When an artist camp in the 2012 mission closed its doors for the last time, almost everything was taken into account. The artists, who had made themselves into the room in the 18th and Bryant Street since 1996, have pulled out their supplies, equipment and works of art. Everything that was at the end of her slow farewell was a massive metal installation-a set of eight 10 feet high panels that covered the facade of the warehouse.
Jane Verma, one of the creators of the piece, calls it a metal wall picture. She said it was important to her that due to what it was, it did not collect a dust in a storage container. “Because it was on the facade, it was a signal for everyone that was something interesting here,” said Verma.
This camp in 2050 Bryant was referred to as a cell room (the prefix stood for joint explorative learning laboratories) and embodied a dream that was dying in San Francisco, said Jonathan Youtt, co -founder of Cellraum. Cellroom, he said, was “an open call for everyone and everyone who wanted to come together to create a place where all the arts could exist under one roof.”
In its heyday, the warehouse was a place of limitless creativity. Former cell room artists speak in a awesome manner. The front entrance led to a gallery before it opened in a 4,000 square meter main hall. High ceilings and a main stage for performances made it like a “cathedral” for Youtt.
Everything could be brought into play in this large warehouse. More than 50 artists paid a monthly fee of around $ 75 for unlimited access to glass bubbles, sewing machines, metal processing, a wooden business and an audiovisual studio. A community kitchen was embedded in the studio rooms and machines, and some cell room employees rented space to live in the warehouse, in a small loft that was switched against the DIN of the active maker space.
But instead of a Siled artist community, the cell room was embedded in the community. The warehouse organized everything from a post -school program to Raves. It served as a neutral soil between competing mission gangs and organized Weekly Roller Skating and B-Boy/B-Girl events. A popular event could easily draw 500 people, said Youtt.
But it couldn't take. When he moved to San Francisco in 1992, Youtt's monthly rent was around 300 US dollars, which he did in less than a week and free time for art.
Until 2012, the cell room model with low monthly fees and daring projects was too expensive. You could not renew your lease.
Elliott C. Nathan is a gallery director of Midway, an event location for live music and art exhibitions near Cesar Chavez and Illinois. He is responsible for the organization of the Midway cell room gallery, a collection of more than 20 elements of former cell room artists. He knows first -hand how difficult it is to be an artist in the city. “You really have to want to appear to do the work and be lucky – everything together,” he said.
“You know, let me add one more thing: be damn beautiful as hell,” said Nathan. Although it is still possible to be an artist in the city, it now means making connections, relentlessly working and being lucky.
In 2016, Mission Local Documented the metal wall painting, which was removed and placed in a truck. It was moved to the middle, selected because it had a similar mission to the cell surface and promised to suspend the mural in a short time – until the eight fields were outside during the renovation work and four of them were stolen. Verma suspected that they were stolen because of their valuable copper.
It was only at the beginning of this year that Midway hired metal workers to rebuild the missing panels.
On Friday, the now permanent residence of the complete metal wall picture on the middle of an event was unveiled, in which the opening of a two-week exhibition was also celebrated.
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On the right, the co-founder of Cellspace co-founder Jonathan Youtt talks to the opening of the gallery. Photo with the kind permission of Maya Melenchuk. -
The opening members of the gallery enjoyed refreshments from the bar, looked at the art and the encounter with friends old and new. Photo with the kind permission of Maya Melenchuk. -
The co-curators Jane Verma, Russell Howze and Jonathan Youtt posing on the front of the Cellspace Gallery. Photo with the kind permission of Maya Melenchuk. -
Jonathan Yott happily marched through the gallery with one of the works of art, a burning metal rose. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025.
The gallery comprised a variety of works by cell room artists: metal sculptures, wooden hanging spirals, a massive three -dimensional wave of recessed fence, graffiti and acrylic pictures on canvas filled the narrow hallway of the gallery. Many of these pieces were once shown in the cell room, while others have been made in the years since their death.
Youtt, who stood in the middle of the busy gallery on the opening evening, said that he knew about five people in the gallery at that moment. For him it was an incredible success not to reach people with the cell room. He hopes to keep the spirit of the cell room alive.
Former cell room artists – and friends they have – filled the gallery and experienced the glorious days. It was “more than the rent,” recalled the puppet player Russell Howze.
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“View of the Koitenturm with trout”, an acrylic and mixed media collage, comes from Todd Berman. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025. -
“De Frontera a Frontera” was created by Joel Bergner from Acrylic on Masonit. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025. -
“Dead Fat Comedians with Skully”, made from spray paint and stencils on board, was made by Peak Eyez Wollaeger. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025. -
An undotitled print on paper by Richard Bluecloud Castaneda. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025. -
“Super Hero and Portraits”, a spray color of stencils on board, was made by Icy & Sot (Saman Oskouei and Sasan Oskouei) and Regan “Ha Ha” Tamanui. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025. -
Details of the cell room -Metal wall picture. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025. -
“Scaled Wave”, made from fencing fencing, was made by Roland Blandy and Eran Dayan. Photo by Allie Skalnik on August 22, 2025.
The cell room can have disappeared and first be replaced by market councils as “beast about Bryant” and then the activists fought for affordable housing mission missions, but thanks to the lawyers of former cell room guides, a small part of the development is still carved for the arts with a Carnaval Arts room.
Next year the 30th anniversary of the cell room and according to Youtt will be the perfect opportunity to bring everyone together for an event that is appropriate for the cell room and promises art, entertainment and live events.
Perhaps there is never a place like the cell room, Verma, Youtt and Howze, but today it will not prevent them from inspiring the potential in San Francisco.
“I think creativity is still there or it can still be found. [You] I just have to look for it a little, ”said Verma.
The Pop-up gallery of the cell surface In the middle of the 900 Marin Street runs until September 10th.