SFAA Alumni Newsletter — July 2025 | | | Celebrating Five Years of SFAA & Honoring Pete’s Café | |
On Sunday, June 29, the SFAI community gathered to mark the five-year anniversary of SFAA with a heartfelt tribute to Pete’s Café — the iconic hub of campus life at SFAI.
Presented in collaboration with the SFAI Legacy Foundation & Archive, the event took place at The Great Highway Gallery in San Francisco and was live-streamed via Zoom. It featured a lively and moving conversation between SFAI archivist Jeff Gunderson and café legends Pete Stanwood and John Lindsey. From Thanksgiving feasts to radical exhibitions, the stories captured the spirit of camaraderie and creativity that made Pete’s Café a cherished institution.
🎶 After the talk, guests headed next door to Rusty Ladle for a spirited afterparty with food, drinks, and live music by The Situational Jazz Band — featuring Pete on bass. It was a joyful afternoon full of shared memories, laughter, and community. The event also marked the launch of our anniversary fundraiser, supporting future alumni programming. Thank you to everyone who has contributed — and if you haven’t yet, there’s still time to make a donation!
📺 Missed it or want to rewatch? Watch the full recording here.
| | John Lindsey hosting the SFAA is turning 5 party at Rusty Ladle. | | The Situational Jazz Band playing at Rusty Ladle. | | |
Resist. Repeat. Reboot.
TRYST Art Fair, Torrance
July 11 - 13, 2025
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Now in its second year, the SFAA Alumni exhibition at TRYST returns with a bold group show exploring themes of resilience, resistance, and the unwavering resolve to keep creating—especially in times of uncertainty.
Co-Curator Michael Robert Pollard shares: “It’s not easy to move forward, let alone make art, when the world feels upside down. But that’s exactly the role of the maker: to resist, to reboot, and repeat—to show the world a brighter place.”
The exhibition draws inspiration from the words of SFAI icon Dewey Crumpler, who reminds us: “You control what you bring to the table. Be resistant to bullshit. One’s integrity is one’s power. And most importantly, never quit.”
Co-curator Toban Nichols reflects on the evolving site of the fair—held in a once-abandoned building—and how that raw setting shapes both the art and its reception:
“The rough, unconstructed space of year one was thrilling. This year, I’m excited about the variety of work and the chance to connect with more alumni for another energizing weekend of art.”
Participating Artists: Alica Renadette • Annie Reiniger-Holleb • Dave Hoker • Emberly Modine • Laura Ricci • Maria Theresa Barbist • Michael Robert Pollard • Ramón Quanta Churruca • Toban Nichols • Ujjayini Sikha • Veronica De Jesus + more
TRYST is an independent, non-commercial Art Fair for Artist-Run-Spaces and Collectives sponsored by the Torrance Art Museum. More info here
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SFAA Spotlight | Kim Anno
July 7th, 2025 at 10:00 AM PT
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Join us for our July Spotlight Talk with Kim Anno (MFA 1985), acclaimed painter, photographer, and filmmaker whose interdisciplinary work bridges art, science, and the global climate crisis.
A San Francisco Art Institute alum, Anno’s work has been exhibited and screened around the world—from the University of Suffolk in England to the Goethe Institute in Johannesburg, the Seoul New Media Festival, and the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. Her paintings, films, and public art projects vividly explore climate adaptation and the cultural imagination, particularly within fragile or shifting urban environments.
In this conversation, Anno will share insights into her decades-long artistic practice, her recent solo exhibition and monograph with Anglim/Trimble Gallery, and her upcoming documentary projects ¡Quba! and Water Cities, Indonesia. She’ll also reflect on the significance of receiving the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship, a U.S. Department of State Award, and support from the Asian Cultural Council, all of which have fostered her international collaborations.
🎤 The talk will include a live Q&A. RSVP now to receive the Zoom link.
Photo © Kim Anno
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SFAI Memory Collection: Studio 13 Jazz Band
SFAI Legacy Foundation + Online
July 21st, 2025 at noon PT
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Join us for a special conversation with Studio 13 Jazz Band members Dave Getz, Richard Shaw, and Mike Henderson as they reflect on their time together making music in the electric atmosphere of the San Francisco Art Institute.
This vibrant discussion will explore:
🎶 The band’s experimental approach to jazz
🎨 The fusion of music, visual art, and counterculture in the Bay Area
🗣️ Personal stories from the SFAI campus in the ‘60s and ‘70s
🗓️ Monday, July 21, 2025
🕛 12:00 PM PT
📍 In Person & Online
Location: SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archive
Crown Point Press Building, 20 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
RSVP now to join us in person or online.
Image credit: Richard Shaw
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Studio 8 Film Festival: Lyrical-Poetic and Animated Short Films
We are thrilled to announce the 2025 Studio 8 Film Festival, taking place September 19–21 at multiple Bay Area venues. This year, we put a focus on lyrical-poetic and animated short films, paying tribute to two visionary artists: Lawrence Jordan and Gunvor Nelson. We are now accepting submissions from SFAI alumni, as well as former faculty and staff. Submit here.
Jurors: Christopher Coppola, Deborah Fort, Toney W. Merritt
Deadline: July 28, 2025 at 11:59pm PDT
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They Had No Time to Say Goodbye, about the missing and murdered Indigenous women crisis, #MMIW
Patricia Yazzie (Diné) and Rose Marie Prins (BFA 1974) invite artists across the U.S. to participate in They Had No Time to Say Goodbye, a multimedia collaborative project honoring Indigenous women. Artists are asked to etch portraits of Indigenous women onto 9" x 8" x-rays. All contributors will be acknowledged in the project's exhibitions.
While artists from around the world have already joined, many more x-rays are needed to reflect the scale of this ongoing crisis.
To learn more, watch this 3-minute video.
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Teresa Baker (BFA 2005): Twenty Minutes to Sunset
April 10 – July 3, 2025
American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York
Teresa Baker presents a striking solo exhibition at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, showcasing seven new works that draw from elemental forces—earth, fire, water, and air—using AstroTurf as her signature surface. With double-sided suspended paintings like Everything I Carry with Me and Throw It to the Ocean, Baker evokes layered landscapes that reflect memory, land, and identity.
Read more in Elizabeth Buhe’s review: Teresa Baker: Twenty Minutes to Sunset
Image credit: Teresa Baker, Twenty Minutes to Sunset, 2023. Spray paint, acrylic, buckskin, yarn, and artificial sinew on artificial turf, 118 × 105 inches. Courtesy of the artist and de boer, Los Angeles & Antwerp. Photo: Charles Benton.
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People Make This Place: SFAI Stories
July 26, 2025 – July 5, 2026
SFMOMA, Floor 2
Included with General Admission
People Make This Place: SFAI Stories explores defining moments from the vibrant history of the San Francisco Art Institute—the West Coast’s oldest fine art school—before its closure in 2022. Featuring works by over 50 SFAI alumni and former faculty in SFMOMA’s collection, the exhibition highlights the school’s pivotal role in cultivating creativity and experimentation across generations.
Artists include Ansel Adams, Joan Brown, Miguel Calderón, Imogen Cunningham, Mike Henderson, Candice Lin, Carlos Villa, and many more, with work spanning from the post–World War II era to the present.
More info here
Image credit: Mario Ayala, Pyramid, 2023; collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee purchase, by exchange, through a gift of Michael D. Abrams; © Mario Ayala; photo: Don Ross
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Among the many artists are:
Wally Hedrick (BFA 1955), Paul McCarthy (BFA 1969), Jason Rhoades (BFA 1988): BURN ME!
Closing July 5th, 2025
The Box
805 Traction Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Burn Me! encapsulates the lived experience of many in Los Angeles following the devastating Eaton and Pacific Palisades Fires, and amidst a politically volatile climate. Works in the exhibition range from fire-scarred sculptures salvaged from studio ruins to politically charged pieces confronting censorship, state violence, and rising authoritarianism.
More info here
Image credit: Wally Hedrick
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Share Your News with the SFAI Community
Have an exhibition, event, publication, or project to share?
Submit it for the next SFAA Newsletter using this form.
Submissions may also be featured on our website and social media.
Image credit: April September
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SFAI Alumni & Community Directory
We're excited to share that we’re now inviting curators to explore the SFAI Alumni & Community Directory as a resource for future exhibition proposals. This is a great opportunity to get your work in front of new eyes and be considered for upcoming projects. If you haven't already, sign up today and make sure your profile is up to date!
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From the Community Board
A free Vandercook 28-32 printing press is available in Truckee, CA. This electric press features a spacious 30” x 30” bed and has been used primarily for etching and monoprinting. It's in great shape, very reliable, and would be a perfect addition to a larger studio space. The press is being offered at no cost, but you’ll need to arrange for pickup and transportation. A great opportunity for anyone looking to expand their printmaking setup! More info here
| | Support for SFAI Alum Susan Marie Dopp (MFA 1986) | | |
We want to share a message from fellow alum Agustin Lucho Pozo (MFA 1986) about his partner, artist Susan Marie Dopp (MFA 1986):
In January, Susan suffered a stroke that required surgery, a prolonged hospital stay, four weeks in intensive therapy, and ongoing care in a rehabilitation facility. She is now expected to return home to Roswell, New Mexico, within the next month or two.
Susan has been a lifelong, dedicated artist, most recently exhibiting Lacewing at the Roswell Museum, where it was on view for over a year.
To help prepare their home for Susan’s return—including the installation of accessibility features like ramps and a hospital bed—her brother has started a GoFundMe campaign.
The support of the SFAI alumni community would mean so much to Susan and Lucho, both financially and emotionally.
Please consider contributing or sharing:
https://gofund.me/5c091928
| | We are an independent non-profit organization run by San Francisco Art Institute alumni. We build upon SFAI's 150-year alumni legacy with a commitment to SFAI's core values of critical thinking, exploration, and expression. | | SF Artists Alumni is a non-profit, tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization and our EIN Federal Tax ID number is 85-1943816. | |  | | | | |
