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Site-specific installation
35mm photograph, 2002
San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco

In March 2002, with help from fellow students, I painted the windows of Pete’s Cafe on the San Francisco Art Institute campus as financial troubles and quiet plans to sell the cafe came to light. The painting accompanied a larger student protest calling for a community voice in decisions shaping the school’s future. Following the protests, the sale of the cafe was halted—a small victory in a much longer struggle for a school that shaped generations of artists.

After 151 years, SFAI closed its door on July 15, 2022. Its influence continues to live on through the work and connections made there—and the SFAI Legacy Foundation + Archive.

Credits:
Photograph taken by a fellow student, name unknown.

Photograph exhibition history:
People Make This Place: SFAI Stories
SFMOMA, San Francisco
July 26, 2025–July 5, 2026
Photograph submitted for the archival display by The Great Highway Gallery (SF).