San Francisco’s only public arts high school had its day in the sun in spite of the chilly fog, as Mayor Ed Lee’s office proclaimed Sept. 14 Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts day in San Francisco. City officials, arts VIPs, the media, and the Asawa family gathered to officially rename the select school after the prominent artist, Ruth Asawa. Marking the occasion with grand ceremony, Senator Mark Leno bestowed an official Resolution from the State Senate on Principal Sgarlato. Students dressed in crazy spirit week garb unveiled the new marquee while the jazz band kept things festive.
Asawa founded the School of the Arts 30 years ago on the principle of offering San Francisco Unified School District students exceptional arts education from professional artists and celebrated teachers — a model in use today. The school regularly graduates top-tier students in several disciplines including creative writing, dance, vocal, instrumental music and piano, theatre arts, theatre technology, film and media, and visual arts. It was the only high school in San Francisco to be honored with a 2011 California Distinguished School Award.
Many of today’s most poignant speeches honored the legacy of Ruth Asawa herself, a still-living Japanese-American artist and educator known for her sculptures, paintings and drawings exhibited in the New York Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco MOMA, the DeYoung Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art and many others. In San Francisco, her fountain scultpures grace Ghiradelli Square, Japan Town, Union Square, and more. Said Jill Wynns, the school board commissioner who spearheaded the naming effort, “We must understand the treasure we’ve been given with her name … and uphold the standards that will honor her forever.”
It was preaching to the choir. Speakers pointed to the greater impact of the arts on society at large and the value of the arts to education. Deborah Santana, former wife of musician Carlos Santana and mother of two SOTA alumni quoted Persian poet Rumi: “Let the beauty of what we love be what we do.” Supervisor David Chiu held the school up as a “symbol to the world that San Francisco is a beacon of expression.” He, SFUSD’s Artistic Director Susan Stauter, and others called for renewed energy for the future plan to build a new home for SOTA in the Civic Center.
Actor Peter Coyote pointed to the Juvenile Detention Center across the street while advocating funding for schools instead of having to fund dropouts who end up in prison. Director of Education for the San Francisco Symphony, Ronald Gallman, called for another 100 years of collaborative music education in town. A creative writing student read a positive testimonial by the popular author Dave Eggers, and beautifully articulate Asawa family, students, and alumni spoke on how they value Ruth Asawa’s contributions and the school itself.