Dear Wanda, Thank you so much for an outstanding year of creativity and growth!
Thousands of people attended our events and participated in our programs this year, from The People’s Palace at San Francisco City Hall to the 6th annual San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival; from the Black Futures Fellows to Zaccho’s artist residency and youth programs.
We are so grateful for the opportunity to be in community with you.
It is an extraordinary privilege to be an artist and to be guided through life in a creative practice. At the minimum, it is our sanctuary, not just a means of personal solace but a conduit through which we become better conveyors of hope, curiosity, critical thought, and presence. It provides medicine and purpose.
We know that art transcends the thickest of barriers. Let us believe it can rise to the challenge of the moments ahead.
In a time when fear dominates our experience and shapes our decisions, I look to my 45 years of negotiating with it.
Fear is a part of my personal security system. It demands that I focus, reflect, plan, collaborate, train, and call in humility.
I must listen intently.
Whether I am stepping off a high-angle ledge, balancing an unruly budget, or standing in the way of an unjust aggressor, I use fear as a motivator and guide. I invite fear to be my friend.
So as we continue to create, collaborate, and nurture one another, let us stay grounded in the understanding that we are all connected by our shared humanity; let us remain open to transforming our fear into a force for positive action and change.
With gratitude, hope, and in solidarity, | 
