Tenderloin Museum's Katie Conry on Community-Driven Programming and Expansion
Katie Conry, the executive director of the Tenderloin Museum in San Francisco, highlights the museum's focus on community-driven initiatives and its forthcoming expansion. Founded in 2015, the museum fosters storytelling among local residents. Conry, who has been with the museum for 11 years, has a background in other San Francisco museums and played a role in preserving Adobe Books. The Tenderloin boasts a significant history, marked by events such as the first sex workers' rights protest in 1917 and the Compton's Cafeteria Riot in 1966. Adhering to the principle of "nothing for us without us," the museum hosts various events, including the centennial celebration of the 1917 protest and an art exhibition featuring blind artist Lord Frederick. It is set to expand into a new 6,850-square-foot location at 398 Eddy Street, tripling its current size.
Key facts
- Katie Conry is executive director of the Tenderloin Museum, with 11 years at the institution.
- The museum is located in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood and opened in 2015.
- The Tenderloin was home to the first sex workers' rights protest in the U.S. in 1917.
- The Compton's Cafeteria Riot occurred in the Tenderloin in 1966, three years before Stonewall.
- The museum's guiding principle is 'nothing for us without us.'
- The immersive play 'Compton's Cafeteria Riot' has run for over a year, providing over $250,000 in stipends.
- The museum is expanding into a new 6,850-square-foot space at 398 Eddy Street.
- Conry previously helped save Adobe Books, a San Francisco bookstore and gallery.
- The Tenderloin's social-service organizations translate for 20 to 30 languages.
- The expansion will include San Francisco's First Neon Sign Gallery and a youth-focused exhibition.
Entities
Artists
- Katie Conry
- Alex Spoto
- Devon Angus
- Ivy Anderson
- Lord Frederick
- Colette LeGrande
- Donna Personna
- Cecil Williams
- Al Barna
- Randall Ann Homan
Institutions
- Tenderloin Museum
- Adobe Books
- St. James Infirmary
- GLIDE
- Design Observer
- bookshop.org
Locations
- San Francisco
- United States
- Tenderloin
- Larkin Street
- Little Saigon
- 398 Eddy Street