Resources
We’ve gathered over 100 links to resources that will provide you with further enjoyment of the arts. You’ll find everything from art classes and artists’ resources, to museum and exhibit listings. Enjoy!
For Artists
AMIEN: Art Materials Information and Education Network(AMIEN) is a 501c3 delivering unbiased information about art materials. Their Forum covers a wide range of topics to help artists choose and use their supplies.
Art Business: Resources to present, promote, and market your art.
Art Debutant: A brand new online gallery based in San Francisco. The mission of Art Debutant is to support local emerging artists and art students by giving them a space to exhibit and sell their artwork to art collectors from all over the world.
ArtSpan: Offers a series of Artist Professional Development Workshops
ArtHouse: Helping artists and art organizations find studio and office space.
California Lawyers for the Arts: A non-profit whose mission is to establish a bridge between the arts and the legal communities.
Lightbox SF believes all artists can have viable careers based solely on their art, and offers related services.
MesArt: Services to showcase, advertise, promote and sell your artwork on the Internet. Based in SF, created and designed by artists for artists.
San Francisco Artist Network: Excellent offering of Education Programs, Calls for Artists and more.
San Francisco Arts Commission: FAQ for individual artists.
San Francisco Arts Quarterly: SFAQ is a free publication dedicated to the artistic communicity. Grab your issue in our Market Street store.
Southern Exposure: They offer grants to local artists and groups working in the visual arts, have a Professional Development Workshop Series, and are usually considering artist submissions for upcoming exhibits.
Sustainable Arts Foundation: A non-profit that provides grants for parents who are artists and writers. Their goal is to present opportunities for talented people feeling the demands of raising a family to continue their creative pursuits.
Trickster Arts Salon: They want to hear from you, whether you would like to host a workshop on an area of your expertise; display your art; create an interactive installation; dance, sing, act or otherwise perform, and/or volunteer.
SF Artists’ Organizations
San Francisco Print Collective
SOMA Artist Studios: Voted best Art Collective in 2010 by readers of the Bay Gaurdian.
For Art Appreciators & Buyers
Calendars
The Squid List: Laughing Squid’s curated list of unique art, culture and technology events taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Art Business: San Francisco Art Gallery Openings & Reviews.
Oakland.com: A calendar listing of gallery events in the East Bay and beyond. Use the calendar drop-down menu to search for museums and much more.
San Francisco.com: A calendar listing of gallery events in San Francisco and beyond. Use the calendar drop-down menu to search for museums and much more. Search by district to see what’s in your neighborhood.
SFArts.org – A comprehensive guide to San Francisco arts.
Events & Information
ArtMRKT San Francsico: Featuring 70 highly reputable galleries from around the globe, bringing some of the world’s most intriguing artists and galleries to San Francisco. ArtMRKT’s goal is to create an ideal context for the discovery, exploration and acquisition of art. Concourse Exhibition Center, May 17-20, 2012.
ArtPadSF: A new 21st century boutique art fair that focuses on emerging and contemporary art from the Bay Area and beyond. May 17-20, 2012.
Art Practical is an online magazine that enriches critical dialogue for the Bay Area visual arts by providing comprehensive analysis of events and exhibitions.
ARTslanT San Francisco: Calendar, reviews, galleries, etc.; a rather comprehensive site.
First Thursday Art Walk: A downtown tradition since 1993, on the first Thursday of every month many member galleries of the San Francisco Art Dealers Association are open late for a casual open house. (Many galleries across the City have a adopted first Thursdays.)
Flavorpill: Covering cultural events, art, books, music, and news.
The Fort Mason Center hosts more than a thousand cultural events a year.
Happenstand: A really good site on the Bay Area arts scene.
KQED Arts: Reviews and Information on exhibits and so much more. Be sure to check out their SPARK programs.
MesArt: Great presentation of local artists’ work for art buyers.
Open Space, the SFMOMA blog, is focused on producing an array of critical and personal writings about art, visual culture in general, and issues specific to the Bay Area.
SF Art News: Fabulous resource on the local art scene.
San Francisco Arts Quarterly: SFAQ is a free publication dedicated to the artistic communicity. Grab your issue in our Market Street store.
San Francisco Fine Art Fair: Select from 5,000 significant works of art from 400 respected artists all presented by 60+ prominent galleries worldwide. Fort Mason Center, May 17-20, 2012.
SF Gate: The San Francisco Chronicle online.
SFArts.org: A comprehensive guide to San Francisco Arts.
SFStation: Arts events listings.
Squarecylinder: An online publication for discerning readers who care about art.
Stark Guide: Bridging the gap between artists and collectors in the Bay Area. Worth reading their About page for a quick reference of their mission, and check out their blog.
Stretcher: Encouraging dialog about contemporary art and visual culture in the San Francisco Bay Area.
East Bay
Swee(t)Art: Presenting and promoting Oakland and Bay Area visual art.
East Bay Express Visual Art: Reviews and information on arts & culture and much more.
South Bay
Mercury News: Has listings for visual art and other events throughout the South Bay.
Marin
Open Studios
San Francisco:
Mission Artists United – 2013 Fall Open Studios, October 26-27.
Art Explosion – 2013 Fall Open Studios.
South of Market Artists Coalition (SOMAC) – 2013 Fall Open Studios, November 2-3.
Hunters Point Shipyard Artists – 2013 Fall Open Studios, November 9-10.
Marin:
Marin Open Studios – Every May, with a published directory and map of artists throughout the county.
Bolinas & Stinson Beach Open Studios – For over twenty years every Thanksgiving weekend.
Sausalito Artists Open Studios – In May, and the ICB Annual December Winter Open Studios.
San Anselmo Artists Open Studios – For over twenty years an annual December holiday event.
San Rafael’s Art Works Downtown – Annual Holiday Open Studios in December.
East Bay, ProArts – The first two weekends of June.
Silicon Valley Open Studios – First three weekends of May.
Berkeley Artisans – Their Holiday Open Studios runs four weeks starting the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Find more California locations at MesArt
Art Classes
Sharon Art Studio: The jewel of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks’ Cultural Division, Sharon Art Studios offers affordable arts and crafts classes for everyone.
San Francisco Center for the Book: As their name implies, SFCB offers workshops for the book arts, and that includes so much! See workshops on gilding, letterpress, calligraphy, linoleum block printing, origami, monotype printing, book binding and more.
Bay Area Classical Artist Atelier: BACAA offers weekly art classes and workshops for artists of all abilities who desire to study drawing and painting in the tradition of Contemporary Classical Realism.
Point Reyes Field Institute: In association with the non-profit Point Reyes National Seashore Association (PRNSA), they offer art classes to help people connect with nature and the outdoors in ways that they may not have before.
Kala Art Institute: Located in Berkeley, Kala offers a full range of classes covering all forms of printmaking, digital media, photography, and book arts.
Animation: The Walt Disney Family Museum
Cartooning: Cartoon Art Museum
Figurative Drawing & Printmaking: SOMArts
Calligraphy: Friends of Calligraphy
For Kids
Museum Education/Family Programs
Museums
Arts & Arts Advocacy Groups
Other Links We Like
Beach Plastic: Two artists making art from beach trash, and making a difference.
California Watercolor Association
The Crucible: A non-profit educational facility that fosters a collaboration of Arts, Industry and Community.
Jeepney Projects Worldwide – Art for Conservation
The Living Principles: Creative action for collective good.
Renegade Craft Fair: In San Francisco every year, mid-December.
San Francisco Mural Arts: Highlights hundreds of murals throughout the city, and includes photos, locations, and details about each piece.
SCRAP: A non-profit creative reuse center, materials depot, and workshop space.
TechShop: A place to make things that you dream up but don’t have the tools, space or skills.