A panel conversation with artist Kaleb Duarte, resident artists and collaborators about his temporary public art installation, Embassy of the Refugee : Where the United Nations Used to Be. As a visual confrontation with architectural symbols of state power, the Embassy of the Refugee wraps around the controversial Pioneer monument at SF Civic Center.
It works as a temporary public art installation that reimagines monuments by centering communities in movement—those displaced by violence, economic hardship and climate change, bringing forward the histories of undocumented migrants, refugees and underground labor forces whose contributions are often erased from collective memory. Through weekly community workshops grounded in Theater of the Oppressed, Invisible Theater and hands-on object-making sessions, we cultivate an environment of shared experience—a space where our lived realities can be expressed, embodied and collectively disseminated. These practices invite participants to transform personal narratives into communal acts of resistance, using performance and material creation as tools for dialogue.
Kaleb Duarte’s work explores the interaction between objects, the body and public space as carriers of memory through improvised ritual and community engagement, often within sites of political and social tension. He has exhibited and lectured at leading institutions, cultural centers and universities internationally. Kaleb collaborates with undocumented youth in the Bay Area through the Embassy of the Refugee and Arte Urgente.
Shaping Legacy is a multi-year commitment to critically examine the monuments and memorials in San Francisco’s Civic Art Collection. The project will engage communities that have historically been excluded from discussions, produce an Audit report, create opportunities for artist-led activations in public space and support temporary installations that reimagine future monuments and memorials in our city.
The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) is the City agency that champions the arts as essential to daily life by investing in a vibrant arts community, enlivening the urban environment and shaping innovative cultural policy. SFAC programs include: Civic Art Collection, Civic Design Review, Community Investments, Public Art, SFAC Galleries and Art Vendor Licensing.
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San Francisco Arts Commission website
LOCATION:Main Library - Koret Auditorium CLASS:PUBLIC TRANSP:TRANSPARENT END:VEVENT BEGIN:VALARM TRIGGER:-PT1440M ACTION:DISPLAY DESCRIPTION:Event Reminder - Panel: Embassy of the Refugee—Where the United Nations Used to Be END:VALARM END:VCALENDAR