Southern Exposure

Hmmm… maybe I was at the wrong show. The space is nice, the people are nice, but the show was not my type. I would definitely come back for a visit, but I’d like to see something more interesting. This video thing was okay and only a few of the head sets were working.

I attended the opening night of the Proof exhibition at SoEx and was impressed by the gallery’s features. Squeezing my way through the crowd, I enjoyed the variety of art and media pieces from clever or fun to «what the hell?» The event and staff appeared to be very organized and lively. It was overall a welcoming experience and pretty neat to be a part of the art culture for the night.

Best gallery that really gives to the local community and supports local artists!

Southern Exposure’s new digs at 20^th Street are even better than before! Their modern airy space is the perfect background for edgy up and coming Bay Area artists. Every opening is packed to the gills with artists and supporters. Check it out!

This place is amazing, and I swear I’m not biased even though I intern there…
SoEx has an amazing, committed and informed staff, solid and experimental shows, and a cool new nest/​home.
The openings are so fun– you will make new friends, i guarantee it.
Check the website for upcoming events, including Bruce Lee fists fighting a Chinese Dragon… oh, baby, yes

Anyone looking for something new and interesting in the art world… try attending one of the many SOEX events! I have personally been apart of this gallery through volunteering and I must say it is a true pleasure! I LOVED the monster drawing rally and the monthly exhibits are thought provoking! Continue the great work SOEX!

I recentely volunteered for their annual Spring Fundraiser and Auction and it was a blast. The staff are really dedicated and interesting individuals and they give equal chances to well-​known artists as well up and coming ones. Definitely stop by and check it out!

Nice Gallery, I love the backyard. It’s clean quiet, and nice.

Back when I used to TA Photography and Film/​Video I got my chances to see this Artist run gallery. In fact the Prof I used to TA for and some of my fellow colleagues remain advisors still. If you’re tired of the large mass market galleries, give this place a try and see what comtemporary artists are producing.

I went to soex’s annual Monster Drawing Rally at Verdi Club. I didn’t know what to expect. On one hand, I am a huge fan of illustrations, on the other it’s often hard for me to blend in with an artsy crowd. But I came to realize there was a good blend of everything here. Everyone had a curious eye and most seem to appreciate the various styles of art displayed here.
I had to put myself in the artists’ place. The set up has them sitting in the inner part of the tables and «spectators» just gather around to stare at what comes out their pencil tip. I found it incredibly distracting! The high energy music blaring on the stage probably did not help the fine tipped brushes from perfecting a happy little tree.
But the venue was too small for such an interesting event. I could NOT for the life of me move much. It took about 15 minutes to get from one side to the other. A real fire hazard for sure. I wanted to see that dude who made this large piece drawn from office supply pens! That’s another cool thing, so many artists were using different forms of tools. I saw a guy carving heavy card stock to make a 3D piece. A guy using crayons to make abstract designs. An older gentlemen with basic No. 2 pencils. Watercolors, acrylics, thread, a toy cow, fountain pens, oil from their unbathed scalp, markers, gel pens, etc. It was really cool what each artist preferred to use.
$ 50 is the affordable cost for each piece. If more than one buyer wanted the same piece, the winner was determined by the highest drawn card from a deck of cards. Shame, I really would have enjoyed a «Do-​ah-​hear-​fiddyfive-​fiddyeight – siddy-​siddy-​sixxty-​there! SOLDforsiddyfive-​to-​tha-​ladee-​with-​the-​brown-​hat!»
It was a good hour spent. But seriously, this needed to be hosted in a bigger venue as I’m sure it gains popularity over the years. And I’d like to introduce all the attendees to soap. It was really musty in there.

Attended their annual fundraiser: Monster Drawing Rally. Intense. People. Sweat. More people. Art. Cat fights over popular art pieces. Total human meat-​packing plant meets march of the penguins (all you can do is shuffle along in the direction of traffic) but hella fun, especially if you have artist friends who are participating.
People who should avoid this place: artphobes, peoplephobes, claustrophobes, germaphobes, human-​sandwich-​phobes.
Women: do not wear higher heels than you can truly handle to this event. You will be standing 99.9% of the time. My feet died after this. Open-​toed shoes not advisable either.

This is a great gallery and youth program.
What most people don’t know about this program is that they work closely with youth pretty much year round and involve them with many decisions.
All the shows I have been to have been great and the artists they feature always ranged in their art discipline which is always nice to see.
The staff there are the absolutely best, cheerful, helpful, and always good for a conversation.
If you’re in the Mission/​Potrero area and into art, I suggest you try them out. I believe they’re open Tuesday-​Saturday.

I had a blast at their monster drawing event.
A gaggle of artists who are given an hour to illustrate, collage, pen or paint to their hearts content. The pieces go up for auction at a really reasonable fun price, and its all for the sake of art and fund raising.
Oh and they have cheap beer! even better!