Who we are
About The Box Shop
The Box Shop is a collaborative industrial workspace in San Francisco’s Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood with shared equipment and affordable studios.
A Unique Space - There are no places (left) like The Box Shop in San Francisco where you can rent studio space and access professional-grade equipment and tools for sculpture and industrial arts with a community of artists supporting you through project- based learning. Our spacious indoor and outdoor workspaces enable the development of locally made monumental, complex, and one-of-a-kind creative projects.
By and for Community - We are rooted in our community, serving not just the artists inside The Box Shop but Bay Area-wide and hyper-locally in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood. We focus on enabling artists in underrepresented communities.
Collaboration and Participation - Beginners, experts, and people from all walks of life come together and contribute their knowledge and skills to each other’s projects– creating a learning, productive, and creative environment. Beyond our 100+ artists and studio members, 600+ community members come to participate in collaborative art making annually.
Radical Inclusivity - We have a low barrier for entry and focus on enabling artists from underrepresented communities. We are women- and trans-friendly in a male-dominated world of industrial arts. We serve all levels of makers and creators, from professional artists building large-scale public artworks to emerging artists and hobbyists. Members create a range of small to massive projects in metal, glass, wood, digital media, mixed media, and more.
Monumental Public Art - Shop artists and collaborative groups develop large-scale, awe-inspiring, and often interactive art that reaches and engages audiences in the tens of thousands.
Our Mission
The Box Shop’s mission is to support artists and the creation of high-quality art through shared access to tools, skills, and knowledge. We focus on enabling artists from underrepresented communities.
We believe that art made in community, in collaboration, can inspire, create beauty, and make the world a more lively and stimulating place.
Our Story
There is no other place in San Francisco like The Box Shop!
The Why & How - Artist and founder Charles Gadeken initiated The Box Shop in 2000. Charles' vision for the space was to ensure industrial artists have a long-term, large-scale location to produce art, learn and enhance their craft, and collaborate in the creative process.
Since the first day, the Shop has served thousands of artists!
The History - After some attempts at co-founding artistic maker spaces in San Francisco that did not survive, Charles decided to create his own arts business. As the City is a highly desirable place to live and work – this, unfortunately, always puts pressures on our local arts spaces and organizations that seek secure, long-term, and affordable space (and with ample square footage)!
The Maker Space - Over the years, Charles invested in metalwork and industrial machinery, and tools to fill up the 8,000-SF warehouse. The Shop offers a sizable variety of equipment for artists and makers that would otherwise be difficult to access. And, the Shop comes equipped with thousands of outside yard square footage, which gives flexibility in producing large-scale works of art.
The Boxes – Charles acquired The Box Shop with 20 large shipping containers, which immediately, he converted into individual art studios that local artists rent at an affordable rate. Charles continued to add containers – and now there are a total of 60 that surround the yard. Once an artist is part of the studio community, they can access all tools, equipment, and space.
The Culture – The Box Shop's focus is to enable and increase artist success, creativity, collaboration, and community. To this end, the Shop welcomes all and wants to be a safe and creative space for all races, genders, sexual orientations, and ages. Since its inception, the community has organically leaned towards serving women and LGBTQ+ makers; we’re proud to help empower this community. We welcome all!
The Importance – Arts spaces and artists in the Bay Area face many pressures. The high cost of real estate makes residing and creating here difficult. Spaces like The Box Shop provide a place for artistic community-building, knowledge sharing and encourage opportunities to advance professionally. And most essentially offers a physical space to create. Artists involved with the Shop over its 20 years have produced numerous public art and crafts projects that help engage and educate lives and beautify and enhance our neighborhoods.
We need spaces like The Box Shop to survive and thrive!
