EMMANUEL DAVID BLACKWELL III

Be Good… this past month has been transformative. tomorrow we celebrate and close out my first solo exhibition—i’ma need my people there. 2pm-6pm. 766 valencia street.

TOMORROW WE CLOSE THE CURTAIN ON MY FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION @inclinegallery w/ THE LAST OF THE SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING AND AN ARTIST TALK MODERATED BY @orochristo —I DECIDED TO ROLL THE CANDLESTICK TRIVIA GAME AND RAFFLE OVER AN EXTRA WEEK AS WELL. INCLUDED IN THIS CAROUSEL OF CONTENT ARE THE IMAGES REFERENCED IN THE CLIP DOCUMENTED BY @krisxcontreras THAT WERE UNKNOWINGLY MADE THE DAY OF MY BROTHER’S PASSING, A COUPLE PORTRAITS I MADE OF @jimmiefailsiv AFTER THE SUCCESS OF THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO DIRECTED BY @technicolor_talbot INSIDE OF THE HISTORIC DOOLAN-LARSON BUILDING AND A PHOTO I MADE OF THE BOTH OF THEM BEFORE ITS PREMIERE HELD AT THE CASTRO THEATER. ROUNDING OUT THE IMAGES ARE THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT I CAN BEEN SEEN COMPOSING AT THE END OF VIDEO WERE I SPEAK A LIL’ BIT ABOUT THE FILM, FINDING OUT THE UNFORTUNATE NEWS ABOUT MY BROTHER’S PASSING AND MY ARTISTIC PRACTICE. HOPE TO SEE Y’ALL TOMORROW. <3

“The Stick” by Emmanuel David Blackwell III, presented at our group exhibition “Visual Field” during Super Bowl LX week. So much respect to Emmanuel for making this beautiful 35mm print and hand painting the frame to match Candlestick’s iconic seat colors, while simultaneously organizing his incredible solo exhibition “Be Good…” – which is currently on view @inclinegallery until its closing this upcoming Sunday – and a packed calendar of accompanying community programming. Emmanuel’s personal connection to Candlestick and this scene in particular deeply moved us, as he recounted the highs and lows of his upbringing within these surroundings and related these vicissitudes to the experience of sports fandom. We encourage you to attend his Artist Talk at the “Be Good…” closing (2pm - 5pm) this Sunday, 3/15 as he reflects on the concepts, inspirations, and intentions behind his work. Emmanuel David Blackwell III is a multidisciplinary photographer and 2022 & 2025 San Francisco Arts Commission Arts Impact Endowment grantee whose practice bridges image-making and organizing. An artist-organizer, he uses photography not only to create images, but to build infrastructure for memory, access, and community. His work is deeply rooted in lived experience—documenting San Francisco as both archive and proving ground—where sustainability, care, and self-determination function as mediums alongside film. In 2016, Emmanuel founded SWAP FILM, a community-supported analog photography lab and unlimited 35mm black-and-white film subscription service that has served over 300 creatives since its inception. 35mm film photography print and hand painted frame 16” x 20” DM @_blackwell for inquiries.

FOR THIS WEEK’S PROGRAMMING WE TAKE OUR FOOT OFF THE GAS A BIT AND COAST INTO A CALM DAY OF QUALITY TIME SPENT IN COMMUNITY. I’M ENCOURAGING EVERYONE WHO STOPS BY THE GALLERY TO BRING ONE PIECE OF EPHEMERA THAT THEY’RE WILLING TO SHARE A STORY AROUND FOR SHOW&TELL…Y’KNOW, JUST HOW WE DID IN GRADE SCHOOL AS KIDS. IT CAN LITERALLY BE ANYTHING THAT EVOKES AND ECHOES DAYS FROM YOUR YOUTH AND/OR PAST MEMORIES WHERE SPORTS WAS THE BACKDROP FOR A VIVID EXPERIENCE. FROM THERE, FOLKS WILL BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS AND COMPETE IN A GOOD OL’ GAME OF TRIVIA. ALL QUESTIONS WILL BE ABOUT CANDLESTICK PARK, ITS HISTORY AND THE SIGNIFICANT HAPPENINGS THAT TOOK PLACE THERE—SO DO SOME HOMEWORK AND DO YOUR GOOGLES ‘CUZ THERE WILL BE PRIZES FOR THE WINNING TEAM. THERE WILL ALSO BE A RAFFLE FOR A FRAMED PRINT, MORE ARTIST PROOFS AVAILABLE AND ITEMS FOR SALE FROM @touchytouchy.sf —SEE Y’ALL SATURDAY!

WE’VE BEEN COOKIN’ UP COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS FOR OVER 10+ YEARS, BUT THIS SATURDAY WE’LL BE SERVING OUR FIRST CUSTOMERS AS A CULINARY COLLECTIVE—A JOINT VENTURE THAT HAS BEEN SIMMERING FOR DAMN NEAR HALF A DECADE. TO SAY THAT I’M EXCITED FOR THIS NEXT PHASE OF PROGRAMMING IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. i can still remember the first day that i met @supremethang . it was at a house party on rolph street and pretty much ever since that day, we’ve meshed seamlessly over our shared set of similar interests: food, music, wrestling, track bikes, hot wheels, movies, culture, and our absolute disdain for nate’s jokes. way back before he became your favorite photographer’s favorite photographer, i encouraged him to pick up a film camera and explore the limits of his knack for composition and eye for compelling imagery—he obliged and became one of the first people i processed film for in the earliest of stages for SWAP. we’d go to the car cruises back when someone totin’ a camera wasn’t a ubiquitous thing. the same way i’ve been able to impart my wisdom in relation to photography, he has laced me w/ so many gems and jewels when it comes to navigating the kitchen. see, for as long as we’ve been friends (next time i blink we’ll be approaching a quarter century!) he’s been working his ass off and building kitchens for nearly every titan of the tech industry—but this weekend, we don’t work. we have fun. DM for the RSVP link to secure your order.

Congrats to our guy @_blackwell on his first solo exhibit at @inclinegallery . We were stoked to add a small, yet intentional piece to his show ☕️🥃- the first of many! But we were even more lucky to witness his catalogue of hard work and timeless imagery, artist collaboration, and deep SF friendships and meaningful connection. Nice hanging with you guys: @bigtimevtg @touchytouchy.sf @calsurplus 🎵: @rich_iyala 👁️: @krisxcontreras

With the City becoming unrecognizable to many, I got to chop it up with @_blackwell a San Francisco photographer whose exhibit BE GOOD showcases the City’s rich sports history and the culture behind it. I asked him this: What advice do you have for people who may feel like strangers in the city they grew up in? His answer was spot on. 🏟️ Go check out the show: 📍 @inclinegallery 📅 2/13 – 3/15 This Saturday (2/21): Vendor market featuring 👕 @bigtimevtg 🪖 @calsurplus ☕️ @excelsiorcoffeesf 🏺 @touchytouchy.sf #streetinterview #art #sanfrancisco #sports #explore

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE IT IS—FULL RUNDOWN OF VENDORS FOR THE MARKETPLACE THIS SATURDAY @inclinegallery FOR THE FIRST PHASE OF PROGRAMMING THAT WILL COINCIDE w/ “BE GOOD…” MY FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION. 20 years ago when i worked on haight street at shoebiz (now nicekicks) i’d hit cal surplus for pins, patches, beanies, camo thermals, cargos, m89’s, new old stock military grade items and all sorts of other shit—apart from stüssy, it was my favorite store on the strip. truly happy to see it’s in good hands as a staple on the block and legacy business/historic landmark to us natives. i reached out to @doinwat1do after photographing his el co parked on ashbury a few months ago and asked if they’d be down to be a part of the marketplace and here we are. when you observe the thrift and vintage resurgence from the sidelines, you see one person in the center of it all and that’s @bonger_ which, when zooming out, makes a whole lotta sense if you’ve been around long enough to connect the dots. back in the glory days of early 2000’s streetwear and retail, HUF was the gold standard in the city—and bong was right there in the thick of it. witnessing the success he has amassed over @bigtimevtg has been inspiring to say the least and it’s a testament to fact that staying true to what drives you will forever propel you forward. honored to have a curated collection of items that really speaks to the connected fabric we share as kids growing up in san francisco. rounding out the roster of vendors is @touchytouchy.sf . obviously, including natalie was a no brainer. it’s beautiful to support and encourage the people you love to lean into their strengths, passions and potential. from what started as morning ferry rides monthly to alameda w/ my baby, has evolved into roadtrips across state lines and flights out of the country to source unique and timeless pieces from years gone by. there are plenty of people “reselling antiques” but i haven’t seen anybody w/ the same eye for detail and decor as natalie. last but certainly not least, there will be coffee supplied by my friends over @excelsiorcoffeesf to keep ya lubricated while you comb the racks and peruse through your options.

LET THE PROGRAMMING BEGIN! THIS SATURDAY I HAVE ORGANIZED A MARKETPLACE THAT I FEEL ALIGNS FAIRLY WELL W/ BE GOOD… I WILL BE SELLING SOME ARTIST PROOFS, ROLLS OF FILM, MYSTERY PRINTS, A CURATED SELECTION OF MEMORABILIA FROM MY OWN COLLECTION, AND THOSE CUTE LIL’ CHAMPION CREWNECKS YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IN YOUR PERIPHERY. MY LOVED ONES FROM @excelsiorcoffeesf WILL BE SERVING SOME HOT BEVS TO KEEP YA WARM AND COZY WHILE YOU SHOP THE OFFERINGS FROM AN INTENTIONAL SHORT LIST OF VENDORS TO BE ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK—RAIN OR SHINE, IT’S GOING DOWN. IF YOU WERE UNABLE TO MAKE THE OPENING THIS WILL BE A PERFECT CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE THE SHOW IN A UNIQUE CAPACITY AND SUPPORT NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT OTHER LOCAL CREATIVES AND SMALL BUSINESSES.

TOMORROW • @inclinegallery • 5pm - 9pm

And keep those dates in mind - public programs in abundance during our shared times! Join us and keep checking in. Support our local artists in the Bay!

At the center of Be Good… are images of Candlestick Park. Presented not as nostalgia, but as lived memory, Candlestick functions as a site where collective history and personal experience converge. For many San Franciscans, it represents a shared sense of loss—of place, continuity, and time. The site also holds profound personal significance for Emmanuel: the car accident which would claim the life of his 23-year old brother occurred at the demolished location where Candlestick Park once was built. BE GOOD, is dedicated to his memory. Together, these photographs consider sports as a cultural constant—one that holds both joy and grief, and the constant battle of impermanence within the visual language of San Francisco. Emmanuel David Blackwell III is a born and bred San Francisco–based artist whose photographic practice centers on sports as a lived framework—defined by fleeting moments, emotional highs and lows, victory and defeat, shattered dreams, and the discipline required to practice something until becoming deeply proficient. Be Good… brings together a constellation of images made over the past 15+ years, drawn from Emmanuel’s sustained engagement with San Francisco, its sports culture and the environments that surround it. Raised in San Francisco, Emmanuel’s earliest attachments to the city were formed through sports—through summer camp at Kezar, countless recreation centers and playgrounds, and accessibility to gamedays as a youth. In this body of work, sports operate as a portal rather than a subject in isolation, opening onto broader questions of identity, memory, and belonging within a constantly changing city. The photographs move between spectacle and intimacy, capturing moments that exist briefly before dissolving—much like the games themselves.