ArtSpan kicks off 51st season with Art Launch gallery event

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Nonprofit ArtSpan celebrated the start of its artist open studios with its annual Friday Art Launch gallery event.

The launch featured works from over 300 Bay Area artists, all for sale to the public. Art collectors and aficionados alike delighted in the vibrant paintings and sculptures that splashed color onto the white walls of the SOMArts Cultural Center.

“It’s a great illustration of the vibrancy of San Francisco,” said Kate Patterson, who was dressed head to toe in a colorful vintage blazer. “I’ve seen a couple pieces that have caught my eye. I texted the images to my husband to get a second [opinion.]”

Patterson has been attending ArtLaunch for more than a decade. “There’s a lot of artists in here from whom I’ve purchased art. It’s great to build connections with local artists,” she said.

The one-night event marks the start of a longer, two-month venture known as SF Open Studios, where over 600 local artists showcase their work in garages, cafes and pop-up spaces across the city. Members of the community can visit artists at their studios during their respective showcase weekend to admire and purchase art.

Open Studios in the Mission will take place the weekend of Sept. 27 at locations like Liberty Hill Studio, analog gallery and Upside Artspace.

One such artist is Ivett Acosta, whose work will be featured from October 3 to 5 at Sports Basement Presidio. On Friday night, she celebrated her first ArtLaunch with her partner, Karim, donning a long black dress and a bold red lip for the occasion.

Her painting, titled “Fragments of Light,” was on display. “I’m over the moon. I’m so proud of myself that I can be here and witness people looking at my art and actually admiring it,” she said.

At the wall opposite Acosta, Liz Scotta stood by her piece, “Mars Surface,” a collagraph print depicting the rivers and valleys of Mars. She creates her art using a printing press with black and silver ink. Although she created 25 similar works, each print is one-of-a-kind.

As an ArtLaunch veteran, Scotta noted the intimacy of the artist community found through the event. “It’s nice to come back. You meet people, and you see the development of the artists over the years,” she said.

Scotta’s work will be showcased the first Weekend of October at Compton’s Coffee in North Beach.

Amid a sea of hundreds of artists and art-lovers was Shamsher Virk, first-time ArtSpan executive director, greeting other first-timers and familiar faces. Virk leads a small but mighty team of five staff members to pull off ArtLaunch and SF Open Studios.

“As a new leader in an organization that’s been around for 50-plus years, I’m inheriting this wealth of community and inertia. So I think that I’m feeling carried by that and proud of the team,” he said with a smile.

As the new leader, Virk is placing an emphasis on listening and learning from his community, but also looks forward to incorporating his vision into the organization.

“Being responsive to the soil that we’re growing in is going to be an important question,” he said. “I think that the local political and social environment will certainly influence our direction in this moment.”

He notes that ArtSpan places an emphasis on accessibility for both artists and art lovers.

“You can be making any kind of work. You can be at whatever stage in your career. You can be brand new to it. That’s all welcome,” said Virk.

Anyone can see the featured ArtLaunch works — for free — at SOMArts until Oct. 12.