Away From Home For The Trocks
January, 2017
December, 2016
November, 2016
October, 2016
September, 2016
August, 2016
July, 2016
June, 2016
May, 2016
- Beethoven Pops Up All Over Town
- The San Francisco Symphony Brings Bernstein Classic to the Stage
- Activism Takes Center Stage at SF International Arts Festival
- Ojai at Berkeley Celebrates Josephine Baker, Simone Weil
- SFDanceworks Debuts Inaugural Season
- Bringing the Blues Forward
- CJM Hosts Bill Graham Retrospective
April, 2016
March, 2016
February, 2016
January, 2016
December, 2015
November, 2015
October, 2015
September, 2015
August, 2015
July, 2015
June, 2015
May, 2015
April, 2015
March, 2015
February, 2015
January, 2015
December, 2014
November, 2014
October, 2014
September, 2014
August, 2014
July, 2014
June, 2014
May, 2014
April, 2014
March, 2014
February, 2014
January, 2014
December, 2013
November, 2013
October, 2013
September, 2013
August, 2013

In “Voice of the Central City: The Tenderloin Times, 1977-1994,” its most in-depth temporary exhibit yet, the tiny, elegant Tenderloin Museum offers a perspective on an aspect of the history of the neighborhood that’s both surprising and inspiring.
As the Tenderloin Museum’s new exhibit shows, the The Tenderloin Times—a newspaper of, by and for the culturally diverse people of one of San Francisco’s most challenged neighborhoods—was proactive, innovative (recognized by the Smithsonian Institution in 1991 for “groundbreaking use of desktop publishing technology”—Apple had donated computers) and influential. Comprising seven panels, including an introductory chronology, the exhibit illustrates—through text, archival images, cartoons and artwork—the major components of the free monthly. The panels represent, respectively, languages, cartoons, arts, investigative reporting, the homeless crisis and deaths.
Founded as a newsletter in 1977 by three homeless men who mimeographed 150 copies in the basement of Hospitality House, a community center on Turk Street, the Times evolved into a full newspaper, with a circulation of 15,000 at its peak, and was edited consecutively by journalist Rob Waters, local activist Sara Colm and others. It went on to win awards and acknowledgment.
Perhaps most significant are the panels on investigative reporting, homelessness and deaths. Colm, exhibit co-creator—with museum founding program director, now executive director, Katie Conry—points to several of the Times’ early editorial battles on behalf of the community it represented: fighting to require developers to contribute toward low-cost housing in the neighborhood (“That set a national standard,” says Colm, who worked at the Times from 1980 to 1992, initially as a volunteer reporter) and promoting legislation to protect residential hotels from destruction. Those victories, Colm asserts, led to the rezoning of the Tenderloin to prohibit further high-rise encroachment.
The ongoing story of homeless deaths was one that “we literally stumbled on,” says Colm, “when a resident came into our offices and said, ‘There’s a body in the parking lot around the corner.’…We assigned a reporter but decided to take it further than the death of one homeless man… [we wanted to] see what the pattern was.” From 1986 on, the Times wrote a “homeless death” story every year, regularly interviewing people in shelters and studying records of hospitals and morgues using the Freedom of Information Act. “When the coroner’s office didn’t provide access, a pro bono lawyer helped us,” she says. “We put a human face on the tragedy of people dying alone and homeless on the street—the individual stories of veterans, alcoholics, refugees.” The mainstream media took note, and the stories helped to launch medical services and emergency shelters for the homeless.
The languages panel shows how the Times was printed not only in English, but, beginning in 1985, also included sections in Lao, Vietnamese and Cambodian (hand-calligraphed until the advent of computerized fonts), with local translators brought in thanks to a grant from the San Francisco Foundation. The Times was the nation’s first-ever four-language newspaper, covering not just neighborhood events but also news from afar; reporters and editors traveled to Southeast Asia and sent back stories. “By the mid-1980s,” according to the exhibition panel, “Southeast Asian refugees made up nearly half of the [Tenderloin’s] population of 25,000, of whom 5,000 were children.”
One of the paper’s major goals was to “further communication and interactions between the different communities in an extremely diverse neighborhood,” comments Colm. “If there was an African-American celebration in Boedekker Park, like a Juneteenth celebration, we’d write about it in Southeast Asian languages, to share traditions among different cultures.
“The paper didn’t just focus on hard news or fluff,” she adds, “but on a wide spectrum, showing how diverse and colorful the neighborhood was.” In fact, declares the “Cartoons of the Times” panel, “Life in the Tenderloin provided ample material for dark humor and satire.” On display are the politically slanted works of such neighborhood cartoonists of the era as homeless artist Felix, and “Eddy Jones,” the nom-de-plume of Times reporter Andy Andrews.
Arts coverage was also an important element: The Times published poetry, art and a serial story by neighborhood residents; sponsored an annual art contest; reviewed local productions (Exit Theatre was, and still is, an important Tenderloin theater) and more. “We helped expose how incredible the arts scene was, everything from Cambodian dance to Filipino theater,” says Colm.
The Tenderloin Museum itself, which opened in 2015, is a welcoming beacon amidst the 31-block Tenderloin area. Located on the ground floor of the nonprofit SRO Cadillac Hotel, it houses a permanent history of the neighborhood, a rotating art display in the entry lobby and special events (opening on February 1: a contemporary art exhibit by former Times contributor and Tenderloin resident Dennis Conkin). The main gallery has the ambiance of a cozy library, with little glass-topped tables, a glowing lamp atop each one; digital screen displays; an old Victrola; a pinball machine; listening stations (for example, you can hear songs recorded at Black Hawk, a jazz club on Turk and Hyde that closed in 1963); and other artifacts and interactive tools.
The Tenderloin Times, published by Hospitality House and partly supported by funders and advertisers, folded in 1994. By the early ’90s, says Colm, with the economic downturn and the crack cocaine epidemic, which hit hard in neighborhoods like the Tenderloin, Hospitality House redirected its focus to human services and could no longer support the paper. “Hundreds of people were touched by the Times, quoted in it, distributed it, learned from it,” reflects Colm. “The death of any newspaper is a sad thing. But now we have the museum!”
Says Conry, “When people come here and see the history of marginalized communities presented in such a professional way, I think that’s really important. We’re carrying on the impulse of The Tenderloin Times and giving the community a voice…giving the Tenderloin back its lost history.”
Through Mar. 30
Tenderloin Museum
398 Eddy St., San Francisco
tenderloinmuseum.org
(415) 351-1912