The San Francisco Art Institute will remain open in a reduced capacity next academic year.
The Anne Bremer Memorial Library, Chestnut Street Campus. Photo Courtesy of SFAI.
The San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) shared plans to remain open after announcing last month that it may close permanently after the spring semester. The school will continue to graduate students this spring and summer, but will suspend academic degree programs in the fall while continuing to offer on-site and digital studio art classes, public education programs, and grant-supported exhibitions and conservation projects. These changes are part of a campaign “to reset and reinvent” the school’s business model, according to an SFAI announcement.
SFAI’s board chair Pam Rorke Levy said in a statement:
Our doors are open and we will continue to fulfill SFAI’s mission while functioning in a leaner, more focused manner. We’ll use the year ahead to pursue strategic partnerships with other schools and embark on an accelerated campaign to raise philanthropic funds. Our goal is to put SFAI on a firm financial footing, able to sustain itself moving forward.
Last month, SFAI announced that conversations about a planned merger, meant to keep the school afloat, had fallen apart due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since that announcement, the institute has received support and encouragement from charitable organizations and potential financial partners, and Levy plans to return to partnership negotiations in the fall.
