Tomorrow night, San Francisco Women Artists will hold a grand opening and reception to promote "Sunset Rising," a juried exhibition created by artists who are members of California's oldest nonprofit arts organization. SFWA occupies the newest and largest gallery space in the Inner Sunset, having opened in June after relocating from Presidio Heights. "Sunset Rising" will be on display through October 3rd.
"The title is kind of a play on the fact that art is on the rise in the Sunset," said SFWA President Pam Borelli. "There are a lot of different interpretations: reemergent, reinventing, and fairly eclectic ... We have a lot of very talented craftspeople who are members." To round out tomorrow night's event, Borelli said she ordered a few hundred lumpia prepared by an SFWA member and booked guitarist Tom Lander, also a member, to provide live music.
The show was juried by art consultant Alan Bamberger, Borelli said. "The juror gets about 150 entries and can select about 60 pieces from the submissions. He has to select the best from those, and then he identified three that get the juror award," she added. In addition to the works on display in SFWA's large front room, "we have a large back room we're calling the 'artists' salon' that we offer to our members," said Borelli.
The salon currently displays the work of eight SFWA members who create jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, painting and photography. "I think I've got five or six pieces," said Borelli, who's exhibiting several works of her composite photography.
Founded in 1887, SFWA's membership has fluctuated over time, but Borelli said the move to Irving Street has attracted new members and new neighbors. "More good news is that the community has been amazing," she added. "They're coming in every day and buying stuff; one woman has been coming in twice a week since we opened. We're just really amazed at the progress starting out," said Borelli, who expanded the gallery's schedule to six days each week to meet demand.
Besides monthly exhibitions, Borelli said SFWA has "been graciously invited to use the art room at Woodside International School" for classes in drawing and watercolor painting. "We've actually had several classes up there and a few in our own gallery," said Borelli, who said she's reluctant to conduct "messier" classes in the gallery's carpeted space.
On September 26th, SFWA will host an art-buying workshop led by Robert Dvořák, author of "The Art of Selling." After that, "we have ArtSpan open studios coming up at the end of October," said Borelli. "Our gallery will be a hub in the Artspan Open Studios guide and on their maps."
Borelli said Inner Sunset residents have given SFWA a warm reception since it opened in July. "We're just really amazed at the progress starting out ... It's a great feeling," she said.
San Francisco Women Artists is a member-supported nonprofit located at 647 Irving St.; tomorrow's grand opening and reception runs from 5:30 to 9pm.
