
ART EXHIBIT
January 19 through February 14
FOR-SITE, in collaboration with WORTHLESSSTUDIOS Curatorial Fellow Benjamin “BJ” McBride, presents 1-800 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, an installation inside The Guardhouse at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture. 1-800 Happy Birthday commemorates Black and Brown victims of police shootings and institutional discrimination.

Originally created in 2020 as part of the evolution of a film series by EVEN/ODD founder, filmmaker, and artist Mohammad Gorjestani, 1-800 Happy Birthday honors Black and Brown victims of police killings and systemic racism. Created in collaboration with the families of the victims, often here referred to as “celebrants,” the project allows loved ones and the public to leave voicemails for the birthdays of those unjustly killed and makes the messages available for public listening.
In San Francisco, a city shaped by the war on drugs and ongoing inequities, 1-800 Happy Birthday serves as both a mirror and a confrontation. The exhibition exposes the systems that perpetuate harm while creating space for Black and Brown communities to be seen and heard without exploitation. It challenges the city’s myths of progress and liberalism, asking all who encounter it, from grieving families to the affluent, to reckon with the realities beneath San Francisco’s surface.
At its core, the exhibition is a cultural intervention that insists these stories remain visible amid a changing city. The project exists online, at 1800HappyBirthday.com, and allows loved ones and the public to leave and listen to voicemails left on the birthdays of those unjustly killed.
The opening reception for 1-800 HAPPY BIRTHDAY At The Guardhouse is part of the Fort Mason Winter 2026 Art Walk and features ongoing talks by the curator and members of the families of Sean Monterrosa, Mario Woods, and Dujuan Armstrong. The event also includes a Black Gold Book Launch + Radius Books Pop-Up at The Store House, Building D with a live musical performance by Hannah Mayree. The book launch is co-hosted with Radius Books.
WORTHLESSSTUDIOS provides space, materials, technical assistance, and resources for aspiring artists of all backgrounds to realize their creative visions. WORTHLESSSTUDIOS is a platform committed to supporting artists’ fabrication needs and producing engaging public art.
EVEN/ODD is a creative studio and production company creating films and visual projects led by underrepresented filmmakers, photographers, artists, and producers.
1-800 Happy Birthday at The Guardhouse is presented by FOR-SITE in partnership with WORTHLESSSTUDIOS and Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. The Guardhouse Program is made possible thanks to generous support from the ARB Fund.
About FOR-SITE. Established in 2003, FOR-SITE is dedicated to the creation, understanding, and presentation of art about place. For more information, visit: FOR-SITE.org.
About The Guardhouse Program. The Guardhouse Program is designed to serve three artists annually, directly supporting the year-round creation, presentation, and understanding of art about place. Each artist activates the former military guard station with a temporary art installation responding to the natural and cultural significance of the site and its surrounding area. The Guardhouse Program launched through an open call for proposals in 2023.
1-800 Happy Birthday is supported by the Mellon Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, The California Endowment, the gtrippin fund at East Bay Community Foundation, and Campaign Zero.
January 19, 2026 to February 14, 2026, Daily
Visible at all times through the windows of The Guardhouse.
The Guardhouse at the Entry Plaza, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco
Free
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