Presented by the Museum of Sonoma County with support from SF Artists Alumni
From the Museum of Sonoma County
Having spent most of my life on the East Coast, the California art scene was mostly unfamiliar to me when I moved here. The San Francisco Art Institute was not on my radar. But when I read a brief article in 2022 announcing the closure of the 151-year-old art school, it got my attention. This was an institution associated with many of the leading lights of twentieth-century American art, either as students or faculty. Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Ad Reinhardt, Mark Rothko, and Clyfford Still taught at SFAI. Richard Diebenkorn, Annie Leibovitz, Kathryn Bigelow, Joan Brown, and Maynard Dixon were all students. And those are just a few of many household names.
SFAI could not be allowed to simply fade into the night without a proper sendoff, and, as Chair of the Art Committee of the Museum of Sonoma County, I was determined to give it one. An integral part of the mission of our museum is to showcase work from the North Bay region, and SFAI, predictably, both drew from and “seeded" our region with exceptional talent. My great good fortune was to be put in touch with Jude Mooney, Sonoma County Coordinator of SFAI’s Alumni Association (SFAA), whose drive to create a fitting commemoration of SFAI has brought this show to life. I am very proud to have taken this opportunity to celebrate SFAI at the Museum of Sonoma County. Turning that seed of an idea into the remarkable exhibition that is UNRULY: North Bay Artists from the San Francisco Art Institute is a credit to Jude’s creativity and vision, and for that, I am profoundly grateful.
Estelle Rogers Chair of the Board Museum
of Sonoma County
From the SFAA Board
The founding of the San Francisco Artists Alumni (SFAA) marked a defining moment in the history of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), uniting a community dedicated to honoring the school’s storied legacy. SFAA’s mission is simple yet profound: to advocate for alumni, foster meaningful connections, and celebrate over 150 years of artistic excellence. This mission thrives thanks to the contributions of many dedicated alumni volunteers who bring our vision to life.
As SFAA enters its fourth year, we reflect proudly on the milestones achieved together. Our organization has grown from archiving invaluable student records to organizing monthly artist talks, alumni gatherings, and global exhibitions. Through newsletters, film screenings, and social events, we deepen our connections and celebrate our individual journeys.
We are thrilled to present UNRULY: North Bay Artists from the San Francisco Art Institute at the Museum of Sonoma County. Curated by SFAI alum Jude Mooney, UNRULY embodies the daring spirit that has always set SFAI artists apart. This exhibition, featuring works by 18 alumni and former faculty members from the North Bay. It brings together diverse artistic voices to explore uncharted territories in form, materials, and meaning.
We extend our warmest gratitude to the Museum of Sonoma County’s board chair Estelle Rogers, collections manager Jennifer Bethke, as well as the staff and volunteers who made this exhibition possible. We’d like to thank the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art as well as private collectors Alan Porter and Paul Hoge who lent the works by David Best and Robert Hudson.
This exhibition has been made possible with the generous support of John Marx and an anonymous donor, and all our committed SFAA donors. We are honored to share UNRULY with you, an exhibition that continues the legacy of the San Francisco Art Institute.
Thank you for joining us.
The SFAA Board Members
UNRULY Home Turf
Sonoma isn’t very far from San Francisco’s Russian Hill, where the San Francisco Art Institute, aka, “The School" offered a refuge for art making and artists. And yet, alumni and faculty could always retreat across the Golden Gate into Marin and Sonoma counties for remote sanctuary. The first faculty member, Virgil Williams painted View South from Sonoma Hills as well as a canvas titled Mount St. Helena from his Knight’s Valley studio in the 1870s.
In the collection of Peter B. Bedford, Lafayette California.
Many only got as far as Sausalito and Mill Valley, like Richard Diebenkorn, Chryssa, Bruce Nauman, Ruth-Marion Baruch and Pirkle Jones. Others went over the hill to Muir Beach — William T. Wiley, John Collier, Jr., Gunvor and Bob Nelson. Artists Richard Shaw, Bob Hudson, Cornelia Schultz, and Martha Shaw made it a bit further to Whitegate Ranch, just above Stinson Beach on the Dipsea Trail before being booted out when it became the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Virgil Williams, View South from the Sonoma Hills, 1864, oil on canvas, 30 x 46 in,
Artists found havens and comrades in Bolinas and Inverness on the other side of the San Andreas fault as well as on the eastern shores of Tomales Bay up into Sonoma. A chunk of this artistic community was portrayed in Gunvor Nelson’s and Dorothy Wiley’s 1971 film, BillBobBillBillBob featuring artists, Bill Allan, Bill Geis, Bob Nelson, Bill Wiley and Bob Hudson in their NorCal surroundings. Artists like Dorr Bothwell, Larry Thomas, Lucien Bloch and Stephen Dimitroff ventured into Mendocino. And some traversed the other way, like Adaline Kent born in the shadow of Mount Tamalpais and then making her way to the School when it was on Nob Hill in the early 1920s.
The distinction between Marin and Sonoma can be elusive. It was only with Christo’s 1976 Running Fence, which bounced between the Marin and Sonoma border, was there a focus on the county line. And yet, Christo’s Fence gained the wrath of many local artists, some at the top of Sonoma Mountain, like Mary Fuller McChesney.
Legions of artists were drawn to this geography, like the plein air painters who dubbed themselves the “Sonoma Four," Tony King, Jack Stuppin, Bill Wheeler, and Bill Morehouse — all with individual reputations but who gathered together for joint sashays into the beauty of Sonoma and Marin counties, running fence or no running fence.
The artistic and topographical connections between SFAI and NorCal make sense to artists captivated by the sea, mountains, bucolic landscapes, and marvelous light. Add to this the similarities of a collective free spirit with fellow travelers and, voila: a wide range of art flourishes — whether it be Bobbie Stauffacher Solomon’s “supergraphics" at Sea Ranch, Benny Bufano’s totem at Timber Cove, Bernice Bing’s abstract paintings of the Mayacamas Range, or the ceramics, jewelry, and textiles at Pond Farm.
UNRULY highlights this variety: artistically, geographically, and generational with that everlasting connection between Russian Hill to the Russian River and beyond Jeff Gunderson, Archivist, SFAI Legacy Foundation & Archive
Curatorial Statement
The UNRULY exhibition was inspired by the 2022 closure of the San Francisco Art Institute, the oldest, most influential art school on the West Coast. SFAI was a diverse community of artists that for 152 years provided a safe and creative space to inquire, articulate individualistic and avant-garde ideas, and push against the rules.
To honor that legacy, this exhibition features a selection of local alumni and former faculty who embody the spirit of boundary-pushing, critical thinking, and experimentation that the school so famously fostered and affirmed.
Narrowing down the selection of artists from a great pool of talent was an arduous process that defied the SFAI ethos of equity and inclusion. What emerged organically was not so much a theme, but a group of artists who are trying new things in diverse ways - through the medium, materials, and message. While it may feel like a motley crew assembled in this gallery, the common thread is a passion to explore.
SFAI students were taught the rules so they could break them, and perhaps predictably this exploration of radical approaches and mediums could at times produce chaos and controversy. Critiques at SFAI could be challenging, or even wrenching; but the school provided a safe place for artists to explore new angles and unique platforms to convey their point of view and speak their mind.
One artist describes her time at SFAI as follows: “The Art Institute pushed and pulled my creative self like nothing else. There were tears, laughter, tantrums, breakthroughs and breakdowns, yet an overpowering sense of excitement and discovery."
As for my own experience, landing at SFAI after two different college stints was a relief. I had finally found my people. And because so many others at SFAI were also transfer students, it was home to a student body that was largely committed to art-making. It was not an easy time, but it shaped the trajectory of my life in the best way.
For that reason curating this show was especially rewarding, and I was happy to do my part to help strengthen the connections between alumni and keep the legacy of SFAI in the public eye.
While the loss of the school itself is a blow to the Bay Area arts community, there are reasons to celebrate. The iconic Chestnut Street campus will be preserved through philanthropic efforts, and the spirit of SFAI will continue to thrive as alumni make new work, curate in new venues, and continue to sow the seeds of change.
We live in a world divided by politics and beset by climate stress; where fact, conspiracy, and reality are at odds. Now more than ever we need our community of artists and art institutions to help visualize a future worthy of our aspirations. Artists have the power to inspire and protest, to create empathy, and to connect us to the sacred and the profane.
I would like to express my gratitude to Estelle Rogers, Jennifer Bethke, Maria Theresa Barbist, David Dodd, Linda Connor, Sarah Grimes, and the staff at the Museum of Sonoma County for supporting this exhibition to celebrate the memory of SFAI.
Jude Mooney, Guest Curator, SFAI alumna
ARTISTS
RICHARD H. ALPERT
SFAI Alumni MFA 1973
Petaluma, CA, US www.richardalpertartist.com
My art is rooted in curiosity and the childlike act of playing with materials. This is the lens that I use to view the world and the process I use to explore it. At times, my work is humorous and whimsical, and at times, it reflects my sense of the absurd. I hope people can relate to that.
Mechanism for Twisting Wire removes the materials from their utilitarian contexts, challenging notions of functionality and questioning the interplay between art and utility. Inspired by the absurdism of the Dadaists, central to the essence of these sculptures is the realization that they possess no inherent function without human enablement. By removing the materials from their utilitarian contexts, I challenge conventional notions of functionality and invite us to question the interplay between art and utility.
Glad/Sad playfully delves into the significance of the number 3. It is profoundly connected to creativity, communication, optimism, and curiosity. The number 3 resonates with such concepts as the past, present, and future; the concept of a complete cycle—a beginning, middle, and end; and most importantly, for me, birth, life, and death. The 3 tennis balls inside the plastic tube give the piece a humorous and absurd undertone to this view of the life cycle. The sudden inflation and the slow deflation of the rubber gloves serve as quotation marks of sorts for both our sudden entrance into the physical world and the ultimate effects of aging on our physical being. All living things succumb to this passage of time.
Richard H. Alpert, Mechanism For Twisting Wire, 2018, Steel wire, wood, 60" x 48" x 144"
Richard H. Alpert, Glad/Sad (Inflated), 2022-24, Latex gloves, wood cabinet, electronically controlled air pump system, tennis balls, polycarbonate clear tube, cable ties, 50" x 24" x 8.25"
Richard H. Alpert, Glad/Sad (Deflated), 2022-24, Latex gloves, wood cabinet, electronically controlled air pump system, tennis balls, polycarbonate clear tube, cable ties, 50" x 11.25" x 8.25"
CHESTER ARNOLD
SFAI Alumni MFA 1988 Sonoma, CA, US www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/chester-arnold
My paintings are part of a visual dialogue running the length and breadth of human history. The search for excellence in this Art and Craft has led me to explore the natural world and the human events that inhabit it, constructing narratives that celebrate and question our presence in the world.
Although representational, I seek a way of painting that is richly traditional, yet radically and surprisingly new. I attempt to articulate more than the surfaces and dimensions of reality, summoning the wordless meanings and sensations that only visual art can.
Chester Arnold, Collection, 2011, Oil on linen, 78" x 94"
DAVID BEST
SFAI Alumni MFA 1976 Petaluma, CA, US www.davidbesttemples.org/david-best
David Best's work is a meditation on precision, patience, and the intimate relationship between the artist and their medium. In his small studio, which he affectionately calls "the cave," Best immerses himself in the process of cutting and arranging paper for up to 18 hours at a time, often working alone for months on end. The result is a body of work that speaks to the quiet intensity of manual labor and the beauty that can emerge from concentrated, individual effort.
Best’s collages, such as ‘Triangle Factory Fire’, are built layer by layer, with each cut piece of paper representing a gesture of meticulous attention. When asked how long it took to create his largest work, Best recalled the sheer number of hours—900 hours, or roughly two months of 15-hour days. Yet, for him, the time spent is less about calculating value and more about the deep satisfaction found in the act of creation itself. He humorously mentions the "good money" in his labor, but it is clear that the reward for Best lies not in monetary compensation, but in the transcendence of hours spent in the singular pursuit of artistic vision.
Best’s commitment to working in isolation, without helpers or assistants, stems from a desire to maintain a direct, unmediated connection to the work. His studio—small, personal, and intense—becomes both a sanctuary and a crucible for his artistic expression. Here, the physical act of cutting and composing paper serves as a kind of meditative ritual, where every piece, no matter how small, contributes to the larger narrative. The tight focus of his workspace reflects the tight focus of his artistic process: slow, deliberate, and deeply involved in the particulars of form and content.
In a world that often prizes speed and scale, David Best’s work stands as a testament to the power of dedication and the art of slowing down. Through his labor-intensive practice, he reveals the rich complexity that emerges from painstaking effort, inviting the viewer to find beauty in the process as much as in the finished product.
David Best, Triangle Factory Fire, 2000, mixed media collage, 61.5" x 49" x 7"
Courtesy of di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art, Napa
MARK GRIEVE
SFAI Alumni BFA 2000 Petaluma, CA, US www.markgrieve.com
It was the four dollar spinach and pear salad with toasted walnuts during a break in the Friday life drawing session that caught my attention first. I was an insecure 18 year old "Artist" not yet a student at SFAI who snuck in on Fridays for free model time. The old drawing rooms were magnificent.
You could almost see the ghosts of artists past looking over your shoulder as you looked down upon the model. The impression of being part of something bigger had been whitewashed into those walls dozens of times over the years. How many tons of paper, as well as gallons of paint, and the thousands upon thousands of conte’ crayons were used in those old dusty rooms?
A few years later I was fortunate to have lunch with Vivian Goddard, a painter in her mid nineties at the time who had attended SFAI in the mid nineteen twenties. She told me stories of working in those same rooms and then looking down upon north beach still open fields from after the fire and the earthquake.
Eventually, while painting and drawing there legally, I was lucky enough to experience the parade of teachers and mentors guiding me into the unknown. The signing of my tuition check seemed to be the affirmation of my commitment to fine art.
As soon as you walked into the courtyard one could feel the excitement and joy being there. It will be missed but not forgotten.
Mark Grieve, Universal Gravitational Oscillation, 2024, Acrylic on panel, 24" x 136"
Mark Grieve, Dream of the Cellophane Machine, 2021-2023, Acrylic on panel, 36" x 148"
ROBERT HUDSON
SFAI Alumni MFA 1963 Cotati, CA, US www.americanart.si.edu/artist/robert-hudson-2341
Robert Hudson grew up in rural Washington State and moved to San Francisco to attend college. Hudson was influenced by the city’s ceramic artists, whose brightly colored works combine traditional craft and sculpture. He has said that he loves to be "in a position of being overwhelmed," so he makes objects that blur the lines between sculpture, painting, and drawing. His trompe l'oeil, or "fool the eye," sculptures look like one material but are actually made of another, often confusing our perceptions of two- and three-dimensional objects (Beal, "Welded Irony: The Sculpture of Robert Hudson," in Robert Hudson, A Survey, 1985).
Robert Hudson, Where the Chips Fall, 2008, Cast iron, steel, stainless steel, and enamel, 28" x 26" x 17", Museum of Sonoma County Collection
Robert Hudson, SFAI Poster, 1979, Acrylic, colored pencil and collage on paper, 43" x 31", Collection of Alan Porter and Paul Hoge
EVRI KWONG
SFAI Alumni BFA 1989, MFA 1991
San Rafael, CA, US www.instagram.com/evrikwong
“Painting is my meditation, not passive in action, like water.”
San Francisco Art Institute accepted me as an under graduate.
San Francisco Art Institute accepted me as I am.
San Francisco Art Institute gave me a sense of belonging and pride.
San Francisco Art Institute gave me the environment to explore and grow into my own.
San Francisco Art Institute challenged me and my paintings to the core.
San Francisco Art Institute gave me a scholarship so I could attend Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.
San Francisco Art Institute trained me to become an artist.
San Francisco Art Institute made me who I am today and for that I am forever grateful.
Evri Kwong, I John Chinamen Been Working On The Railroad All, 2023, Acrylic paint, Sharpie Permanent marker and Micron pen on window-shade, 79" x 65"
VIRGINIA LINDER
SFAI Alumni 1960s Inverness, CA, US www.advanced.style/2016/05/advanced-love-mort-ginny-linder.html
I was 18 when I came to San Francisco after a year at art school in Atlanta. San Francisco was such a new experience for me, so the art institute was a place where I was able to pursue my passion for art, meet like minded people, and adjust to the city. I loved the campus with its trees and old buildings, and I was particularly attached to ceramics in the old barn. I appreciated that the instructors were supportive and not judgmental. My experience at the school was very positive and reinforced my enthusiasm for artistic creation.
Virginia Linder, Wardrobe, 2009-2019, Clothing, vest and hat: fabric, beads, paint, feather and found objects, Belt: wool, beads, abalone, agate, copper wire, Gloves: Wool and beads, dimensions variable
Virginia Linder, Anemone, 1996, found metal scrap, nails, on wood, 17" x 35"
Virginia Linder, Jazz Combo, 1996, found metal scraps on wood/bamboo frame, 12" x 16"
Virginia Linder, Rain, 2020, found metal scraps, nails and paint on wood, 35" x 42"
Virginia Linder, Reshuffle, 1998, found metal scraps, nails and paint on wood, 24" x 36"
JANIS CRYSTAL LIPZIN
SFAI Alumni MFA 1976, Faculty 1978 - 2009 Sebastopol, CA, US www.jclvision.com
Home Entertainment Center for a Farmworker is a video sculpture that features footage appropriated from an advertisement for an agricultural pesticide sprayer. The video is housed within a cabinet crafted from a reconstructed farmhouse pantry, built using reclaimed materials. Inside, a selection of vegetables that I personally grew is displayed, along with a United Farm Workers cap and a simulated Diazinon pesticide bag. To underscore the theme, an organic pesticide — diatomaceous earth — is lightly dusted over the contents, presenting a safe alternative to the harmful organophosphate pesticide depicted in the video. This work acknowledges farmworkers, whose labor is essential to our food supply, and the United Farm Workers cap pays homage to their fight for fair treatment, safer conditions, and a sustainable agricultural future.
As an MFA student at SFAI in the mid-‘70s, I found myself in a vibrant, almost electric environment. There were about 1,200 of us, all drawn to one of the few schools in the U.S. solely focused on fine arts. The average undergrad was 25, so the atmosphere felt mature, serious, and full of purpose. Many of us had left behind other careers to pursue art, and that commitment showed in everything we did. We constantly challenged the art world’s norms, pouring passion into critiques that could be intense but ultimately brought us closer together. Friendships made in those days have lasted a lifetime. And with an all-star lineup of visiting artists and thinkers, the boundaries between faculty, visitors, and students felt almost nonexistent, sparking some of the most unexpected and rich collaborations.
Outside the school walls, San Francisco was buzzing with alternative art spaces, making it a haven for avant-garde creativity and activism against the backdrop of the city’s thriving countercultural scene. The energy was contagious. Inspired by it, I co-founded Eye Music, an early microcinema, with fellow students, producing groundbreaking media programs at locations throughout San Francisco’s diverse art scene. Those were some of the most exciting, formative experiences of my life.
Teaching at SFAI was an immersive and profound experience, defined by pure freedom to teach and a shared belief in the importance of art-making. However, in the 21st century, administrative changes shifted the atmosphere, challenging the spirit of collaboration and artistic autonomy.
Janis Crystal Lipzin, Home Entertainment Center for a Farmworker, 1989 / 2024, Video loop, reclaimed wood, organic vegetables, diatomaceous earth, UFW cap, paper, 83" x 37" x 20"
PHIL MCGAUGHY
SFAI Alumni BFA 1992 San Anselmo, CA, US www.philmcgaughy.com
I came out to SFAI in January 1989 from a very far away place, both mentally and physically. It could have been because I was so young, but there seemed to be so much possibility in the air. I made terrible art, and of course I thought it was awesome. Just being able to make something that even looked like art at all in such a beautiful place was enough for me. Of course I went through all of the awkwardness and let downs that young artists feel, but the important thing was that SFAI as a whole embraced the artists' journey. Yes, that's it, SFAI had a unique way to make our journeys, both individually and collectively, feel super important!
Phil McGaughy, Relay Baton, 2009, Wood and tracing paper, 32" x 5" x 5"
Phil McGaughy, Cape Henlopen, 2009, Wood and tracing paper, 33" x 14" x 12"
Phil McGaughy, Petrichor Catchers, 2024, mycelium, wood, fishing line and glue, 6' x 6' x 8'
naomi murakami
SFAI Alumni MFA 1991
Santa Rosa CA, US and Tokyo, Japan www.smellofcolor.com
Michael Grady said, “Ichiban! You are in." That was the beginning of my career at SFAI. A few months into my first semester, my English for Fine Arts teacher asked me, “Naomi, did you ever apply to SFAI?" I said, “No, I didn’t. Michael Grady said I was in." Little did I know, I attended classes without applying or being admitted. That indicates just how unique and weird the art institute could be.
At first, I was so happy to be in the school, escaping from Japanese expectations; now, it seems like a dream. I peeked into Studio 10 for David Ireland's class, and that's when the lid on my Pandora’s Box flew open. It took my conception of art and what is "beautiful" too far, and I stopped feeling the need to make tangible works of art. It gave a death sentence to traditional techniques of painting and drawing, which held a special place in my existence since I was young.
My special thanks to Sam Tchakalian, David Ireland, and Paul Kos. Different practices in media, but the spirits, playfulness, seriousness, and attitude were similar, encompassing a wide range of art practices…, I came to see It was a continuum, not a battle: I could still paint & draw: making objects was as valid as not making objects: didn’t have to be one OR the other….No guilt or doubt anymore: an amazing lesson.
Once Sam said, “NAomi! Find it! when you get serious about it, you will be a great painter." His words have supported me through my difficult times then, and, even today, they still do.
naomi murakami, Front of Back, 2021, acrylic and mixed medium on canvas, 53" x 45"
naomi murakami, Corporeal Daydream, 2024, acrylic and mixed medium on canvas, 32" x 36", diptych
SAM ROLOFF
SFAI Alumni BFA 1992 Sebastopol, CA, US www.samroloff.com/
The first time I heard about SFAI was from a fellow artist friend who encouraged me to apply. While pondering my future in downtown Santa Cruz. The Loma Prieta earthquake struck and it changed the course of my life. The universe has a voice.
Within a few days I found out I had received a scholarship and grants. Next thing I knew I was hitchhiking on highway 1 heading to San Francisco.
I found a room close to school, grabbed my crutches and made my daily arduous journey up the hill all summer long before my first year began. It felt as if I finally arrived home!
Once classes started I fell in love with SFAI. The students and the teachers were very welcoming and inspiring. The “hands off" method of my teachers gave me the freedom to explore my personal style, while guiding me with techniques that were critical to my learning. The opportunities there allowed me to express myself with new mediums such as film, photography and sculpture. I also made some lifelong friends from SFAI that I still cherish to this day.
That was a beautiful time, SFAI will be missed.
Sam Roloff, Little Boo Peep Lost Her Sheeple, 2020, Oil on canvas, 36" x 48"
Sam Roloff, Days after Artist Birthday, 2010-2012, Oil on Canvas with Collage, 30" x 40"
ALICE SHAW
SFAI Alumni BFA 1989, MFA 1999 Forest Knolls, CA, US www.aliceshawphoto.com
SFAI spawned deep critical thinkers who also looked inward and really got to know themselves and what made them tick. Through their artwork they expressed their ideas and thoughts to connect to the greater world.
Alice Shaw, Magnolia 9, 2024, Archival pigment print with 22k gold leaf, 16" x 20"
Alice Shaw, Magnolia 11, 2024, Archival pigment print with 22k gold leaf, 16" x 24"
Alice Shaw, Magnolia 12, 2024, Archival pigment print with 22k gold leaf, 16" x 20"
Alice Shaw, Magnolia 13, 2024, Archival pigment print with 22k gold leaf, 11" x 14"
ANTON KUEHNHACKL
SFAI Alumni BFA 2020 Sebastopol, CA, US www.antontonton.com
I am interested in questioning approaches towards photography, through presentation, how an image is constructed, or re-photography. I believe that for the medium to continue on, it needs to push ways of looking at and considering images; how they function in current times. These works ask if formal roles of photographs, usually displayed in rigid ways, are really working. By using the "Materiality" and "Object-ness" of photographs, their structure, turns them into something new; outside of these constraints, and asks even more impactful questions. In constructing physically and digitally, it changes the overall truth of the image and focuses the viewer on specific parts.
The objects “dailyness" within these photos also play a large role. By using what’s around me and familiar, I’m not only touching on topics of place/home/memory, but obscuring it. This also ties into a viewer's interpretation of my works, their personal take away from it. Did a flower set remind them of shopping with their parents, or decorating? Does a stack of unbalanced plates bring about anxieties? It's these personal answers that I wish to elicit from the viewer, in order to generate new meanings and contextualize my work within the broader domain of the medium.
Anton Kuehnhackl, Roadside Flowers, Here...? Picked For Ma!, 2022, archival inkjet print, 41" x 33" framed
Anton Kuehnhackl, On Vacation??? This a Yearly Tradition!, 2022, archival inkjet print, 41" x 33" framed
Anton Kuehnhackl, Sunday Chairs, But it's Not Even Mass Yet!?, 2021, archival inkjet print, 41" x 33" framed
SIMONE SIMON
SFAI Alumni MFA 2012 Petaluma, CA, US www.simonesimonart.com
Sometimes I dream that I see whole bodies of completed work. I see many paintings, hanging somewhere I can't quite place. I stare hard at them, telling myself to remember and absorb as much as possible. When I wake up, some of the images are lingering, and some have vanished.
This process of recall enables me to explore them from an expanded state, where perception is more fluid, and can open and shift. When I begin to paint, I start from a non representational place, and bring sensation into form. I see paintings as arenas where light and gesture are gathered and stored. By pouring and layering washes of acrylic paint; shapes, symbols, and content build and repeat themselves over time. They march on like a cast of characters, creating relationships and memories. I work until a presence is felt, where some kind of energy is detected; and may be provoked, enticed, or invited in to be the guest of honor on the canvas.
As a transfer student from the east coast at 20 years old, I landed at SFAI very naive, and not having any idea how this place would mold, challenge , and excite me. It was probably the biggest shift in my life's trajectory.The Art Institute pushed and pulled my mind and creative self like nothing else. There were tears, laughter, tantrums, breakthroughs and breakdowns, yet an overpowering sense of excitement and discovery. It set me up for a 45 year (so far), practice of art making, that has kept me (mostly) sane and intrigued with myself and where life has led me.
Simone Simon, Unshrinking, 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 72" x 72"
Simone Simon, Vibrational Acuity, 2024, Acrylic on canvas, 72" x 72"
LIZ STEKETEE
SFAI Alumni MFA 2005
San Rafael, CA, US www.lizsteketee.com
What did you learn at SFAI?
How to edit my work
How to critique myself properly
How to teach and critique others.
How to work with my photography in an interdisciplinary manner
How to layout and teach others to layout a book design
What were your takeaways?
That I wanted to push my work beyond straight photography
That, for me, life and art are completely intertwined into one.
Graduate school at SFAI forced me to understand what I was attempting to say and/or explore with my art.
That the process of making art matters to the world in the way it asks questions and provokes thought.
That making art is very real and very difficult work that requires enormous dedication and perseverance.
Which professors influenced you?
JJ Priola
Linda Connor
John Demerritt
Lonnie Graham
Jack Fulton
And what was it like to teach there?
Inspiring for many years. It was rewarding to watch students blossom into adults with adept critical thinking skills and a dedication to a life in art.
Liz Steketee, Entangled, 2024, Photo Collage with thread, pins, dye and digital prints, 8' x 13'
INEZ STORER
SFAI Alumni 1955, Faculty 1981-1999
Inverness, CA, US www.inezstorer.com
I always felt it was like once I got to the campus, it was like turning on the tv randomly, one never knew what was in store for the day and beyond! I loved teaching there with all the high drama, the earnestness of the students, and the amazing creativeness of their work…it was a great stewpot of ideas mixed with high drama! I also was there as a young student and remember it was my first real art experience and my first teacher was Nathan Oliviera who had just been hired. Both of us mixed up in the adventure!!
Looking Backward and Looking Forward...As I dive into the past and look forward to the future I can see that I do some "pirating" from previous work which now freely floats into my present ideas. It is not so hard to do, but enough struggle to give it "credence", confidence and creative motives. All to the good. Not racing around, just sort of a wallowing in what I know and experimenting with freedom with what I don't know. A sort of ah, ha moment, pretty generous of the art gods! Comes with age, and criticism also comes with the age, but does not matter so much. That is the gift of having made art since the first memories of making sand "towers" at around the age of three! So there, all you old critics! All possibilities await in the dark...and how sweet that is for a long and fruitful art practice.
Glue, scraps, photos, letters, images of Strange and Wonderful Things await my tools and MORE glue and more search for more data to GRAB! And finally, my old and often-used mantra that was always tossed to so many of my wonderful students and those that filled my life anew.
If one line has stayed with me it is..."The person who cannot visualize a horse galloping on a tomato is an idiot." Andre Breton, Surrealist Manifesto
Anymore
Inez Storer, It’s Not a Secret
, 2007, Assemblage with Mixed Media, 12" x 11" x 5.5"
Inez Storer, Mi Casa Su Casa, 2024, Assemblage with Mixed Media, 7" x 6" x 3"
Inez Storer, Land of the Free, 2008, Acrylic and collage on panel, 60" x 48"
Inez Storer, Baby Buck's House, 1981, Boxes of varied materials, 30" x 12" x 5.5"
HWEI-LI TSAO
SFAI Alumni MFA 2011 Novato, CA, US www.hweili.com
Attending the MFA painting program was like hitting the jackpot. I was lucky to be surrounded by excellent faculty members who cared about and supported student’s development. Each professor provided perspective, pedagogy, and soul-searching remarks to challenge my presumption about work and being an artist. The peer critique sessions were invaluable. Some of the comments have stayed with me even now. The best part is that some of us have become good friends. In my heart, there is always a warm spot for SFAI, may that be the history, people, and spirit.
Hwei-Li Tsao, Departure, 2024, Oil and graphite on linen, 42" x 54"
Hwei-Li Tsao, Modern Armor, 2014, Polyvinyl, tulle, threads, paper, and marker, 82" x 70" x 5"
HEATHER WILCOXON
SFAI Alumni BFA 1986, MFA 1988, Faculty 2003 Sausalito, CA, US www.heatherwilcoxon.com
My days at SFAI were sweet and sour. Both as a student (1984-88) and faculty (2003)
The loss of my father had a huge impact as I entered my student days. Carlos Villa was my drawing teacher. He was both kind and supportive. Honestly, those first 2 years of finishing my BFA is a bit foggy. It was my graduate years there that left a greater impression. Sam Tchakalian left his mark on my brain more than any other teacher. Every week I would bring in some god awful painting for Sam to slaughter to shreds. Bill Berkson showed Eric Fischel my screaming paintings in the Diego Rivera Gallery. I nearly fainted from that. Several teachers left their impact like Angela Davis and her brilliant talks. Fred Martin was my advisor. He was wise and thoughtful. So many critiques pushed me further into my painting practice. They were rough but necessary.
As a faculty member, I felt that I was thrown into the lion's den. I believe it was the first interdisciplinary class offered at that time. Painting and mono printing. However, no department heads spoke to me. I was on my own. Plus I was a very inexperienced teacher. Which made it very difficult with some of the students. But my fondest memory of that period was in Pete’s Cafe having coffee in the mornings with Henry Wessel.
My experience at SFAI left me many memories. Some good and some bad. But in the end it gave me a strong foundation in my art practice and in my teaching. And for that I am very grateful.
Wilcoxon,
Heather
Untitled, 2024, Cardboard, acrylic paint, and shredded paper from Gray's anatomy, 16" x 15"
Heather Wilcoxon, Plastic Ocean, 2024, Oil on canvas, 50" x 40"
SPECIAL THANKS FROM THE MUSEUM OF SONOMA COUNTY
The Museum of Sonoma County extends our deepest thanks both to guest curator Jude Mooney and to all the artists who participated in UNRULY: North Bay Artists from the San Francisco Art Institute, without whom this exhibition would not have been possible.
Our thanks also go to:
Additional Lenders to the Exhibition
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art
Alan Porter and Paul Hoge
Donors to the Exhibition
SF Artists Alumni
Nancy Glaze
Estelle Rogers
David Salm
Inez Storer
Meyer Family Cellars
Skylark Wine Company
Upper Ranch Vineyard
Museum Board
Estelle Rogers, Chair
Henry Beaumont
Jennifer Burke
Noreen Carvolth
Nancy Glaze
Melanie Jones-Carter
Jeremy Nichols
Chris Nugent
Anne Peterson
Margie Purser
David Salm
Richard Tempero
Nancy Wang
Museum Staff
Exhibitions, Programs, Administrative
Jenny Bath
Jennifer Bethke
Jon Del Buono
Lana Michaels
Carissa Nacol
Eric Stanley
Visitor Services
Ashley Alvarez
Ariana Bloom
Kathleen Ferrington
Henry Nugent
Al Reis
SPECIAL THANKS FROM SFAA
Curator
Jude Mooney
Volunteers
Adrian Card
David Dodd
Sarah Grimes
Ujjayini Sikha
Donors
Anonymous
Adrian Card
Annie Reiniger-Holleb
Joell Hallowell
John Marx
Jude Mooney
Marian Wallace and V. Vale
Meyer Family Cellars
Robert Perkins, Skylark Wine Company
Upper Ranch Vineyard
Valentine Wallace
Museum of Sonoma County
Jennifer Bethke, Collection Manager
Estelle Rogers, Board Chair
Jon Del Buono, Exhibitions & Facilities Manager
SFAA Liaison Team
SFAA Board
Maria Theresa Barbist, President
Annie Reiniger-Holleb, Vice-President
Marian Wallace, Interim Treasurer
Toban Nichols, Co-Secretary
Brianna Hyneman, Co-Secretary
Cristina Velazquez
Jackie Buttice
Linda Connor
Lior Bar
SFAA Advisory Board
April Martin
Becky Alexander
Jeff Gunderson
Rye Purvis
and all participating SFAI artists!
© 2025 UNRULY: North Bay Artists from the San Francisco Art Institute. All rights reserved.
All images and texts featured in this catalog are protected by copyright and are the intellectual property of the respective artists and authors. Reproduction, distribution, or transmission of the images and texts in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, is prohibited without prior written permission from the copyright holders.
The artists and authors retain their respective copyrights. Requests for permission to reproduce images or text should be directed to the individual copyright holders, whose contact information may be obtained through SF Artists Alumni..
Catalog cover design by Lycée Studio.
Cover image by Robert Hudson, Collection of Alan Porter and Paul Hoge.
Printed in the United States.
ISBN: 979-8-9920002-0-7
Published by SF Artists Alumni.
Museum of Sonoma County info@museumsc.org www.museumsc.org
SF Artists Alumni info@sfartistsalumni.org www.sfaa.art
