Visit Campus

Discover SFAI in person.

Your gateway to the cultural scene in San Francicso.

Explore the school, see the famous Diego Rivera mural, catch a student exhibit in our galleries, and enjoy one of the most breathtaking views of the bay.

San Francisco Art Institute
800 Chestnut Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415.749.4500
800.345.SFAI 


M-F 8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Saturday 12:00 PM-6:00 PM

To get a better sense of our location, check out the neighborhood and directions.

"A really great artist and influential friend of mine, Ashley Boline, took my hand and walked me through the front doors of 800 Chestnut when I was a very young man. I think about all the weird kids and teachers, how we all came together in SF at 800 Chestnut. It’s one of the strongest art communities I have been involved with. SFAI is steeped in SF art history... the real deal. Its location and relaxed campus make it one of the last great art schools in America."

– Barry McGee, BFA Printmaking '91 

SFAI is a place of hidden histories, tucked into corners and carved into the walls

The past and present of making, living, and breathing art are one here—a mix of concrete, epic views, labyrinthine hallways, people, and art.

 

The historic landmark building, designed by the architects of Coit Tower and San Francisco's City Hall, includes:

  • State-of-the-art digital labs and studios supporting sound, photography, film, video, design, web programming, and print, classrooms, and individual studios
  • Walter and McBean Galleries—a professional exhibition space featuring work by international contemporary artists and a laboratory for innovative and adventurous projects and commissions.
  • Diego Rivera Gallery—a student-directed space that provides opportunities to curate and exhibit work and the home of SFAI’s historic Diego Rivera mural, The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City
  • Still Lights Galleries —student-led and curated exhibition spaces showcasing photography related works
  • Anne Bremer Memorial Library —home to film, video, artists' book collection, rare books and periodicals, and SFAI's archives
  • Zellerbach Quad  —over 4,000 square feet of open space with a view
  • Rooftop terrace and amphitheater —with a 365-degree, panoramic view of the Bay, Coit Tower, and Alcatraz
  • Spanish courtyard —directly beneath SFAI’s iconic bell tower and frequently with walls adorned by juried paintings
  • Osher Lecture Hall — the stage has supported Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Angela Davis, Kathy Acker, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, the Kuchar Brothers, and countless others.
Diego Rivera Mural
See More »
Diego Rivera Mural
Architecture
See More »
Architecture