Public Art of Downtown San Francisco : A Walking Tour with the San Francisco Art Institute Legacy Foundation + Archive

Join the archivists of the SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archive for a short but insight-packed walking tour from the historic Mechanics’ Institute to a behind the scenes visit of the SFAI Archives on Hawthorne Street. As we move through this densely layered stretch of the city, we’ll pause to explore public artworks, architecture, and the art, culture, and urban history embedded in the landscape. The tour concludes with a behind-the-scenes visit to the archive, where the legacy of the San Francisco Art Institute is actively preserved.

The SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archive (SFAI LF+A) was founded in response to the 2022 closure of the San Francisco Art Institute, one of the nation’s most influential art schools. Established by a passionate group of alumni and community members, and led by longtime SFAI librarian-archivists Jeff Gunderson and Becky Alexander, the Foundation preserves and shares SFAI’s expansive archive—a remarkable collection of historical photographs, institutional records, rare student work, faculty papers, media recordings, and other ephemera dating back to 1871. Dedicated to protecting and advancing SFAI’s legacy of experimentation and creativity, the Foundation offers exhibitions, public programs, and research access that celebrate the institution’s lasting impact on the cultural life of the Bay Area and the global art world.