Summer was my favorite season when I was a kid - running those Detroit streets on my ten-speed, eating lots of watermelon, going to camp - but for a good long while now autumn has been in first place. It feels like a time for both anticipation and surrender given that it could easily be in the low 50s, or in the high 80s on any given day. I’ve always thought about my work as a producer through similar metaphors, a temporal pendulum swinging from extreme to extreme, and find myself at this time inside of a curatorial practice that feels like a gathering up of the varied stories that were told over the spring and summer that have now fermented thoroughly providing us nutrient rich sustenance for the winter. Sort of like making savory pickled and preserved veggies that can last through the remainder of the year as we prepare to bundle up and take a rest in December. I’m really proud of the dynamic and generative work of AAFR this year, and offer this #BlackAugust recap and September’s series of exhibitions, conversations, and performances as a prayerful, sweet jam to facilitate an easeful transition of the seasons. Spread liberally.

In love,
Ashara

Join Us On Opening Night

Friday, September 9, 5pm - 8pm

“on protocol & performance at another end of the world”

Performance & Artist Talk 9/21!

Join us in-person at / Slash on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 6-8pm

An experiential convening in conjunction with the exhibition SALT to CATCH GHOSTS curated by Ashara Ekundayo on view at / Slash Art through December 17, 2022

Our time will be guided by brontë velez (Creative Director, Lead to Life), Courtney Desiree Morris (assistant professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of California, Berkeley), Ashara Ekundayo (Independent Curator/Steward at Artist As First Responder), and Mattie Loyce (Multidisciplinary Artist/Facilitator).

1150 25th Street, Building B

San Francisco, CA 94107

Listen Now: #SALTStories A Soundtrack by Sarah Kirnon

Musical Salt Stories spanning the sea from Barbados to the UK by Chef Sarah Kirnon (listen here) accompany the SALT to CATCH GHOSTS exhibition.

"Place Is The Space" Mural Installed in Just 10 Days!

Congratulations to AAFR Muralist-In-Residence Christopher Burch for his installation of "Place Is The Space" at The Space Program SF. It's Stunning! Be on the lookout for an invite to the early October Official Unveiling!

Drop by and see the mural in person at

691 Tennessee St., San Francisco

#BlackAugust - It’s a Wrap!

Listen to the Black August Meditation Here!

A Special Thanks to All Who Attended “A Tour, A Toast!”

“A Tour, A Toast” hosted by interdisciplinary artist and educator Cheryl Derricotte and curators Lucia Olubunmi R. Momoh and Ashara Ekundayo on August 21, 2022 was a day to remember — thank you to ALL who joined!

A special thank you to #MaryEllenPleasant who was one of the first black millionaires in San Francisco who amassed her funds, invested in abolitionist movements and created jobs for Black people. Artists and art lovers indulged in an educational opportunity to practice collective rest, care and luxury at her estate.

A special thank you to the African American Art & Culture Complex who made it possible for 12 Black cultural workers to attend the day long excursion free of charge! Thank you to the Museum of Sonoma County and Beltane Ranch for welcoming us.

This day-long excursion was presented as a part of Collective Arising: The Insistence of Black Bay Area Artists curated by Ashara Ekundayo & Lucia Olubunmi R Momoh - on view now at the Museum of Sonoma County until November 27, 2022!

Check out the virtual tour below!