The Drawing Room Is An Expansive Creative Space Dedicated To Fostering Community

By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | April 27, 2022 | Neighborhoods, Art, Community,

Situated within the Mission’s vibrantly creative Valencia Street is The Drawing Room, an expansive art space dedicated to fostering the local art community through different hosted events, exhibitions, and discussions.

The large gallery sits on 780 Valencia and could be rather unassuming from the outside, but step through its airy open doors and you’ll discover two floors brimming with the most spectacularly ingenious and thought-provoking artworks and sculptures.

The Drawing Room dedicates itself to redefining and activating otherwise dark and unused spaces that “desperately need life” into centers for diverse creative expression and connections between the neighborhood and San Francisco’s most inspiring local artists. As stated in their about page, The Drawing Room aims to utilize art to establish community to “help improve the overall human condition by making art accessible and part of the daily fabric of our lives.”

Aside from valuing art and community, by placing emphasis on inclusivity, accessibility, and vision, this spacious hub stimulates dialogue and exploration through providing artists of any background the proper social, artistic, and financial resources.

Open calls are made frequently to find these talents, and for their latest Women Rising showcase, they were able to feature nearly 200 local female artists.

The end of April also marks the departure of their Women Rising galleries, which began on March 12th. With exhibitions rotating every month, this particular one asked for local women artists to submit works created around 2020 which display their experiences in the last two years, and how it ties into the current state of the world.

Covid-19, the climate crisis, and various other socio-political concerns were all manifested into the womens’ art displayed all over the Drawing Room, totalling over 400 pieces in all different forms.

From sculptures, paintings, and multimedia film and sound experiences, each piece colorfully illuminates the gallery with their poignant, thoughtful, or amusing messages that also incorporated what it is like to be a modern woman affected by such global issues.

Various guest speakers and discussion showcases also took place within the month's instillation to provide greater insight on their handmade works, paired with DJ sets on select nights.

See more photos of some of the multitudinous artworks from Women Rising below.

The Studio Renée DeCarlo is also found within the Room, which invites spectators to view and personally learn about upcoming works from different artists involving mediums from ceramics to photography and more.

The Drawing Room partners with the San Francisco Unified School District to maintain a “learning space” internship program for high school juniors and seniors looking to enter artistic or entrepreneurial paths. The room is also sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, with their fundraising assisting to help further develop the inventive gallery.

The Drawing Room is open Daily from Sundays through Thursdays between 11am-7pm. And on Fridays and Saturdays 11am-9pm. More information on their space and their next exhibition can be found on their site.

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The Drawing Room Is An Expansive Creative Space Dedicated To Fostering Community