It’s a critical time in our history, a time when your support represents a significant investment in our programming to provide positive change in our community. The lives we change, the skills we teach, the jobs we create, the healing—is worth your investment. We need donors like you, who believe that arts education and culture is the best investment we can make in elevating the lives of our children and strengthening our community. Remember your donations ignites the engine that keeps this cultural institution rising.
“To be the Bay Area’s leading provider of Black arts, culture, and artistic skill training. The Ruth Williams Opera House is a powerful platform, providing tools and programming that creates meaningful change.”
The Ruth Williams Opera House, formerly known as the Bayview Opera House, colloquially known as the Opera House, was founded in 1989 to run programs at our namesake building. The building is San Francisco’s Landmark #8 and it was inducted into the National Register of Historic Buildings in 2011. The San Francisco Arts Commission had purchased and renovated the facility in the 1970’s for use as a community cultural center, along with three other centers in disadvantaged neighborhoods. By the end of 80’s the commission came to the conclusion that it was best to have each center run by a local group to provide programming instead of the commission itself running programs. RWOH received its 501(c)3 status in 1992.
The Opera House provides opportunities to engage in the arts for a community with a long history of disinvestment, creates a sense of belonging and community ownership of the only significant cultural resource in the neighborhood, maintains inclusiveness of the traditional population despite sweeping gentrification, and provides opportunities for education and employment to community youth and artists.
The Opera House nurtures, educates and inspires the next generation of artists of color. The Opera House grows new informed audiences from the community and the greater Bay Area, and creates spaces for artists to experiment, collaborate and learn from one another.
The Opera House employs the arts to support aspirational values, hope and passion, and to inspire the self-confidence, excellence and self-esteem needed to be successful, especially for our youth.
The Opera House anchors the Bayview Hunters Point community by acting as a homing beacon even for community members who have been displaced and no longer live in Bayview, providing a central location where the community comes together to enjoy culturally relevant art exhibits and performances, community festivals, and local artists get their first opportunities to perform.
The Opera House builds social cohesion through arts-based events that are reflective of the rich cultural heritage of the Bayview community that appeal to multiple generations and both traditional and new residents.
Ruth Williams Opera House Board of Directors is a group of dedicated individuals who volunteer their time for the benefit of our organization, provide valuable vision for our programs and financial sustainability. They exercise financial oversight, help fundraise, make a meaningful annual donation to the organization and contribute their expertise.
Stewardship of our 1888 historic building is an ongoing commitment. Most recently our building was painted in a beautiful contemporary color pattern. We are looking forward to renovating our food prep area this year.
The building faces Newcomb Ave. near the corner of Mendell St. in the Bayview district, once referred to as South San Francisco. 3rd St. was formerly Railroad Ave. Newcomb was once 14th St.
