Written by Tom DiRenzo
The Gregangelo Museum, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
Where does creativity come from? Now THERE’S a question! What is the source of that impulse to DARE to bring something into the world that did not exist before? And in the process, just maybe, express what is the base of our humanity. I mean, isn’t that what we do (or try to do) every day in our profession?
I image creativity is this cosmic aquafer that runs under all cultures and can bubble up in innumerable ways. We all may tap into it in different ways. Sometimes it’s a dribble and sometimes it’s a gusher. But it still is all coming from the same source.
I can’t think of a better and more inspiring example of this than Gregangelo Herrera who created the Gregangelo Museum. I also will posit that Gregangelo is the best of what San Francisco is about and why a lot [most? all?] of us came here.
We wanted what we couldn’t get in Trenton/Little Rock/St. Louis/Denver/Boise/wherever ( with all respect of course to all those places…including wherever). That one place unlike anywhere else where if you could think it, you could do it. And apply that to whatever you want. Where you could dare to dream a dream that became a real dream. That is San Francisco and that is the Gregangelo Museum.
What we have here is an experience in the full sense of the word. Not a ho-hum house tour nor a look-but-don’t-touch curiosity on the side of the road. It is immersive theatre where one will be invited to dare to bring the best of themselves to the fore. And learn something about themselves and others as a result. Gregangelo calls it a “connectatorium.” Don’t ya love that? It’s not for the passive but then what good creative endeavor is?
Or maybe look at this way: if a house could do drag, maybe this what it would look like.
Also, those of you who were at Honor Awards in 2022 at the Fox Theatre will remember Gregangelo’s troop as the folks who did our opening musical number. Remember how they showed us how to ‘Tap Your Troubles Away’ ?
We live, alas, in sad and bad times. More than ever, we need to do a better job of taking any opportunity to dig down and share the best of what we can create and hear what others are willing to create with us. Maybe that is our salvation. Creation instead of destruction. I still believe creativity, in any and all forms, can be the light that leads us to a better future.
And hence I will give a shameless plug for the Gregangelo Museum and highly recommend that you plan a visit there. I think it would be a terrific outing for any design firm looking to spark it’s members to think beyond what they already know…..or think they know. In addition, you would be supporting the arts in San Francisco!
Check out the website for more information: San Francisco Museum: A True San Francisco Experience (gregangelomuseum.com)