Keeping Art Alive

Jose Arenas "Evening Gross Beak (detail)" one of the many pieces availiable at the Visual Aid auction

When HIV/AIDS hit the Bay Area art community Visual Aid was quick to respond by helping, “produce, present and preserve the work of professional, visual artists in need, those whose careers are challenged because of any life-threatening illness.”

Being a benefactor is difficult, which is why Visual Aid calls upon artists, galleries and collectors alike to come together once a year for their amazing auction. This year HANG ART, along with HANG artists Jose Arenas, Katja Leibenath, Hugo Kobayashi, Mark Oberlin, Addie Shevlin,  Phillip Hua, Angela Simione, Piero Spadaro and Tim Yankosky have donated work.

The auction takes place on Saturday, November 14th, 4-9pm at 934 Brannan Street in San Francisco. We will be in attendance, looking to get some good deals on art, and helping a worthwhile charity. You can get your own ticket here.

Academy Faculty + Alumni Art Auction

Siddharth Parasnis "California Baja 19"

Several of our artists have strong ties to the Academy of Art University. Quite a few are either Faculty, or Alumni, or in some cases both.  That’s why the line-up for Saturday’s Faculty + Alumni Art Auction looks very familiar.

Our feelings wont be hurt if you take a look at the catalog, or even buy a piece, since 50 percent of the proceeds are donated directly to the Student Scholarship Fund.

Twenty Four Seven – November 1-15, 2009

HANG ART is pleased to present Twenty Four Seven, a group exhibition of new works by HANG ART artists Jeff Dikio, Katja Leibenath, and Catherine Saiki. A reception for the artists will be held on First Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 6pm to 8pm at HANG ART, 567 Sutter Street, San Francisco.

On view November 1 – 15 2009, Twenty Four Seven takes on the varying perspectives of day and night. These artists each share unique outlooks on the every day and evening and the secrets that are unveiled within each hour. Whether it be a delicate painting of a deserted amusement park in the depth of twilight or a quiet and evocatively outlined scene of a of the fog meeting the sea – this grouping of art provides the viewer with an entirely different outlook on the day to day and night to night.

 

Jeff Dikio, "Fun Land"

Jeff Dikio’s paintings are narrations of life choices with simplicity of form and a distinctive personal painting style. In his figurative works, sparse landscapes rendered in a rich, dark palette focus the attention on the psychological state of his solitary personages. Dikio earned his BFA in painting at UC Santa Cruz and participated in a study abroad program in Prague.

 

Katja Leibenath, "China Basin #14"

Katja Leibenath began compiling a detailed photographic diary of her surroundings; her paintings are often based on these studies. Leibenath has been painting in San Francisco since 2006. Her work as been showcased at SomArts Gallery, Artist X-Change Gallery, RSSB at UC Berkeley, The Lab, and Liquid Spaces. Leibenath earned a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture from the Peter Behrens’ School Of Architecture in Duesseldorf, Germany.

 

Catherine Saiki, Pacifica III

Catherine Saiki’s abstract paintings are inspired by the industrial city — from the steel detritus left in the wake of urban development to the rusty patina of an ever-changing landscape. Saiki documents and reassembles these found moments through the textures and colors of her paintings. She received her MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2005 and her BA from Scripps College in 1995. Saiki currently lives and works in Oakland, California.

HANG ART is located at 567 Sutter Street, between Mason and Powell Streets. Gallery hours are Monday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm. For further information or high resolution images, please call 415 434 4264.

Art In Storefronts – Phillip Hua

Apparently we missed Mayor Newsom, but when we stopped by the Art in Storefronts opening on Friday, October 23rd the party was still going strong.

HANG ART artist Phillip Hua

HANG ART artist Phillip Hua was one of a handful of artists selected to transform a vacant storefront into a work of art.

His piece, titled Consider It, will evolve over the course of time to increase environmental awareness. The near vacant space features a clock, set to the eleventh hour, accomponied by a chair with the words “Stand-Up” stenciled on it.

Considerate - Consider It

The top of the storefront had the phrase, “The Time is Now,” serving as a friendly little reminder that a little action goes a long way.

You can check out the installation yourself at 984 Market Street in San Francisco, right next to The Warfield Theater. Just be sure to hurry, after all, “the time is now.”

Open Studio Visit – Ed Calhoun

Continuing with San Francisco’s month of Open Studios we dropped in on Ed Calhoun and his wife Linda in their Dogpatch studio.

Although, studio might not be the right word, the space seemed more like a laboratory of ideas. Traditional paintings lined the walls, but the space was punctuated with assemblages and experiments.

Those of you familiar with Ed and Linda’s work know that they have created a color based cypher of the alphabet. Walking through the space, we were wanting to decode everything, including the M&M’s and Tootsie Pops they had out as refreshments. Turns out that they weren’t intended as works of art, the Cheeto’s however were.

We had a great time and look forward to see what they cook up next. Check out more pictures below…

The Inside Scoop

The Bold Italic is a brand new website that focuses on the cultural pulse of San Francisco. The website features a series of Backstories, written by Bold Locals, that give you the inside scoop on everything from doughnuts to pick-up lines.

HANG ART  Director, DJ Harmon was recently interviewed by Bold Local Nicole Grant in a Backstory titled Getting Hung At Hang. The story is a brief look into the steps we take when we look for new artists.

On a side note, we think the photo of DJ in the article is not representative of her personality.

Open Studio Visit – Piero Spadaro

As a part of ArtSpan’s Fall Open Studios HANG ART artist Piero Spadaro opened the door to his Marina studio. We took the time to stop by, soak in the sun, and chat about his work.

Part of the fun of Open Studios is poking around an artist studio and getting a  sneak peak into their materials and process. Piero’s shimmering canvases apparently require a certain amount of chance, and in turn, chaos.

The results he had on display evoke nature on both a macro and micro level. Also on the walls, Piero had a new body of work that more resembled landscapes.

We had a great time and are looking forward to checking out more studios and artwork this weekend.

Anthony May – The Anatomy of Portia

Tips for Emerging Artists

The San Francisco Foundation Center is offering a series of free workshops this month as a part of Funding for Arts Month. The free informational seminars will cover everything from writing an artists statement and landing a grant to where to find affordable studio space.

Our top seminar pick is Portfolios that Work and Get You Showing, featuring Hang Art’s Director DJ Harmon, Eilish Cullen from The Lab, Dan Johnson Lake of Lake Gallery, Andrew McKinley of Adobe Books, and Dina Pugh from Triple Base Gallery.

These gallery owners, directors, curators, and jurors will give you a sneak peak into the behind-the-scenes portfolio review process. The hour and a half seminar is sure to be filled with hints and tips to help you put your best foot forward when submitting a portfolio.

The workshop is Thursday, October 22 at 12:30pm. To get in on the fun sign up online, but hurry, space is limited.

Open Studios Cheat Sheet

In San Francisco October is synonymous with Open Studios. The time of year when artists all over the city open their doors to lookie loo’s and collectors alike. The massive open house, organized by Artspan, is divided into four weekends. You can browse and plot your plan of attack through Artspan ’s website, or the free catalog.

To make things easier you can also just follow our handy cheat sheet. Below is a list of when and where you can visit the studios of participating HANG ART artists. When you stop in make sure you tell them HANG sent you.

Weekend 1 : Oct 10 & 11

Katja Leibenath – 1890 Bryant #211 @ Mariposa

Weekend 2: Oct 17 & 18
Philippe Jestin – 646 Laguna @ Grove
Tjasa Owen – 1850 Union @ Laguna
Piero Spadaro – 1884 Greenwich @ Laguna

Weekend 3 : Oct 24 & 25
Ed Calhoun – 2325 3rd Street #345 @ 20th
Phillip Hua – Pier 70 # 305 @ 20th
Andrzej Karwacki – 1035 Market Street @ 6th

Weekend 4 : Oct 31 & Nov 1
Ivy Jacobsen – Hunters Point Shipyard Bldg. 110 # 203