Violinists from the group Classical Revolution entertain Occupy SF.

This past Monday, at the Occupy SF encampment outside the Federal Reserve building on Market Street, amongst the blue tarps, plastic containers, table of food and tangle of sleeping bags, a new protest performance series got off to an inauspicious start.

"It was cold and drizzly," said comedian Nato Green, who was performing for a crowd of less than a hundred. The drum circle did not feel compelled to stop for him.

"But," he continued, "I got my joke in, people laughed, the experiment worked."

Even with that tepid response, the founders of the Occupy SF performance series —local writers Hiya Swanhuyser, a recent causality of a round of layoffs at the SF Weekly and Seth Fischer, Sunday editor at online literary publication The Rumpus —have not given up.

Abandoning the slim sidewalk that served as a stage for Green on Monday, Fischer and Swanhuyser moved the performances to nearby Sue Bierman park on Wednesday, and plan on continuing there for the foreseeable future. They're publicizing the evolving schedule on a Facebook page and a Tumblr.

Among the lineup are comedians W. Kamau Bell, drag impresario Heklina, author Michelle Tea, musical acts, and dancers.

Begun on September 17, it's surprising that Occupy SF has gone almost a month without organized performances, as the role of artists in protests—to lend support, amplify the message and entertain the troops — is crucial.

On Wall Street, the center of the now-national protests, celebrities have given credence to the goings-on: actors Susan Sarandon, Penn Badgley of “Gossip Girl” have appeared, as have rap magnate Russell Simmons and Kanye West (who Simmons congratulated via Twitter for being so nice to the protesters). Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Mangum played for the crowds last week, and Talib Kweli followed suit. Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls performed for Occupy Boston. Danny Glover spoke to the crowds at Occupy LA.

It’s not just the Hollywood elite that are contributing to the artistic climate of the Occupy protests. Occupy Wall Street threw an art show near Zucotti Park with proceeds benefiting the protest and an organization that supports people suffering from the long-term health effects of 9/11. Artist Molly Crabapple created a widely-distributed downloadable poster of a vampire squid in a top hat —which became fodder for the Wall Street Occupenniel, an online hub that solicits and collects art about and for the Occupy protests.

And someone recently started tweeting under the handle @OccupyArtWorld, issuing messages like “1% art collectors control our museums, critics and curators."

Lacking the participation of the city's arts community, Swanhuyser found Occupy SF "uninspired" —which is a big problem in a protest, according to T.V. Reed, author of “The Art of Protest” and a professor of English and American studies at Washington State University.

“When you’re cold in Zucotti Park, singing can be a really good way to uplift the spirit,” he said. “Movements have always used culture as a very important part of their activity.”

Also, the Occupy protesters have essentially assembled the nation’s biggest captive audience.

“The genius of this movement is it’s an occupation instead of a march," Reed said, "Politics is all about theater and they are creating a stage and using it.”

For the Occupy SF performers, the change of venue from the sidewalk to the park has helped.

"It was beautiful," Swanhuyser said of Wednesday's show with band Foxtails Brigade!, and writers Sherilyn Connelly and Fischer, "There was a full moon and about 40 people showed up."

That might not sound like a huge crowd, but unlike Monday's, it was a solid mix of protesters, people attracted to the performances, and passersby.

"We wanted to make the protest welcoming to people who might not be used to protesting," said Fischer.

Andy Wright

Deborah Walker, former chair of the San Francisco Arts Task Force, made a sign for the Occupy SF Performance Series.