The Black Rock Arts Foundation was established May 2001 in order to promote public, community-based art installations. It is a not-for-profit organization, founded by several people who also direct Burning Man. The Black Rock Arts Foundation, or BRAF are now a non-profit corporation with tax exempt 501(c)3 status.

BRAF and Mayor Gavin Newsom

Gavin Newsom

Gavin Christopher Newsom is an American politician who is the 49th and current Lieutenant Governor of California. Previously, he was the 42nd Mayor of San Francisco, and was elected in 2003 to succeed Willie Brown, becoming San Francisco's youngest mayor in 100 years. Newsom was re-elected in 2007...

 have been behind the installations of two large-scale sculptures in San Francisco.
The First, Temple at Hayes Green (2005) by David Best was installed in San Francisco's Hayes Valley district. The second, Flock (2005) by Michael Christian, was erected in front of San Francisco's City Hall in the Civic Center Plaza. BRAF was the first institutional funder of the Global Lives Project

Global Lives Project

Global Lives ProjectThe Global Lives Project is an international collaboration of film-makers, who have produced 10 documentaries. Each documentary is 24 hours long - it captures a complete day in the life of the film subject. These subjects were chosen to be demographically representative of the...

, which debuted its work at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts is a multi-disiplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, national, and international artists and the Bay Area's diverse...

 in San Francisco.