Positively Sixth Street Graphics

"Positively 6th Street" was designed specifically for the people who live in the Sixth Street corridor, a large proportion of who are poor and in need of everything from food to services of all kinds, which we provided free of charge. We made it a day of celebrating community togetherness by, among other things, providing live music of all kinds from some of the Bay Area's best bands. For five years, it was my privilege to be a part of the Positively 6th Street Annual Community Fair.

The end of Positively Sixth Street

I was shocked when I first saw the flyer for the 2009 fair; not a poster, just a black and white, 8.5" x 11" flyer. Churned out by someone with no imagination and no stake in the community, the flyer was charmless, unappealing, devoid of identity and soul, anticipating the demise of what for seven years had been a shining example of community cohesion and culture.



Note that the fair's logo was castrated to better match the flier's banality.


A week from its already rescheduled date, the Eighth Annual Positively Sixth Street Community Fair was canceled. The same person* who decided the fair's graphic identity was no longer important apparently thought it was too bothersome to get permits and insurance. Thus ended Positively Sixth Street, and it's unlikely it will ever be revived. I am proud to say that for five of the seven years that Positively Sixth Street was successfully produced, I worked to create a more positive image for the community and had the pleasure of helping to give the people of Sixth Street a measure of happiness. It was a transformative experience for the entire community, and it's the community that is hurt most by its passing.


*Daniel Hurtado, director of the Mid-Market Community Benefit District, fiscal sponsor of the 2009 fair.



Positively Sixth Street graphics are copyright © 2004 – 2008, Mark Ellinger