This Month in SOMA: October Edition
- What's Going On? Events and Activities
- SOMA Name Dropping: Minna Street
- Culture Collective: SOMA's Open Studios
Catch up on the news that our community shared in September here.
SOMA October Events
10.7 6 PM
🍷 Soma Neighborhood Night Out
đź“Ť DecantSf Bottle Shop, 1168 Folsom
Join the neighborhood in supporting one of our favorite local establishments. Come hang and enjoy $2 off all glasses of wine.
Partiful Invite
10.16 – 6-8PM
🥂Free Neighborhood Happy Hour
đź“ŤSOMArts
See some art and enjoy a neighborhood hang with the SOMA West CBD
10.25 – 1-3 PM
SOMA Pet Costume Contest
đź“Ť Victoria Manalo Draves Park
Grab your pet, put on your favorite costume and join us for an afternoon of silly fun.
RSVP
Join the Board!
Our neighborhood association just had our first anniversary! We are actively promoting and supporting the SOMA West neighborhood and we'd love your involvement.
SOMA Name Dropping: Minna St
By Cindy Casey
Minna Street may be the one alleyway of SOMA actually named after a Barbary Coast courtesan. But before we get to that story there are some competing ideas. According to historian and tour guide Hudson Bell, the name is in honor of Minna Muller, the Royal private singer of the King of Hanover/Duke of Brunswick.
He theorizes that the German settlers of the area, of which there were many, honored a famous singer from their country.
Who am I to judge? He could be absolutely correct. Other sources I have given attribute to a pioneer name, in line with the theory that men named streets after the women they missed back home.
Explore San Francisco pegs the person behind the name as Minna Rae Simpson. Mary “Minnie Rae” Simpson was a preteen sex worker in San Francisco in the second half of the 19th Century. She befriended the infamous Emperor Norton, “Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico.” Both lived mainly on the streets of San Francisco in the early 1870s, where Norton referred to her as “The Little Countess.” During this time, she was interviewed by a journalist who turned her tales into "My Life as a Child Prostitute: The Autobiography of Minnie Rae," which all copies of were apparently lost or destroyed in a book burning led by a preacher in 1880.
Three possible answers are why the characters of San Francisco history are so much fun to explore.
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Culture Collective: SOMA's Open Studios
by Taylor Snowberger
In preparation for ArtSpan’s 51st Annual SF Open Studios, I met with artists and curators across SOMA to preview October’s events. SF Open Studios weekend three (Oct 4–5) and weekend four (Oct 11–12) will span the SOMA neighborhood, with a few standout events outside the main program.
Michael Yochum at Arc Gallery recommends visiting their 25 featured artists, both in the gallery and studios, with a preview party on Friday, Oct 10 at 6 p.m. He also suggests Room & Board’s stylish preview featuring nine artists and hors d’oeuvres. Both will be open during regular Open Studios hours for weekend four.
At the SF Open Studios ArtLaunch—hosted at SOMArts—Jasper Wilde from ArtSpan highlighted the juried exhibition at 934 Brannan St., featuring just a fraction of the SF Open Studios artists. Visit during the Oct 8 Art Tasting or during regular hours. They also recommend Root Division, a studio/gallery space with emerging artists and ArtSpan staff.
Don’t miss 111 Minna’s “Year of the Snake” exhibit curated by Seventh Son Tattoo, running during weekend three.
Outside SF Open Studios, Little Raven Gallery’s Laura Kudritzki recommends 2 Blocks of Art on Market Street, activating 19 spaces. Finally, the Clayroom will host free artist talks: Molly Altman (Oct 3) and Lauren Nguyen (Oct 17).