The San Francisco Art Institute (A Ghost Story)2024

“The San Francisco Art Institute was founded in 1871 and was the oldest Art
School west of the Mississippi. In July 2022, mostly due to mismanagement for
decades, overexpansion, severe tuition and a falling number of students it filed for bankruptcy.

Contemporary filmmakers and who taught in the Film Dept. include, George Kuchar, Lawrence Jordan, Ernie Gehr, Steve Anker, Gunvor Nelson, Barbara Hammer, just to name a few. I also taught there from time to time.

Diego Rivera has a masterpiece painting in the main Student Gallery estimated
value in excess of $25 million dollars.

Among the earliest film teachers there were, Sidney Peterson, James Broughton, and many others. Stan Brakhage received an honorary Doctor’s Degree in 1981. The property has recently been purchased by Mrs. Jobs along with two other non profit organization for $31 million dollars. This purchase includes the mural by Diego Rivera.

I had the chance to capture two rolls of black and white reversal imagery on the last day that the building at 800 Chestnut had its’ doors open. I combined that imagery with footage that I shot in my class when I taught at the San Francisco Art Institute”—DA

Sound by Kevin Barnard