Support San Francisco art and artists!

		Support San Francisco art and artists! Please contribute to ArtSpan's Annual fund today to help the arts continue to thrive! 2012 was quite the year! Let's take a look back... SF OPEN STUDIOS: This past October, 795 emerging and established local working artists presented their work to over 60,000 art patrons, admirers, and collectors in 26 neighborhoods throughout San Francisco. Now in its 38th year, SF Open Studios remains a non-juried event. All artists have an equal opportunity to participate, without competition or compromise to their artistic and creative values. Visitors to SF Open Studios are presented with artwork that is not pre-approved by an authority beyond the viewer's own taste and experience. It is an unmatched opportunity to explore neighborhoods, see art and talk to the artist first-hand about their work. In 255 artist surveys received to date, artists reported that 1,590 works of art sold during SF Open Studios, totaling $350,690 in sales directly to artists. ARTIST WORKSHOPS: ArtSpan's monthly Professional Development Workshops are designed to aid artists with the professional side of their art practice. 200 artists participated in ArtSpan's Make Your Art Your Business free workshop series. Topics include marketing, networking with social media, titling and pricing artwork, approaching galleries, writing an effective artist statement, and preparing for SF Open Studios. The 2013 series kicks-off in January with Pricing & Inventory: best practices for selling and organizing your artwork. ART FOR CITY YOUTH: ArtSpan's Art for City Youth program aims to fill the gaps left by budget cuts by placing professional artists in San Francisco classrooms. ArtSpan remains committed to providing the only source of visual arts education to our neighborhood school, Bessie Carmichael Elementary. Over 650 K-5 students participated in the 2012 Art For City Youth program, in which working artists presented their work and engaged in hands-on art activities with youth. ArtSpan employs teaching artists from the SF Open Studios membership, with a total of $7,900 in teaching artist stipends distributed in 2012. EXHIBITIONS: ArtSpan provides artists diverse opportunities to display their artwork to new art appreciators and seasoned collectors alike. In 2012, ArtSpan presented it's annual juried exhibition, Selections at ArtPadSF at the legendary Phoenix Hotel during Art Fair Week in San Francisco, May 17-20, 2012. Artwork by 150 local artists was reviewed by a panel of notable Bay Area collectors, who selected Monique Castiaux, Annie O'Dorisio, Derek Lynch, and Paul Madonna. ArtSpan is proud to return to ArtPadSF next May as an anchor tenant of the event. Please help us continue our work to support local emerging and established artists in the coming year!