SAN FRANCISCO ART INSTITUTE
UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HE ART
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SFAI courtyard Photographed by Pauline Quintana
UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES School of Studio Practice Bachelor of Fine Arts Design and Technology Film New Genres Painting Photography Printmaking Sculpture School of Interdisciplinary Studies Bachelor of Arts History and Theory of Contemporary Art Urban Studies Students can also pursue a minor in any of SFAI’s major programs.
OVERVIEW
CAN’T WAIT FOR ART SCHOOL? SFAI’s summer PreCollege program for students ages 16–18 is a five-week, six-college-credit course of study that immerses participants in a world of making art. Learn more at www.sfai.edu/precollege
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Welcome to the San Francisco Art Institute.
SFAI seeks students who approach the world curiously and critically; who are receptive to new ideas and energized by questions. Though students here spend countless hours in the studio and researching, an education at SFAI is about much more than making or looking at objects. Art is embedded in culture and society, and students work closely with faculty members and peers in both studio and liberal arts courses—and across disciplines—to strengthen modes of creative, visual, and analytical thinking that are essential for success in a rapidly changing world.
A fair warning: SFAI is not for the faint of heart. The experience is rigorous and demands an intense commitment of thought and practice. Professors push artists outside their comfort zones in order to challenge pre-conceived ideas and foster original work; in turn, artists must have the courage and grit to experiment, sometimes fail, and keep striving. Through this shared endeavor, art becomes a long-term dedication to imaginative and meaningful ways of seeing, learning in, and contributing to the world. Let’s get started.
INTRODUCTION
SFAI is an educational experience for adventurous thinkers and makers. For more than 140 years, this institution has welcomed the avant-garde and radical, cultivating diverse and unique approaches to art-making. But one thing SFAI’s students and faculty all have in common is a commitment to risk-taking, experimentation, and innovation. In other words: This is an eye-opening, convention-challenging, think-outside-the-box kind of place in which to develop as an artist and an individual.
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SFAI has been a magnet and incubator for visionary artists for more than 140 years—and we’re just getting started.
LIVING LEGACY
Diego Rivera, The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City, 1931, Photographed by Joshua Band Jet Martinez, Bouquet, 2012 Facebook headquarters, Menlo Park, CA
A small institution with global impact, SFAI has been home to internationally renowned artists: painters Mark Rothko, Richard Diebenkorn, and Kehinde Wiley; photographers Ansel Adams, Annie Leibovitz, and Catherine Opie; filmmakers Sharon Lockhart, Kathryn Bigelow, and George Kuchar; conceptual artists Bruce Nauman, Paul McCarthy, and Nao Bustamante, and many others. These iconoclasts have spearheaded the most important art movements of the last century, including fine art photography, the Beat movement, Abstract Expressionism, Bay Area Figuration, Funk art, avant-garde film, Conceptualism, and video and performance art. SFAI is proud of this remarkable history, and it informs what we do and infuses our culture. But what our community is most excited about is the present and the future that we are building, together. Every year, every day, minute-by-minute in real time, students and faculty are changing and shaping the landscape of art and culture. What will your role be?
THEN AND NOW: MURALS One of the most spectacular elements of SFAI’s campus is the 23-foot-tall mural The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City, painted by world-renowned Mexican artist Diego Rivera in 1931. SFAI students continue to engage with the art form of murals: recent course offerings include Mural Painting as Public Representation, which considered murals’ power to embody, challenge, or redefine public spaces and their histories, and an on-campus mural wall is dedicated to ever-changing, large-scale student projects. Off campus, Jet Martinez (BFA Painting, 2001) recently became Facebook’s first Artist-in-Residence, painting a bold mural in the company’s headquarters inspired by floral patterns from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. Says Martinez, “Diego was the main reason I came to SFAI. I try to honor that legacy in the work that I do, and there is no purer way than to do public works for all to enjoy.”
"Although we’re not all descendants of the gold rushers, we’ve inherited their rebellious, can-do spirit. If it doesn’t exist, we’ll create it. If we don’t like it, we’ll hack it. If it’s in our way, we’ll go around it. And so on any given day, you’ll find us creating something new.”
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The Bold Italic magazine on San Franciscans
As a cultural center, the Bay Area is world-class, yet it maintains an intimate feel and a DIY ethos. The region is full of places to experience and exhibit art, from major institutions (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Asian Art Museum, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, de Young Museum, Legion of Honor) to established galleries, to alternative and collaborative spaces in back rooms, basements, bookstores, parks, and streets. And everywhere you look, you’ll see how SFAI students, faculty, and alumni— a pack of instigators and influencers—have shaped the art community, and the city.
SFAI campus event Photographed by Anne Shulock
Built out of a pioneering history, San Francisco continues to thrive on the cutting edge, attracting and fostering entrepreneurs, activists, and innovators. Culturally and socially progressive, with a diverse population and ties to Asia and Latin America, it is the perfect setting in which to connect an individual artistic practice to the world at large. (The Bay Area also boasts miles of coastline, hiking, and bike trails; dozens of concert venues and music festivals; and a booming food scene ranging from organic restaurants to taquerias to off-the-grid food trucks and underground markets.)
The American Institute for Economic Research has ranked San Francisco as the best major metropolitan area in the U.S. to attend college. The rankings were based on criteria including number of cultural and entertainment venues, entrepreneurial activity, earning potential, and percentage of residents working in the arts, education, knowledge industries, science and engineering, and management.
SAN FRANCISCO
DID YOU KNOW?
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SFAI’s historic 800 Chestnut Street Campus in Russian Hill is the center of student life, home to a diverse yet close-knit artistic community. (Along with nearly 450 undergraduates, SFAI enrolls about 200 graduate students, and the student body hails from more than 30 countries.) A striking combination of Mediterranean courtyard and Corbusian concrete, with stunning views of the San Francisco Bay, the building is layered with stories: Here is where Diego Rivera spent a month on a scaffold painting a mural; where Mark Rothko and Clay Spohn organized a “costume affair” called The Unknown; where nascent Punk bands The Mutants, The Avengers, and Romeo Void played early shows. Now, it’s where students install exhibitions, play live music, stage performances, attend film screenings and artist lectures, share food and ideas at barbeques, and otherwise intertwine their school and social lives.
CAMPUS LIFE
Opening reception in the Walter and McBean Galleries Photographed by Joshua Band
Facilities include: •
Spacious studios and classrooms, with individual studios for honors upperclassmen
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The student-run Diego Rivera Gallery, which provides opportunities for students to curate or exhibit work in a public setting that welcomes 15,000 visitors each year
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The student-run Prentice and Paul Sack Still Lights Gallery for photo-based work
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The acclaimed professional Walter and McBean Galleries, featuring work from national and international contemporary artists
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The Anne Bremer Memorial Library, housing 32,500 books and exhibition catalogues, a collection of rare artists’ books, videos and DVDs, and subscriptions to more than 200 periodicals
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State-of-the-art digital labs supporting sound, photography, film, video, design, 3D modeling and animation, web, programming, and print
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A lecture hall and rooftop amphitheater
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A courtyard café with seasonal, organic food prepared fresh daily
GET INVOLVED! SFAI’s clubs and organizations reflect the diverse interests of students, ranging from artistic and intellectual endeavors to recreational and social activities. Don’t find the club you’re looking for? It’s easy to start your own. Sample clubs: Rock ‘n Roll Art School: SFAI Student Band and Music Space Indigenous Arts Coalition Zeitgeist: Art Journal Critique The Tower 102.5 FM Radio Station The Consciousness of Death Lecture Series
Most incoming undergraduate students live in one of SFAI’s two residence halls, Abby Hall and Sutter Hall, in the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. All new undergraduates who are 19 years old or younger are required to live in campus housing during their first academic year.
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The residence halls are staffed by Resident Advisors who help to create a safe, secure, inclusive, and engaging environment. Students enjoy the comfort of security at the front desk, special programs and events, private tutoring sessions, walk-in and group counseling sessions, an on-site kitchen, easy access to public transportation, and the creative rewards of living in a community of artists.
TRANSFER STUDENT SPOTLIGHT JESSICA FLEMMING BFA PAINTING AND PRINTMAKING “I remember first walking in to SFAI, and it being the most calming, weird experience—I felt this very strange sense of home even before I knew anything about the school. I came from two different city colleges that had over 20,000 students each. It is so nice to be able to finally know the professors that I’m working with, and know that when they see my work they see personal growth within me as an artist. If students come here, they should throw themselves into all the opportunities. Take risks. Take a chance. Try things that you’ve never tried before. That’s a life lesson for anywhere, not just SFAI, but it really helps here.”
RESIDENTIAL LIFE
Thinking of making a move? Nearly 50% of SFAI’s incoming undergraduates are transfer students from community colleges or other four-year universities. SFAI values the varied backgrounds and experiences that transfer students bring to the school, and many transfers are active in student life and student leadership. Transfer students also have the option of living in the SFAI residence halls their first year at SFAI, making for an easy transition to San Francisco. For more information about transfer requirements, see page 23.
Jessica Flemming, Untitled (Study), 2012 Gouche on paper
TRANSFER STUDENTS
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SFAI embraces students as artists and scholars from the moment they step on campus. The Core Curriculum— encompassing studio courses, art history, and liberal arts—invites students into the creative and intellectual community of the school, and provides a strong foundation for a multifaceted art practice. SFAI’s curricular structure encourages an interdisciplinary approach, and most students continue to take courses across departments throughout their time at SFAI.
CORE CURRICULUM
Work by Seokyeong Lee Yoon at a Diego Rivera Gallery exhibition opening Photographed by Joshua Band
First Year Program Anchored by the course Contemporary Practice, SFAI’s First Year Program enhances incoming freshmen students’ skills in research, critical thinking, and written and visual expression. The program challenges students to move beyond their assumptions about what art is and can be, with questions such as: •
How do artists translate raw experience into expressive form?
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How does imagination connect with analysis to deepen meaning?
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What historical narratives support creative work?
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How can an artist engage with society beyond the borders of art’s conventional spaces of exhibition in the studio, gallery, and museum?
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What are the many ways to address audience and what does the audience bring to art? Recent First Year Program activities include meeting with curators at SFMOMA, a talent “gong” show, and a trip aboard a Mexican Party Bus to the Headlands Center for the Arts. Art History Art history is continually re-examined through new research, methodologies, and interpretations. SFAI’s required art history courses—including Global Art History, focused on prehistory to the Middle Ages; Modernity and Modernism, which covers the Renaissance to the mid-20th century; and Contemporary Art Now, focused on art in North America and Europe from the 1950s to the present— equip students to think deeply and broadly about cultural production across times, places, and societies.
Liberal Arts SFAI’s liberal arts courses offer students grounding in the humanities and the social/natural sciences, while exploring areas of intersection with the visual arts. With course topics ranging from the mathematics of interactive media to urban ecology to the politics of gender and sexuality, students arrive at an understanding of literature, history, philosophy, theory, and criticism, and of their own artistic and academic interests within this landscape.
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Liberal Arts Requirements English Composition A English Composition B Humanities 200 Humanities 201 Science Mathematics Social Science Studies in Global Cultures Critical Theory A Critical Theory B Elective
The critique process is central to SFAI’s educational methods. In studio courses, each student will present finished work (or work-in-progress) to classmates and the professor for discussion. Though every critique session is different, most will include analysis of formal and conceptual qualities, discussion of the artist’s intention behind the work and its relationship to art-historical or contemporary practices, and finding connections between the process, the materials, and the ideas. The give-and-take of critiques demands thoughtfulness and openness from each participant; the goal is to move beyond quick judgments of work toward meaningful conversations that push artists to grow.
CORE CURRICULUM
THE CRITIQUE
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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
THE PROGRAMS
Nathan C. Warner, Terrarium Lamp, 2012 Poplin wood, glue, bell jar, light sockets, dimmer, cactus, soil, rocks
This program views technology as a tool for activating ideas, focusing on its potential for innovative application and to communicate meaning. Exploring how our designed and connected world reflects larger social transformations, students address vital questions such as: How does technology affect relationships, power dynamics, and cultural difference? What might the future look like, and how might we interface with the objects and people around us? How can artist/designers use technology for creative and critical interventions? Design and Technology exists at SFAI in the context of the school’s fine arts legacy, and uses that legacy to challenge traditional interpretations and categories of design. Students with experience such as web design and interaction design pursue an interdisciplinary, conceptually driven art/design/media practice that unites two concepts: the ideas we live by and the things we live with. Through the development of key skills in areas of Media Techniques, Communications Design, and Designed Objects, as well as a project-based learning approach, students move beyond the screen into expansive realms of installation, interactive sculpture, sound, electronics, mixed media, social media, and systems and networks. Critique, liberal arts study, and the many resources of the Bay Area/Silicon Valley further position artist/designers to produce solutions at the nexus of creativity, economy, humanity, sustainability, and ethics—all required for success in the 21st century world.
“At SFAI, the present, past, and future are all at one point. This school has a history of capturing lightning in a bottle, and very few institutions can do that constantly and sustain it. So how do you envision yourself to be a part of that? I’m now more avant-garde than when I first came here. The cross-pollination of being in an interdisciplinary program has helped me develop as a filmmaker, and find my own form and craft. And it hasn’t been strictly tuned to film; even the academics have made me a better, more thoughtful filmmaker. I don’t think it would have happened in another institution or another city—it was supposed to happen here.”
FILM
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A pioneering presence in avant-garde film, SFAI has been home to such filmmakers as Sidney Peterson, Bruce Conner, and Stan Brakhage, and the raucous spirit of independent film legends the Kuchar brothers—late, longtime faculty member George and current teacher Mike—continues to permeate the school. Additional faculty are renowned across experimental, narrative, and documentary forms. SFAI values the possibilities of film for individual expression, and students have access to the facilities and faculty to create projects ranging from abstract celluloid shorts to digital features. Through production and post-production courses, technical workshops, and advanced courses in topics like editing, cinematography, and 3-D rendering, students develop understanding and ability within the existing film world. But it doesn’t stop there: filmmakers push the boundaries of the medium by integrating new technologies (or reimagining old ones), exploring alternative contexts of production and distribution, and rethinking relationships between film and other media such as installation, performance, text, and sound. The Bay Area also boasts exceptional film resources, including the Pacific Film Archive, the San Francisco Cinematheque, Canyon Cinema, the San Francisco Film Society, Bay Area Video Coalition, Artists’ Television Access, cutting-edge technology companies, and dozens of film festivals.
“Since the mid-1940s, when Surrealist-influenced films were created in some of the country’s earliest filmmaking classes at the San Francisco Art Institute, the Bay Area has been a global center for an extraordinary constellation of artists who use film and video not for entertainment or documentation, but as an apparatus for the untethered pursuit of personal expression.” –Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000 at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
James Howzell, Time Share, 2012 Digital video
/ MINOR IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
THE PROGRAMS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT JAMES HOWZELL BFA FILM
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NEW GENRES New Genres as a program and a philosophy is a way of thinking and creating that makes the idea the material from which art is made. Students often work in video, performance, and intervention, but the practice of New Genres transcends specific media: for each project, the concept, intention, and meaning drive the form of expression.
Emily Gorman, Untitled, 2012 Video still
SFAI’s New Genres Department has its roots in the major conceptual and disciplinary shifts in art during the late 1960s and early 1970s, referencing the rich and recent history of investigational contemporary art that includes Fluxus, Chris Burden, and Marina Abramović, as well as SFAI alumni Jason Rhoades, Karen Finley, Paul Kos, and Tony Labat, among many others. The contemporary practice of New Genres is constantly evolving in response to sociopolitical, technological, and cultural changes; courses at SFAI are labs for cross-media and cross-cultural experimentation, serving as breeding grounds for unique forms of art.
FROM THE 1979 SFAI COURSE CATALOGUE Beginning Video/Performance with Howard Fried class defies description teacher defies description teacher defies class description teacher defies convention students defy conventions students defy conventions teacher
THE PROGRAMS
art defies authority revolution defies authority art defies revolutionary authority
PAINTING
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SFAI’s Painting Department is dynamically situated between this legacy and the wide range of conceptual and material possibilities available to contemporary painters. Guided by faculty working in diverse styles, students identify and visually articulate their formal, ideological, and emotional concerns. Seminars and critiques foster authentic and intimate interaction with accomplished artists and peers, and provide students with the historical and critical background to locate their work within the discourse of contemporary art. The program also supports painters working across disciplines such as installation, sculpture, photography, printmaking, or design, combining their diverse interests into one cohesive practice.
“What SFAI really cultivates is your thing. As a new incoming student, I really wanted to do something different. But Fred Martin, a painting faculty member, the first big thing that he said to me was, ‘In trying to be different, you’re just acknowledging that you’re the same.’ That’s some Zen, heavy-duty stuff right there, and it’s true. So now, even if the work that I make is incredibly weird, I want it to be weird, because it’s me. And when people have certain reservations about making something, I make sure to tell them: ‘No holds barred. Remove the filters, and just do intuitively what you want.’ ”
Past Fellows include: Amy Sillman Chris Ofili Fred Tomaselli Gottfried Helnwein Jim Isermann Julie Mehretu Kerry James Marshall Lisa Yuskavage
Marilyn Minter Mickalene Thomas Nalini Malani Nicole Eisenman Peter Saul R.H. Quaytman Wangechi Mutu Yun-Fei Ji
THE PROGRAMS
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ALEX ZIV BFA PAINTING
The Clive Fellowship The Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation Distinguished Visiting Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Painting Practices offers SFAI students an unmatched level of engagement with internationally recognized painters. Each semester, three artists are invited to SFAI for a short-term residency, during which they present public lectures and meet with painting students in colloquia and critiques.
Alex Ziv, Influential, 2012 Pen and ink on paper
SFAI has one of the most respected painting programs in the country, and its legacy shows why. Diego Rivera’s Social Realism. Clyfford Still’s Abstract Expressionism. Richard Diebenkorn’s Figuration and Abstraction. The California Funk Movement. The graffiti-inspired Mission School. Contemporary painters Kehinde Wiley, Iona Rozeal Brown, and Toba Khedoori. Major artists and movements have developed within SFAI’s walls, and then made their mark on the world.
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PHOTOGRAPHY There is no other program so invested in the history, meaning, and making of photography while also pushing the medium into reinvention. The artists involved in the creation of the SFAI Photography Department—Ansel Adams, Minor White, Dorothea Lange—are the most noted in photography’s history, and the program still carries their legacy of fine art practice engaged with societal conditions.
Joshua Band, Pickled Quail Eggs,2011 Archival inkjet print
Understanding that the visual language of photography is central to the contemporary world, SFAI’s program addresses photographs both as formal objects and as modes of communication, documentation, expression, and critique. Students may work in analog or digital formats, considering what traditional methods offer unexplored potential, as well as how emerging technologies are shaping 21st century image-making. Questions of installation, scale, and interactive possibilities are all new and important parts of the conversations that influence this evolving medium. Along with guidance from SFAI’s distinguished faculty, students interact with current visionaries of photography through lectures presented by PhotoAlliance, an affiliate of SFAI.
NOTABLE SFAI PHOTOGRAPHY ALUMNI
THE PROGRAMS
Annie Leibovitz Anthony Aziz Catherine Opie Jim Goldberg Larry Sultan
Lewis Baltz Pirkle Jones Ralph Gibson Ruth-Marion Baruch Sharon Lockhart
PRINTMAKING
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT BARRY McGEE BFA PRINTMAKING, 1991 “A really great artist and influential friend of mine Ashley Boline took my hand and walked me through the front doors of 800 Chestnut when I was a very young man. I think about all the weird kids and teachers, how we all came together in SF at 800 Chestnut. It’s one of the strongest art communities I have been involved with. SFAI is steeped in SF art history...the real deal. Its location and relaxed campus make it one of the last great art schools in America."
THE PROGRAMS
The Bay Area is home to exceptional printmaking resources, including renowned presses Crown Point Press and Magnolia Editions, the Kala Art Institute, and the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Legion of Honor, which houses 80,000 prints from the 15th century to the present.
Barry McGee, Installation view (detail), 2012 Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive Photographed by Sibila Savage Courtesy of Ratio 3, San Francisco
With resonance both in the art world and broader spheres such as music and social/political activism, printmaking integrates form and content in exciting ways. SFAI’s Printmaking Department—equipped for lithography, intaglio, screenprinting, letterpress, and relief, as well as digital printing and the making of artists’ books—challenges students to use processes creatively to translate ideas into print. Artists may work with centuries-old techniques or new technologies, choosing between—or mixing—the traditional and experimental applications of these media. From handmade books and fine art prints to street art, zines, and cross-disciplinary projects, printmaking at SFAI offers a multiplicity of possibilities.
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SCULPTURE Sculptors in the 21st century work in a very different way than their art-historical counterparts. While the functional value of ceramics and the tradition of creating a single sculptural object are still valued, site-specific installation, interactivity, and technology have all significantly changed the face of sculpture in contemporary art. SFAI’s Sculpture/Ceramics Department offers facilities for work in ceramics, wood, metal, plaster, fabric, electronics, found objects, and more. Investigating the interplay between the material and the conceptual, students are encouraged to experiment, question their artistic intentions, and develop critical and problemsolving strategies.
Sarah-Dawn Albani, Untitled, 2012 Wood, metal, linen, latex, oil
SFAI’s progressive program comprises three areas of emphasis, inviting individual or hybrid practice: 3D Media/Practice Students engage with classical materials, figuration, and narrative structures through casting, modeling, and assemblage. Kinetics Borrowing from animation, robotics, virtual reality, sound, theater, and puppetry, students construct performative/ interactive/responsive objects and installations.
THE PROGRAMS
Systems and Environments Research-driven, laboratory-like courses encourage inquiry and practice informed by environmental studies, urban studies, science, ecology, sustainability, architecture, public art, and activism.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT SARAH-DAWN ALBANI
BA HISTORY AND THEORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART / MINOR IN SCULPTURE
“I was very surprised when I presented what I thought was a really wacky portfolio to [faculty member] JD Beltran, and she was like, ‘Yeah! This is great!’ It was the first institutional affirmation of the type of improvisational, do-it-yourself exploration that I had been doing. I found myself in this kind of alternate reality in which the sorts of ideas and concepts that I’d been struggling with my whole life suddenly did not seem so alienating—in fact, they were points of connection with people. This school has totally transformed the way I see myself in this world, and the possibilities I have for the future."
HISTORY AND THEORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART
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IN THE ARCHIVES As an epicenter for experiments in art-making and art education, SFAI has amassed an archive brimming with stories yet to be told. Alongside folders containing Ansel Adams’ early requests to open a department of fine art photography and the notes leading up to the commission of Diego Rivera's 1931 mural, SFAI faculty and staff have helped students discover Mark Rothko's old roll books, full of compelling doodles that look eerily similar to his important paintings; ephemera generated by on-campus parties and exhibitions connecting SFAI to the Beat and Punk scenes; artist books made by the likes of Kathy Acker; artist talk recordings preserving the voices of Marcel Duchamp and John Cage; and enigmatic scraps in unmarked envelopes (one containing a lock of hair and small gold ring).
THE PROGRAMS
The history of art isn't self-evident; being an art historian requires active research and interpretation. SFAI’s program stresses primary research methods, requiring that students spend time in SFAI’s and other institution’s archives to unlock new perspectives on how the idea of art has changed over time, and also engage with and interview contemporary artists. Students benefit from developing these theoretical and academic practices while immersed in an art-school environment of studio work, exhibitions, and visiting artists and scholars—living, documenting, and analyzing the “history of the present” that will inform art and culture for years to come.
Art history exam notes by Ayuna Collins Watercolor and ink on paper
Emphasizing research, critical thinking, and writing, the History and Theory of Contemporary Art (HTCA) program provides students with an in-depth understanding of the discourses surrounding global art and culture. With a strong focus on the contemporary moment, the curriculum investigates complex questions such as: What is the relationship between art and power? What is the role of the artist or art historian as interventionist or activist? How have new technologies and globalization changed art or its analysis? What connections can be made across times, places, and cultures?
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URBAN STUDIES
THE PROGRAMS
Exhibition for SFAI’s youth education program City Studio, 2012 Photographed by JD Beltran
Poised at the forefront of socially conscious art movements, SFAI’s Urban Studies program addresses the contributions of art, artists, and researchers to the urban domain. The changing dynamics of cities—most notably the problem of rapid worldwide urbanization— have demanded new ways of thinking about geography, the built environment, citizenship, and community. The program proceeds from the conviction that artists impact how cities are made, experienced, and represented, and that, reciprocally, cities influence artists and art-making in significant ways. Urban Studies students engage with social, political, civic, and environmental questions from a distinctly artistic point of view, in forms including public art, social activism, ethnography, and community-based workshops. Students chart an individual course through the program, working with faculty who contribute expertise in such diverse yet inextricably linked fields as visual studies, art history, architecture, anthropology, sociology, geography, literature, philosophy, media studies, ethnic studies, and American studies. This multidisciplinary approach encourages students to follow their interests, no matter where in the city—or world—they might lead.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT BENJAMIN ASHLOCK
BA URBAN STUDIES
“In going to college, I really wanted a self-driven, self-directed program, and in many ways that’s what I’ve found: the freedom to ask any question I wanted. You should come here if you want to be challenged to make your own decisions and to think independently and critically, and also be concerned with your history and context and where you fit in. Art school can be scary, but I think that those places of fear are some of the most productive places as an artist. Those places of insecurity, and uncertainty, and ambiguity, and ambivalence— all those lead to original thought and ideas."
OFF-CAMPUS STUDY
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All undergraduate students complete a six-unit off-campus study requirement as part of the BFA or BA degree. This requirement facilitates the pivotal link between the classroom, the studio, and the world at large in order to ensure that SFAI students gain important insight, experience, and skills necessary to succeed after graduation. Off-campus study opportunities include:
SFAI has exchange programs with the following international schools: Academy of Fine Arts—Prague, Czech Republic Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design—Jerusalem, Israel Chelsea College of Art and Design—London, England École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts—Paris, France Glasgow School of Art—Glasgow, Scotland Gerrit Rietveld Academy—Amsterdam, Holland Korea National University of Arts—Seoul, Korea Studio Art Centers International—Florence, Italy Faculty-Led Programs Want to attend Prospect New Orleans, the largest biennial of international contemporary art in the United States? Create art amid the rolling mountains, prehistoric burial mounds, and medieval castles of Ireland? Meet local artisans in Vietnam? Through a combination of travel and formal classes, Faculty-Led Programs (ranging in duration from ten days to three weeks) immerse students in the history and culture of a particular place, with the guidance and valuable connections of SFAI’s expert faculty. AICAD Mobility SFAI partners with the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of 41 leading art schools in the U.S. and Canada, to offer the opportunity to study for one semester at another participating AICAD school.
Internships SFAI students are strongly encouraged to complete an internship to gain professional experience and build relationships with arts organizations in the Bay Area. SFAI students have recently interned at Crown Point Press, Bay Area Video Coalition, The Luggage Store Gallery, Intersection for the Arts, and Creativity Explored, among others. City as Studio Practicum SFAI’s award-winning City Studio program offers free arts education to underserved youth in their own neighborhoods, partnering with Bay Area community centers and arts organizations to offer courses in photography, video, electronic music and sound composition, graphic arts and design, sculpture and installation, and youth journalism. Through City as Studio Practicum, SFAI students collaborate with and educate youth ages 12–19, taking an active role in investigating art education theory, teaching and mentoring, and examining the role of art as a form of public engagement, dialogue, and social change.
ALUMNI ART SPACES SFAI alumni have founded galleries, experimental spaces, and community art centers throughout the Bay Area: Artists’ Television Access Eli Ridgway Gallery Ever Gold Gallery Gallery 16
Romer Young Gallery Root Division Royal NoneSuch Gallery Queen’s Nails Projects
Learn more at www.sfai.edu/gallery-guide
THE PROGRAMS
Study Abroad Study Abroad programs offer a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience the world, gain new cultural and artistic perspectives, and meet artists from different countries while earning academic credit.
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FACULTY SFAI’s extraordinary faculty members are central to students’ experience at SFAI, playing varied and integral roles—teacher, mentor, curator, colleague, collaborator— in their artistic, personal, and professional development. SFAI has a student-to-faculty ratio of 11 to 1, giving students unparalleled opportunities to work closely with accomplished creative practitioners. SFAI faculty have won Guggenheim Fellowships and been nominated for Academy Awards; they have exhibited at Venice Biennales, Documentas, and in lauded museums around the world. They run nonprofits, cultural agencies, and design studios, curate major exhibitions, and launch publications. But for all their own pursuits and successes, SFAI’s faculty are here because of your work. Meet SFAI’s faculty at www.sfai.edu/faculty
TEACHING ARTISTS
JD Beltran in collaboration with Scott Minneman, Cinema Snowglobe (Fireworks), 2012 Glass, water, custom electronics, film, video, and mixed media Commissioned by The Workshop Residence
VISITING ARTISTS The Visiting Artists and Scholars Lecture Series and multiple fellowship programs bring the world of art and culture to students’ doorstep. Engaging with these creative practitioners through public lectures and group discussions—learning about their artistic and career paths; questioning and being questioned—allows students to participate in the global art community and discover models for their own work. Recent visitors include Alan Sekula, Andrea Zittel, Carolee Schneemann, Franklin Sirmans, Geoff Manaugh, Gottfried Helnwein, Lisa Yuskavage, Lucy Orta, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Mickalene Thomas, Nicole Eisenman, Nina Katchadourian, R.H. Quaytman, and Wangechi Mutu.
“I feel I’ve thrived as an artist, in large part, from what my mentors at SFAI gave me—the fundamental tools of thinking critically about my own work, how I want it to exist, what I want it to do. And now, as a teacher myself, I am delighted to pass on this legacy of rigor and process, and to continue the conversation with my own students. I consider it the best job in the world.” JD Beltran, SFAI alumnus and faculty member
SFAI is committed to providing transitional, academic, personal, and social support that helps students thrive at school and beyond:
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Academic Support Services offers academic advising, tutoring, and student success workshops, ensuring the meaningful and timely completion of degree requirements. Not sure which course to take? Having trouble in a class? Want to declare a major or minor? They can help.
Counseling Services provides personal, confidential counseling during the academic year for all registered students, free of charge. SFAI Diversity Statement SFAI strongly believes that a rigorous artistic and intellectual community is enriched by diversity and inclusion. SFAI promotes artistic and intellectual freedom by fostering environments that value our diverse students, faculty, and staff and provide all community members with a respectful and challenging space in which to address divergent opinions and ideas. Read the full statement at www.sfai.edu/diversity
SUPPORT SERVICES
The Disability Services Office ensures that students with documented disabilities have equal opportunity and provides reasonable accommodations. SFAI recognizes disability and learning differences as important aspects of diversity, and has developed policies and procedures that facilitate self-awareness, self-determination, and self-advocacy.
Brighter Faster mural by British street artist Ben Eine, 2011 Photographed by Ohad Ben-Yoseph
The Career and Professional Practices Center supports the academic, artistic, and professional development of all SFAI students and alumni. At the Center, students can assess their skills, values, and interests; learn professional practices and industry standards; receive one-on-one career counseling; and make connections with professionals working in the field.
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APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS The admissions process at SFAI is highly personalized: Every applicant is assigned an Admissions Counselor who can offer guidance on portfolio preparation and answer any questions. SFAI accepts applications for both fall and spring entry. For complete application instructions, visit www.sfai.edu/FirstYearApps General Requirements for All Applicants Completed and signed application for admission (access the online application at www.sfai.edu/apply)
Non-refundable application fee of $65 ($85 for international applicants)
Official sealed transcripts of all high school or other secondary school coursework, both completed and in-progress, or CHSPE Certificate of Proficiency, or GED certificate Official SAT or ACT examination results
APPLY TO SFAI
Kehinde Wiley (BFA 1999), Rubin Singleton, 2008 Oil on canvas Š Kehinde Wiley. Courtesy of Sean Kelly Gallery, New York; Roberts & Tilton, Culver City; Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago; and Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris
(optional but highly recommended)
One letter of recommendation BFA Applicants (studio art programs) Supplement 1: Portfolio For details on how to prepare your portfolio, visit www.sfai.edu/portfolios Supplement 2: Artist Statement Briefly explain the ideas and content of the work in your portfolio. What factors have influenced this body of work? What do you want to accomplish at SFAI in terms of your art-making? You may also include artists and outside sources that have influenced you. BA Applicants (History and Theory of Contemporary Art / Urban Studies) Supplement 1: Critical Essay For essay instructions and prompts, please visit www.sfai.edu/FirstYearApps International Applicants For additional requirements, please visit www.sfai.edu/InternationalUndergradApps
TRANSFER APPLICANTS
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Transfer students are welcomed during both the fall and spring terms. SFAI encourages all transfer students to apply regardless of the amount of coursework completed at other institutions. Want to know how many of your college credits will transfer in? Call your Admissions Counselor and ask for an unofficial evaluation of your transcripts. Transfer credits from regionally accredited colleges and universities may be accepted on a course-by-course basis for up to a maximum of 60 credits (a BFA or BA degree requires 120 credits). 24 credits may be transferable to meet SFAI liberal arts or elective requirements, and 36 credits may be transferable to meet SFAI studio course requirements. Transfer applicants must submit official transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities.
An education at SFAI is a significant investment in your future. SFAI is committed to helping talented and motivated students finance their education by offering over $6 million in financial resources each year in the form of fellowships, scholarships, and grants. Partialtuition merit-based scholarships may be awarded to applicants with exceptional application materials. In order to be considered for any institutional aid, all domestic students must file their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA form can be filled out online at www.fafsa.ed.gov, and SFAI’s FAFSA code is 003948. A separate application is not required to be considered for applicable scholarships. California residents should complete their FAFSA and submit their GPA verification form by March 2 in order to be considered for the Cal Grant program. For more information, visit www.sfai.edu/FinancialAid
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FINANCIAL AID
Performance by Oliver Hawk Holden on Lombard Street Photographed by Tony Labat
For more information, visit www.sfai.edu/TransferApps
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We invite you to discover SFAI in person—take a tour and meet with admissions counselors, faculty, and students. To schedule a tour with an Admissions Counselor (given Monday–Saturday), please call the Admissions Office at 800.345.SFAI / 415.749.4500 or email admissions@sfai.edu Students may also combine a campus tour with a portfolio review: an informal meeting with an Admissions Counselor to review your artwork, and receive feedback and guidance on how best to build and prepare your portfolio for acceptance.
San Francisco Art Institute
800 Chestnut Street (between Jones and Leavenworth) San Francisco, CA 94133
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On cover: Suzanne Torres, Artifact, 2011 Wood, cement, twine, porcelain, nails
All images of student work are courtesy of the artists
Work by John McCoy in the 2012 Spring Show Photographed by Pauline Quintana
Are you social? @SFAIevents #SFAI San Francisco Art Institute
SFAI, a nonprofit institution, is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). SFAI is also a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD).
800 Chestnut Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415.749.4500 www.sfai.edu @SFAIevents San Francisco Art Institute