One year ago, we hosted the first START art show in a SOMA living room. Our first opening featured over 100 local emerging artists and over 1000 original works of art.

A couple thousand folks showed up to our inaugural show, and about the time that the police + fire department arrived (after responding to reports of an illegal rave and a crowd that stretched around the block!) we realized that we just might be on to something.

So we started renting BIG spaces, and put together a bunch of art shows. Over the course of our first year, our openings featured the work of hundreds of top-notch emerging artists (from San Francisco + around the world!), and we showcased several thousand original works of art - from painting, sculpture, and photography to interactive installations, video art, and new media pieces.

Our commitment to showcasing NEW ART seemed to resonate.

Thousands of people came to our art shows, we raised money for some great local non-profits, and we actually facilitated the creation of new art through our unique

artist in residence program. Plus we managed to sell a whole bunch of great art!

But we still lacked a certain something...

Namely, a permanent location!

Over the past months, however, the stars have aligned and we are opening TWO new art galleries in San Francisco. One in Union Square and one in the Mission.

We hope to see you at the openings!

additional information via the NEW http://www.STARTsoma.com

hotel des art...

On a few occasions, the press referred to START SOMA as being iconoclastic. Which in this instance probably meant "created by an all-volunteer team with no money, no experience, and pretty much no idea how to run an art gallery".

Over the last year, we put on art shows in some pretty interesting spaces. A sixth street loft. Nightclubs. An empty warehouse. The backroom of a concert hall. Former dot.com office space.

Some fancy art galleries seem to view themselves as being in the 'prestigious-address-with-high-rents-and-white-walls-selling-expensive-art-to-rich-people' business. We never had this luxury!

Ultimately, our fundamental vision has NOTHING to do with location:

Emerging artists   Original art   Affordable  

So for our first 'uptown' location, is seems quite appropriate that START SOMA would open in a decidedly atypical venue.

In partnership with Prize Hotels, START SOMA is opening a gallery in hotel des art - a boutique 50 room art hotel that will have rotating exhibitions of emerging art in the heart of Union Square.

Paris has an art hotel. Prague does as well. As does Berlin, Brussels, Florence, Amsterdam, Vienna, and Moscow.

Now San Francisco has one too!

THE OPENING

The hotel des art opens with an absolutely stellar solo show by Sandro Tchikovani in June.

The opening features DOZENS of wonderful new installation pieces that Sandro created specifically for the hotel. The lobby, the hallways, and even the rooms are filled with NEW ART by one of San Francisco's top up-and-coming young artists.

Sandro's work has been shown internationally, and his recent art shows in Belgium, Tokyo, and New York have received a great deal of attention + critical acclaim. It is about time that he gets some recognition in his hometown of San Francisco!

The opening events will benefit Visual Aid, a decidedly top-notch local non-profit organization that encourages artists with life threatening illnesses to continue their creative work.

Visual Aid helps produce, present, and preserve the work of professional artists whose careers are challenged because of a life-threatening illness. The organization serves professional artists from the Bay Area, providing artists with direct services - from art supplies to exhibitions + career development.

Sandro has created a couple of new works that he has kindly donated to Visual Aid for a silent auction at the opening, and ALL the proceeds will benefit this great organization. In addition, a portion of EVERY piece of art sold for the duration of the show will go directly to Visual Aid.

Please visit http://www.VisualAid.org for additional information on one of our favorite local non-profit organizations, and feel free to make your own donation!

to request an invitation to the opening of the hotel des arts, kindly email: ArtHotel@STARTsoma.com

press inquiries to press@STARTsoma.com

the mission gallery...

The very same day that we were finalizing the details of the launch of hotel des art in Union Square, a wonderful space in San Francisco's historic Mission district became available.

And in a 24 hour period, we went from having NO permanent gallery in San Francisco, to having TWO!

We aren't going to announce any details until next month, but we can tell you that we are launching with an amazing art show in May called TEN. And celebrating our one year anniversary a few months late!

for an invitation to the opening weekend, kindly email ten@STARTsoma.com

press inquiries to press@STARTsoma.com

SF FACES update...

A few months ago, we put together an art show called SF FACES.

START SOMA and an acclaimed team of the city's top emerging photographers captured images of the ever-changing 'face' of one of the most unique and extraordinary cities in the world.

The result was a collection of over fifty black and white portraits. Billionaires and bohemians. Police officers and firefighters, entrepreneurs and emerging artists. The homeless kid and the street poet. Da Mayor (and the NEW mayor!), the minister, and the AIDS activist. The shopkeeper and the socialite. Maids and moguls, rappers and restaurateurs, politicians and pole dancers.

Working with the incredibly talented Orange Photography team, the SF FACES show was pretty successful. Folks seemed to enjoy what was created, a few thousand people came to the opening events, and the show did pretty well.

SF FACES is now online.

and watch for SF FACES 2.0 coming this summer...

you won't believe where we will be exhibiting this art show!

for those of you who made it this far,

THANK YOU for your indulgence!

I would like to thank those of you who have supported START SOMA over the course of our first year. Many of you probably didn't know this, but START SOMA is a volunteer effort, fueled by the time + talents of literally dozens of folks who absolutely love art. Our successes belong to them. The mistakes are ALL mine!

What began as a side project in my living room just over a year ago has definitely taken on a life of its own. And none of this would have been possible without the exceptional support we have received from the San Francisco arts community.

If you are reading this, chances are that you came to one of our art shows or charitable events. Or signed up for our newsletter. Or perhaps even bought a piece of NEW ART from an emerging artist at one of our openings. Or maybe you simply happen to work with me in my day job!

Without your ongoing support, there would be no gallery.

THANK YOU!

John Doffing

START SOMA

PS: if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact me directly via john@startsoma.com. And make sure you come to TEN!

and finally, although we will not be announcing any details of the new mission gallery space for a few weeks, we did want to let folks know right away that we are making it available for FREE for local non-profits + charitable events.

Kindly contact events@STARTsoma.com for additional information.

Thank you!