The San Francisco Diggers: A Conversation With Actor Peter Coyote & Artist Ben Kinmont
In tandem with its current exhibition, Our commons are free, a project by Ben Kinmont, Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture (FMCAC) presents a dynamic conversation with actor Peter Coyote and artist Ben Kinmont, commemorating the San Francisco Diggers, a leading force in the 1960s San Francisco counterculture. Coyote, an original member of the Diggers, lends his rich first-hand memories of the group’s activities in the Haight-Ashbury and beyond, while Kinmont discusses his own personal connections to the group and the history he captures in the exhibition. The conversation is moderated by Frank Smigiel, FMCAC’s Chief Curator & Director of Arts Programming and is accompanied by striking visuals from the exhibition.
Event Details:
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Hours: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cowell Theater (alongside Pier 2)
Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture
Free Admission
Reservations Required
Peter Coyote is an accomplished actor in more than 160 films; a two-time Emmy Award-winning narrator of more than 200 documentaries and audiobooks; a distinguished writer who has penned two memoirs – Sleeping Where I Fall and The Rainman’s Third Cure; a contributor to numerous books and publications; a politically engaged person, championing a multitude of causes; songwriter, guitarist and singer; Buddhist Priest. Starting with his work in the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Coyote was deeply involved with the Diggers (and its evolution into the Free Family) between 1967 and 1974.
The FMCAC exhibition, Our commons are free, a project by Ben Kinmont, is a meditation on the work of the San Francisco Diggers in the 1960s and 70s, and their resonances with the artist’s own life and work. The project presents the Diggers through the lens of four presses and their Digger-related publications and street sheets. The exhibition is currently on view through August 10, 2025 in The Store House, Landmark Building D at FMCAC. Exhibition hours are Wednesday to Saturday, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Free Admission | RSVP Required