Balay Kreative 2.0: A Return to Roots, A Leap Forward
As we step into the next chapter of Balay Kreative, we find ourselves at a unique intersection: a return to our roots, and a leap forward into new possibilities. Rooted in community, culture, and creativity, Balay Kreative 2.0 reimagines what it means to build a home for artists, designers, and cultural producers in San Francisco — a space that doesn’t just function, but inspires, nurtures, and connects.
Inter / Experiment / Evolve
Balay 2.0 takes inspiration from co-living and creative studio models worldwide, experimenting with spaces where artists can live, work, and collaborate. Micro-pods, modular studios, and communal production areas allow for flexible and intentional design — spaces that are as functional as they are inspiring.
Project Artuad at 401 Alabama St.
Founded in 1971, Project Artaud transformed a 100,000-square-foot former factory in San Francisco’s Mission District into affordable housing, studios, and community spaces for artists. Inspired by Antonin Artaud’s vision of art beyond traditional boundaries, the organization was created to provide sustainable live/work environments and promote arts education within under-resourced communities.
Today, Project Artaud remains a thriving, multi-generational artist colony with four performance theaters, a visual arts gallery, and 79 live/work spaces supporting over 100 artists across diverse disciplines.
The "work" done by artists in proper live/work spaces, here at Artaud in the 1970s.
Photo: Marino Colmano, Foundsf.org
Monument at 140 9th St
A live/work and event space in SoMa that fosters connection and collaboration among creatives. It offers affordable housing for a diverse community—including artists, performers, academics, designers, engineers, and CEOs—and provides event spaces for both commercial use and community-focused gatherings, supported by an active volunteer network.
The space welcomes individuals who value diverse perspectives, embrace creative opportunities, and contribute meaningfully to its collaborative environment.
The VATS (Hamm’s Brewery squat, San Francisco, 1982 – 1984)
A rough-and-tumble punk/artist squat in the abandoned Hamm’s Brewery complex near 17th & Bryant, where punks lived inside huge beer vats and held band practices and parties in the cavernous industrial space. Over 100 residents at its peak, the “Vats” were characterized by DIY ethos, punk music (bands like M.D.C.), communal living, and sub-zero amenities in a cold industrial shell.
The building was loosely tolerated by the owner but entirely outside standard residential/loft regulations. It became a symbol of underground creative living and squatter culture in San Francisco. The community ended when redevelopment pressures and city inspectors moved in around 1984. Its legacy lives on in the memory of radical housing alternatives and punk art scenes. Image: KQED.org
Ghost Ship (Oakland, 2013 – 2016)
A loosely organized live/work/venue collective housed in a former industrial warehouse at 1305 31st Ave in Oakland’s Fruitvale district that became an underground artist-venue and studio space for dozens of creatives around 2013. The building was illegally used for residences and large art events despite lacking residential and assembly permits, and it was packed with art installations, salvage furniture, extension-cord electricity, and a pirate-ship vibe of creative freedom.
On December 2, 2016, a fire at a music event inside the space killed 36 people, which became the worst building fire in Oakland’s history and triggered national scrutiny of unpermitted artist spaces. After the tragedy, many similar warehouse art communities faced eviction or stricter code enforcement. Ghost Ship’s legacy is both tragic and catalytic: a testament to vibrant underground art life and a powerful cautionary tale about safety, housing rights, and creative space in the city. For many artists it marked the end of an era of unregulated loft-living and sparked a rethinking of how cities should support safe, affordable artist housing. Image: CNN
Through these experiments, Balay 2.0 asks:
How can a space nurture collaboration?
How can design foster creativity?
How can community thrive in a shared creative environment?
Desi Danganan - Co-Creator of Balay Kreative, Designer & Visionary Leader
At the heart of this evolution sits Desi Danganan, Founder & Executive Director of Kultivate Labs. A serial entrepreneur, designer, and community strategist, Desi has led branding, design, and economic development efforts in the Filipino-American community, Japantown, and the music industry in SF thru SF Live and SF Music Week. His vision for Balay Kreative 2.0 is grounded in both creative practice and economic empowerment:
“While the mainstream media talks about SF’s ‘Doom Loop,’ Filipinos are seeding the ‘Bloom Loop.’ There will be four new businesses and one new non-profit space opening up in 2024 to help grow the footprint of SOMA Pilipinas. While others run from San Francisco, we see the perfect opportunity to rush-in and help rebuild the city. We’re probably the only community that is seeing a net growth during all of this doom and gloom.” — Desi Danganan, Founder & Executive Director, Kultivate Labs (PapaLoDown)
Desi’s leadership sets the tone for Balay 2.0: a cultural home, an self sustaining ecosystem, and a platform for creative growth, where artists, designers, and cultural producers can thrive together.
The dedicated team
Balay Kreative 2.0 is brought to life by a core team of visionary creatives who help translate Desi’s vision into action:
Kristian Kabuay – Artist & Cultural Futurist
Kristian is an artist/entrepreneur/futurist specializing in endangered writing systems and tattoos from the Philippines particularly Baybayin. He fuses tradition and technology to preserve cultural knowledge while creating contemporary artistic expressions.
As a leader for the propagation and instruction of prePhilippine scripts, he launched his own edutainment business specializing in custom art, books, events, technology, and apparel. Kristian has spoken around the world at museums, schools, and companies. His work is wide-reaching that spans across new media and traditional practices. He is currently working on his 10th book, 2nd documentary, education startup, and honing his traditional tattooing practice.
At Balay, Kristian ensures that the hub reflects heritage, storytelling, and innovation simultaneously. (kabuay.com)
Kimberley Acebo Arteche – Co-Creator of Balay Kreative, Interdisciplinary Artist & Cultural Strategist
Kim (she/they) is a multimedia artist, educator, and cultural worker whose practice spans photography, textiles, ritual, installation, and performance. With a focus on diaspora, decolonization, and ancestral knowledge, Kim has guided Balay’s cultural strategy, artist development programs, and community-centered programming. This time, she’s returning to lead the survey & outreach process ensuring it isn’t just about collecting information, but really building trust and relationships with the artists we want to engage (kimacebo.art)
Andre “Dre” Sibayan – Illustrator & Art Director
Dre brings over 15 years of brand, design, and illustration experience to Balay. He has worked with major brands such as Target, Gap, Disney, and Quiksilver, and applies his strategic design expertise to community-focused creative projects. Dre shapes the visual identity of Balay 2.0, balancing elevated aesthetics with local relevance. (balaykreative.org)
Read more about Dre: Graphic Designer, Artist And Creative Director Andre Sibayan On Filipino American Design
Jy Jimmie Gabiola – Creative Strategist & Interdisciplinary Artist
Jimmie is a multidisciplinary artist and creative strategist who bridges culture, narrative, and marketing. With a practice exploring identity, immigration, and post-colonial narratives, As the Media Comms/Marketing Manager for Kultivate Labs, Jimmie ensures Balay’s story reaches the right audiences, amplifying the voices of the community while connecting creatives to larger networks. (jimmieflora.com)
Together, this team blends heritage, design, culture, storytelling, and strategy, creating a multidimensional hub that is as intentional as it is experimental.
Building Together
Balay Kreative 2.0 is more than a building — it’s a movement. A movement to rethink what it means to create together, to live intentionally as artists, designers, and cultural producers.
📣 Share your voice in our Community Survey: Click here to participate
Your input will guide programming, space design, and community priorities. Whether you’re an artist, designer, cultural producer, or creative enthusiast, your perspective will shape this next chapter.
Dreaming Up The Next Version of Balay Kreative
We hosted a Focus Group at KOHO Creative Hub in Japantown, San Francisco to explore ideas from the survey in real time. This was an opportunity to co-create, ask questions, and envision a space that reflects our shared values. The creative juices were flowing — from hands-on art stations to collaborative jam sessions — a space where imagination had no limits. 🎨💭 Surrounded by Balay artists, alumni, new & old friends, we explored what community, creativity, and belonging can become in our next chapter. Join the Balay Kreative 2.0 Journey as we’ll be sharing results in the coming weeks.
Balay Kreative 2.0 is a return to roots, honoring the culture and community that birthed the first Balay, and a leap forward, embracing innovation, experimentation, and shared creativity. Together with Desi, Kristian, Dre, Kim, and Jimmie, we invite you to imagine, experiment, and grow with us — building a space where art, life, and community converge.