Bay Area Nonprofit's 'Art of Peace' Program to be Launched in San Francisco

FAIRFIELD, Calif. - July 18, 2018 - EntSun -- Two Bay Area nonprofits, United Playaz and The Robby Poblete Foundation, in partnership with the San Francisco Police Department, are uniting to bring a groundbreaking new project called "The Art of Peace" to San Francisco. The collaboration began on June 30 during the San Francisco gun buyback, which was hosted by United Playaz and the SFPD. The Robby Poblete Foundation was a contributing partner.

"The San Francisco Police Department collaborates closely with our community partners to stop gun violence," said SFPD Chief William Scott. "By working together, we can raise awareness of the devastating toll gun violence takes on families, and create a better, safer future, particularly for our youth."

SFPD will deliver the gun materials to the United Playaz headquarters at 1038 Howard Street in San Francisco on Thursday at 11 a.m. during press conference. The Art of Peace project will then call on local artists to create art from the remains of the dismantled firearms.

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"United Playaz is proud to be a partner in this project to help raise awareness about gun violence in our community," said Rudy Corpuz, Executive Director for United Playaz, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that focuses on youth violence prevention programs.

The Art of Peace project was created by The Robby Poblete Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to reduce gun violence through gun buyback programs and transform the weapons into instruments of hope and opportunity through its art and vocational programs. The foundation was created in honor of Robby Poblete, who was killed by gun violence in Vallejo in September 2014. There have been two Art of Peace programs in the Bay Area, the first in Vallejo, CA, which was unveiled on May 11, followed by Alameda County, which was spearheaded by the Alameda County District Attorney's office.

"Gun violence continues to impact our communities at the local level and across the country," said Pati Navalta, Executive Director of The Robby Poblete Foundation. "This exhibit has proven to be a powerful tool in raising awareness about the impact this epidemic is having on families and society. We are taking weapons that are intended for destruction and transforming them into messages of peace, into something that can never harm someone."

The collaborating partners invite San Francisco-based artists to participate in this transformative project.

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Specifics for interested artists:

• Seven artists to be selected
• Proposals for table-top size sculptures, free-standing pieces and wall art will be accepted
• A stipend of $1,000 will be awarded for smaller sculptures; $2500 for the larger sculpture.

Interested applicants must submit proposals, sketches, and plans to info@robbypobletefoundaiton.org by August 15.

Additional Background

UNITED PLAYAZ is a San Francisco-based violence prevention and youth development organization. We provide a comprehensive range of services to prepare vulnerable youth for higher education, employment, and healthy living within a safe, nurturing, and collaborative environment. www.unitedplayaz.org

THE ROBBY POBLETE FOUNDATION is a registered 501©(3) nonprofit corporation whose mission is to get unwanted firearms out of circulation and prevent them from falling into the wrong hands through its gun buyback program, and transforming them into instruments of hope and opportunity through its art and vocational programs. For more on the foundation, go to robbypobletefoundation.org.