There's No Place Like Home: Meet Photographer Sarah Christianson

Photographer Sarah Christianson at her home in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA. 

For most of us our identities are very much tied to where we grew up.  "Where are you from?" is a typical first meeting question.  And it seems assumed that the answer will not be California.  No matter where we started, we invariably bring with us the traditions, language and preferences of not just our families, but also of the towns we lived in when we were younger. 

Like many current residents of California, photographer Sarah Christianson moved here seeking more job opportunities and a broader world view than the small town where she grew up in North Dakota could provide.  But she still considered that town central to her identity and more than that, felt the pull to tell the story of the people that still lived there.  From that desire came her latest project, Homeplace.

What is Homeplace about?

The name refers to my family's 1200-acre farm in the Red River Valley of North Dakota.  That farm is my center, my homeplace.

My family left Norway in 1869 for America in the hopes of finally becoming land owners under the promise of free land as a result of the Homestead Act.  They had heard that America was the land of opportunity for those willing to work hard.  Since those early years my family has worked the land, growing wheat and soybeans.

In 2005 I worked in New York City for a few months and was struck by the contrast between that busy city and my own hometown.  I truly saw how much North Dakota was part of my identity.

When I returned, I started seeing changes or perhaps I finally noticed them --  my grandfather had passed away so my grandmother had sold that farm and moved into town, my brother and sister moved away and my parents demolished my grandfather's childhood home because it was in such disrepair.  It started to sink in that my parents might be the last of four generations to actually work and live on the family farm.

I was just entering the MFA program at the University of Minnesota and decided to make my thesis project the documentation of my family's emigration and agriculture heritage through my photography and other archival elements such as historical documents and old family snapshots.   I even went to Norway in 2008 to trace the footsteps of my ansectors that had left.

Homeplace is the result of this journey.  What I realized is that our rich agricultural heritage will continue in some form -- no one can take that away.

Why do you do what you do?

I love photography -- it allows me to tell stories in a visual way.  And I feel compelled to tell the story of the people of North Dakota.  I feel it is so important to share the perspective of the people that live there with the rest of the world.

I recently received a grant from the San Francisco Art Commission for my latest project -- I'm documenting the oil boom that is happening in North Dakota as a result of fracking. 

It is so important to let the world know how fracking is changing the viability of the land to raise a crop and a family. 

Why Dogpatch?

I moved to Dogpatch in 2011 after I started working with artist Jim Campbell who was located in the American Industrial Building.  Dogpatch felt like a small town to me.  The neighborhood worked well for my city-minded husband Jesse Mullan and the small town girl in me.

Part of the small town feel for me is the fact that we know our neighbors and so many people you meet here are so friendly and welcoming.

What is an interesting story that has happened to you in Dogpatch?
  
We were looking at an apartment that was for rent on Third Street and decided to go behind the building on Tennessee Street to see what the back of the building looked like.  Immediately a Hells Angels member came out of their clubhouse with a pitbull straining on the leash.  Both were clearly on full alert and wanted to know what we were doing in that area. But when we told him we were looking for an apartment to rent his demeanor changed immediately.  He proceeded to tell us how great the neighborhood is and how welcoming everyone would be to us.  And of course the pitbull mirrored this change and flopped down on the pavement!

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?

I would certainly try my hand at farming!


Editor's note:
Photographs from Homeplace are currently on exhibit at Rayko Photo Center until November 17.

Click here to purchase a copy of Homeplace.

On November 14 the artist will give a talk on Homeplace and will be signing books at SF Camerawork

Written by Patricia Kline
Photos by Scott R. Kline

A Dog, A Van and A Plan: Meet Artist Zannah Noe

Zannah Noe is a painter and mixed media artist. She has created the series American Bones. She sits in her studio in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA on September 25, 2013.

We see a wealth of street art on our walks around Dogpatch -- multi-hued hearts hidden on the big AT&T boxes, work vans without a spare square of original paint untouched, the vacant lot on Third Street that every morning sports a new image despite the landlord's preventive measures.

But an image that has intrigued us for many months is the stencil of a roller coaster, generally with the words "American Bones"at the bottom, that has popped up on sidewalks, overpasses and then finally, the billboard at the bottom of the 20th Street overpass that usually is advertising something much less interesting.

The billboard was very obviously not a sanctioned project with its street art banner look.  Not long after the billboard mysteriously appeared we started spotting flyers advertising The American Bones art project that was on display at the studio of artist Zannah Noe on Tennessee Street -- located right next to that 20th Street billboard.

We were greeted at the airy light filled loft by the artist as well as by her rescue dog Diesel Lamar, a beautiful and gentle ten year old greyhound.

The studio walls were covered with the many creations of this mixed media artist but what caught our eye was the red acrylic 48" laser cut metal stencil of the roller coaster -- the American Bones image we had been seeking.

What is the American Bones Project?
Everyone has a roller coaster story.  It is such an American icon and it transends race, class and gender.  The infrastructure of a roller coaster reminds me of scaffolding -- of bones -- of what is left standing.  I first used this image of the roller coaster in my series of paintings called Amusement Architecture -- portraits of Coney Island and the Santa Cruz boardwalk.  I started wondering, what are the images that represent America now? And just as important, what icons are still left in America?

I decided to search for and then document those icons through my photographs and paintings.  I was greatly influenced by the book, American Nations which looked at American Regionalism. 

In 2012 I launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the trip.  My mode of transportation is a Chevy van I lovingly call, Foxy Brown, and she consumes lots of fuel!

In April 2013 the American Bones road trip began.  I traveled throughout the U.S. -- trying to stay off the beaten path as much as possible.

I discovered that while some of our remaining icons are obvious ones, such as cowboys and guns, there were also less obvious ones such as water towers.  I also discovered that America loves the mash up -- two icons that you wouldn't think go together.  For example, White Sands National Park in New Mexico is a park but it is also a missile testing site.

But my favorite mash up had to be the Prison Rodeo in Louisana.  Only in America could we put together a prison, rodeo and art show all in one place.

I love portraying these mashups as public art.

Zannah Noe traversed the country in her van, Foxy Brown. 

Why do you do what you do?

Through my art I attempt to reveal what is personal but also universal.  The American Bones project very much represents that to me.

I love the act of creating, whether it be photography, painting or catering.

I grew up in Massachusetts.  I studied fine art in college as well as photography.  After college, I decided I could only live in New York or San Francisco.  I used to think that those were the only two places an artist could live in the United States.  Of course I feel differently since my road trip!

When I first moved here in 1991 I was a photographer for the club, The End Up.  I like to say I started from the End Up!

I also did editorial photography for the SF Chronicle and the SF Weekly.  I eventually went back to school and learned how to be a web and graphic designer.

The catering comes in because editorial and fine arts don't necessarily pay the rent so I also became a caterer, working mostly as a personal chef on yachts.

Why Dogpatch?

In the 1990s I had a darkroom in this neighborhood that I used.  I also photographed a lot of punk bands with this neighborhood as a backdrop.

The neighborhood reminded me of a neighborhood I love in Boston, Fort Point Channel.

I have lived many different places in the city from the Lower Haight to a tugboat at Pier 50, but it wasn't until 2010 that I finally found a place to rent in Dogpatch.

I love the industrial mix use -- almost the feel of an urban desert.  It is less so now of course but the creative mix of people are still here.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?

A traveling photo journalist.  I certainly became one as a result of this road trip.

And we have to ask, why did you name your Chevy van, Foxy Brown?

It reminded me of something out of a Quentin Tarantino film.  And I guess you could say that the van is also an American icon. 

Greyhound Diesel Lamar is the constant companion of Zannah Noe.

Article written by Patricia Kline
Photographs by Scott R. Kline

Liquid Courage: Meet Tim Obert and Clint Potter of Seven Stills

Clint Potter and Tim Obert, of Seven Stills in Dogpatch,  sit on barrels that will be used for their whiskey dubbed, Chocasmoke.

When Tim Obert of the new craft distillery, Seven Stills,  asked us to meet him at his office on 23rd Street, we were a bit puzzled -- we weren't familiar with an office building or even a warehouse at that address -- just a building dedicated to storage units.

We discovered that it is pretty amazing what can be done with a few sheets of plywood these days.  Tim Obert and his business partner, Clint Potter, have set up shop in about 800 square feet in the Storage San Francisco building where they finally relocated after suffering through much less desirable digs nearby.

Although their actual distillery is located in Petaluma, their small office functions as their laboratory and maybe eventually, law permitting, a small tasting room for customers and the general public.  With their official liquor license prominently and proudly displayed, Obert and Potter showed us around their compact space.   The majority of the space was taken up with about 300 cases of their first product, California Courage, a vodka made from a base of corn that they describe as having sweet citrus and floral overtones.  Describing how they enlisted family and friends to help them to bottle and cork their first product, Obert and Potter flexed their fingers and massaged their wrists at the memory of the effort. 

Another wall was lined with jars filled with lemons, oranges and other herbs, fruits and spices that they are tinkering with for the bitters program they also hope to launch.  Chris Barry, one of the owners of the Dogpatch Saloon was stopping by later to taste some of their latest concoctions. 

But their true passion lined yet another wall where small kegs filled with their first efforts of using different beer styles as a basis for whiskey rested.  These kegs were filled with a whiskey inspired by a chocolate stout beer from Mill Valley Beer Works.  Their first whiskey, dubbed Chocasmoke, should be ready to drink in 2014. 

Obert and Potter met at U.C. Santa Cruz and kept in touch after graduation with both eventually moving to San Francisco.  It seems fitting that they two figured out how to be in business together over drinks one night at Dobbs Ferry.  On that night they had what Potter described as a "light bulb moment" -- why not combine their passions for beer and whiskey with their own financial resources into their own craft distillery business. 

Bitters sit on a shelf at Seven Stills in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA.

Why do you do what you do?

Tim Obert:
I've long been a home beer brewer and after college had a few internships in the beer industry.  The idea of making something from scratch really appeals to me.  And I love to take traditional ideas and put my own spin on them.  That's why we use our own beer recipes as well as adapt existing recipes at Seven Stills.

But the craft beer market has become pretty saturated in San Francisco.  We see a real opportunity to take a local, artisan focus on spirits just as small producers have done in the beer industry. 

Clint Potter:
I was studying at Berkeley and was preparing to go to grad school in San Diego to study engineering when I met and became inspired by Fionnan O'Connor who is well known as Mr. Whiskey and teaches class on Irish whiskey at Berkeley. 

When Tim and I decided to combine our two passions of whiskey and craft beer, I decided to use my grad school money to help form Seven Stills. I decided this business might be a bit more fun and social than engineering. 


Why Dogpatch?

We didn't know a lot about this neighborhood but we did know that it was becoming a mecca for craft beer and spirit ventures and knew this is where we wanted to base our company.  

What is an interesting story that has happened to you in Dogpatch? 

We started Seven Stills in January 2013 and in August we finally got our liquor license.  We had just eaten at Marcella's Lasagneria and thought we would check out Reno's Liquor Store as a possible place to one day stock our spirits.  We introduced ourselves to Dames, the owner.  He ordered two cases on the spot!

We walked next door to the Dogpatch Saloon and they ordered two bottles.

We were thrilled -- we really felt like we were on our way.


What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?

TO:
I would be brewing beer and making moonshine but not legally.....


CP:
I would have gone to grad school but since that money is gone now....


So explain why you called your company Seven Stills?

We really want to be known as a local craft spirits company.  There are really few spirit companies left that are truly local anymore.  So our label has all these great San Francisco landmarks on it.  And the name is meant to honor the seven hills of San Francisco.  We hope to have a whiskey for each hill.

A sign above the bench at Seven Stills in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA.

Article written by Patricia Kline
Photographs by Scott R. Kline

Where Everyone Still Knows Your Name: Meet Marc Goldfine of Dogpatch Saloon

Marc Goldfine sits in the newly remodeled Dogpatch Saloon. The bar has been updated, windows have been added, but the original bar top remains. Photographed on August 20, 2013 in San Francisco, CA.

Most residents of Dogpatch welcome the new food and drink venues that seem to be opening in the neighborhood at a furious pace.

But there were more than a few furrowed brows and crossed fingers that not much would change at the Dogpatch Saloon, long a neighborhood anchor, when owner Mike Apicelli decided to retire and sell to Chris Barry, Derek Jostad, Sky Wegman and Marc Goldfine -- the team behind financial district watering hole, 83 Proof .

For months we walked by the construction at 22nd and Third and wondered what changes would the new owners make -- would there still be jazz music on Sunday nights and what about that never ending crock-pot of chili?  Would they make it into a "fancy" bar or would we still feel a sense of belonging no matter what drink we ordered or how we were dressed? 

When the doors were flung open on a warm Monday in July it seemed that most of the neighborhood had turned out to see what had changed and what had remained the same.

And it seemed that a collective sigh of relief was heard as many in attendance voiced that the bar "felt good."  The enlarged windows meant a welcome breeze would flow through the bar and no one regretted the remodeled bathrooms.  The crock-pot is gone as well as any possibility of food service since the small kitchen was also removed.  Live music remains a possibility but for now the Sunday night jazz tradition has been retired.

The original Dog still stands guard in the stained glass window over the front door and the brass bell by the bar remains at the ready for last call.  The last bar stool is still reserved for the original owner, Tugboat Annie, and Mike Apicelli's name has been added to the brass plate. 

The Bell for last call at the Dogpatch Saloon is one of the pieces remaining from the old salooon before the recent remodal.

But the majority of the bar was completely renovated and designer Tess Parker added furnishings and other touches that fit right in; such as the 100 year old bar stools that came from a Stanford University science lab and the benches that were formerly church pews.

Owner Marc Goldfine left his post at the bar to welcome customers and to chat about the renovation. His radio-ready voice was easily heard above the large crowd. It truly felt that hardworking Apicelli had turned over the bar to a like-minded team who provided a much needed refresh to the Dogpatch Saloon.

A few weeks after the opening Goldfine agreed to chat with us about his background and the process behind reopening the Dogpatch Saloon.  As we chatted, Mike Apicelli poked his head through an open window to say hello and to check in.  Delivery men pounded on the locked door and one of the bartenders stopped by before their shift to see if anyone wanted her to pick up a sandwich for them.    We uncrossed our fingers.

Why do you do what you do?

It sounds simplistic but I love bartending and luckily it pays the bills.  I enjoy the social aspect of being a bartender and I like the creativity of creating cocktails.

I grew up in Chicago and first visited San Francisco when my brother came out here to live.  I fell in love with the city and knew I would be back.  I currently live in the Sunset neighborhood and I've been in SF for 15 years.  I was in the food business in Chicago and I also had always been told that I should go into voice acting.  So for awhile bartending paid for my voice acting classes!

When I came to SF my brother helped me get a job at a bar where I worked my way up from working the door to a barback to eventually one of the bartenders.  From there I worked at various other bars including The Black Cat in North Beach.  I met the other 83 Proof guys while working at LuLus.  Chris Barry had always had a goal of opening a bar.  At the time I had zero interest in being an owner but I loved bartending.  He and the other guys opened 83 Proof in 2007 and I started out as their sole employee and over time became one of the owners.  But I'm still the anchor bartender at 83 Proof!

Why Dogpatch?

Former owner Mike Apicelli approached Derek and indicated that he was ready to retire and wondered if we might be interested in taking over his saloon.  I had heard about the neighborhood but hadn't spent much time here.  When this opportunity came along, I walked around the neighborhood and liked what I saw.  I loved the Pelton Cottages, the weather and liked that the grittiness is still here despite all the changes.

We felt that the bar had good bones and just needed a refresh -- it hadn't really changed with the neighborhood.

Who is another fascinating person you have met in Dogpatch?

Everyone has been so welcoming to us -- merchants and neighbors.  And we are very thankful for Hard Knox Cafe and Just For You Cafe because we were frequent diners there during renovation! 

What is an interesting story that has happened to you in Dogpatch?

This isn't really one story but once we got into the renovations we were just amazed to find out how much this place was jury rigged!  Just one example -- turns out the bar had been using the electricity from the wine bar next door, Yield, for years.  But somehow it all worked anyway!

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?

Probably voice acting.  I broadcast the sports and news on college radio but beer and girls made me less dedicated than I might have been.


Article written by Patricia Kline
Photographs by Scott R. Kline

Passion and Production: Meet Mark Dwight of Rickshaw Bagworks

Mark Dwight founder of Rickshaw Bagworks in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood, explains his philosophy of making things locally. Behind him are rolls of the material used for the many colorful bags they make. 

Mark Dwight, founder of Rickshaw Bagworks, a manufacturer of custom messenger bags of all sizes, rides his bike through the roll up door of his retail/manufacturing space and calls out to an employee not to miss lunch today -- it is a special lunch celebrating the company's sixth anniversary.  And he seems as energized and excited as if he were just launching the company.

As he gives us a tour of his shop that serves as a major anchor of the Dogpatch neighborhood with its location at Minnesota and 22nd, it is clear that Dwight has managed to marry his finance, marketing and business savvy with his background in production to create not just a company that employs 20, but also to give a voice for local manufacturing in San Francisco.

He is a founder of SFMade, an organization dedicated to supporting SF-based manufacturing and was appointed by Mayor Lee to serve on the SF Small Business Commission.

His commitment to the Toyota Way of continuous flow manufacturing is evident on the manufacturing floor and the fact that Rickshaw outsources to five companies within a bike ride's distance from their offices emphasizes Dwight's commitment to other local SF companies.

But the Toyota Way doesn't just mean continuous improvement in manufacturing but also indicates a commitment to innovation, long term vision and respect for the people involved in the process and as such Dwight is a true evangelist.

Some of the bags produced at Rickshaw sell in the company store in the manufacturing facility on 22nd Street in Dogpatch. The store is their only brick and morter retail location.

Why do you do what you do?

I love to make things.  My dad was an entrepreneur so I was exposed to that way of thinking but even more than that I was always obsessed with making things.

When I was a teenager my parents bought a house that needed a lot of restoration.  There was a craftsman they hired that worked to replace the stained glass windows in the house.  I became fascinated by his work and learned all I could from him.

I like to say that I used to work with colored glass and lead and now I work with colored fabric and thread!

I spent 18 years in Silicon Valley working for various technology companies and even considered becoming a venture capitalist but couldn't stand not being hands-on, literally, with a company's products.

At Rickshaw we did the reverse of what some companies do as they grow -- we used manufacturing in China for some of our bags to get started with the goal of bringing all manufacturing back to SF as we grew.  After all, sustainability starts at the bottom line, we wouldn't have a company story to tell if we were out of business!

We know that we live in a global economy but many people don't realize that there is still a big overhead cost in working with China for manufacturing.  So a key business goal for Rickshaw in 2013 is that we will completely stop using manufacturing facilities in China.  We will either make the product here in SF or will discontinue the product if we can't make it here in a profitable way. 

I'm committed to minimal design and lean manufacturing -- make simple, elegant products and make them fast.  Our sewers are craftspeople, an industrial sewing machine is like a race car, you need to have special skills and a mastery of the technology.

I don't differentiate my work from my play -- I love the community of it and the feeling of a small group with a common purpose.

The "parking lot" where Rickshaw employees, most of whom commute by bicycle, park their rides.

Why Dogpatch?

When I decided to start this company I wanted an office and manufacturing facility that would be a bike ride away from where I lived in SF.  I was riding around and saw this building that we are in now.  And honestly, I had never even heard of Dogpatch at the time.

The previous tenant had literally just moved out.  I looked in the windows and it was love at first sight -- it was a big open space with no pillars.  I loved the brick and the timber.  It was just beautiful.  There was a "for lease" sign in the window and I immediately called right then and there and it was ours.

I then fell in love with the pioneering spirit of this neighborhood.  In some ways the folks that live and work here are refugees as well as pioneers -- refugees from the overwhelming intensity of the core of San Francisco.  In Dogpatch they have the space to do the work they love.

Who is another fascinating person you have met in Dogpatch?

Joel Benson, the owner of Dependable Letterpress.  He is a real craftsman.  It was a long time goal of mine to use letterpress for our business cards.  I finally was able to realize this goal but the local company I was using then went out of business.  I had seen Joel's work when he produced notebooks with a bicycle design on them for a pop-up event for SFMade one year -- he is a letterpress nerd!  We are lucky to have him nearby in the American Industrial Building.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?

I would still be making something.  If not bags, then something else.  I like to say that I want to make a living and not a killing so I would find something else where I could get my hands dirty and make it happen.

The manufacturing floor at the factory in Dogpatch.  

Article written by Patricia Kline
Photographs by Scott R. Kline

Resilience, Craft and Design: Meet JoAnn Edwards of the Museum of Craft & Design

JoAnn Edwards, Executive Director of the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, CA stands amidst sculptures by Michael Cooper. Photographed April 9, 2013.

Resilience?  What does that have to do with the opening of the Museum of Craft and Design in Dogpatch?  Plenty, it turns out.  Not only did co-founder and executive director JoAnn Edwards have to deal with the to-be-expected difficulties of opening an 8,500 square foot museum, she had to do it without her brother and co-founder, Seb Hamamjian, by her side.

Hamamjian passed away just days before the April opening of the museum.  Edwards continued with all the events marking the opening of the museum just as she did in 2004 when her mother, who was also involved with the museum, passed away prior to the founding of the museum.  She persevered yet again in 2010 after losing their Union Square location when unsafe conditions in the building caused damage to some of the art.  Instead of closing, she soon had a series of pop-up museums open to the public.

Resilient and obviously passionate about her much stated goal of having a "museum for people who don't necessarily go to museums."

We sat down with Edwards a few days after the flurry of events marking the opening of the museum.  Nearby, workers continued to hang signs and put other finishing touches on the museum.  Although anyone would have expected her to be exhausted after the emotional roller coaster of the weeks and days leading up to the opening, Edwards projected a calm, focused intensity.

American Artist Michael Cooper with one of his sculptures at the Museum of Craft and Design in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA on Thursday, April 4, 2013. 

Why do you do what you do?

For the artists.  They do not get the recognition that they deserve.  When the museum opened in 2004, we were the first to support craft artists.  Now of course the De Young as well as other museums like the MFA in Boston and Houston support this type of artist.

But in 2004 we were the first.  Since the early 1980s, my brother and I had promoted the work of artists in craft and design through the galleries we operated in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and San Francisco.  Eventually we came to believe that while a gallery that is focused on selling art is important to an artist, a museum exhibition can change their career.  We wanted to focus and nurture artists that may not be instantly commercially successful.

But of course a non-profit museum is very different from a retail business!  And we had no idea how to start a museum.  But no one told us we were crazy to do it so we did our research then secured the needed funding, artists and management team and we were launched!

Creatures of the Deep by artist Arline Fisch at the Museum of Craft and Design in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA on Thursday, April 4, 2013.

Why Dogpatch?

Dogpatch was a very considered choice for us.  And a natural fit.  After we lost our Union Square location, we launched a series of pop-up museums.  We hosted temporary locations in several neighborhoods including the Castro, SOMA, Hayes Valley and Dogpatch. At the same time we continued to look for a permanent space. We must have looked at 100 potential locations.  One day our architect said, "you guys are scrappy and you think outside the box so look for a neighborhood like that."  We realized that he had just described Dogpatch!

We immediately felt at home as we walked around this neighborhood.  Everyone we met was welcoming.  The small town feeling really appealed to us.  And we loved being surrounded by the makers and designers who call this neighborhood home.

The other important factor in choosing Dogpatch is that the neighborhood mirrors the type of person that visits our museum.  We like to say that this isn't the "typical" museum goer.  This type of person might be a technology person or an artist or both.  Or maybe a chef or even a member of the Hells Angels!  I sometimes think that museums can be too concerned with loftier things -- we like to think that our museum is more down to earth and accessible than most museums. 

Artist Rebecca Hutchinson with her sculpture Affinity at the Museum of Craft and Design in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA on Thursday, April 4, 2013.

Who is another fascinating person you have met in Dogpatch?

So many!  We feel so supported and championed by so many Dogpatch residents and merchants.  We immediately bonded with our landlord, Greg Markoulis who worked with us to make the museum a reality.

I feel close to the team at MAC (Modern Appealing Clothing) because they are another mother, brother and sister team.

And I love what Ann Hatch is doing at Workshop Residence.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?

Well, I could use a vacation!  But if I weren't doing this I would write a book.  It would be a series of short stories about family and relationships -- a subject close to my heart.

JoAnn Edwards, Executive Director of the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, CA takes a break on a bench designed for the museum by Isaac Arms. Photographed April 9, 2013.

For a slideshow of the art and exhibits at the museum, please click on this slideshow.


Article written by Patricia Kline
Photographs by Scott R. Kline

Can of Corn: Meet Michael Aicardi of SF Baseball Academy

Michael Aicardi shows off his fine swing between instructing classes at San Francisco Baseball Academy in the Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco, CA. 

Can of corn in baseball lingo means an easy catch, a no-brainer.  And that's what we thought when we heard that Michael Aicardi had opened a baseball academy in Dogpatch.  It only seemed to make sense that a great baseball town would have a facility to train future baseball players.

So we were surprised when we actually found out that not only is his academy the first of its kind in San Francisco, but also that San Francisco is no longer known for its homegrown baseball talent like it used to be -- do the names Joe DiMaggio, Lefty O'Doul or Tony Lazzeri sound familiar?

Although Dogpatch is within walking distance of AT&T Park, the area isn't exactly teaming with green playing fields.  But we do have a lot of warehouses.  And that is where we found Aicardi just finishing up a lesson to several young hopeful future Hall of Famers.

While we waited, we checked out the equipment and the space.  Aircardi appears to have spared no expense in setting up his academy and his players for success -- state of the art pitching machines stood at the ready as did the regulation height pitchers mound.  Nets, bats and cages were all the best quality.  Even the padding on the walls were the same regulation height as at a baseball field.

And then there is the overall look of the room:  the walls are painted light blue to make you feel like you are outside, the lighting feels like natural light and there are even park benches around the training area to make bystanders feel like they are at a ballpark.

Lesson finished, the happy students took their leave but not before the mother volunteered to us how grateful she was to not have to continue to drive out of the area to find this same high level of instruction.

Can of corn, indeed.

Michael Aicardi explains the finer points of baseball at San Francisco Baseball Academy in the Dogpatch neighborhood in San Francisco, CA. The academy offers instruction to youths from the area.

Why do you do what you do?

I was always a natural athlete so I played all the various sports.  I didn't focus exclusively on baseball though until I was a teenager.  I'm from an old San Francisco North Beach family so of course my Grandma called me Baseball Joe. 

My goal was never to play professionally but I did play Division One baseball in college.  As I started to focus on baseball it became clear that San Francisco was no longer a baseball town.  Playing fields are hard to find and those that are available are in bad shape.  Bad shape because soccer tends to dominate sports here and that sport can really tear up a field and create opportunities for injuries to baseball players.  And unlike players from nearby Bay Area cities, it is rare for a SF player to get a scholarship to play Division One college baseball.

So bringing baseball back to SF is one of the main reasons I started the academy.  But an equally important reason is to help future players avoid all the injuries that I endured.  I've already had eight surgeries and I will need more in the future.  I truly believe that I injured myself because I wasn't trained properly.

When I start training with a student, I don't care if they have the baseball player "look".  I want them to have the right form and mechanics so they don't get injured and can play for a long time.

A lot of areas of study use the "who, what, why, where and when" methodology and I think it is just as important in sports so I focus on that as I train young players.

Training players is an important focus for me but just as critical is training for the coach.  So often in schools the baseball coach is the dad who has some free time.  He might be an athlete as well but most likely not properly trained.  My goal is to also offer clinics for coaches.  Proper training of player and coach will certainly reduce potential injuries for the players.

Why Dogpatch?

I feel like SF Baseball Academy is a bit of an underdog -- not well known yet but with a lot of potential.  Dogpatch has that same feeling to me.  People here seem to attack what they do with passion so they can make a living from it.

On a practical level, it is great that I was able to find a place that is so easily accessible from all parts of SF.  The landlord has been very supportive in letting me create an indoor baseball environment.

Who is another fascinating person you have met in Dogpatch?

I recently met a fellow named Paul -- he has lots of great stories about this area and about baseball.  He was a liquor salesman so he knows a lot about the sport bars in this area.  He is well dressed but still a bit edgy -- kind of like Dogpatch.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?

Well, I'm from a family of professionals so I think at first I was expected to be a doctor or a lawyer.  And in college I did study communications and business.

But I knew at age 12 that I wanted to start a baseball academy in San Francisco.  So I'm finally doing what I was meant to do with my professional life. 


Article written by Patricia Kline
Photographs by Scott R. Kline

A San Francisco Giants bobblehead sits amongst a collection on the front desk at the San Francisco Baseball Academy in Dogpatch, San Francisco, CA.