Where bay meets brush: Pier 29 reimagined as hub for SF's artists

Axios

29-04-2025

A new project on San Francisco's waterfront will deliver the city's largest artist studio and exhibition space — a move many hope will be a turning point for the arts community.
State of play: Despite SF's rich legacy, the arts scene has largely been overshadowed in recent years by the tech sector and the doom loop narrative. Limited funding and high costs of living, including rent and supplies, have also forced artists out of the city.
Yes, but: A vibrant arts and culture scene is critical to San Francisco's comeback, the mayor's office has said. The sector generates $1.45 billion in economic activity annually, a 2017 study found.
It also drives conversation around innovation and promotes self-expression.
Driving the news: The Community Arts Stabilization Trust's (CAST) new partnership with the San Francisco Port Commission will transform Pier 29 from a long-vacant warehouse to a cultural hub that houses exhibitions, residencies, performances and other creative events.
Zoom in: CAST, known for its pop-up activations across the city, will manage a 47,000-square-foot indoor event and art space as well as a 23,000-square-foot outdoor area that overlooks the bay.
A residency program called Art + Water will provide "pod" studio spaces to emerging local artists in six-month cohorts, with a focus on providing access to underserved and under-resourced artists.
"At a time when studio space is ever-less affordable, and art instruction costs a fortune, Art + Water will bring both together in one radically accessible space," author Dave Eggers, who will spearhead the residency with San Francisco Arts Commission member JD Beltran, said in a statement.
Pier 29 has largely remained vacant since its use during the America's Cup races of 2013 and currently serves as a location for occasional parking and infrequent special events. CAST is investing $300,000 of its own funds for tenant improvements, while the Port is contributing $500,000.
Key components of the facility include:
A walk-in gallery with rotating exhibitions that will allow visitors to view working artists and purchase local art.
An exhibition space on the Embarcadero with artworks curated by Rene De Guzman.
A publicly accessible venue that will be available for other arts and culture organizations to put on free and low-cost programming.
What they're saying: "We've been approached by a number of artists over the years for large-scale open spaces, things they could really imagine building out for these otherworldly experiences that they produce for the audience," CAST CEO Ken Ikeda told Axios. "But of course, they've been cost prohibitive, or there have been other challenges, and that's where we stepped in."
Film screenings, music shows and art barges — the possibilities are endless, Ikeda said.
"We see this as a constantly reimagined space, and also a space that won't feel stale, because every time you come back ... it's going to look and feel different," he noted.
The intrigue: Part of CAST's goal is to enable a "higher level of clustering" so that art spaces become regularly frequented destinations, Ikeda told Axios.
It could anchor a whole row of restaurants and help facilitate community development that becomes a district of sorts, he suggested.
"It's not just the economic benefits, but it's also for sustainability, which is our focus," he said. "We need to make it difficult to deny the impact of arts, and therefore make it difficult to displace them."
What's next: The lease is a two-year term, but CAST will have the option to request a two-year extension once it expires.