Another beloved San Francisco art space has quietly slipped away, and this time it's hitting close to home for Inner Richmond neighbors who've grown accustomed to ducking into The Drawing Room on Clement Street for a quick dose of local creativity.
The gallery's heartfelt farewell message, still taped to the storefront at 210 Clement Street, reads like a love letter to the community that kept it alive for nearly three years. "Thank you for supporting us these past 3 years!" the note begins, addressing "Artists, Neighbors, Collectors & Kids who bring their parents in"—an accurate description of the eclectic mix of folks who made this place hum.
But here's the thing: this isn't just another "landlord-raises-rent-gallery-closes" story, though those elements are certainly at play. The Drawing Room's closure represents something more complex—a creative enterprise that's actually expanding while simultaneously contracting, at least on Clement.
The Renée DeCarlo Hustle
Behind The Drawing Room is Renée DeCarlo, a mixed-media artist who's been playing a high-stakes game of gallery musical chairs across San Francisco since 2018. ABC7 News has been tracking her moves, and honestly, it's impressive how she keeps landing on her feet.
DeCarlo's gallery journey reads like a masterclass in urban creative survival. She started at 3260-62 23rd Street in the Mission back in 2018, got priced out by December 2021, bounced to a temporary Valencia Street spot, and eventually landed on Clement Street. Mission Local documented her determination back in 2021, when she was still optimistic about staying put in the Mission.
Now she's consolidating operations back in the Mission District, directing supporters to two locations: "the ANNEX" at 599 Valencia Street and a workspace at 2675 Mission Street. It's a strategic retreat that's actually an advance—trading a cozy Richmond storefront for larger Mission spaces that can "accommodate a broader range of programming," as her goodbye note explains.
The Bigger Picture Isn't Pretty
The Drawing Room's closure drops into an increasingly grim landscape for San Francisco's independent art scene. An August 2024 ABC7 investigation laid out the brutal math: sky-high rents are pushing artists to places like Vallejo (yes, Vallejo), while many tech folks apparently have "little desire for the arts or to be collectors." Ouch.
The stats get worse. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that even established institutions are struggling—the Contemporary Jewish Museum announced a yearlong closure after attendance and revenue dropped by 50%. Gallery veteran Karen Jenkins-Johnson told ABC7 that the slowdown started in 2000 and "has never really regained steam."
What Made This Place Special
The Drawing Room wasn't trying to be another white-cube gallery for collectors with more money than wall space. This was community-level art making in action. Broke-Ass Stuart captured the vibe perfectly in a November 2024 feature: weekly "Communal Table" events where neighbors could drop in for open art-making sessions, no experience required.
DeCarlo also partnered with San Francisco Unified School District to create internships for high school students, giving kids hands-on experience in gallery operations. Mission Local noted that when she reopened at the former Harrington Galleries space in January 2024, nearly 1,000 people showed up on a rainy Saturday night—proof that there's still hunger for this kind of accessible art experience.
The Art of Strategic Retreat
SF Art Guide documented the Clement Street location's "vibrant farewell party" back in February 2025, suggesting this closure was planned rather than sudden. Smart move, really—better to close with dignity and redirect energy to spaces with more potential than to slowly bleed out paying Richmond District rent.
Mission Local reported that DeCarlo expanded further in October 2024, partnering with Method Made SF to open the workspace at 2675 Mission Street. The strategy seems to be: if you can't afford to stay small and central, go bigger and cheaper in neighborhoods that still welcome artists.
DeCarlo's note ends on an optimistic note, promising that supporters can still catch her Mission District programming and encouraging people to take "a short ride on the #33" to stay connected. It's a typically San Francisco ending to a very San Francisco story—pragmatic, community-minded, and stubbornly hopeful about what comes next.
