This in-person class is a boots-on-the-ground exploration of the art world of the San Francisco Bay Area. Focusing on professional practice, we will visit the studios of contemporary artists and meet with curators and other professionals in the field. Students will also visit a vast array of galleries, museums, non-profits, and other non-traditional art sites as a group and independently. 

During the course we will explore the following questions: How does one build a life as an artist after graduating from CCA? What are the resources for artists in the city? How have Bay Area artists and art institutions changed in response to the COVID epidemic? What strategies do artists employ to maintain an art practice with the Bay Area’s high cost of living and housing crisis? How do artists share their work with larger communities?Along with field trips, students will develop a long-term art project that explores and reflects on the places they visit, people they meet, and the city as a living organism.