SFAI Faculty Union

800 Chestnut Street should not be confused with the San Francisco Art Institute. SFAI was a 150 year-old renowned, accredited fine art school that was forced to close in July 2022 after years of mismanagement. Tenured faculty, staff, and students were ousted. Tenured faculty and long-time staff negotiated a settlement agreement but only received a small portion of this, in part because the new owner of 800 Chestnut paid so little ( for a large unique property and Diego Rivera mural valued at 50 million!) There were rumors that faculty would receive the remaining amount of the settlement after the sale but this never happened. Faculty have small 403b accts and no pension. The closure continues to be devastating for many former employees and for the art world, especially in San Francisco where radical, irreverent expression flourished at SFAI - intersecting with major social movements ( anti-war, Black Panthers, punk scene, Mission School, and much more.)

( general description of recent history
from Save SFAI FB page )
How and why we got here;
In 2020, the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) owed $19.7 million in debt to a private lender for building graduate studios in a rented space located at Fort Mason. The University of California Regents rescued SFAI from default by paying off the loan and acquiring the 800 Chestnut campus with a deal to help SFAI buy back the campus through a rent-to-own arrangement.

In July 2022, the school closed permanently. Then in August, a new nonprofit, the SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archive (SFAI LF+A) was formed to protect the name, the historical artifacts, and preserve the history of the SFAI. Later that year SFAI LF+A moved its contents to 20 Hawthorne in SF next to Crown Point Press, with plans to be available for academic researchers and general inquiries. https://www.sfailegacyarchive.org/

In April 2023, SFAI filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, forcing them to liquidate their assets, vacate 800 Chestnut, and be evicted from Fort Mason for defaulting on their lease. The UC Regents, working with SFAI’s bankruptcy attorney and the US Bankruptcy Court, put 800 Chestnut on the market, which includes the most valuable asset belonging to the school —a historical landmark, Diego Rivera's mural, “The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City.”

In December of 2023, The US Bankruptcy Court overseeing the San Francisco Art Institute approved an agreement allowing a newly formed Arts Nonprofit funded by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, to pay off the SFAI debt of $7.5 million to purchase the 800 Chestnut Campus and also the Diego Riviera mural from the UC Regents for a total of $22.5 million.

June 5, 2025, Laurene Powell Jobs’s nonprofit BMA Institute announced the forthcoming creation of the California Academy of Studio Arts (CASA), which will take over the historic SFAI campus at 800 Chestnut as a free, non-accredited yearlong experimental studio program devoted to up to 30 emerging artists per annual cohort. Additionally, CASA will engage with the city through exhibitions, workshops, and artist talks.
(General timeline by Steve Hurd )

Faculty Union members have been waiting patiently for SFAI bankruptcy “distributions” which have not yet occurred. The wealthiest institutions involved have ensured they be paid first and in full, leaving the faculty and more than 100 other creditors wondering…. Many faculty members are struggling, and we need the compensation we are owed (including unpaid wages).

The property at 800 Chestnut St. was sold in bankruptcy court today; there was only one low offer. The Faculty are creditors and it’s unclear if we will be compensated what we are owed. We remain hopeful.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/san-francisco-art-institute-possible-purchase-18353723.php

We have very little information about this potential sale, but the first thing they are focusing on is obtaining a change for non-accredited status! Buying the property is far different than bringing back SFAI…

Group including Laurene Powell Jobs interested in buying S.F. Art Institute The vacant and bankrupt San Francisco Art Institute campus on Russian Hill would continue...

Dear Friends,
The Faculty Union values the important legacy of SFAI, but for many faculty members this is not “history” but an open wound. We are still waiting for a compassionate response and severance beyond the contractual minimum; for many of us the school closure in 2022 devastated our lives, careers, community, and lifelong dedication to SFAI. So, some of us will not be attending the March 26 event. We urge the Board to fulfill its promise to us.

Dear Friends,
As you know, SFAI closed in July 2022 after months of failed negotiations with USF, and we have little information about the current status of the “Foundation” and campus property. The Faculty are still grieving the loss of this unique institution for San Francisco and the world. It has been personally devastating for many of us, since we poured our lives into this school for decades. We sincerely hope all former faculty members, staff, and students are hanging in there. Take care.

The Faculty Union has been trying to come to agreement on a fair and respectful settlement with SFAI for our decades of dedication and service… but it looks like they are not willing to live up to their word. This is extremely disappointing… but not surprising, unfortunately.

The closing of the San Francisco Art Institute: “The artists can go hang themselves” The announcement in mid-July that the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) would cease operations, no longer offering courses or degrees, is a significant and telling event.

There’s so much more to this story, and it will come out someday. The closing of SFAI has included the mass layoff of faculty and staff ( and students who are unable to graduate…) We are still struggling to be treated fairly in this situation.

San Francisco Art Institute to Close After 151 Years The San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) is shuttering after more than a century and a half and will reorganize as a nonprofit in order to “protect its name, archives and legacy,” the school said in a statement. The demise of the institute follows the announcement that a merger deal offered by the...

.gittelsohn
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Three Punk Painters and My Mom
Reception July 10, 2022 join us.