SF Art Week & FOG Design+Art
January 16-25
Once again, the new year pops off with SF Art Week and its companion, FOG Design+Art. With about 112 events and opportunities to to enjoy, I cannot do them all justice without embarking on a protracted disquisition. Of course, I’m not above that. However, it is unrealistic in this format. So, you can look into every event yourself, by checking out the SF Art Week website. The link appears at the end of this Blog.
Instead of an SFAW monograph, I will concentrate on providing highlights for a few of the most intriguing and original offerings available. I encourage you to attend s many events as possible. After all, it would be a shame to live in such an Art Mecca and not take advantage of the riches on display.
*FOG details appear at the end of this Blog.
January 16
Recology
SF Artist in Residence (AIR) Program
California College of the Arts
5:00-8:00pm
Opening Reception for the current exhibition of artists-in-residence Miguel Novelo, Trina Michelle Robinson and undergraduate Haley Mae Caranto, along with a retrospective of work by former AIR artist, Jim Growden.
Institute of Contemporary Art San José
6:00-9:00pm
Opening of My Body Was a River Once, the debut institutional exhibition by India-born, San Francisco–based artist Anoushka Mirchandani. Featuring an entirely new body of work, the exhibition engages the senses — sight, sound and smell — to explore memory, matrilineage and the ways migration and place shape identity and agency.
January 17
Institute of Contemporary Art SF
Transamerica Pyramid
Annex – 535 Washington Street
Redwood Park – 600 Montgomery Street
11:00am-5:00pm
SFAW Kickoff x ICA SF Opening. ICA SF has installations at the Transamerica Pyramid Center as part of the Pyramid Arts initiative to present two site-specific projects by Lily Kwong and Tara Donovan.
Indoors in the Annex Gallery, Tara Donovan: Stratagems will be in formal dialogue with the building itself. Her large-scale Stratagem sculptures, made of thousands of recycled CDs, will constantly shift as the light and weather change over the course of days and months. (Below Left.)
Outdoors in the Redwood Park, Lily Kwong's major sculpture EARTHSEED DOME has been installed in collaboration with the curatorial platform Art at a Time Like This, with fabrication led by Atelio and WASP 3D. (Below Right.)
January 18
Honesty Changes the World
eL Seed & Current Inmates of San Quentin
Mural Unveiling
BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre
1192 Market St
+
Inside San Quentin Rehabilitation Center
Internationally acclaimed contemporary calligraffiti artist, eL Seed, will create a paired mural installation, on the 75-foot side of the Orpheum Theatre while inmates in San Quentin paint the 332-foot prison wall inside the Recreation Center. This much-anticipated public mural is the first-ever incarcerated-led SF Art Week installation in history. eL Seed's Arabic calligraphy transforms both structures, inspired by a line about “Honesty” from Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City.
In San Francisco. An example of eL Seed’s Arabic calligraffiti style.
Marin Art Day
Want to participate in Art Week but not able to get into The City? Cross another bridge and enjoy what’s on offer in Marin. In particular, spend some time at the Headlands Center for the Arts from 11am-2pm. View artists at work in their studios, artist pop-ups and explore Buildings 944 and 945
.
January 19
Donum Estate
Sonoma
11am–3pm
The Donum Collection is one of the world’s largest publicly-accessible, private sculpture collections. In addition to the sculptures, guests ages 21+ will receive a welcome splash of Donum wine upon arrival. Chef-prepared grab-and-go lunches featuring estate-grown ingredients are available for pre-purchase.
Tickets are complimentary but must be reserved in advance. Click here to specifically reserve tickets to The Donum Estate.
January 20
Christa Grenawalt
Tiborun Town Hall
6:00-8:00pm
For those of you who prefer an evening event, there are a few opportunities. For instance, the opening reception for Christa Grenawalt’s installation and residency. The evening marks the public announcement of her four-year appointment as Tiburon Artist Laureate and the beginning of The Waterline Project at Tiburon Town Hall Community Gallery.
January 21
Free Art Workshop: Cityscape Diorama
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
2:00-4:00pm
Kilgallen, Main Drag
Inspired by Margaret Kilgallen’s works currently on display at the YBCA, build an imaginative diorama inspired by your own city or neighborhood. Explore shapes, textures and reference your favorite places to visit.
Of course While You Are There: Check out the Bay Area Then exhibition, which will be closing on January 25.
January 22
ThursDates
Oakland Museum
5:00-8:00pm
Another evening event!
A night of live figure drawing in the Museum’s galleries, with revelry and drinks in OMCA’s cafe, Town Fare.
Art of Manga
de Young Museum
6:00-10:00pm
Celebrate the final days of Art of Manga. A rare opportunity to experience original manga drawings before they return to Japan.
Immerse yourself in the exhibition, then grab Bay Area Japanese eats from Off the Grid food trucks, or head upstairs to catch sets from In Session DJs. Top it off with exclusive sake tastings.
As they say at the de Young: Come for the art. Stay for the vibes.
January 23
2024-25 Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship
Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
6:00-8:00 pm
Spend a weekend in Santa Cruz! Attend the opening reception for emerging artists.
Now in its 19th year, the Rydell Fellowship has awarded over $600,000 to local Santa Cruz/Bay Area artists. The reception will feature local music and performance artists.
January 24
Panel Discussions
Creativity Explored
Over 50 years ago, Creative Growth in Oakland started a revolution in the art world when it opened its doors to work with artists with disabilities. Centers began appearing throughout the US. Of course, the Bay Area has continued to be a hotbed for this activity. Creativity Explored is the SF location for such artists who live in The City.
11:00am-12:30pm
Discussion by artists and studio facilitators on collaborative projects and building relationships through artmaking practices.
1:30-3:00pm
The panel will focus on economic empowerment for artists with disabilities. Topics will include art collecting as advocacy, visibility, independence, and representation within the established art market.
January 25
Family Studio with SCRAP: Watercolors
SFMOMA
Koret Education Center
10:00am-1:00pm
Create unique watercolors on muslin attached to handmade stick-and-found-object frames. This project is inspired by the Museum’s exhibition Suzanne Jackson: What Is Love. All Family Studio activities in SFMOMA's Koret Education Center are free; no museum admission required.
FOG DESIGN+ART
Fort Mason Center
January 21-25
FOG always dovetails with SF Art Week. While much of SFAW is spend admiring art in museums, FOG allows you to get close to these works and, perhaps, take one of them home with you. After seeing so much luscious art, how can you say no to at least one piece that has won your heart?
January 21
Gala Preview
4:00-10:00pm (Tiered Entry)
Go ahead. Glam it up at the Preview. I’ll keep your secret as you hobnob with the SF Financial Elite (or at least the curators they employ). Funds collected support SFMOMA’s education initiatives, which served over 140,000 students, teachers, youth and families through diverse online and in-person resources, programs and visits this year.
Tickets for the Gala – click here.
January 22-25
General Admission
11am-7pm
Every day at FOG, artists and architects, journalists and designers will engage in dialogues led by writers and editors. These speakers will discuss where art is headed and how you can incorporate it into your own home design choices.
Garner advice from 60 leading galleries from around the world, along with 16 gallery participants who are new in 2026 and 15 Bay Area galleries. This year also features an expanded FOG FOCUS section for emerging artists and the return of FOG MRKT for craft makers.
For more information on any of the events described or on SF Art Week and on FOG Design+Art in general, click here.
