ARTISTS TELEVISION ACCESS

Artists’ Television Access presents innovative, experimental moving image programming that uplifts artists, engages audiences, and strengthens the radical media community in the city of San Francisco.

Our History

We were founded in 1984 by a group of young, radical artists and activists committed to using video, performance, art and education to progress culture and community. Just as video was surfacing as a populist art tool, San Francisco Art Institute alums Marshall Weber and John Martin, with the catalytic vision of Lise Swenson, laid the foundation of ATA’s socially conscious editing suite and audacious exhibition space, cutting a unique swath into the alternative art scene. Craig Baldwin and his screening series Other Cinema became co-tenants at ATA in the mid '80s, with Craig serving as a ballast of community and experimentation ever since. Our storefront screening room has become an extension of academic institutions, community organizers, and the studios of countless filmmakers, musicians, and visual artists working the seams of interdisciplinary art. From ACT-UP to Occupy, from the Teen Parenting Program of San Francisco General Hospital to San Francisco Cinematheque, from Channel 29 to Neighborhood Public Radio, ATA has wedded its success to the community. 35 years since its founding, ATA’s all-volunteer, multigenerational, international collaborate of artists continues to infuse ATA with purpose, relevance, diverse perspectives and radical spirit.