Code and Canvas Unites Techies and Artists

By Erica Hellerstein Posted April 21, 2014 7:10 am

n 1966, San Francisco-based painter Marlene Aron graduated college, packed her bags and hopped on a chartered boat to Europe. She was a free-spirited 23-year-old, and the art-world abroad beckoned her. Though she only planned on staying on the Continent for six weeks, she ended up in Holland, where she went to art school and worked as an au pair for two years. In 1971, four years after the summer of love, Aron settled in San Francisco—where she’s been living ever since.

But a couple of  years ago, as rent prices shot up throughout the city, Aron’s studio space on 9th and Mission significantly raised its asking price. Like many artists, Aron was forced to look for other affordable studio options—except for one problem: there didn’t seem to be any reasonably priced artist studios left.

But Aron knew one thing. “I’m not leaving San Francisco,” she insists.

Luckily, she didn’t have to. She contacted a friend on Facebook (“I love it, it’s how I connect with people,” she says), who directed her to Code and Canvas, a collective on 15th and Potrero formed by four tech entrepreneurs with an appreciation for the arts.

Read the whole story at Mission Local

http://missionlocal.org/2014/04/code-and-canvass-unites-techies-and-artists/