The team including Laurene Powell Jobs that bought up the 152-year-old SF Art Institute just announced it will reopen with the new name California Academy of Studio Arts, or just “CASA” for short.
When Russian Hill’s 152-year-old SF Art Institute declared bankruptcy and shut down in April 2023, it was considered an incalculable artistic loss, and not only because the institute had distinguished alums like Annie Liebowitz, Richard Diebenkorn, and Ansel Adams (plus local star Jeremy Fish). The longtime arts school was also the permanent home to Diego Rivera’s massive mural The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City, which suddenly seemed likely to be sold off to some billionaire.
But billionaires of a different variety saved the day. An ownership group called BMA-Institute, led by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs who was married to the late Steve Jobs, bought the SF Art Institute for $30 million in February 2024. They announced at the time it would remain an art school, which it will, though today’s Chronicle reports that the institute will reopen under the name California Academy of Studio Arts, or simply the acronym “CASA.”
The school will host about 30 students a year in a one-year program, that the BMA-Institute said in a press release would offer a “range of resources to nurture their practice, including studio space, shared workshops, mentorship from practicing artists, and platforms for public engagement.”
“The Bay Area has long been a magnet for remarkable creativity and innovation,” Laurene Powell Jobs said in the same press release. “CASA builds on the legacy and the bold spirit of Black Mountain College, supporting artists through connection, experimentation, and care. We are creating a dynamic experimental program that will be informed by the artists themselves.”
The school won’t be accredited, though who knows how much that even matters in today’s arts scene. The release describes the forthcoming curriculum as an “experimental program” that would serve the needs of contemporary visual artists.
But the big question on most people’s minds will be whether the Diego Rivera mural will be open and visible to the public again, which the Chronicle’s report says it will. There will reportedly be a cafe and bookstore near the mural, which makes a ton of sense. But there will also be a fair amount of renovations performed on the facility, so it won't be reopening right away, and those renovations will of course need city approval before even starting.
Related: New Artists' Facility Begins to Take Shape at Former SF Art Institute [SFist]
Image: Slsmithasdfasdf via Wikimedia Commons
