883 Bay Area artists make a splash at the de Young Open, a unique triennial

From September 30th through January 7th, explore a staggering selection of art from nearly 900 local artists spanning nine mediums.

Delving into the wide array of issues shaping Bay Area life and beyond, the de Young Open is a refreshing triennial, following the success of the inaugural exhibition in 2020.

It’s a showcase of local artists, diverse in all aspects and artistic backgrounds, from all nine Bay Area counties. Mediums include painting, photography, drawing, prints, fiber, sculpture, video, film, and digital art. Unique to any major museum in the country, the works in this showcase are all for sale, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the artists.

“The deYoung Museum has put together an exhibition that truly showcases the vibrant and very much alive art scene in the San Francisco Bay Area,” says artist Erin Fong. “As an emerging artist exploring a new medium, it is such an opportunity to be able to show my work at a museum level and to also see so much other work being created locally. It feels like such a celebration of the artists who still live here.”

Displayed salon-style with pieces splashing the gallery walls from floor to ceiling, the de Young Open is a love letter to the Bay Area’s creative culture and a look at how we can make sense of the world through the shared love of art.

Every piece displayed here was created in the past three years. Pieces are organized by themes that emerged organically—think historical and contemporary politics, social issues, the urban environment, nature, abstraction, surreal imagery, and the human figure.

“This community-based exhibition serves as a snapshot in time of artists who are working locally but thinking globally—both about the world of art and also the world we live in,” says Timothy Anglin Burgard, the triennial’s curator. “The de Young Open represents a significant paradigm shift from historical perceptions of museums as gatekeepers of art—often imported nationally or internationally—to a more democratic model in which museums foreground the voices and visions of local artists.”

Get a sneak peek of the de Young Open below.

// The de Young Open 2023 runs September 30 through January 7, 2024 at de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. (Golden Gate Park); tickets ($25, and free Saturdays) are available atfamsf.org.

Courtesy of Paul Morin

Courtesy of Vicki Edge

Courtesy of Keiko Katsuta

Courtesy of Vincent Serritella

Courtesy of Erin Fong

Courtesy of MariaBurtis

Courtesy of Melissa Hutton

Courtesy of Lady Henze

Courtesy of Lauren Jade Szabo

Courtesy of Tere Ertola Charney

Courtesy of Craig Upson

Courtesy of Rusty Weston

Courtesy of Ken Sakatani

Courtesy of Jamie L. Luoto

Courtesy of Dr. Orin Carpenter

Courtesy of Eduardo Soler

Courtesy of Cairo McCockran

Courtesy of Michelle E Fillmore

Courtesy of Paul Gordon

Courtesy of Jeffrey Nemenzo

Courtesy of Cory Piehowicz

Courtesy of Alex Sodari

Courtesy of Yunfei Ren

Courtesy of Don Hershman

Courtesy of Jenny Hurth

Courtesy of Sharon Siskin

Courtesy of Josie Lepe

Courtesy of Kev Gill

Courtesy of BJ Thrailkill

Courtesy of Angeline Otis

Courtesy of Taller Sanaaᴙ

Courtesy of Kate Barrengos

Courtesy of Julie Carcione