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Following a year of renovation, Jessica Silverman gallery has opened its new location on the ground floor of 621 Grant Avenue in San Francisco’s historic Chinatown, designed in collaboration with architects Kallos Turin. Building on thirteen years of operation, the gallery’s relocation to the 5000 square foot space advances its commitment to an ambitious program of international and Bay Area artists.
The gallery’s mission is championing the works of artists of all backgrounds, orientations, and career stages. The May 27th reopening debuted with a group show “We Are Here.”
“The new space is a dream come true,” gallery owner Jessica Silverman said. “As a feminist gallery with a diverse roster of artists, we’re thrilled with its subtly joyful design and Chinatown location. Having signed a 12-year lease, I am delighted to have made this long-term commitment to a physical presence in a neighborhood I love.”
Founded in 2008, Jessica Silverman is recognized for its robust exhibition program and significant role in building artists’ careers through placing their work in prominent private and public collections. The gallery is a regular participant at highly selective art fairs, including Art Basel Miami Beach, FIAC Paris, ExpoChicago, New York’s ADAA Art Show and San Francisco’s Fog Design+Art. Originally located in Lower Nob Hill and then in the Tenderloin, the gallery represents 30 artists including Sadie Barnette, Andrea Bowers, Judy Chicago, Matthew Angelo Harrison, Isaac Julien, Clare Rojas, Rose B. Simpson, and many others.
The design of the new space involved close collaboration with Abigail Turin, co-founder of international architecture firm Kallos Turin. They demolished poorly-installed glazing from the 1960s and completely rebuilt the ground-floor facade in order to evoke the building’s original 1907 brick storefront. The main exhibition room, which has 18 foot ceilings and a 40×40 foot square floorplan, is screened from the street by a floating wall, allowing artists optimal control over a versatile space to create profound cultural experiences. Additionally, the gallery benefits from a theatrical street-facing vitrine space, a mezzanine office overlooking the main exhibition volume, and a hidden 1000-square-foot private viewing area for secondary market materials and other artistic gems.
Silverman worked closely with Brian McIntyre of Flux Studio to create a highly adaptable lighting scheme tailored to the specific needs of each space in the gallery, allowing for both intimate and dramatic encounters with art. Visitors will enter the gallery through front doors, featuring ornate brass handles designed in 1900 by Spanish gothic- modernist Antoni Gaudi. Inside, commissions with gallery artists are embedded in the architecture. The downstairs restroom features a tile wall-work by Berlin-based artist Claudia Wieser, while the secret viewing room is accessed via a cherry wood door designed by Los Angeles artist Julian Hoeber.
ABOUT JESSICA SILVERMAN
Jessica Silverman is an ambitious, innovative, and internationally renowned contemporary art gallery with a reputation for curating compelling exhibitions, building artists’ careers, and collaborating with collectors who are keen on positive provenance.
Silverman founded her eponymous gallery in 2008 after obtaining an MA in Curatorial Practice from San Francisco’s California College of the Arts on the heels of a BFA from Otis College in Los Angeles. Silverman sat on the San Francisco Arts Commission for nine years. She is a founding member of 8-bridges, a member of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) and a member of the Selection Committee of Expo Chicago. The gallery represents prominent Californian and international artists at all stages of their careers.
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