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2/8/10 SECA Award nomination requests arrived in home over the weekend signed by the Council Co-Chairs, collectors Alka Agrawal & Daniel Lucas, and the two assistant curators who will be judging the award.  Only members of SECA and select arts professionals are invited to make nominations.  Criteria include: Artists working in all media will be considered including hybrid, digital, video, sounds, and film installation (a departure from years past); Artist must be working in the Bay Area and accessible for studio visits locally; Artist must not have been accorded substatial recognition by a major institution; Artists must be out of school and working independently at the time of the award; SECA members and SFMOMA employees are not eligible for the award.  The prize?  A well-publicized SFMOMA group show with fellow winners in 2011.  Join by by March 1, 2010 ($750) and you too can nominate up to five artists.  Contact Heather Holt, SFMOMA SECA Award Coordinator for more information ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

2/7/10 Ping Pong Gallery has just become a member of NADA, the presitigious New Art Dealers Alliance.

2/6/10 Catharine Clark announced today that she has opened a New York exhibition space, 14th Street Studio, at 313 W 14th Street in Chelsea.  THe inaugural exhibition, "The Drawing Room," coincides with The Armory Show and PULSE New York.  Works on paper by Ray Beldner, Adam Chapman, Anthony Discenza, Kara Maria, Jonathan Solo, Josephine Taylor, and Masami Teraoka. 

2/5/10 Chandra Cerrito celebrated the first night in her new location last night at Oakland's First Friday Art Murmur.  Located down the block from Johannson Projects, CCG is in the charming old brick building that used to be Estaban Sabar Gallery. She's blown out the walls that confined the art to a rabbit warren of small spaces, and created a beautiful interior.

2/4/10 SFMOMA announced today that its agreement with the Fisher family to house their unparalleled art collection will be extended from 25 to 100 years. The Fisher Collection will be on display in a new wing that will be built as part of SFMOMA's expansion. The museum is launching an international search to select an architect to design the expansion.

2/3/10 75% off GOB (going out of business) sale at Pearl Paint @ 969 Market Street.   Pearl is closing 8 of its 16 locations so this is not a comment on the health of the Mid-Market corridor.  Especially since Blick will be going in 2 doors down this summer. 

2/2/10 Save the date postcards for the SFMOMA 75th birthday bash arrived in-home today.  The postcard was printed before details were finalized, because there's no info other than "Save the date 5.14.10" and visit www.sfmoma.org/birthdayparty for more info.  A call to 415.618.3290 reveals that individual tickets to the 6pm rooftop dinner are $1,000; and the great unwashed will arrive at 9pm for the $125/$150 (members/non-members) ground floor after-party.

2/1/10 A cry for help went out at 4pm today from Lex Leifheit, Executive Director of SOMArts , begging the community to attend the San Francisco Arts Commission meeting already in progress.  The city's six cultural centers funded by the SFAC were item #6 on the chopping block.  SOMArts alone was slated to lose $104,000 in addition to the $28,000 cut already from that organizations budget.  That money is the equivalent of 89% of the entire cost of the Main Gallery Exhibitions & Programs which showed over 1,041 Bay Area visual artists in 2009; half of the total grant support that allows SOMArts to provide below-market events space and production assistance; 66% of the direct expenses for Technical Services; and more than the entire cost of the Day of the Dead Festival, Classes, and Fiscal Sponsorship programs combined.  Hope the news is good.

1/31/10 Looking for a Valentine?  Tucker Nichols wants to get into your pants.  Tucker has collaborated with underwear manufacturers PACT  to provide the designs for Classics 2.0, its line of premium organic cotton briefs.  The collection consists of the artist's signature hand-of-the-artist doodles: the slightly off-kilter polka dots have universal appeal, and the vertical stripes will be a make-do substitute for those who longed for a sheet of wallpaper in the last Gallery 16 show.  

1/29/10 Kim Furuta Wessler took on the newly created role of Contemporary Art Program Associate at the Asian Art Museum, reporting directly to director Jay Xu.  Kudos to Kim.  What an honor to be chosen to help the venerable museum build its contemporary art program from scratch.

1/28/10 Friends of Viola Frey (1993-2004) flocked to NYC last week to attend the opening of her traveling retrospective "Bigger, Better, More" at the Museum of Art & Design.   Viola's friends were her family, and the parties definitely felt like family reunions.  The gang attended a private reception hosted by Artists' Legacy Foundation at Nancy Hoffman Gallery, then met again at MAD for opening night festivities.   All the trustess of ALF flew in from CA: Squeak Carnwath, President; Steven H. Oliver, Vice President; Gary Knecht, Secretary/Treasurer; Sanford Hirsch; Leah Levy; Russell Panczenko; and Sandra Shannonhouse; plus independent curator Marcia Tanner, Trish Bransten and Sam Perry, Viola's studio assistant for 17 years.    

1/20/10 Southern Exposure has announced the recipients of grants in Round III of Alternative Exposure. In this round SOEX (with major support from the Andy Warhol Foundation) awarded $60,000 to 17 projects including Adobe Books Backroom Gallery, Art Practical, Happenstand, and THE THING Quarterly.  Alternative Exposure takes care of entities that are not eligible for traditional grants including unincorporated groups, burgeoning art and gathering spaces, publications, websites, collectives, and events.  Click here for full descriptions of the funded projects.

1/18/20 From Stark Guide correspondant Tolu Fadeyi: Happy Birthday, SFMOMA!  Not a day over 75, and looking better than ever, SFMOMA celebrates its January 18thanniversary with 75 Years of Looking Forward.  Get a rare view at the inner workings of this "cultural catalyst", commencing with an anniversary weekend of free admission and special programs, January 16-18.  Need a reason to brave the masses this weekend?  75 stars from the Bay Area creative community (including artists, designers, educators, architects, authors, and SFMOMA curators) will present 75 Reasons to Live, highlighting personally selected artworks from the museum’s permanent collection…in 7.5 minutes.

And this weekend is just the beginning.  With over 400 works from SFMOMA’s private collection, The Anniversary Show highlights SFMOMA’s pivotal role in influencing the trajectory of art history.  It features artists, controversial in their early careers (including Frida Kahlo, Jeff Koons, and Jackson Pollock), whose work SFMOMA was bold enough to celebrate and collect.  What not to miss: handwritten correspondence between founding director, Grace McCann Morley, and ardent critics; photos never before seen by many (not even current Director, Neal Benezra!); Ewan Gibbs: San Francisco (18 newly commissioned, must-see, pencil on paper drawings by the British artist); and Focus on Artists featuring rotating works by artists with whom SFMOMA has fostered close relationships over the years (includes Richard Serra’s Gutter Corner Splash: Night Shift, Richard Diebenkorn’s Ocean Park #54, and Phillip Guston’s For M.).  Yes, it’s a lot to take in, but no worries, the show runs through January 16, 2011 so you can have your birthday cake and eat it too.

1/16/10 Everyone at the at the SFMOMA 75th anniversary gala last night agreed that the hit of the show was Bruce Conner's "Three Screen Ray" 2006, including Kenneth Baker.  (Note to Kenneth, the images of missles and explosions are not related to war, it's 100% sex.)

1/15/10 Jennifer McCabe, director of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art , is back from maternity leave.  Interim director Natasha Boas Ph.D. will stay on as curator, a newly created position. 

1/14/10 Diana Lynn of Diana Lynn Art Tours is leading local half day art tours in the Bay Area.  She's building her Spring/Summer schedule and looking for ideas and contacts for artist studio visits and public exhibitions- particularly in SF and the East Bay- and taking reservations.  

1/13/10 Congratulations to Freddy Chandra and Stephanie Syjuco, two of 25 artists just announced as recipients of The Joan Mitchell Foundation 2009 Painters & Sculptors Grant. The grants, in the amount of $25,000 each, are given to acknowledge painters and sculptors creating work of exceptional quality.

1/8/10 Eleanor Harwood announced her engagement to her boyfriend of 4 years, a neurosurgeon who loves art!

1/5/10 First gallery to create an iPhone App?  Not who you'd expect.  Available now for free download from www.fraenkelgallery.com, or text "Fraenkel" to 99799 and the app will be sent directly to your phone.

12/23/09 Merger of two major art collecting families:  Katie Schwab and Matt Paige are engaged to be married.  Best wishes to the happy couple.

12/7/09 Exciting addition to the board of Headlands: Jamie Alexander, co-owner of Park Life.

11/26/09 Any press is good press...  New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl lives a lukewarm review to “1969” at P.S. 1 in New York, and pans the work of two Bay Area favorites: "[The exhibition] is authentically lugubrious; the only truly depressing aspect of the show is the inclusion of new work by young artists who prove that conceptually driven art, as a phenomenon in and about institutions, has gone essentially nowhere in forty years. Stephanie Syjuco re-creates works by Beuys. Why? (Richard Pettibone’s miniature repainting of a Frank Stella was already jejune in 1969.) Hank Willis Thomas reasonably—but tediously—fills in a missing African-American perspective with pieces reproducing pictures and headlines from Ebony and Jet."  Click here for the full review.

11/24/09 The Artadia Awardees 2009 San Francisco Bay Area are: James Gobel and Allison Smith with awards of $15,000. Moses Nornberg, Brion Nuda Rosch, Leslie Shows, Weston Teruya, and Richard T. Walker are all recipients of $3,000 awards.  Find more info and images at www.artadia.org/news.html.

11/19/09 Berkeley Art Museum is a bust.

11/18/09 Venerable visual arts non-profit with lots of potential seeking executive director.  

11/17/09 Groom 'em while they're young:  A major San Francisco museum is creating a new donor category for patrons under 50- a "junior trustee" council with a $5,000 pricetag.  

11/15/09 "Get out your f*cking checkbooks!" Members of SFMOMA's SECA received an amusing welcome to 31 Rausch Street on Friday evening, the same night as the opening party for "Unreal," curated by Dana Hemenway.  Chris McCaw's hallway was the last stop on a SECA tour of apartment galleries.  Guests sitting on the front stoop smoking can be excused, as it was quite a sight: they were legitimately bewildered by 20 adult art collectors disembarking from an enormous biodesiel school bus. 

11/11/09 The newest associate art advisor at Mary Zlot & Associates is Kelly Chen.  In the Spring Kelly completed her master's at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and wrapped up a stint working at The Renaissance Society. Since moving to the Bay Area recently, Kelly's been guest blogging on Art21.  Read her postings here.

11/10/09 Tanya Zimbardo, assistant curator of media arts, will be co-jurying the 2010 SFMOMA SECA Award with Apsara DiQuinzio, assistant curator of painting & sculpture.  Ali Gass who co-led the award process in '08 with Apsara, is a new mom and is sitting out this award cycle.

11/9/09  Lindsay Pollock, art journalist who covers her beat for Bloomberg News sends this:  "Curators probably won’t find this surprising.  The profession is among the 15 most stressful, worst paying careers, according to CNNMoney’s website.  Median curator pay: $46,500. Stress factor: 89% say they’ve got it.  Not on the list:  art dealer, museum director, auction house executive or art adviser.  Other high stress, low pay jobs are probation officer, minister and yes, reporter, according to the article.  The story features curator Jason Andrew, who works with the Jack Tworkov estate."  Article found here.

11/8/09 Redecorating?  Definitely worth a trip to Gallery 16 to see Tucker Nichols' new solo show (through December 11).  Not pictured on the website is a new series of limited edition wallpaper.  Watery blue stripes look like a primeval rain forest.  Just $10,000 per wall-sized sheet.  Limited edition of 5.

11/7/09 Museum of the African Diaspora has a new Executive Director, Grace C. Stanislaus.  Stanislaus, a black woman, replaces Interim Director Kathleen Brown, a white woman (whose last name often caused confusion in her role.)  Ms. Stanislaus joins MoAD after eleven years at the Romare Bearden Foundation in New York where she was most recently its President and CEO, leading the organization through a critical decade of program and operational growth.  In her previous experience, Ms. Stanislaus served as the Senior Vice President of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh, as well as Executive Director of the Museum for African Art in New York.  She also served as the Director of the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem, where she began her professional career.  A graduate of Columbia University with a Masters degree in art history and of Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in art history.  Ms. Stanislaus is a member of ArtTable, a national organization of women in leadership position in the arts, which has a chapter in San Francisco.

11/6/09 Man jumping out of chair for (Untitled) the new movie about art world intrigue.  According to Chronicle movie critic Mick LaSalle, "Though framed within a satire, "(Untitled)" contains some of the best conversations about art, and its function and significance, that you'll hear in any film this year."  Click here for the full review.

11/4/09 Need holiday party help?  Social practice expert Brion Nudah Rosch is moonlighting.  "San Francisco artist and curator Brion Nuda Rosch spends his evenings pouring delicious adult beverages at your favorite watering holes. Maintaining a humble and welcoming demeanor behind the bar, Rosch provides a great community service in addition to his inspirational libations. He recently started his own private practice; Rosch Social Services is available for your upcoming social. Providing a customized drink menu and professional service, Rosch offers flexible means to providing your guests with refreshing beverages." For more information visit this page. 

11/3/09 San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery's "Passport 2009" was a huge success.  Kudos to gallery director Meg Shiffler,  who came up with the idea, and executed it flawlessly with the help of her volunteer board.  This ingenious idea was an inspired alternative to the countless silent auctions that take place every year. Great way to meet people and participate in the community while acquiring a unique piece of performance art- talking to fellow patrons in line, talking to the artist while being stamped, talking to the small business owners who hosted stamping outposts.  In the words of Passport-stamper Andrew Schoultz, "it's nice to do this instead of donate another piece of art that sells for below market value."  The event raised over $5,000 for SFAC and will be anniversaried in 2010!  Rumor has it that F.O.G. (Friends of the Gallery) can fill in their passport with any missing stamps by calling Meg and asking nicely. 

11/2/09 Are you planning on having a garage sale on November 22nd, 28th or 29th? Do you want free exposure for the sale?  Mission district artist (and CCA senior adjunt professor of photography) Abner Nolan would like to "preview" your garage sale as part of San Francisco Arts Commission funded storefront window project. Your sale items would be displayed in windows for a week to 10 days prior to sale. Your sale must take place with walking distance (5 to 6 blocks) from window site near Alabama and 24th and the items must be available for installation 2 weeks before the sale. Especially interested in material with personal / historic resonance, or sales that are preceding a move out of the city.  If interested, see the Craig's List post and contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   For information about the project see the Art in Public Storefronts webpage on the Triple Base website

11/1/09 The Chron's new "Ovation" section may not be the panacea that the local arts world is hoping for.  From page A5 in today's paper: "Ovation will include feature stories on high-end arts and entertainment."  According to Exec Features Editor Dave Weigand, several major arts organizations have found that in this economic climate, people are waiting 'til the very last minute to buy tix.  Ovation may allow people to plan farther ahead.  Sounds like a win not for the little guy but for the Big Three: Opera, Symphony, Ballet.

10/31/09 Justin Hoover, of Garage Biennale fame and a new SFAI MFA grad (New Genres) is the new curator and gallery director of SoMArts, one of four city-owned cultural centers.  We'll get to see Justin's hand in a show this December, but not again until the following year when the pre-booked exhibition schedule opens up. 

10/30/09 ArtPractical celebrated its official launch at a party at Meridian Gallery on Thursday night, where the new website was revealed to the crowd as the URL went live to the public.  ArtPractical is a collaboration between three great boutique publications:  Shotgun Review, Happenstand, and Talking Cure, and managed by Patricia Maloney.  With the community feeling the Chronicle's future is in doubt, and coverage of visual art on both a local and national basis waning, AP (sounds like Associated Press?) strives to fill the need in the Bay Area.  

10/29/09 Despite the Bay Bridge closure, a packed house last night at Haines Gallery to hear 2010 Eureka Fellow and 2006 SECA Art Award winner Kota Ezawa in conversation with Rudolf Frieling, SFMOMA's curator of media arts about Ezawa's current exhibition, Odessa Staircase Redux.  Also present from SFMOMA: Apsara DiQuinzio, assistant curator of painting and sculpture, and Frank Smigiel, associate curator of public programs.  Also on view at Haines this month in the project space, Katya Bonnenfant, Kota's protege.

10/28/09 Artist Kazuko Watanabe and her partner Yuzo Nakano, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Kala Art Institute, are suffering in the aftermath of a tragic fire that swept through their live/work studio October 5th.  Nakano was seriously injured and is being treated in the burn unit at St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco where he remains in critical, yet stable condition. Kala has established a fund for Nakano & Watanabe at: Bank of America, 2546 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702.  Make checks payable to: Recovery Fund for Nakano & Watanabe, and note for deposit only to acct: 05553-70660.  (Please note this is considered a gift, not a tax-deductible donation.) Flowers are not allowed in the burn unit, but you may send cards to Yuzo Nakano and Kazuko Watanabe care of Kala Art Institute, 1060 Heinz Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94710.

10/27/09 Buoyed by its new printing presses that produce beautiful ads, the Chronicle is launching a new arts & culture section of the paper next week called "Ovations."

10/25/09 Artist/curator Michelle Blade is opening her own gallery in a live/work space in Oakland called Sight School.

10/24/09 Congratulations to Claire Carlevaro of Art Exchange, who celebrated her 25th year in business today! 

10/23/09 Don Fisher's memorial service was held today at Piers 30 & 32 (thanks to Gavin Newsom, the Port Commission waived the $25,000 fee for the event).  Thousands of people sat facing the Bay Bridge in a tent that was the size of an airplane hanger.  Speakers included all ten grandchildren, Don's biographer Art Twain (the mastermind of the original 70s Gap ad campaigns), Diane Feinstein and Governor Schwarzenegger (separately, via pre-recorded video), KIPP co-founders David Levin & Mike Feinberg, Gap Inc CEO Glenn Murphy, and Chuck Schwab.  Chuck Close and Richard Serra also sent messages via video.  Warren Hellman and his band, The Wronglers, performed.  Best art memory shared was from Chuck Close who told this story: "Years ago one of my early paintings came up for sale at auction.  Don didn't bid on it and my feelings were a little hurt.  I found out later that after the auction he called the winning bidder and said, 'I saved you at least a million dollars by not bidding against you, so I'd like you to make a big donation to a charity that's important to me...'" 

10/22/09 Tolu Fadeyi shares her must-see pick for the week: Emerald Cities, opening tomorrow at the Asian Art Museum. The exhibition is one of the largest and most important collections of 19th century Siamese and Burmese art outside of Southeast Asia. Most of the items on display were given to the museum in 2002 by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and are on display for the first time ever.  The Doris-Southeast Asia connection?  After a honeymoon tour to the region, the heiress began amassing her collection of 2000 pieces, storing them in her New Jersey coach barn, indoor tennis court and shooting gallery. Curated by Dr. Forrest McGill, Chief Curator at AAM and M.L. Pattaratorn Chirapravati, associate professor of art history at Sacramento State. 

10/21/09 Dealers who attended the premier screening of (Untitled) last night Iincluding Paule Anglim, Ruth Braunstein and Scott & Alina Richards) thought the movie was written from an insider's point of view, and they were right.  Johnathan Parker, the writer/producer/director, is the son of Gertrude and Harold Parker, founders of the Museum of Craft & Folk Art.  Concensus: costumes were fabulous, but a combination of that many art world cliches never occurs together in nature.

10/20/09 DJ Harmon, Director of Hang Art, writes that she is speaking on a panel this Thurs October 22 from 12:30pm to 2pm called "Portfolios That Work" and is geared toward artists of all disciplines who are looking for some or more representation and/or exhibitions. Fellow panelists include Eilish Cullen (The Lab), Dan Johnson Lake (Lake Gallery), Andrew McKinley (Adobe Books Backroom Gallery), and Dina Pugh (Triple Base Gallery). Sponsored by the Foundation Center as part of their "funding for the arts" month of activities.RSVP required.

10/19/09 Mark Busacca of Busacca Gallery on Hyde Street writes in that he has just launched a free art consignment website www.busaccagallery.com

10/18/09 The closest thing to a diving rod for rising talent in the Bay Area, the Murphy & Cadogan Fellowship Awards, is on view at the SFAC Gallery through December 12, 2009.  Prices range from $60 to $4,200 for the work, made by the winning artists who are between the first and second years of their MFA programs.  5 "NFS" (not for sale) and 1 "priced upon request.  That may be because they're planning to use the work for their MFA grad show in May '10.  This year's 22 winners were chosen by a diverse line-up of judges: YBCA's Betti-Sue Hertz, Kearny Street Workshop's Ellen Oh, artist Isis Rodriguez and SFAC Gallery director Meg Shiffler.

10/17/09 The good news last night at the Southern Exposure housewarming party wasn't just that the 35 year old non-profit finally has a permanent home, but that the Graue Family Foundation has donated $50,000.  Notables present included Valerie Wade, Director of Crown Point Press, Gregory Lind of the eponymous gallery, Electric Works' partners Richard Lang and Anthony Luzi, and Marjory Graue, Chair of SFMOMA's SECA.  This is the perfect time of year to join SECA while there are still membership available, before the rush to join in the Spring right before the 2010 art award cycle begins.

10/16/09 Hackett-Mill held a reception at 201 Post downstairs neighbor's, Orlando Diaz-Azcuy, to fete Helen Park Bigelow.  Helen, daughter of famous Bay Area Figurative painter David Park, was signing copies of her new book about her father's life's work, Nothing Held Back.  SFMOMA representation included Janet Bishop, curator of painting and sculpture, and Tracy Bosworth Bosche, art consultant and member of the invitation-only Modern Art Council.  But the big news from the night?  Michael Hackett and Francis Mill are now representing the estate of David Park.  Hackett-Mill's new space in the building is still occupied by a start-up that is winding-down.  They'll open in the Spring.  

10/13/09 Bolo alert!  Kenji Snow, Chief of Security at SFMOMA, sent out a notice to art galleries in the Yerba Buena neighborhood regarding Mr. Alan Young.  Mr. Young impersonates himself as the singer Bobby Rodgers of the Miracles while he swindles women, hotels and art galleries across the Bay Area.  Every time he has been arrested, he has faked a heart attack prompting paramedics to be called, then makes his scape from the busy emergency room.

10/10/09 The 2009 Baya Area Treasure honoree is legendary sound artist, Bill Fontana.  The SFMOMA award, founded by the Modern Art Council, is a lifetime achievement award for artists from the Bay Area who define and continually redefine contemporary art.  Nice to see that this year's award was made possible by major support from Dolby Laboratories, Inc.    

10/5/09 Kim Furuta is stepping in to help out at John Berggruen Gallery while Tatem Read is on maternity leave.  Kim's resume lists many years as an Art Director at places such as gap.com and Fusion DM.  In 2008 Kim completed the Sotheby's Singapore M.A. program in art business; she comes from the James Cohan Gallery in New York.

9/27/09 Joy replaced by sadness.  Donald G. Fisher died today, two days after the world became aware of his generous gift to SFMOMA. 

9/25/09 HOORAY! SFMOMA lands Fisher Collection!  The museum will build new wings in the old Heald College building on Howard, buy and build on the Howard Street fire station location, and integrate the collection into all three buildings, not keep it separate (the previous sticking point the first time around).  The very last paragraph of Kenneth Baker's article hints that the museum won't actually own the collection, but that this will be a 25 year loan made by the Fisher Trust.  Next summer the collection will be loaned to SFMOMA for a public exhibition.

9/21/09 Natasha Boas is interim Director at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art while Jennifer McCabe is out on maternity leave.

9/14/09 CCA Curatorial Practice Department web feature: Where are they now?  The program, chaired by Lee Markopolous, is now in its seventh year.  Any surprises?  Not for Stark Guide readers. Click here for writeups on Mike Bianco, Joyce Grimm & Dina Pugh, Chris Perez, and more.

9/11/09 Sean McCollum with NAIBT Commercial Real Estatereports that despite the challenging economy, art gallery vacancies in the Union Square area remain low.  Stephen Wirtz Gallery and Scott Nichols Gallery recently renewed their leases for five years each, and 49 Geary is at 100% occupancy.

9/10/09 Happy birthday to SF Camerawork!  The venerable non-profit celebrated its 35th birthday last night at its Mission Street location.  Dealers present included Robert Koch, Jeffrey Fraenkel, Connie and Stephen Wirtz, and Cheryl Haines, all integral to the fabric of the photography community .  Three of the four door prizes were raffled off to three people who are appropriately enough, major supporters of the local arts scene: Art Advisor Lizanne Suter, Cheryl, and collector Lorrie Green.  Be sure to check out the anniversary exhibition up through October 31.

9/9/09 Peter Colon, former Associate with Hackett-Freedman Gallery until it closed earlier this year, is now the Registrar at Fraenkel Gallery.  

9/8/09 Artadia: The Fund for Art and Dialogue is now accepting applications for the Artadia Awards 2009 San Francisco from all visual artists living and working in the 5-county San Francisco Bay Area. Individual artists and collaboratives working in all media and at any point in their career are strongly encouraged to apply. Awardees will be selected in the fall of 2009 through Artadia’s two-tiered jury process. This is Artadia’s seventh awards cycle in the San Francisco Bay Area.  For eligibility requirements and to access the web-based application, visit www.artadia.org.  Application deadline: October 15, 2009 at 11:59pm (PST) 

9/3/09 If you are doing the Divisadero Art Walk, here are the five must-visit stops heading south from the corner of McAllister: Big Umbrella Studios (young artist collective), Lake Gallery (curated by Dan Johnson, formerly with Adobe Backroom), MiniBar (SFAI student work is usually on the walls), Community Gallery, and finish up at Madrone Art Bar.

9/2/09 In early March, Stark Guide reported that Hackett Freedman was closing its doors after 23 years in business. Yesterday Michael Hackett announced that he is opening a new gallery in partnership with HFG's former director, Francis Mill.  Hackett Mill Art Dealers adn Advisors is beginning the remodel of its new location- on the 10th floor of the Prada building on Post & Grant.

9/1/09 Shotgun Review is merging with Happenstand and Talking Cure Quarterly to become Art Practical. Launch is scheduled for early October.

8/31/09 Julio Cesar Morales is the new Adjunct Curator in Visual Arts at YBCA. His programming begins with a Xu Tan project opening in late September. This is the first of 5 interactive, participatory exhibitions with commission components. The second one features a collaboration between George Kuchar and Miguel Calderon.  A great addition to new Visual Arts Director Betti Sue Hertz's team!

8/30/09 Dana Hemenway, former SFAC Gallery Manager and current MFA student at Mills sends this:  "Stimulus Package, or 'The Mills Recovery and Reinvestment Show of 2009,' is an opportunity to pick up first-rate work at dirt-cheap prices. Help the class of 2010 raise funds for their upcoming MFA thesis show while expanding your art collection.  The opening will be held the night of September’s Oakland Art Murmur at Blankspace Gallery. Half of the gallery space will be devoted to original works by the class of 2010 at prices ranging from $10-40. The other half will span the breadth of the Mills program, including pieces by the incoming class of 2011. Find out what’s happening at Mills. Have a drink. Talk to us. Stimulus Package: the Mills College MFA Student Art Sale, Friday, September, 4th, 2009, 7-10pm.  Sale continues September 5-6th 12-6pm."  http://mfastimulus.blogspot.com/

8/29/09 Check out Don Soker Gallery's new 10,000 sq ft space at 100 Montgomery Street, off the beaten path and yet walking distance from the gang in the first block of Geary.  Don has been in business since 1972, and founded the San Francisco Art Dealers Association in partnership with Ruth Braunstein.  DSG was the focus of a San Francisco Business Times article last Spring hearkening the demise of the Geary corridor.  Soker sublet to Jack Fischer Gallery and moved to spectacular space in the financial district.  Meanwhile, important 49 Geary tenants including Stephen Wirtz and Scott Nichols have recently renewed their leases for 5+ years, indicating 49G is still thriving.  Don did get a very cool deal- a reasonable lease albeit with some strings.  His unfinished space must remain as-is so that if/when traditional corporate tenants move in they won't have to deconstruct anything.

8/25/09 Bedroom gallery director of note is seeking works for an iconoclast exhibition that were "neither bought, received in trade, nor had given to you?"   i.e. STOLEN!  

8/24/09 New SFMOMA trustees announced.  Most interesting is the addition of the museum's second artist trusee: Larry Sultan.  Sultan was recommended by Director Neal Benezra, and follows painter Robert Bechtle.  The Artist Trustee serves for a fixed term of three years, and the position is nonrenewable. Also in this year's class: Jim Breyer, Adrianne Iann, Bradley James, Andy Pilara, Norah S. Stone (unusual for married partners to both be on the board), and John Walecka.

8/20/09 Origins revealed?  This morning's Chron celebrates the 40th anniversary of Perry's.  Founder and proprietor Perry Butler's "oldest son, Luke, an artist. tends bar one night a week at the Union Street spot."  Catch his solo show at Silverman Gallery September 11-October 17.

8/19/09 Keep your eyes on Nina Potepan.  This sixteen year old Urban High School student-artist co-curated the exhibition on view right now at Evergold Gallery, in partnership with her mentor Tara Foley.  Potepan and Foley first met while the teen was taking classes at Southern Exposure.  For "Double Trouble" Potepan invited her young artist friends to pair up with a local artist whose work they admired (Foley provided the introductions), and then the pairs each collaborated on a piece for the show.  Participating artists include Monica Canilao, Barry McGee, and Ray Potes.  Over 300 people attended the opening reception at the Tenderloin Gallery (or tried to).  Closing reception is August 27, 6-9pm.

8/18/09 Collectively GRASP Gallery in North Beach is closing.  CG, open about 1 year, specialized in art that was made of environmentally frienly materials or commented on the state of our planet.

8/15/09 It was bound to happen... MUNI's Culture Bus a Bust.

8/14/09 At Albona Restaurant late Friday night: art professionals who spoke at Mark Van Proyen's annual SFAI art crticism conference:  Peter Selz, Kenneth Baker, Allen De Souza, Stark Guide, and keynote speaker Raphael Rubinstein.  

8/12/09 Ali Gass, SFMOMA Assistant Curator of Painting & Sculpture, and her husband Alec Hathaway welcomed Milicent into the world on August 9th at 6:30 pm, two weeks earlier than expected! 

7/21/09 After nearly 20 years as a trustee of SFMOMA, Steve Oliver has resigned in order to devote more time to Sutter Health System, and to transition his general contracting firm, Oliver & Company, into his son’s hands.

7/2/09 A sad day for San Francisco.  "Fishers give up on plan for Presidio art museum," by John King.  Click here to see what we're losing.

6/28/09 Paul Thiebaud, son of the famous Wayne Thiebaud, is holding an "Owner's Sale," winnowing his collection of works by: Jeff ester, Joe Kievitt, Robert M. Kulicke, Pam Sheehan, Christopher Brown, and many others. 

6/27/09 Art Critic Kenneth Baker in this morning's Chron: "Among people with a professional interest in the arts, 'Tutankhamunand the Golden Age of the Pharoahs,' which opens today at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, will merely deepen the tarnish on the reputation of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco."  Click here for the full story.

6/25/09 Noah Lang, Electric Works Publisher, won the Independent Publishers gold medal in the "art books" category for the Jason Jagel monograph, "73 Funshine."

6/21/09 A regular artists' talk with Jack Fulton and David Johnson at the Togonon Gallery on Saturday afternoon yielded a provocative exchange between three famous and long tenured SFAI teachers on the state of contemporary photography.  Jack, Linda Connor and Alice Shaw agreed that this is a pivotal time for the medium- nothing like the advent of digital photography has happened in the last 50 years.  "It's a scary and exciting time," said Shaw.  Provocative quote from Fulton: "social practice-types have usurped the tradition of documentary photography."  

6/14/09 HANG Gallery has closed its street level retail space and moved everything up to the 2nd floor Annex across the street.

6/8/09 Confidential to the non-profits who hold their fuundraising auctions this time of year:  work with your peers to space out the parties so the collectors can pace themselves: SF Arts Commission Gallery, SOEX, Headlands, and Intersection all in one month mean that someone will lose out b/c the pie's only so big.  

5/24/09 Museum director/artist-teacher it-couple is expecting!

5/14/09 Jack Fischer celebrated his new gallery location last night with friends, dealers, collectors and artists.  He didn't have far to go... Jack moved from the closet-like space he held on the 4th floor of 49 Geary... down the hall, to the windowed space that used to be held by the retiring Don Soker. Bold-faced names in attendance included Matt Gonzalez, collage artist, and Jeff Dauber, collector.

5/13/09 Sign of the times?  John Berggruen Gallery announced today that they have recently updated their site with an (affordable) selection of the best recent and historical prints and multiples.  "By featuring iconic lithographs, etchings, screenprints and aquatints by Richard Diebenkorn, Ellsworth Kelly, Jasper Johns, Robert Motherwell, Roy Lichtenstein and Wayne Thiebaud, as well as recent editions from Martin Puryear, Kiki Smith, Isca Greenfield-Sanders and Enrique Martinez Celaya, among others, we hope to offer an intimate and more accessible entree into the world of the artists we represent."

5/12/09 Soft relaunch: www.sfada.com

4/30/09 Culture Bus a bust. As part of the next round of MUNI cuts and fare hikes, the never-quite-off-the-ground Culture Bus has been cancelled.  Problems included the $7 voter-legislated "shuttle fare" which is intended to apply to special routes like the game day service to the ballpark, and inadvetently excluding arts destinations like 49 & 77 Geary. The route was originallyput in place to help tourists find the Academy of Sciences after it reopened last Summer.  No worries there- the Cal Academy is a hit, and isn't even pushing memberships any more since they exceeded their goal early on and are at max capacity most days.

4/14/09 SF Chron reports that the Presidio trust has postponed the final hearing.  Seems that the neighbors who live around the periphery of the park continue to suffer from a bad case of NIMBY.  Spokeswoman Dana Polk said the reason for the delay is that members of the public want to focus on traffic issues and asked that the meeting have a question and answer format. The meeting will likely be rescheduled for the week of April 20, she said.

4/13/09 Mike Bianco writes in to Intrigue to report that he is "turning RISD's offer down to run my space [Waypoint] in Marfa full time. Let me know when you come to West Texas so I can show you around Judd land."

3/19/09 Justin Hoover, formerly of Garage Biennale, will lend his curatorial expertise to QNP. 

3/10/09 Mike Bianco, co-director of Queen's Nails Projects (formerly Queen's Nail's Annex), announced last night on Facebook that he was just accepted to RISD's graduate program for Landscape Architecture.

3/9/09 brent and forest large write that little tree gallery is closing.  Last show, a joint installation by Pablo Guardiola and Haden Nicholl, opens March 21st and runs till April 18th.

3/7/09 SF Chron Art Critic Kenneth Baker panned the SFMOMA SECA exhibition.

3/6/09 Hackett Freedman Gallery announced that partners Tracey Freedman and Michael Hackett are closing the gallery's public exhibition program.  The business partners founded the gallery together 23 years ago and specialize in Bay Area artists from the 20th century.  The press release does not say that they are closing their business altogether. The gallery employs a staff of 8.  

2/13/09 En garde, San Francisco newspaper publishers!  Last night at the SFAC Bill Fontana "Spiraling Echoes" opening celebration at City Hall, corporate sponsor SF Examiner Publisher, Jim Pimentel, announced that his goal is to become the paper-of-record for the arts in San Francisco.  That includes one page, six days a week, devoted to the visual arts!  Hooray!

2/11/09 Spotted at the SFMOMA SECA Art Award reception:  Joan Roebuck, Larry Rinder, Stephen Beal, Bob Shimshak, Gary Sangster, Jessica Silverman, Jack Hanley, Chris Perez, Claudia Altman Seigel, Steven Wolf, Glen Helfand, AND JEFFREY DEITCH.

2/10/09 SFMOMA SECA Art Award winners' exhibition debuts tomorrow night!  SECA has received some terrific press building up to this reveal.  Invitation only party tonight at SFMOMA, open to the public Feb 12- May 10.  On Bad at Sports , Ali and Apsara tell the truth about what it's like to jury a transparent bienniel process in front of 60 museum patrons over the course of six months.  Headline on Flavorpill Tuesday.  And of course, fashion spread with Tauba Auerbach in February's Vogue Magazine! 

2/9/09 Gary Sangster, former executive director of Headlands Center for the Arts, moves to Australia this week, where he'll be a visiting scholar at the University of New South Wales. Going away bash last Saturday night saw a festive combination of Headlands trustees and employees, independent dealers and collectors.  

2/2/09 Kottie Paloma is moving away.  He's not a victim of the economy, but rather doing what emerging artists in this town do, relocating to a larger pond.  His last "306 Flat Files" show is up through the end of Feb in his apartment/studio/gallery.  Between now and then he's getting ready for a solo show in Berlin where he'll show his mini portraits of people he knows, terrific soft sculpture, and NC17 book art with audio accompaniment .  For the past four years his pad at 6th & Market has served as a place for his artist pals to show work that might make a more commercial gallery nervous.  Here's the short list of artists whose work is in the show: Brion Nudah Rosche, Matt Furie, Scott Williams, Rigo, Suzanne Husky, Jay Nelson, Fred Rinne, Chris Sollars.  By appointment only through Feb 28: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

1/30/09 "Art Sandwiched In," the lecture series sponsored by SFMOMA's invitation-only auxiliary MAC Council was sold out yesterday.  Ladies who lunch were sandwiched in between art world insiders including Stephen Beal, president of CCA, and Martine Krumholz, VP of Christie's San Francisco.  The topic was "collecting in today's market," chosen BEFORE the crash.  No sandwiches in sight, however, only poached salmon, quinoa, and string beans.  Janet Bishop, curator of painting and sculpture, moderated a blockbuster panel: Mary Zlot, THE art advisor; Peter Michael, husband of trustee Eileen M. Michael; Laura Pfaff King, chairman, Bonham's & Butterfield's; and Gretchen Berggruen, co-owner of the John Berggruen Gallery.  Most memorable quote was from collector Michael: "If you have any money left, now is a great time to buy art." The message was loud and clear- the dealers are dealing. 

1/28/09 NorCal ArtTable held its winter book club discussion at Press Club this evening.  Anne Smith, Catharine Clark, Christian Frock, Dyana Curreri-Ermatinger, Jennifer McCabe, Kathe Hodgson, Kathleen Kenyon, and Patricia Albers were led in a discussion by Natasha Boas Ph.D., covering that now completely anachronistic book, Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton.  The book is old news; now top of mind for this group is the dire straits that the non-profit and for profit art world alike are in. 

1/27/09 Urgent email from Luis R. Cancel, San Francisco Arts Commission's Director of Cultural Affairs, asking everyone to send their congressman the message that we support the $50M in supplemental funding for the National Endowment for the Arts that is bundled in with the economic recovery package.  Nice website here where you can plug in your zip code and get the names of your elected officials back in case you don't know the name of your congressman.  

1/23/09 Dale Eastman, the writer who is responsible for the encyclopedic coverage of the local gallery scene in the January 2008 issue of San Francisco Magazine, is an artist herself.  Her debut exhibition went up tonight at Hayes Valley Furniture store Zonal.  Most miraculous piece is a thread chain of thousands of words hand sewn on little pieces of fabric, swimming in a glass bottle.   The original story in a handmade book accompanies the piece.  Up through Feb 28.

1/22/09 Claudia Altman Seigel's held a "dress rehearsal" tonight for her fellow dealer tenants in 49 Geary, though Friday night is the official opening for the public.  Altman Seigel's arrival has been quite the buzz for the past few months.  much anticipated gallery.  Altman Seigel is the former director of prestigious Luhring Augustine Gallery in Chelsea.  Altman Seigel represents Trevor Paglen, winner of the 2008 SFMOMA SECA Art Award, who will have a solo exhibition next month. 

1/20/09 74x Culture Bus route cut back.  Finally someone noticed that the Culture Bus is always empty.  Originally launched at the request of the new Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, the bus just did not receive the ridership that MUNI and the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Buerea expected.   At $7 per ticket, drivers and (the few) riders alike said the fare was not a deterrent.  Maybe the route was too limited?  Union Sqaure art dealers clamored for months to get a stop put in on the first block of Geary but to no avail.  It's a great idea, hopefully its second incarnation will be more successful.

1/17/09 Mitzi Pederson's studio-share for lease.  The 2006 SECA Art Award winner, represented by Chris Perez's Ratio 3, is moving away.  "The studio is in a building located in Bayview off of Third street. It is a nice space to work and is pretty quiet too.  It has lots of nice light and is around 240 square feet for $230 a month.  It available February 1st. If interested, please contact: kathy spence: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or terri mcfarland: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ."

1/13/09 Last night SFMOMA's art interest group SECA visited the home of Heather Marx and Stave Zavattero, co-directors of Marx & Zavattero Gallery.  Their vibrant collection consists of contemporary works acquired over the past 15 years—many by artists who have been part of their gallery program.  Janet Bishop, curator of painting and sculpture, told the group that SFMOMA just acquired four works by Marx & Zav gallery artist Andrew Schoultz, two-time SECA Award finalist.  The couple had just installed their own Schoultz in the house that week- a piece so large that the frame had to be built offsite, delivered in pieces, and assembled in the living room!

1/10/09 Kenneth Baker spotted Saturday afternoon at the The Lab.

1/7/09 News from Anu: Anu Vikram reports that after leaving Headlands and taking some time off, she has touched down on the peninsula and now the director of Acion Gallery in Palo Alto.   Acion specializes in modern and contemporary art by South Asian and Asian-American artists.

1/6/09 Watch out de Young... here comes LACMA!  Looks like the de Young has some competition now in its unofficial effort to become a West Coast version of the Metropolitain Museum's Costume Institute.  Yesterday the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced the acquisition of a European fashion collection that includes approximately 250 examples of fashionable dress and more than 300 accessories for men, women, and children dating from 1700 to 1915. 

1/2/09 Josh Kornbluth: Good for the Jews.  Beginning January 10, local comedian Kornbluth begins a series of performances of his new comedic monologue, "Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews?"  The CJM certainly has a sense of humor- the museum commissioned this piece.  See the preview on www.thecjm.org

12/30/08 The beginning of a new trend?  A highly commerical gallery with multiple locations around town is closing one of its doors.  Realtor's notice received today announcing a prestigious 4 story stand-alone building on Grant between Post and Sutter is available for sub-lease.  Added bonus- the top floor contains an exclusive "viewing gallery" complete with gas/wood fireplace and private half bath.

12/24/08 Established photographer David Maisel (who shows with Haines Gallery) is looking for a studio-mate.  Sausalito Studio/Office to Share: Clean, bright space of 930 square feet to share with organized, responsible individual. Ideal for graphic designer, writer, curator, location photographer, photo agent, etc. Large main room of 650 square feet, with two smaller private rooms of 140 square feet each. Very high ceilings, and tons of natural light. Heat and A/C; alarm system; sink/fridge/microwave; free parking; ground floor. Ideal location, close to 101 freeway. Desks, flatfiles, and other office furniture can be supplied. Many possibilities for storage. Rent is from $600 to $1200 depending on amount of space needed, plus portion of utilities. February 1st occupancy. Please contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

12/20/08 Artists taking over the museum?  Tucker Nichols was invited to guest curate an installation on the SFMOMA blog. 

12/15/08 SFMOMA contemporary art interest group SECA held it's annual holiday party last night at the home of Lizanne Suter, prinicipal of Mahoney Suter and SECA council member.  John Herschend and Will Rogan, founders of The Thing Quarterly, spoke about their project and signed up dozens of new members for their periodical in the form of an object.  Rogan is a former SECA winner ('02) and recent winner Trevor Paglen ('08) is a contributor this year.

12/6/08 Looks like the stalemate has ended over the Contemporary Art Museum of the Presidio.  While no definitive plans have been approved by the Presidio trustees, Don Fisher graciously agreed to consider an alternative proposal (two smaller buildings at a slightly different location just off the historic parade ground).  Now the architects go back to the drawing board. 

12/5/08 Just in time for the gift-giving season, Catharine Clark Gallery launched a new econo-art newsletter called "Works Under $1000 Weekly Email." The program includes a continually updated list of works by gallery artists that includes painting, sculpture, and photography, as well as signed catalogues, limited edition posters, and DVDs. Everything featured is priced at $1000 or less, and many are priced below $500. Each Thursday missive will feature a single work with a short bio on the artist and a little more information about the piece. The gallery plans to continue this program into 2009 in an effort to raise awareness about the accessibility of art and offer an alternative for gift-giving throughout the year. Click here to subscribe. 

12/2/08 Things are pretty quiet around here because all the movers and shakers are in Miami for the art fair circuit.  Lindsay Pollock, art reporter for Bloomberg.com, reports that the mood is grim. 

11/26/08 SFMOMA has made the tough decision to close its offices for the days between Christmas and New Year's in order to save on expenses.  This isn't so unusual- other local institutions closing or asking employees to take paid-time-off in this uncertain fiscal climate include Apple and Cisco. 

11/25/08 The fourth annual "Artwear in the Galleries" took place on Sunday at 77 Geary.  The event (which raises money for the textile department of the de Young) has become such a success that Dede Wilsey, president of the board of trustees of the museum, said she'd like to have it AT the museum next year.

11/23/08 Today in the SF Chron John King reports a long overdue update on the stalled out Contemporary Art Museum of the Presidio.  Don Fisher's chosen spot for CAMP at the top of the parade ground could endanger the park's historic landmark status.  A location just 100 yards away or so to the southwest has been proposed instead.  Hopefull Mr. Fisher will find this acceptable and not quash the project altogether.  New architectural drawings will add a few more hundred thou to the bill.     

11/20/08 Gump's fine art curator (and incorrigible francophile) Natasha Boas celebrated her brithday at Le Garage with her closest friends today.  Writers and art mavens sang for their supper at Le Garage in Sausalito: Natasha asked each guest to tell her a story of a recent work of art they had enjoyed- any media.  Salon guests included Matthew Marks gallery director Sabrina Buell, artist Juidth Belzer, writer Vendela Vida, New Langton Arts executive director Sandra Percival, and Museum of Craft and Folk Art executive director Jennifer McCabe, Buell told the best story, a tale of a secret room at the auction house in New York that is handling the estate of Yves Saint Laurent. 

11/16/08 Art is on the front page of the SF Chron business section this AM.  Reporter Julian Guthrie did a story on the state of the local art market.  George Krevsky, Rena Bransten, and Peter Fairbanks, all seasoned pros in business for decades, each expressed trepidation at the state of the economy.  Gretchen Berggruen said that "we're seeing a correction whose time has come" referencing the astronomical prices of late for the work of untested rising art stars in New York and London.  All three should be comforted by the fact that their inventories are in vogue now: "good, quality work at a fair price."

11/15/08 Art and letters converged tonight at the home of Charles Linder, principal of Lincart Gallery.  Linder hosted a fundraiser for 826 Valencia called Boars 'n S'mores for about 120 people.  Tickets were priced on a sliding scale of $125-$826 and sold out weeks ago.  The event was catered by it-underground chef Leif Hedendal, who specializes in organic vegan cuisine and must have been taken aback by host's choice for the main course:  a wild pig that Linder had hunted himself and emerged from cold storage for a bbq.  Not much bidding from the literary crowd in the silent auction where the best stuff was a $300 cocktail napkin doodle by Marcel Dzama and a Barry McGee from Linder's own collection (valued at $7,000, opening bid $4,500) that was double-bolted to the wall.  And yes. Alan Bamberger was there.

11/13/08 Paul Madonna reports that he's had an overwhelming response to this week's "Obama:Progress" All Over Coffee in the SF Chronicle.  Since the original sold within the first few hours it was published, (and a backup waitlist developed quickly) he decided to make a fine art limited edition print of this particular strip to honor this momentous time in history.  The full-color print is 16x22 inches, signed and numbered in a limited edition of 100, at $195 each. Produced by SF Electric Works, these prints are of the highest quality. Follow this link to both view and order: http://tinyurl.com/6p4owo

11/11/08 CAMP update: The deadline for comments has been extended again - we have one more month to show the Presidio Trust our support for the Contemporary Art Museum of Presidio. The November public meeting has been cancelled but mark your calendar for the PUBLIC HEARING ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9th, 2008, 6:30 P.M. @ The Palace of Fine Arts, 3301 Lyon Street.  Write a letter to the Trust in support of CAMP: http://www.camptoday.org/letter.php

 11/4/08 John King, architecture critic for the SF Chron, broke the story behind the funny looking outdoor sculpture at 555 Mission.  King compared "Moonrise Sculptures: March, October and December" by Ugo Rondinone to Edvard Munch's "The Scream."  Rondinone is represented by New York's Matthew Marks Gallery, and literally put his mark on the New Museum when it opened in 2007.

10/31/08 Catharine Clark Gallery artist Al Farrow will be featured in a solo exhibition at the de Young Museum that opens November 8.  The exhibition monograph was generously underwritten by collector Jeff Dauber.  Farrow's reliquaries made out of guns and bullets is strong stuff for the de Young, which has been accused of confectionary programming since reopening in 2005. 

10/27/08 Mill Valley voters will get an "only in Marin" experience when they show up at the downtown polling place on November 4th.  Artist Lizabeth Eva Rossof is installing an 8 man hot tub right across the street from city hall, and she invites you to jump in!  From the press release:  "When the elder George Bush dismissed John Walker Lindh as "some misguided Marin County hot tubber", he inflicted some collateral damage by insulting the residents of Marin County.  For this month's Mill Valley Art Walk on November 4th artist Lizabeth Eva Rossof is doing her part to right that wrong by creating a special Election Day Social Sculpture.  She's giving Marin residents an opportunity to bathe in democracy and freedom as they soak away the frustrations of the last eight years.  llumigarden  (an outdoor lighting company) is installing an eight man spa for the event and inviting the public to come down with swim suit and towel to participate.  The party starts at 5pm, across the street from City Hall in illumigarden's outdoor garden space at 35 Corte Madera Ave.  Election results will be broadcast throughout, and beer and wine will be served.  Citizens of all political persuasions are welcome, and everyone who takes a dip will receive a commemorative "I Soaked!" button to show the world they carried out their civic duty. 

10/26/08 If you were waking up this morning in a haze and thought you heard Julio Cesar Morales' voice on NPR this mornng, you weren't imagining it.  Weekend Edition reporter Adolfo Guzman-Lopez was doing a story on the soon-to-close LACMA show featuring works from the Chicano art collection of actor Cheech Marin.  Morales was discussing a piece from his moving "Undocumented Interventions" series (included in the LACMA show) depicting people so desperate to live in the United States that they hide themselves in the inner workings of automobiles and hope to avoid detection as they are driven across the border.  Marin chose 37 works of art from his 400+ piece collection for the exhibition, "Los Angelenos/Chicano painters of LA," which closes November 2.  

10/25/08 Chancellor Mike Bishop announced yesterday he will step down as chancellor of UCSF next year.  Aside from running an internationally prominent research campus and overseeing the building and completion of a second location at Mission Bay, he also made a major contribution to the art world.  Bishop's committment to the art program at the Mission Bay campus is unprecedented, using the standard "1% (of building costs) for art" as a starting point and augmenting with significant private contributions.  The result is a world class public art program that features establishes and emerging artists and draws from Bay Area talent in a meaningful way.  The interior of campus buildings are also open to the public- just ask the guard to let you in if a door is locked.

10/24/08 Park Life is seeking two interns to support the gallery and its publishing arm, Paper Museum Press.  If you have 15 flexible hours per month, exprience in photoshop, illustrator and html even better, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   If you're interested in the publishing position, a writing is sample required, email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

10/23/08 The first ever social mixer between the members of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association and SFMOMA's SECA art interest group took place last night.  The inaugural speaker for this new tradition was none other than Luis Cancel, Director of Cultural Affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission.  Cancel (who arrived in SF from NYC at the beginning of this year is still new to some) gave a brief talk introducing himself and described the wealth of programming unde rthe SFAC umbrella, then asked for questions and suggestions for how the SFAC can better support the arts community through public policy.  Afterwards, dealers were pleased with the dialog and spoke of unprecedented accessibility and openness to new ideas from an arts commisioner-in-chief.  

10/22/08 The de Young Museum sent an email survey to the arts community today (via the San Francisco Arts Commission mailing list) asking constituents to help inform the museum of how the Bay Area arts community "perceives" it.  This after months of bad publicity (see Stark Guide's Art World Intrigue entries for 9/3/08 and 7/4/08) and even admonishment from one of its own trustees, Barnaby Conrad III, last year.  Questions range from "frequency of visit" to how well the museum supports the local arts community. 

10/21/08 Kenneth Baker, SF Chron Art Critic, deservingly lambasts Berkleley's new piece of public art in today's paper: "Berkeley Big People," by Scott Donahue.  It was stuck on the east end of the pedestrian bridge near Aquatic Park over I-80 last week, and it's ugly.  Baker politley calls the piece "dated," and goes on to celebrate fine examples of public sculpture in the city: Odenburg/van Bruggen's "Cupid's Span," Serra's "Ballast," even the reviled Vaillancourt Fountain gets a thumbs-up.

10/20/08 The budget crisis in Oakland (not related to the home mortgage meltdown but rather executive imcompetence and corruption) is putting that city's art non-profits at risk.  Both Oakland Art Gallery and Creative Growth have sent out plaintive emails in the past week, asking fans to help save their funding.   Also at risk: Oakland/East Bay Symphony, the Crucible, Pro Arts, Eastside Arts Alliance, MOCHA, and more.  Click here to sign the petition.  Attend the hearing in person:  Oakland City Council Meeting, Tuesday October 21, 6pm, City Hall- One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Second Floor  Oakland, CA  94612.

10/19/08 Aimee Reed, curator of exhibitions at the Rena Bransten Gallery, was the juror for the show "Bay Area Currents" on view at the Oakland Art Gallery through November 21.  Reed cites Okwui Enwezor as an influence on her curating style for this show.  She was inspired and relieved to read in the September issue of Art Forum that he too is frustrated with the "inflationary rhetoric of thematization of contemporary art." (The dean of academic affairs and senior vice president at the San Francisco Art Institute, normally operates under the radar.  His name is rarely in local publications and he isn't often seen at non-profit or gallery receptions.)  As a result, she allowed herself to just pick the best of what was submitted resulting in an eclectic yet high caliber exhibition. 

10/18/08 Cal Art Alumni had a panel of heavy hitters at its annual symposium today on campus at Kroeber Hall:  Rene de Guzman, Sr. Curator, Oakland Art Museum; Liz Thomas, Berkeley Art Museum Matrix Curator; Tina Takemoto, performance artist and Associate Professor, Visual Studies, California College of the Arts; and Petra Royale Bibeau, Founder/Curator of Maniac Gallery in Oakland.  There was some energetic debate about the amount of bandwidth that local museums devote to emerging artists who specialize in social practice.  Some audience members were concerned that museums are not doing enough to support the traditional painting and sculpture types who are "emerging" as well.  There was also a cry for more art writing and art criticism in traditional media.  (Stark Guide is available for syndication.)

10/17/08 The San Francisco Business Times published its annual list of the 25 larget museums in the Bay Area this week.   Rankings are based on annual revenue.  The backstory in the % increase or decrease over LY is what's really interesting.  The CJM, Cal Academy, and San Francisco Historical Society were prepping for their new homes.  The SFFAM's de Young suffered from post grand reopening fatigue.  Emily Sano departed from the Asian.  The Magnes strove to raise its visibility in the shadows of the new CJM.  The Oakland Museum began its remodel.  And SFMOMA didn't lose too much ground in the battle for donor dollars.  We'll see where the SF Zoo lands in 2008 since their troubles came at the very end of 2007.  Here are the top ten biggest revenue generating museums of 2007, and the % increase or decrease in rev over 2006:

10/15/08 Two Margaret Kilgallen (1967-2001) paintings were stolen of the wall this morning from the anniversary group show at Gallery 16. The pieces were taken by two guys at around 10 a.m. These paintings are owned by Griff Williams, the owner of Gallery 16/Urban Digital Color, who was a personal friend of Margaret's.  

10/14/08 The skinny on Taste Project: Taste Project is a collaboration between Margaret McLaughlin and Christian Haas.  Margaret, is a former restauranteur and current Sr. Producer with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. Haas is a lifelong advertising guy, current Creative Director at Goodby, and writes a restaurant review blog defiantly titled "No salad as a meal".  Think small, in collaboration with Triple Base, is their first event. 

10/13/08 Triple Base has another of their famous dinner lectures on the books.  This one is the most ambitious yet, a collaboration with Taste Project, presenting art installations, three dynamic guest speakers and top chefs in a spacious loft. The evening centers around the idea "Think Small" and the main topics that will be addressed are scale, constraints and growth.  There's not much info out there about Taste Project, but rumor of an affiliation with design powerhouse Ideo has been overheard.  Add yourself to the Triple Base mailing list so you can send ini your RSVP as soon as the announcement goes out.  Though the date is set for October 25, they're not accepting reservations until they send the official invitation via email. 

10/12/08 Tip for navigating opening receptions at the Contemporary Jewish Museum:  That long line that extends the length of the foyer is NOT to get into the party,  It is the line for admittance to the gallery itself.  For the most enjoyable experience, get a drink at the bar first, allow the line to go down while you socialize, then leisurely walk through the gallery when it is less crowded.  If you buy a $7 drink first, then get in line, you will have to relinquish it when it's your turn to enter.  (P.S. Warhol's Jews is great!)

10/11/08 Michaela Gallery is moving from Hayes Valley to 49 Geary, Suite 234.   Micaela has been at 333 Hayes for just over ten years, The gallery originally specialized exclusively in glass art, but in the last few years has branched out and added drawings, paintings, photography and video, and exhibiting at international art fairs.  

10/10/08 Artist/activist/curator Richard Kamler's Art Talk is back on the air after a summer break of re-runs.  You can hear the show on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. on KUSF 90.3 FM, or streaming live on www.kusf.org.  This week's show was with Evan Bissell, Artist/Educator & Kevin Chen, Program Director at Intersection for the Arts, who was featured last week in the SF Chron.

10/9/08 The deadline for comment on the Fishers' gift to the city of San Francisco, the Contemporary Art Museum of the Presidio, has been extended for a third time, and the October 14 hearing rescheduled for November 13.  In an effort to build community support, the breath-taking collection, normally only open to Gap Inc employees from 11-2, Monday - Friday, CAN be viewed by civilians these days.  Email the CAMP team today at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to request an appointment.  

10/8/08 The father and son team that owns Farley's Coffee Shop on the cute part of Potrero Hill decided to step things up in honor of the cafe's 20th anniversary this year.  Customers will notice a difference from the track record of casual curating: the duo reached out to the Curatorial Practice department at CCA to develop a relationship with the school.  The inaugural CCA-Farley's show called "What We Bought" had its opening reception last night.  Not only is the curator, Jamie Austin, a CCA student, all of the artists are as well.  Plus one teacher, Glen Helfand.  

10/7/08 The numbers are in from SFMOMA's record-breaking summer block-buster show, Frida Kahlo.  The exhibition, which closed on September 28, 2008, was open for three months and attendance during the show was the museum's highest ever, totaling 412,244—an average of 4,530 visitors per day. 20% of Frida's visitors were Hispanic.  The record was previously held by the 2003 Marc Chagall exhibition, which brought a total of 363,641 to SFMOMA.

10/6/08 You'll never have to chauffer your out of town guests again.  The new San Francisco Culture Bus (SFMUNI route 74X) takes art lovers and museum-goers from Yerba Buena neighborhood to the de Young in Golden Gate Park and back. While the art community is thrilled that visitors to our city will be able to get around more seriously, Union Square art dealers are dismayed that only galleries who are members of the Yerba Buena Alliance are listed.  While this is unfortunate, the executive director of YBA, Heather Hoell, deserves credit for running a great business district.  Maybe the Union Square galleries will get organized and join the Union Square Association? 

9/25/08 The best pieces by Ajit Chauhan in the new group show that debuted tonight at Lincart, curated by Berkeley Art Museum Director Larry Rinder, are not for sale.  Two exquisite gouache and pencil works in silver vintage frames are too important to the artist to part with, and the third is on loan from the collection of Jack Hanley.  Just announced:  Chauhan was named artist-in-residence at the deYoung Museum for February 2009.  

9/20/08 Mysterious missive sent to the intrigue inbox from B.A.D., the "Bipolar Art Dealer," alerting Stark Guide that he is now based in San Francisco.  On the B.A.D. website, the mission statement explains that only the work of artists who are being treated for bipolar disorder may submit work, and that no images or names of artists are listed on the site in order to protect their identity.  There is one clue imbedded in the About section, the name "studio 560" which ties back to Leo Madrid, former director at Weinstein Galleries (1999-2005), and whose next project is a curated exhibition at Z. Cioccolato, the chocolate store in North Beach.  

9/19/08 Spotted in the back room at Rena Bransten Gallery: large watercolors, gouache on paper, recently framed, by Marci Washington, who is now an official gallery artist.  Fast work for the CCA grad who received her BFA in '02 and returned for her MFA '08.  Washington was one of the stand-outs from the '07 Murphy Cadogan Fellowship, an award that usually means gallery representation immediately after grad school.  

9/18/08 Queen's Nails Projects relaunches in its new format tonight (see Art World Intrigue mention on 8/22). "Zebulon" will be up through October 18th. The opening reception will be held tonight from 7-11 and will feature a special appearance DJ, Kamau Patton.

9/17/08 Gump's was packed Wednesday night for "Made in the Shade," a silent and live auction emceed by Willie Brown.  The event raised money for a new $100,000 endowed scholarship benefiting California College for the Arts.  Over 100 hand-designed lamp shades were donated by CCA students and SF luminaries alike.  Two shades in the live auction sparked a bidding fury: creations by Pentagram's design legend Kit Hinrichs and Bay Bridge architect Donald MacDonald's creations both were hammered at over $1000.  (Yes, the goody bag for the $100 ticket came with an energystar 8-year 60watt bulb.)

9/13/08 The space directly above Electric Works is for lease.  130 Eighth Street between Mission and Minna is the historic Buzzell Building.  The space is 6,000 square feet, has 16' ceilings, hardwood floors, freight elevator, and plenty of street parking. The EW team would love to have an arts-oriented endeavor as its upstairs neighbor.  Call or email EW gallery manager Noah Lang for the 411: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 415.626.5496.

9/9/08 New Langton has a new look!  "Over the summer, after 25 years at Folsom Street, Langton undertook the first major renovation of its space. Designed by architect and artist Kyu Che, with support from Primo Orpillo, founder and designer of Studio O+a, improvements include a dramatic revisioning of Langton’s entry stairwell; expansion of the gallery space by over 40 percent; rediscovered floors, new expanded office space, and a rejuvenated façade; and – perhaps most exciting – the addition of a formerly industrial space under Langton’s gallery, now called The Garage at Langton. Opening directly onto the street, this high-ceilinged, expansive space is scheduled to host innovative events and projects starting this Fall."  Stop by the open house reception this weekend: Saturday, September 13, 2008, 1246 Folsom Street (between 8th and 9th Streets), 3pm – 7pm

9/7/08 San Francisco Examiner Writer Anne Ray featured Marianna Stark in her Sunday art column called The Eye.  Each week Ray asks local art enthusiasts for their art picks.  Stark chose local artist Stephanie Syjuco's "Comparative Morphologies LII," part of the art program at UCSF Mission Bay campus. 

9/6/08 No, Ratio 3 is not introducing the work on an unknown.  The exhibition that opened Friday night (through Oct 13) features "Lydia Fong," a pseudonym for Barry McGee.  McGee is considered to be the father of San Francisco's Mission School, the name of a movement first recorded by Glen Helfand in a 2002 article for the Bay Guardian.  Chris Perez's shows are pre-sold before opening night, so you may have more luck adding a Barry McGee to your collection through Gallery Paule Anglim, the artist's home base in SF.  

9/5/08 Yesterday the SFMOMA trustees got their first look at the rooftop garden since construction began on April 3, 2008.  No hard hats were required, because the new gallery facing the soon-to-be garden was safely enclosed the day before, using the largest commerical panes of glass available (a soaring 12+ feet in height).  The new gallery and garden add approximately 10-15% of exhibition space, and when complete, museum officials estimate that max occupancy will be just over 200.  They're not just constructing a sculpture garden- Director Neal Benezra thought about the fact that not all sculpture is weather-proof, so the huge new gallery facing the garden will be able to accomodate more delicate work as well.  Anyone who's ever been lucky enough to go to New York MOMA's "Party in the Garden" knows what a wonderful asset the new rooftop space will be for San Francisco when it's complete in Spring 2009.

9/4/08 There's a new gallery in town. Kent Baer and Eli Ridgway's Baer Ridgway Exhibitions debuts tonight, located on chic Minna Street (#174 between 3rd and New Montgomery).  Artists whose work is on view in the inaugural exhibition include Mads Lynnerup, MFA SFAI '01 and Cassandra C. Jones, BFA CCA '98. Reception tonight 5-9pm.  "This dynamic group of international artists brings vibrant and unique voices to contemporary art through a variety of mediums, from woodcuts to social intervention to wallpaper."  While you're on the block stop by Catharine Clark Gallery (150 Minna) and art bar 111 Minna, 

9/3/08 In the September issue of the Nob Hill Gazette, editor Cherie Turner gets the answer to the question we've all been asking- what is FAMSF President Dede Wilsey's reaction to Kenneth Baker's disapproving review of the Chihuly exhibition at the de Young? FROM THE NHG: “I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kenneth Baker,” commments Dede, “and criticism like his makes you just try harder to do better. As regards his review of Chihuly, I disagree; Chihuly’s work is art, good art. And obviously the reading public has not been deterred by his opinion; the attendance has been incredible. I think the write-up may have actually encouraged people to go. The place has been packed and that speaks for itself.”

9/2/08 Great visibility for Andrew Schoultz in today's SF Chron!  Click here to read the Stark Guide profile of Schoultz.  Meet him in person at the opening of his solo show at Marx & Zavattero this Thurs, 5:30pm.

9/1/08 The Sol LeWitt wall drawings in the artium of SFMOMA will be painted over mid-month ("deinstalled") in order to prepare the space for the Martin Puryear retrospective (11/8-1/25).  Some of Puryear's sculptures are so tall that the atrium is the only place they'll fit, but they wouldn't exactly "go" with the LeWitts.  The museum owns the plans to the drawings so they can be reinstalled later on.  

8/29/08  The life and work of Debra McClinton was celebrated last night at Gallery 291.  McClinton's work is nostalgic, haunting, and romantic.  Tragically, the artist took her own life last November at the age of 39.  Work from her estate was generously priced so that her friends, peers, and admirers could afford to collect her art.  The show and the image sale were made possible by the generous donations of time, materials, or images by Alex & Becca Ashton of ZipFly Design, Ed Carey of Gallery 291, Griff Williams of Urban Digital Color, the McClinton family, Stephanie Rausser, Bart Nagel & Bonnie Powell, Kate Powers, and Tony and Frankie Ray Hollifield.

8/28/08 The Academy of Art is extending its reach to cover multimedia communications.  Veteran broadcast journalist Jan Yanehiro, beloved for her years of hosting KPIX's "Evening Magazine," will be the program director.  Her credits include an Emmy and membership in the Academy of Television and Radio Hall of Fame,  A who's-who of Bay Area broadcast journalism has already signed on to teach classes.  

8/27/08 Paul Mahder of Paul Mahder Gallery writes to tell Stark Guide that their current exhibition features Yisrael Feldsott, an artist with quite a story.  "Mr. Feldsott was the youngest person at 17 years of age to ever show at SFMOMA in a 4 person group exhibit titled, 'Fetishes' and again at age 25 in another group exhibit, 'The Aesthetics of Graffiti.'  He was also the only student at CCAC to ever be fast tracked into graduate studies after only one month of undergraduate work. Now in his 50's he is a mature artist with his own voice that is relevant to our time."  Through October 5, 2008.

8/26/08 Amy Franceschini's Victory Garden at San Francisco City Hall will be the belle of the ball at Slow Food Nation this weekend.  The three day festival starts Friday, August 29 and concludes on Labor Day.  On Friday the garden will celebrate its first harvest, with the crop going to feed the homeless.  Amy won the SFMOMA SECA Award in 2006 for this project.

8/22/08 Queen's Nails Annex is evolving.  Queen's Nails Projects, under the direction of Mike Bianco and Julio Cesar Morales, will now operate as the exhibition project at 3191 Mission Street in San Francisco. Q.N.P. will serve as a platform for both emerging and established artists to experiment with new forms of art practice. Brian Storts is moving on to develop The Orchard Project, an artist's retreat and residency under the brand Queen's Nails Ranch. Located on 100 acres of avocado and citrus orchards 60 miles north of Los Angeles, the Orchard Project will offer artists, musicians and writers a reprieve from studio practice and city pavement, allowing them to share their ideas on a personal level, free from outside influence. For inquiries regarding The Orchard Project application process or general questions about the program, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

8/21/08 Headlands Center for the Arts Executive Director Gary Sangster is moving on.  sharon maidenberg (all lower case) will assume E.D. duties while the trustees conduct a search for Sangster's replacement.  In his years at Headlands, Sangster helped transform Headlands from a beloved regional institution to one with an international reputation for excellence.   SG wishes him well.

8/20/08 SOEX just announced its first artist-in-residency project.   Brian Nuda Rosch, director of the Hallway Bathroom Gallery, (located in his home but with traveling exhibitions) is the inaugural artist.  His project, the Portable Ice Cream Stand, opens to the public on September 15.   

8/16/08 David Ireland's historic home at 500 Capp Street purchased for preservation by Carlie Williams, granddaughter of arts benefactor Phyllis Wattis.  

8/13/08 Blogger Thomas Hawk was bounced from SFMOMA by Director of Visitor Relations, Simon Blint.  Blint thought Hawk was trying to take picures of a ticket taker's bust, coining a new photographic term in the process, the "down-blouse" shot.  Hawk says that would have been impossible with the kind of camera he was using...  It is clear that Hawk did something that really made Blint react strongly in defense of his staff.  Whatever the details, both men insist they were being professional.  Hawk blogged about it non-stop from the moment it happened, and the museum issued a statement on Wednesday.

8/10/08 California College for the Arts has CCA will not fill the Dean position that Larry Rinder left to run the Berkeley Art Museum.  The Dean's duties will be divided it among four Directors positions: Fine Arts, Deborah Valoma; Architecture, Ila Berman; Design, Leslie Becker; H+S, Rachel Scheiber.

8/8/08 NOTE TO ASPIRING GALLERY OWNERS:  Esteban Sabar is closing his gallery at 480 23rd Street @ Telegraph in Oakland, and the property owner would like to see another gallery move in.  The space is 2500 sq ft with parking lot and is on the vibrant First Friday Oakland Art Murmur walking route.  Contact Rod Kiracofe if interested:  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 415-722-3038.

8/2/08 Tucker Nichols just announced a new program called Anonymous Postcard.  It's done with his trademark style, charming and whimsical as always.  Participants can send Nichols a message that the writer is too chicken to send himself, and if the staff is inspired, Nichols will illustrate the missive and send it out to the world.   More cool TN news:  the artist and US Poet Laureate Kay Ryan (Fairfax, CA) just collaborated on a new letterpress book published by Electric Work s. 

7/30/08 Gump's announced that it is endowing a scholarship at California College of the Art.  Save the date for a party on September 17, 2008 to celebrate the new union.  This visionary partnership is evidence of CEO Marta Benson's committment to the San Francisco art community.  Bensen also launched a contemporary art program in the Post Street flagship, curated by Natasha Boas.

7/29/08 A well-known dealer who represents emerging/mid-career artists confidentially expressed dismay to Stark about the artists chosen in the YBCA "Bay Area Now" triennial- traditionally a trend-making and career-making venue.  This dealer was surprised that the 20-some-odd artists whose work is on view are mostly either "arrived" or fringe, with few represented by the core group of commercial galleries in SF who represented this stage of career... Impolitic or ingenuous?

7/22/08 Hadi Tabatabai just joined the stable at Brian Gross Fine Art. His first show with BGFA will be in May/June 2009.  Tabatabai is a former artist in residence of the Asian Art Museum and is an affiliate artist at the Headlands Center for the Arts.  His work has been acquired by the Achenbach Collection. 

7/21/08 Electric Works has sold ALL FIVE of the edition "Punball" machines, designed by living legend William T Wiley.  (Rene di Rosa made a special trip from Napa to attend the opening gallery reception in Wiley's honor on May 16.)  One was purchased by the San Jose Museum of Art and the rest went to private collectors.  This project was generously underwritten by Joe Sweeney, a pinball fanatic, whose wife Laura is a trustee of SFMOMA.  Kudos to Electric Works and Sweeney for introducing fine art to pinball!

7/14/08 SFMOMA Donor Services staffing changes:  Denise Cassuto has been promoted to Associate Director of Donor Services, and Cary Littlefield, Assistant Director of Donor Services, is taking over responsilibity for the art interest groups.

7/13/08 Comings and goings at Headlands Center for the Arts: sharon maidenberg was promoted to Associate Director, Anu Vikram, former Program Director, has moved on.

7/10/08   Marx & Zavattero's summer group show opens, co-curated by San Francisco author, filmmaker, and raconteur Robert Mailer Anderson.  Anderson is married to SFMOMA trustee Nicola Miner.

7/4/08 Dale Chihuly glass art exhibit at the de Young (and recent track record of facile programming choices under director John Buchanan's leadership) receives a sternly disapproving review from SF Chron art critic Kenneth Baker.

7/8/08 Prolific Beat Era artist Bruce Conner passed away. 

6/22/08   Grand opening of ArtZone461, Steve Lopez's & Eric Koehler's new gallery in the Mission, formerly partners in the Charles Campbell Gallery.

5/16/08   Charles Campbell Gallery to close for good.  

5/16/08   Gary Garrels is coming home to SFMOMA, replacing Madeline Grynsztejn as senior curator of painting and sculpture

5/5/08   Queens Nails Annex launches innovative new program where a collector can underwrite an exhibition and receive a piece of work in exchange for the donation.  

5/3/08   Hunters Point artists split on Props. G and F.

5/2/08   California College of the Arts has appointed Stephen Beal as its president. He replaces Michael Roth, who resigned in 2007 to become president of Wesleyan University in Connecticut.  Beal, who has served as provost at CCA since 1997, will have financial and academic responsibility for the college's campuses in Oakland and San Francisco. During his tenure as provost and chief academic officer, he initiated several new degree programs, including the master's in visual and critical studies, the bachelor's in writing and literature and the master's in architecture.

5/1/08   Jennifer McCabe is the new chair of the Northern California chapter of ArtTable, a leadership organization for professional women in the arts.  McCabe is director of the Museum of Craft and Folk Art, formerly with New Langton Arts.

4/29/08   Larry Rinder, Dean of California College of the Arts for the last 2 years, is moving on to head up the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

4/28/08   Mike Bianco has moved on from Berggruen Gallery to dedicate himself to Queens Nails Annex full time.

4/25/08   Bay Area Figurative School painter Paul Wonner dies

4/20/08   Artist Ann Chamberlain passed away suddenly after a long battle with cancer.  

4/20/08   In honor of Earth Day, Gyongy Laky (represented by Braunstein/Quay) was commissioned by the New York Times Sunday Magazine to create article titles using her signature word art.