San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery
The San Francisco Arts Commission was established in 1932 to act as the official Arts Council of San Francisco County. It is the duty of this arts commission to provide the general public with access to works of art and to serve as a vital part of the cultural life of the city itself. The Commission is involved with many functions of the city government from approving designs for municipal buildings to overseeing San Francisco’s many cultural institutions. In an effort to promote the city’s cultural diversity and history in the arts, the Arts Commission opened the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery in 1970. Since that time these facilities have served as an important venue where contemporary works of art created by Bay Area artists can be exhibited.
The Gallery curates exhibitions that exemplify the artistic spirit of the Bay Area. The SFAC is also responsible for commissioning new works and collaborating with various community organizations to bring new cultural projects to fruition. The SFAC regularly hosts lectures and talks with artists to help people gain a better understanding and appreciation of how art can positively affect the daily lives of San Franciscans.
There are three separate sites that are a part of the SFAC Galleries. The Main Gallery is located in the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in San Francisco’s Civic Center at 401 Van Ness Avenue. This arts center is one of the largest in the United States and regularly hosts performances of opera, dance, theatre, symphonies and recitals, in addition to housing the art galleries. The Main Gallery site will be closed until 2015 while work is being completed to expand the facilities. The Window Installation Site is located at 155 Grove Street and can be viewed at all hours of the day, every day of the year. The Art at City Hall exhibit is housed in the San Francisco City Hall building and is open Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 8 PM. Admission is free to all SFAC Galleries and exhibits. You can reach the Galleries office by calling 415-554-6080. You can also visit their website at http://www.sfartscommission.org/gallery.