Sonya Thorne

Root Division

Root Division is a visual arts non-profit that connects creativity and community through a dynamic ecosystem of arts education, exhibitions, and studios. Our mission is to empower artists, promote community service, inspire youth, and enrich the Bay Area through engagement in the visual arts. Root Division is located at 1131 Mission Street in the heart of San Francisco's Mid-Market/ SOMA neighborhood. This 13,400 sf space opened publicly in Fall 2015, and is easily accessible by public transit. Root Division was founded in 2002 to remedy the lack of arts education in schools while creating a sustainable arts hub that would constructively address the three main challenges facing Bay Area emerging artists: the need for low-cost studio space; exhibition opportunities; and income-generating professional experience. Giving back to the community is singular to our unique model where artists receive subsidized studio space in exchange for training and volunteering their time to do everything from teaching art classes to adults & low-income youth to organizing exhibitions. Root Division is a launching pad for artists, a stepping-stone for educators, a door to creativity for youth, and a bridge for the general public to become supporters of the arts. Since inception, Root Division has provided 220 artists with studios; empowered & trained 400 artists to teach; provided over 6,800 hours of free art classes for neighborhood youth; hosted onsite adult art classes for 3,600 students; exhibited 3,700 artists; been a gathering place for 65,000+ visitors; sold over $1.1M of emerging artwork to the public; and developed partnerships with 30 public schools/ community centers and 180+ local businesses. Root Division creates & connects community-minded artists & arts-minded community while addressing the lack of affordable workspace for emerging artists in San Francisco.