Known for a healthy population of young, creative types, San Francisco has not kept that artistic talent from seeking greener grasses in New York and Los Angeles, according to the Bay Citizen.
Art fairs and festivals are one critical way artists can extend their audience -- and sell some work to help keep the lights on, buy new materials and grow their personas.
Last year, as reported in the Citizen, the 2010 San Francisco Fine Art Fair at Fort Mason generated $5 million in sold work.
This year there are three festivals planned for May 19-22 -- all three in one weekend: ArtMRKT, ArtPadSF and the San Francisco Fine Art Fair.
The fairs take pains to distinguish themselves from one another: The San Francisco Fine Art Fair and ArtMRKT are the most conventional, both run by professional art-fair producers based on the East Coast. ArtPad, founded by Chip Conley, executive director of Joie de Vivre Hotels, and Maria Jenson, an art consultant, has the most alternative feel. It will take place in the Phoenix Hotel and features more experimental programming than the other two. (Burning Man’s Black Rock Arts Foundation, for instance, is curating its opening night celebration.)
