Somarts to host live streamed 90s inspired fundraiser and performing arts event in june

Wrapped in the current panorama of dystopias and injustices, SOMArts\' \"Please Stand By Virtual Summer Solstice\" is a welcomed ode to the iconic telethons and infomercials of the 90s that\'ll offer some much-needed levity later next month.

Oh, the 90s: a time marked by Hit Clips, evenings combing through Blockbuster shelves, and Tamagotchis that would miraculously come back to life. While not solely erected around those artifacts of yesteryears, SOMArts\' upcoming digital event is a love letter to the eccentric television ads and philanthropic live-programs of that decade.

Hosted by San Francisco drag queens LOL McFiercen and Yves Saint Croissant, Please Stand By Virtual Summer Solstice — inspired by the eccentric telethons and infomercials of the 90s — will be streamed via Twitch on Saturday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m., featuring music and performances by multi-disciplinary creatives like the event\'s headliner Sister Mantos, Luzaka, and more. A dive into the importance of meditation and mindfulness will also be showcased, courtesy of the Oakland-based creative collective MACRO WAVES.

In light of SOMArts\' annual fundraiser being canceled amid the pandemic — an event that regularly raises over $45K in donations — the happening will also double as a money-raising campaign for the arts and culture center, as well as for the performers. During the streaming of Please Stand By Virtual Summer Solstice, SOMArts will also announce their upcoming 2020–2021 Curatorial Residency season, aimed at supporting a cohort that believes in the idea that artistic expression is a catalyst for social change.

Tickets for Please Stand By Virtual Summer Solstice are on a “pay what you can” scale with a suggested donation of $10 or more. For more information on the program and how you can donate to SOMArts, visit here and here, respectively.

And to get a small taste of what you can expect from some of the participation performers, peruse through some of their work, below.