Saint John Coltrane Arts
Youth music education and cultural enrichment in San Francisco, guided by the spiritual and artistic legacy of John Coltrane.
Mission
Saint John Coltrane Arts is a charitable organization dedicated to providing inclusive, high-quality music education and cultural enrichment to underserved youth and young adults in San Francisco, particularly in low-income communities. Our work is guided by the spiritual and artistic legacy of Saint John Coltrane.
We have developed a curriculum-based, multidisciplinary music program that integrates music theory, performance, and the science of sound. This program fosters creativity, discipline, and community engagement, serving as a vehicle for personal growth and academic enrichment.
Activities are held weekly at the Saint John Coltrane Church, where participants ranging from school-aged youth to young adults engage directly with professional musicians and educators. Our team includes university-level instructors and PhD-level scholars who mentor students in both individual and ensemble settings.
While rooted in musical training, our mission extends beyond music, to promote holistic development and access to opportunities that might otherwise be unavailable to our students. Through this work, Saint John Coltrane Arts seeks to foster a new generation of artists, thinkers, and leaders who carry forward the legacy of compassion, excellence, and creative spirit.
Events
Fundraiser for Coltrane Arts + di Rosa
Contemporary sound and movement performance in honor of John Coltrane's centennial birthday. Selections from 'A Love Supreme' performed by Archbishop Franzo Wayne King, Mother Marina King, Archbishop Wanika King-Stephens, and Manny Berry on the piano.
Gallery
Charcoal & ink on paper, 30 × 36 inches. By Emory Douglas. A painting whose provenance is itself a story of San Francisco.
1972
Emory Douglas, Minister of Culture of the Black Panther Party, creates 'Coltrane' in comradely collaboration with Dr. Huey P. Newton, founder of the Party. The painting is gifted to His Eminence The Most Reverend Franzo W. King, then Yardbird Temple, Revolutionary Church of the Hour, in honor of his dutiful service to the San Francisco and Oakland communities.
Aubrey Haqq and King Bishop Franzo Haqq XIX with the painting at the first Community Workers Day.
1972 – 2024
For half a century, the painting lives with the congregation that became Saint John Will-I-Am Coltrane African Orthodox Church / Global Spiritual Community, a quiet testament to a Black radical artistic lineage.
Emory Douglas, 'Coltrane' 1972 / 2024. Charcoal & ink on paper, 30 × 36 inches.
2024
Douglas returns to the painting fifty-two years later and signs it again, '1972 · 2024', marking its passage and its renewed purpose. Four artist proofs and a limited edition of twenty are produced with Magnolia Editions.
The double signature: 'Emory 72' and again in 2024.
2025
Spike Lee acquires an artist proof of 'Coltrane' as a contribution to the Saint John Coltrane Arts Foundation, a youth education program in music and sound. His visit to ARTS SPACE on Post Street at Union Square is documented in the photograph below.
Reverend Mother Marina King, Archbishop Reverend King, Peter Shaw & Spike Lee at Shaw's studio, July 2024.
As Seen On
A look inside the congregation, the music, and the lineage of the painting.
Board of Directors
Founder & Chair
Co-founder of the Saint John Will-I-Am Coltrane African Orthodox Church. A lifelong advocate for the spiritual and cultural power of John Coltrane's music as a vehicle for community uplift in San Francisco.
Co-Founder & Vice Chair
Co-founder of the Coltrane Church and a steward of the congregation for more than four decades. Vocalist, minister, and a guiding force for the Foundation's youth education mission.
Director
San Francisco painter and new-media artist whose multi-disciplinary practice spans more than fifty years. His work centers local California themes, historic portraits, and neighborhood artist advocacy.
Support the Work
Your gift supports curriculum-based music education for underserved youth in San Francisco, taught weekly at the Saint John Coltrane Church by university-level instructors and PhD-level scholars.
Saint John Coltrane Arts is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
