The San Francisco Art Institute Presents Alumni Celebration and Winter Art Festival November 3rd and 4th

Raucous party features Carlos Villa, Karen Finley, Penelope Houston, Debora Iyall, and cocktails by The Bon Vivants

FREE Art Festival showcases SFAI’s alumni and student artists

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) is excited to announce two public events celebrating the people, the art, and the community that fuel this vital contemporary fine arts institution. The Return to SFAI campus-wide alumni celebration and party on the evening of Saturday, November 3 will feature notable SFAI alumni, including Carlos Villa and Karen Finley; live music and performance art; and new, site-specific installations for dispensing specialty cocktails by The Bon Vivants. All-inclusive tickets are just $40. On Sunday, November 4, the SFAI Winter Art Festival—a FREE public event—will offer visitors an opportunity to view and purchase works of art by up to 200 SFAI students and alumni while enjoying interactive installations, special performances, live music, and fare from San Francisco’s best food trucks.

Return to SFAI Alumni Celebration and Party
Date: Saturday, November 3, 5-10 pm
Location: SFAI, 800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA
Cost: $40 Early-Bird Price (Buy your ticket!)
www.sfai.edu/Return2SFAI

This campus-wide alumni celebration and party—open to friends of SFAI and art enthusiasts, not only alumni—offers a chance to carouse and connect at a storied venue and legendary nexus of artistic innovation.

2012 Guggenheim Fellow Carlos Villa—beloved in the Bay Area and beyond as an artist, mentor, and community organizer—and other prominent faculty and alumni will be among the honored guests. Alumna and acclaimed artist Karen Finley—one of the notorious NEA Four and an icon of free speech and sexual expression—will perform a piece exclusively for this event. Special musical performances by alumni Penelope Houston of The Avengers and Debora Iyall of Romeo Void, both pioneers in the Bay Area punk scene, will keep guests dancing through the night.

Revelers will savor custom specialty cocktails by nationally recognized mixologists The Bon Vivants, known for throwing one-of-a-kind events and as the creative force behind bars Rio Grande and the much-anticipated Trick Dog. Hors d’oeuvres by renowned Bay Area chefs, including Chris L'Hommedieu from Prospect, Dennis Lee from Namu Gaji, William Werner from Craftsman & Wolves, and Chester Watson from Trick Dog, will be available to all. (More surprise chefs will be announced online.)

Tickets can be purchased today online or by phone at 415.749.4512!

SFAI Winter Art Festival
Date: Sunday, November 4, 11 am-4 pm
Location: SFAI, 800 Chestnut Street, San Francisco, CA
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
www.sfai.edu/SFAIWinterArtFest

This FREE art festival transforms SFAI’s breathtaking Russian Hill campus into a winter bazaar featuring the exhibition and sale of new art by up to 200 students and alumni. Visitors will engage with the Institute’s forward-thinking contemporary artists and share in this unique display of SFAI spirit. The event also features live music, San Francisco’s best food trucks including Hapa Ramen and Le Truc, interactive installations from the cutting-edge Design and Technology Department, and special performances by the infamous New Genres Department. Works on display will include painting, drawing, collage, photography, printmaking, sculpture, mixed media, video, performance, and fiber art. All proceeds from the sale of work support the students directly.

About San Francisco Art Institute

Founded in 1871, the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), a nonprofit art institution, is a vital convening place for arts communities and an international leader in fine arts education. A small school with global impact—notable faculty and alumni include Richard Diebenkorn, Ansel Adams, Annie Leibovitz, Enrique Chagoya, Kathryn Bigelow, Peter Pau, Paul Kos, George Kuchar, Catherine Opie, Lance Acord, Barry McGee, and Kehinde Wiley—SFAI enrolls approximately 650 students in undergraduate and graduate programs, and offers a wide range of continuing education courses and public programs.
www.sfai.edu

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