Open Studios is back for its 52nd run, with ArtSpan once again building a bridge for artists and aficionados to meet. Like a family sourdough starter that began in your great-grandmother’s kitchen, local art culture has developed its own complex flavor over the years. San Francisco Open Studios is the nation’s longest-running event of its kind and a beloved mainstay of the commonwealth. Since 1974, artists in San Francisco have been inviting the public into their studios to see their processes, explore their workspaces, and connect. What would otherwise be a rare glimpse into a private world has become an annual festival in the city, dissolving the artificial separation between creatives and their audience and fostering a spirit of approachability, connection, and community. You could feel this at the annual ArtLaunch event on Friday, Sept. 17. The event kicked off at SOMArts, where an air of unpretentious rapport set the tone for the next five weeks, during which more than 600 artists worked in their studios. Last year, the event helped sell more than $20,000 worth of work.
With the event spanning a little over a month and encompassing the full breadth of the city, it can be daunting to decide what to check out. Here is a breakdown of how the schedule works, plus a few options if you need to narrow down what you want to see.
The event is divided into five districts, with each district hosting the public over the course of a weekend. You can find the addresses of participating artists’ studios in the ArtSpan Open Studios guide, printed versions of which seem to be available at just about every local art institution, or you can refer to the website.
District One, which includes the Bayview, Excelsior, Hunters Point, Ingleside, Oceanview, Outer Mission, Portola, and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods, will hold its open studios from Sept. 26 through 27. Make sure to check out Diane Shannon’s work at Islais Creek Studios, as well as a host of works on Ocean Avenue at the Ocean Avenue Association. Stop by West Portal to grab a latte at Ballast, where you can also view work by Lucas Antony, curated by the Ingleside Gallery.
District Two, encompassing the Castro, Bernal Heights, Glen Park, Mission and Noe Valley neighborhoods, will have their open studios from Oct. 3 through 4. Make sure to check out Miro Studios, in particular the works of Linda Belden, or Ken Sakatani who is at 1026 Diamond Street.
District Three, encompassing the Dogpatch, East Cut, Mission Bay, Potrero Hill, SOMA, and South Beach neighborhoods, will have their open studios from Oct. 10 through 11. Be sure to check out Art Explosion and Root Division, both gallery complexes that host dozens of artists in a single building, as well as Sizelove Studios, a powerhouse duo in the San Francisco art scene.
District Four, encompassing the Hunters Point Shipyard Artists, will have their open studios from Oct. 17 through 18. I recommend checking out Afatasi and Clay Seibert while you’re there.
District Five, encompassing Chinatown, Civic Center, Cole Valley, Downtown, Duboce Triangle, Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley, Inner Sunset, Laurel Heights, the Marina, Nob Hill, Nopa, North Beach, Pacific Heights, the Richmond, Russian Hill, the Sunset, Twin Peaks, and West Portal neighborhoods, will have their open studios from Oct. 24 through 25. Be sure to check out the Ferry Building for the ArtSpan exhibition Arrivals, which focuses on the immigrant experience and features works by artists like Mariel Patt.
Board Chair Michelle Cooke loves being part of the ArtSpan community and has served on the board since 2021, becoming chair in 2024. She says of the event, “It’s about getting artists to connect with collectors, and building community.” She began taking an interest in supporting the arts during Covid lockdowns, looking for ways to connect and support people through collecting art. This year, Michelle will be hosting a walking tour of Zone 5 for weekend five of the event, from Oct. 24–25. You can RSVP to that walk here.
You can also narrow things down by perusing ArtLaunch the preview exhibition, which showcases a selection of 300-plus artists whose studios will be open to the public over the next five weeks. The preview will be up at SOMArts Cultural Center, at 934 Brannan Street, until Sept. 27, with viewing hours from 1 to 7 p.m. daily. The walls are demarcated by the geographic zones to give you a map of what will be on display during each of the districts’ weekends.
Pay special attention to the works with blue ribbons at ArtLaunch. A panel of local arts MVPs selected these pieces to receive the Amplify Award, an honor given at ArtLaunch to amplify works deemed particularly noteworthy. Awardees receive a cash prize and are put on the radar of the folks at the helm of cultural centers who juried the awards. These jurors included Martin Strickland, the foundation director at St. Joseph’s Arts Society, Deborah Munk, artist-in-residence and programs manager at Recology, Michelle Edelman, founder and curator at TINT Gallery, and Victor Gonzalez, founder of GCS Agency.
If all else fails, check out a few things near your neighborhood that pique your interest, or take yourself somewhere you don’t usually explore. You never know, you might find an artist with wine and hors oeuvres set out for the taking!