Sitting in the window of the Art Funk Gallery on Jackson Street in San Francisco is a painting of jazz legend John Coltrane. Most people walking around will see the image of a great musician, but Archbishop Franzo King sees something more sacred.
“When you look at this picture, you see God,” King said.
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He and his wife, Pastor Mother Marina King, founded St. John Coltrane Church in 1969. Based on Coltrane’s music and his iconic album A Love Supreme, the church will be played in four parts.
“We are grateful to the uncompromised revolutionaries who know that we are Jesus, the Christ of God, the uncompromised revolutionaries who spoke through humanity through power,” the king said as he preached to his Sunday congregation.
Today, Coltrane Church services take place every Sunday at Fort Mason’s Magic Theatre. For over 50 years, churches have moved from place to place across town, but they hope to find a permanent home.
“This church was like a gypsy movement,” King said. “We want to find a home because if you leave something for a generation, then at least have somewhere, somewhere you stand somewhere, somewhere you are somewhere you are.”
That’s when longtime San Francisco artist and photographer Peter Shaw came up with the idea by drawing the original painting of John Coltrane and turning it into a fundraiser for the church and their Coltrane Arts Foundation.
“We recently created 20 limited editions with evidence of four artists in this original Coltrane work,” Shaw said.
It was enough to attract the attention of filmmaker Spike Lee, who visited the Show and Kings during his trip to San Francisco.
“So Spike came and saw it,” King said. “And Spike Lee wanted to buy the original, so he said, ‘No, we don’t sell it.’ ”
The original artwork was painted in 1972 by Emory Douglas, the Minister of Culture and Revolutionary Artist of the Black Panther Party. He was co-founder of Douglas and the Black Panther Party and was presented to St. John Coltrane Church by President Huey P. Newton.
“It took us from another level depicted by Emory Douglas. “His art was really, as I knew it, about revolution and change.”
The change they want will be the manifestation of paintings into permanent homes through sounds and images of love.
Currently, 20 limited editions of John Coltrane Print are on sale, and Spikeley was the first to commit to purchasing a copy. Anyone interested in purchasing a limited edition print can contact Peter Shaw by email at Petershawart@icloud.com.
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