The Hunters Point industrial arts space that gave birth to Entwined and the Flaming Lotus Girls’ projects, known as the Box Shop, was just weeks from eviction. But the space has found a new home just about a mile away, and will remain here in San Francisco.
That wildly popular Golden Gate Park LED forest art installation known as Entwined was built, and souped up with improvements every year, at a Hunters Point maker space called the Box Shop. Entwined creator Charles Gadeken helped establish the artist collective Box Shop there some 20 years ago, and the Box Shop is also the birthplace of countless other notable, large-scale Burning Man-inspired public works of art by well-recognized artists like the Flaming Lotus Girls and Dana Albany.
It’s called the Box Shop because all of the separate artists’ tools and materials are stored in giant stacked shipping containers, which can also serve as their own personal art studios. But the Box Shop had received its eviction orders a few years back because of development related to parts of the India Basin Waterfront Park that are still in the works. The industrial studio’s lease would expire in March, just a few weeks from now.
“We are losing our lease here in Hunters Point,” Gadeken, seen above driving his forklift around the Box Shop, told SFist in November 2023. “They’re building these two new beautiful parks next to my building, and my landlord would eventually like to turn this into condominiums.”
But Gadeken refused to let this become another sad story of artists being evicted out of San Francisco. The Box Shop just announced they’ve found a new studio to relocate to, this time buying the place outright, at a new location just one mile southwest in Hunters Point.
"We have incredible news to share," the Box Shop said in a Thursday, February 13 email announcement. "The Box Shop has officially secured a permanent home! We have closed escrow on 1265 Van Dyke, an incredible property in Bayview SF with 7,200 sq ft of outdoor space and 6,300 sq ft of warehouse. This space will allow us to continue fostering creativity, collaboration, and large-scale industrial art in San Francisco for generations to come."
Moreover, the Box Shop has won an extension of their current location's lease at Hudson Avenue near Hunters Point Boulevard until October 31, 2025. So this year’s Burning Man art projects can still be completed there before the big move happens next fall.
Here’s a look at the new space. The collective was able to procure the new location via a $2.3 million fundraising campaign (which is still ongoing), and included a $1.7 million state grant secured by state Senator Scott Wiener. Yet significant costs remain.
"Securing the new space is just the first step,” the Box Shop said in their announcement. “We now face the huge challenge of funding renovations, relocation, and setting up The Box Shop for a sustainable future. This is a pivotal moment for our community; your support is critical!"
They’re still an estimated $1 million short on moving, renovations, equipment, and establishing their new nonprofit. But you can donate to the Box Shop here. If you’d learn more about the Box Shop, you can attend one of their monthly open houses, the next of which is Sunday, March 9 from 12 pm - 3 pm.
Related: The LED Forest ‘Entwined’ Has Now Sprouted Up at Civic Center, Too [SFist]
Images: Joe Kukura, SFist
