Over 100 Artists Await You at 1890 Bryant’s Spring Open Studios
Remember when we covered holiday shopping at 1890 Bryant in December? Their next open studio date is coming up.
On a warm spring day, several artists at 1890 Bryant gave BrokeAssStuart.com a sneak peek of their upcoming Spring Open Studios, which is April 11th through 13th. Whether you’re an experienced art collector, a burgeoning artist who wants to see what it’s like for the folks in the big leagues, or just in need of some art to help process everything going on in the world, you should add this to your calendar and try to make it out that weekend.
Getting Up Close
“It’s almost like being in love, you’re so close you don’t see the flaws,” explains artist Don Hershman. He’s standing in front of a massive garlic painting just around the size of a queen bed. Like many of the artists who call 1890 home, Hershman (Studio #315) has built a storied career. He’s done everything from a solo exhibition in Provincetown to a group show at the de Young.
Sharing Spaces and Ideas
Just down the hall are Anna Sidana and Michael Kerbow (Studio #303), sharing a massive twin studio filled with sunlight and color. Their styles are as dissimilar as their backgrounds, but the two enjoy the same music playing softly while each busily hums away at works in progress.
Sidana’s mottled, earthy botanicals in oil come into focus slowly. Her bright eyes light up as she describes transitioning into a career in art later in her life; it’s clear that this is what she’s meant to be doing. Toward the window, Kerbow works on an overwhelming cityscape beflecked with the word More, his artist callsign. He falls into an introspective wondering about climate change and industry in this period of extreme excess.
Innovation at Work
Austin Boe (Studio #409) is playing with mirrors. He explains the experimentation process, how he found just the right way to get the effect he wants while still being able to hang the finished piece. He’s playing with a new black called Musou that can absorb 99.4% of visible light; it’s worth traveling to the studio just to see how he’s applied the emerging innovation on his works.
1890 Bryant has seen a great many innovators in its time. Boe describes once sharing the studio space with Christopher Turner, whose husband is the infamous Armistead Maupin. He watched a documentary about the pair a few years ago and spotted the same pipes that jut out of the wall. “That’s my studio!” Boe remembers exclaiming. If only the walls could speak!
Happy Together
Paul Morin (Studio #318) whose nickname among the artists is “the Great Instigator,” frequently calls happy hours together on the roof. A piece of gold foil drifts in the wind in the wake of his hand gesture; the faces hanging behind him are both modern and ancient in their shapes and expressions. From our brief interaction it becomes clear why artists choose to flock together in this storied building.
Mystery Processes
The bronze works of Charles Stinson (Studio #300) range from small enough to fit in a hand to large enough to sit on. He’s started experimenting with fabric, draping a long colorful shawl to show the detail of a surprising process that you’ll need to see to understand. These mystery fabrics are not listed yet on his website; they are the kinds of works in progress that must be stumbled upon during an open studio afternoon if you want to stay current on artistic excellence in San Francisco.
100+ Artists in One Weekend
Tallying your way through the open studios of over 100 artists would take far longer than an afternoon. Our suggestion is to preview the artists, group your must-sees by floor, try to catch a demo or two, and don’t be afraid to pop your head in an open door. Come more than one day if you can. 1890 Bryant’s 2025 Spring Open Studios has a preview on Friday, April 11th from 6pm to 9pm and will be open Saturday, April 12th and Sunday, April 13th from noon to 6. More information can be found at https://www.1890bryant.com/events/spring-2025-open-studios.
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