Exploring moments from the rich history of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) \u2014 before its closure, the West Coast\u2019s oldest fine art school \u2014 this exhibition spotlights works by more than 50 SFAI alumni and former faculty included in the museum\u2019s collection. The presentation underscores the school\u2019s crucial role in fostering creativity and experimentation, featuring works across media since the post\u2013World War II era by artists like Ansel Adams, Joan Brown, Miguel Calder\u00f3n, Imogen Cunningham, Mike Henderson, Candice Lin, and Carlos Villa, among others. <\/p>\n
The exhibition also includes a dynamic and quirky range of archival materials drawn from the SFMOMA Library and the SFAI Archive. These encompass ephemera from the founding of the school\u2019s photography department, posters for 1950s Beat-era galleries run by artist alumni, student newspapers, and flyers from the punk and new wave music scenes of the 1970s. Taking its title from a line in the final 2022 commencement speech by faculty member and alumnus Dewey Crumpler, People Make This Place<\/i> is a collaborative effort across the museum in partnership with the SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archive<\/a>.<\/p>\n