The San Francisco Art Fair made a vibrant return on Thursday night, transforming the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion into a spectacle of creativity and culture. With surreal installations such as neon sculptures, ceramic chickens engaging in chess, and giant Barbie prints suspended from the ceiling, the fair welcomed an audience of art enthusiasts and collectors.
The event is expected to draw over 20,000 visitors through its duration, which runs until Sunday. Attendees will traverse nearly 100 booths displaying art from around the globe. Jessica Freeman, the art fair’s director, emphasized the interactive experience offered at every gallery booth, stating, “Every gallery has a director within its booth and their entire goal is to talk to you — the potential fair attendee — about the art, how the artist made it, what their goal is and what it’s meant to inspire.”
This year’s fair places a spotlight on the rich art culture of the East Bay, particularly through the curation of Oakland’s pt.2 Gallery. Curator Brock Brake highlighted the talents of established artists such as Alicia McCarthy and Squeak Carnwath along with emerging Oakland-based artists like Yameng Lee Thorp and Soleé Darrell.
Brake, who recalls growing up in a trailer park in Marysville, Ohio, first discovered Bay Area culture through skateboarding media. He remarked on the unique, supportive environment of Oakland that fosters artistic expression, saying, “A lot of people come here to grow and find themselves a little bit more.”
The East Bay’s creative voices stood among some of San Francisco’s finest, including Jessica Silverman, who operates a well-known gallery in Chinatown. Silverman’s booth, titled “Beloved Community,” primarily showcases Bay Area artists, featuring the works of Woody De Othello, Chelsea Ryoko Wong, and others.
Expressing a deep commitment to the city, Silverman said, “If you decide to be here, it’s because you love it. When artists stay here, that kind of commitment to the city is felt, and reverberates through the community.”
One work that captured attention was a surrealist depiction of a bouquet from Virginia Woolf’s novel “Mrs. Dalloway,” accompanied by an intriguing six-eyed silver moth. Mission Bay resident Erin Zhao found herself entranced, commenting on the painting’s sense of enigma, created by Claire Rojas, a prominent figure in the Mission School art movement.
Silverman attributed part of the renewed investment in San Francisco’s art scene to Mayor Daniel Lurie, whom she described as an arts patron and collector. She noted, “He’s creating opportunities for conversations within the city that in my 16 years of business have not been had, that I have not been invited to the table.”
She expressed optimism for the future, despite current challenges, stating, “I feel great hope for the direction that we’re moving.” However, Silverman stressed the necessity for more support for art institutions, emphasizing that increased tourism would bolster the local art scene.
The hurdles faced by Bay Area artists include not only high living costs but also a troubling number of gallery closures and narratives that deter tourists. Brake pointed out the pressing issue of budget cuts affecting East Bay art organizations, warning of potential institutional losses.
“Unfortunately, there are just not enough resources,” Brake lamented. “Right now is a really important time for people to really support those organizations before they’re not there.”
For those looking to support artists, whether local or international, or for first-time collectors, Freeman offered valuable guidance: “Ask questions. You can collect at any level; you just have to find a way in, and you can only do that by asking questions.”
image source from：https://www.kqed.org/news/12036768/from-oakland-grit-to-chinatown-glam-bay-area-artists-shine-at-sf-art-fair
