Southern Exposure (SoEx) is a
not-for-profit arts organization
A not-for-profit arts organization, also known as a nonprofit arts organization, usually takes the form of a not-for-profit organization, nonprofit organization, association, or foundation. Such organizations are formed for the purpose of develo ...
and
alternative art space founded in 1974 in the
Mission District
The Mission District ( Spanish: ''Distrito de la Misión''), commonly known as the Mission ( Spanish: ''La Misión''), is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. One of the oldest neighborhoods in San Francisco, the Mission District's name ...
of
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. It was originally founded as a grassroots, cooperative art gallery in conjunction with Project Artaud which was a live/work artist community.
By the 1980s, they converted the gallery to a community space for supporting emerging artists.
Programs
Exhibitions and projects
Southern Exposure's exhibition program is curated by a committee of artists from the community.
Each year, SoEx has a juried exhibition with an open call. The show is curated by a respected international curator. Past curators of the annual exhibition have included Magali Arriola, Tom Finkelpearl, and Kristan Kennedy.
Grant Program: ''Alternative Exposure''
One of SoEx's main goals is to support the professional development of artists so they are able to live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ''Alternative Exposure'' Grant program “supports the work of unincorporated groups, burgeoning art and gathering spaces, publications, Web sites, collectives, events and artists making work in a variety of ways.”
''Alternative Exposure'', was founded in partnership with the
Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, provides more than $65,000 of grants each year to individuals who work to promote other artists through exhibition spaces, publications, websites, critical writing and other activities. The ''Alternative Exposure'' program was initiated by former SoEx Executive Director
Courtney Fink who first came to Southern Exposure in 2003 and departed in 2015.
Public programs
Since moving away from
Project Artaud in 2006, Southern Exposure has supported "offsite" public art projects which happen in the city of
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
. SoEx's Artists in Education (AIE) program provides intensive art education programs to hundreds of underserved youth each year.
SoEx provides access to affordable art through its annual Monster Drawing Rally event, auctions and sale of limited editions art works. In 2020, the gallery served as an official polling location during the Consolidated General Election, aimed at improving civic discourse and justice.
References
External links
Southern Exposure Website
{{Coord, 37.768040, -122.422740, display=title
Arts organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Non-profit organizations based in California
Organizations based in San Francisco
Art museums and galleries in San Francisco
Mission District, San Francisco
Art museums and galleries established in 1974
1974 establishments in California