Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts
Encyclopedia
The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts is a contemporary art center in San Francisco, California
, United States
and part of the California College of the Arts
.
It was established in 1998 and serves as a forum for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary art
and curatorial practise. It is regarded as one of the leading institutions for the presentation of contemporary art in the United States
.
Over the last decade the Wattis Institute has become one of the premiere venues for contemporary art exhibitions worldwide with a history of some of the most groundbreaking exhibitions organized in the United States
. The local impact is equally important and the Wattis Institute is central to the vitality of the Bay Area art scene. Local residents and visitors come to the Wattis Institute to see the best work of emerging, as well as new work by established artists, and can attend any program free of charge.
The Wattis Institute also runs the pioneering Capp Street Project, founded in San Francisco in 1983, the first visual arts residency in the United States dedicated solely to the creation and presentation of new art installations. Since its inception, Capp Street Project has given more than 100 local, national, and international artists the opportunity to create new work through its residency and public exhibition programs.
Lawrence Rinder
was the founding director. The current director of the Wattis Institute is Jens Hoffmann
who replaced Ralph Rugoff in 2006.
The Wattis Institute is located on the San Francisco campus of the California College of the Arts
at the bottom of Potrero Hill in a refurbished 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²) former Greyhound Bus maintenance facility designed in 1951 by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
.
The Wattis Institute is named after Phyllis C. Wattis one of San Francisco's greatest supporters of the arts who died in June 2002 at the age of 97. During her lifetime, she supported many art organizations in San Francisco and the Bay Area. She served on the board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
, the de Young Museum, the San Francisco Symphony
and the San Francisco Opera
and was as much an ideological as financial supporter of these organizations. Her vision helped to shape the art community of San Francisco to be one of the most active and most cutting edge.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and part of the California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...
.
It was established in 1998 and serves as a forum for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary art
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
and curatorial practise. It is regarded as one of the leading institutions for the presentation of contemporary art in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Over the last decade the Wattis Institute has become one of the premiere venues for contemporary art exhibitions worldwide with a history of some of the most groundbreaking exhibitions organized in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The local impact is equally important and the Wattis Institute is central to the vitality of the Bay Area art scene. Local residents and visitors come to the Wattis Institute to see the best work of emerging, as well as new work by established artists, and can attend any program free of charge.
The Wattis Institute also runs the pioneering Capp Street Project, founded in San Francisco in 1983, the first visual arts residency in the United States dedicated solely to the creation and presentation of new art installations. Since its inception, Capp Street Project has given more than 100 local, national, and international artists the opportunity to create new work through its residency and public exhibition programs.
Lawrence Rinder
Lawrence Rinder
Lawrence R. Rinder is the Director of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive , a position to which he was appointed in 2008.Previously, he was the Dean of the College at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco...
was the founding director. The current director of the Wattis Institute is Jens Hoffmann
Jens Hoffmann
Jens Hoffmann Mesèn is a writer and exhibition organizer. He has organzied exhibitions since 1997 and is currently the Director of the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco where he also directs the Capp Street Project artist-in-residence...
who replaced Ralph Rugoff in 2006.
The Wattis Institute is located on the San Francisco campus of the California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts
California College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...
at the bottom of Potrero Hill in a refurbished 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²) former Greyhound Bus maintenance facility designed in 1951 by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP is an American architectural and engineering firm that was formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM is one of the largest...
.
The Wattis Institute is named after Phyllis C. Wattis one of San Francisco's greatest supporters of the arts who died in June 2002 at the age of 97. During her lifetime, she supported many art organizations in San Francisco and the Bay Area. She served on the board of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
, the de Young Museum, the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
and the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
and was as much an ideological as financial supporter of these organizations. Her vision helped to shape the art community of San Francisco to be one of the most active and most cutting edge.