SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2012 - The San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries (SFAC Galleries) will host its signature Passport event in North Beach on Sunday, October 14, 2012. Bringing together a new lineup of celebrated Bay Area artists, Passport 2012 invites the public to create a limited-edition artist's book by collecting original, artist-designed stamps in a customized Moleskine "passport" notebook.

From noon to 4 pm, hundreds of 'do-it-yourself' art collectors will take to the streets, following a designated route to collect the stamps from the artists themselves. While discovering some of the brightest spots in North Beach participants can enjoy the people and small businesses that define the neighborhood's unique cultural character.

This year's event will feature artists such as Jeremy Fish, Bert Bergen, Stephanie Syjuco, Ferris Plock & Kelly Tustall, Chelsea Wong, and David Huffman with further artist announcements to come. Passport offers art enthusiasts an affordable, hands-on art-collecting experience while celebrating local artists and the vibrant communities that support them. The proceeds from the event go toward the SFAC Galleries' Programming Fund, which supports artist honoraria and exhibition costs.

Purchasing Passports
Passports will be available for purchase in early September and may be purchased in advance for $25 at the SFAC Galleries or on its website. Details are still to come for purchasing Passports the day of the event. Only official Passport 2012 booklets will be eligible to receive stamps. For $125, collectors can purchase a Concierge Passport; gallery staff will collect all the stamps and mail it to their home.

History of Passport
In its inaugural year, Passport 2009 took place in the Mission District with stamps created by Libby Black, Michelle Blade, Lisa Congdon, Maria Forde, Colter Jacobsen, Veronica De Jesus, Sean McFarland, Barry McGee, Tucker Nichols, Maria Porges, Clare Rojas, Andrew Schoultz and Marci Washington and a diverse range of neighborhood stamping locations including Needles & Pens, Bombay Ice Cream Company, Paxton Gate and Casa Sanchez.

In 2010, Passport took Hayes Valley by storm, with artist contributions from Timothy Cummings, Richard Diebenkorn (courtesy of the estate), Jamaica Dyer, Ana Teresa Fernandez, Suzanne Husky, Jason Jägel, Ruth Laskey, Paul Madonna, Nigel Poor, Ricardo Richey, Lordy Rodriguez, Jovi Schnell, Travis Somerville, Deth P. Sun, Weston Teruya, and Lindsey White. Small business and organizations in the area served as stamping locations such as Timbuk2, AgeSong assisted-living home, the African American Art Culture Complex, and clothing designer Lemon Twist.

Passport 2011 in the Castro offered participants the opportunity to collect stamps by 14 emerging and established Bay Area artists, including Elisheva Biernoff, Monica Canilao, John Chiara, Jaime Cortez, Chris Duncan, James Gobel, Pablo Guardiola, Dan Nicoletta,  Alison Pebworth, Michele Pred, Michelle Tea, Margaret Tedesco. Each artist was stationed at a Castro favorite such as Café Flore, Unionmade, Cliff's Variety Store, Castro Theater, the Human Rights Campaign Action Center (aka Harvey Milk's old camera shop).

About San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries
Located in the heart of San Francisco's Civic Center, the San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries makes contemporary art accessible to broad audiences through curated exhibitions that both reflect our regional diversity and position Bay Area visual art production within an international contemporary art landscape. By commissioning new works, collaborating with arts and community organizations and supporting artist's projects, the SFAC Galleries' programs provide new and challenging opportunities for contemporary art to engage with a civic dialogue. The SFAC Galleries was founded in 1970 and is the exhibitions program of the San Francisco Arts Commission, the arts agency of the City and County of San Francisco.

The San Francisco Arts Commission is the City agency that champions the arts in San Francisco. We believe that a creative cultural environment is essential to the City's well-being. Our programs integrate the arts into all aspects of City life. The Commission was established by charter in 1932 (Charter sections 5.103 and 16.106).