Past Exhibitions

With Liberty and Justice for Some is the first installment of Sanctuary City, a two year long exhibition and public program series that delves into topics related to San Francisco's immigration policies, immigrant and refugee populations, and the history of our Sanctuary City status. For this inaugural Sanctuary City presentation, the SFAC Galleries partners with Walter Maciel Gallery, Los Angeles, to bring their critically acclaimed exhibition With Liberty and Justice for Some. Co-curated by Bay Area artist Monica Lundy, this exhibition features over 125 portraits of immigrants to the United States by 100 artists from Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Conceived in response to the presidential election in November, this show is a statement in response to the current administrations' new executive order that blocks citizens from six Muslim-majority countries (Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen) from getting visas for 90 days, and reinstates a temporary blanket ban refusing admission to all refugees for 120 days.

Not Alone: Exploring Bonds Between and With Members of the Armed Forces is an expansive exhibition featuring works by local and national artists and veteran artists that have been engaged with the subject matter of individuals supporting active-duty personnel and/or veterans over long periods of time. The artists in Not Alone engage in building narratives about and with members of the Armed Forces and their families through media including photography, drawings, prints, sculpture, audio works, installations and video. Their works offer perspectives on a variety of topics including veteran support networks, the experience of spouses and children of US military personnel and how veterans examine their own identity and personal relationships. The artwork in the exhibition highlights the family members, veterans and artists that actively seek out opportunities to connect and support their loved ones, friends and strangers (including everyone who is impacted by seeing this exhibition). In addition to the works of 16 featured artists, 99 artists participated in an exquisite corpse project organized by artists Jeanne Dunning and Aaron Hughes. 

Oakland-based artist Stephanie Robison’s Cloud Construction is a massive white textile sculpture that spans the exhibition space and mimics the fog that rolls down the hills into nearby Hayes Valley. Robison creates sculptures that refer to everyday forms: clouds, towers, bricks, pillows, and smoke, among others. Using stone, textile, foam, or wood, she deftly manipulates the material of her sculptures to take unexpected shapes; stones look soft and fabric looks rigid. Fascinated by how a simple gesture can alter how we perceive an object, Robison’s works are often imbued with personality, charm and humor.

Local artist Ma Li asked artists who have moved from San Francisco to send messages to the city they left. For her installation, Ma translates these messages into a Morse code light signal flashing out from the window. At night the light signal fades and is replaced with video depicting artwork by displaced artists, projected onto a shrine-like sculpture in the gallery. While developing the idea for her installation, Ma noted the many artists she knows who have recently moved away from San Francisco. Wish You Could Have Seen This provides a platform for displaced artists to reflect on their circumstances—whether the move came from a new job, a change in their lifestyle, or an untenable rent increase—and a place to share their thoughts in the center of San Francisco.