The Dia de los Muertos Exhibit was truly stunning. Lots of different types of shrines, all personal, emotional, with a unique take on the subject matter and the moment. The artists, hosts, and staff were all super friendly and welcoming. It was a great reminder of how art can be healing. Please check out the space and support local art. read more

Went here last night for the Palestine art exhibit, which was *gorgeous* and so moving. A1 rocked the house. How did I not know about this place before?? The venue is very clean and is suuuper accessible with wide ramps and halls. Nice freshly paved driveway. and lots of decent parking within 1-2 blocks. Tickets were very affordable, some even sliding scale. The venue itself is beautiful - think "MOMA" quality of fresh paint and architecture, but with more color and community vibes. There's a wonderful buddha statue in the walk up and great lighting, bar location is not too obtrusive, and no annoying TVs or cyber-check-in nonesense. I like the burgandy red outside that just *pops.* Heck, even the security guard was chill and waved me goodnight. Staff was so accomodating and friendly, although I feel a bit embarassed talking their ear off most of the night. I really hope word gets out more and that they consider doing **open mics** again - cause I'd love to come by more often and build up the community vibe even more. Thanks SOMArts! read more

Last week was the opening of "Muni Raised Me". It had been many years since I came here. This was a great reintroduction to it. My favorite was MUNI bus paying homage to all the cultures. This is a great venue to showcase all varieties read more

SOMArts - Art Galleries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Outstanding Artistic Event Space In The SOMA Hood! SITREP My SF Yelp buddy Jessica T turned me on to the SOMArts facility this past month and I have to say I've been a big fan in the few times I've stopped in. It's rather an interesting adjustment for me as well since I've been familiar with this building-structure for almost 15 years - I would just barrel past (either walking or driving) when shooting down 8th Street to get down to Brannon or King Streets to hit some clubs, visit some friends' lofts, etc. But now I stop dead in my tracks to admire the new "use"! THE SETUP There is a multiplicity of spaces here: from a large central art exhibition area; to an even larger community gathering & exhibition & PARTY-CENTRAL area; to siderooms, alcoves, an outdoor garden area for more exhibits, cooking, and vendoring, and the like. EXHIBITIONS The evenings I've been here (note: the venue closes at 7pm I belive), there are dynamic, interactive exhibits that can be enjoyed here. Most recently, my friend Eugene and I made some tiles that we were able to place on the exhibit wall and THAT was a lot of fun being part of the exhibit itself! PARKING It's a BIT easier in this part of town - not perfect mind you, but you will most likely find a metered spot. [Just make sure to feed the meter before 6pm - however, the last hour of operation at SOMArts from 6-7pm would be free on the meter.] THE LOWDOWN For a good time, definitely check out the good people & awesome spaces at SOMArts! read more

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Great venue to look at art. Attended the second annual Dubs versus World art show. Great art work about the Golden Gate Warriors Basketball. read more

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Best display of upcoming artists! The venue is pretty good for upstarts and is recommended for viewing their artwork.

My wife and I married at SOMArts! We had a Fairy Forest theme and SOMArts was the perfect venue to have it in. They already have the sound + lights set up, plus they helped us hang some of the decorative chandeliers. The projectors helped provide some of the forest backdrop. SOMArts also provided security + garbage maintenance. They also didn't force us to use any specific vendors: it was up to us what food to order. We had about 250 guests, and they all fit just great in the space. The walls are adjustable, so you could make the space smaller if you have fewer people coming. Everyone was very helpful. They allowed us to see the venue multiple times as we were preparing and planning. And for the most part, everyone was responding on time. (You know how it is sometimes with art / non-profit centers.) Overall, it was a wedding to remember! We had an 8 DJ lineup, and played music from 3-11pm. It was as magical as SOMA could be! :) read more

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By far - one of the coolest art venues and spaces that I have been to in awhile. SOMArts is a truly impressive and rockin' art and community facility in the city. Their exhibitions are curated with a slew of well though-out insight and passion (try to ask for a tour if you can), their outdoor garden is picturesque and cultivated beautifully, and their indoor space is massive and so adaptable (just check out the slew of different events and organizations that they work with). You can read all about SOMArts's fascinating history here - http://www.somarts.org/about/history/ Stay tuned to their phenomenal line-up of events here : http://www.somarts.org/blog/ . From a literary pot-luck, to ArtSpan's Annual Art Auction, to their fascinating current exhibit on the law and the tricky boundaries of the law - there is a wealth of knowledge to be had here. Also be sure to check out their class schedules as well - http://www.somarts.org/classes/ Trust. read more

Great Hipster Atmosphere, Variety of shows, nice art-studio feel! I came here for the Bangladeshi Contemporary art Exhibit by myself on a Sunday afternoon. Found street parking immediately right in front of the gallery! Right away I could see the rustic art studio feel and it got me in the right mood. The reception was amazing and the show was very well put together. I recommend it to people who want to explore the city but get nervous by city hustle and bustle. read more

My professor had his show here. I loved the space and particularly his use of the space. The bathroom slide down is a bit annoying and the bar doesn't carry champagne or anything past soda and red wine but all in all it's a space that can be utilized in some pretty neat ways. I'd drop by again, if not just to see how a different artist would make use of the space! read more

The I Live Here exhibit is awesome and free. If you're looking for a unique take on the arts, definitely check it out. They also were selling food outside but I mainly came for the photography that was being showcased. I will definitely check out more exhibits here in the future. read more

UPDATE: SOMArts e-mailed me on Yelp to let me know they were closed that weekend. They had apparently updated their website but did not have a sign on the door... maybe I will try again and update my review. ------------------- They're allegedly open 12-5 Saturdays, but that's a lie. I came all the way over here to see an exhibit and the place was locked and deserted at 12:20. Very annoying. read more

SOMArts - These hours are apparently just "guesstimates" -- be forewarned. - Art Galleries Near Me - San Francisco, California

God damn scariest 1 block walk from the bus stop. My advice is not to walk under the freeway but to take 9th instead. Yes, it's the long way but it's more lit. I went there in support of Truong Tran and his artwork. The space is large enough to hold the 2 artists featured including a large instillation piece from the other artist. Truong's work was amazing and I finally got to meet him after a 7 year long idolizing process. You could order drinks and there is a taco truck. The truck was very good although I'm not used to paying $2 for the small tacos from one. read more

Came here for the Camarena Taco Truck Launch Party. The party was cracking, there was free tacos, free tequila all night. The chef from TacoLicious was providing the tacos. Tacos were great. Had a great time hanging out with some good friends. Thanks for the night. The place was cool, big enough for a nice size party. Yes, there was a Taco truck inside the building. Nice setup. Place was easy to find, parking is perfect. When we left SomArts, we heading down to Tacolicious..... Thanks Camarena. read more

SOMArts - Art Galleries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Great local arts space. Have seen many performance and shows here. Parking can be rough. The space isn't fancy but it works. They have gender neutral multi-stall restrooms. Have seen many great Day if the Dead shows here. read more

Wow, how come I didn't know this place existed? We came last weekend for the Femme Cabaret and they had it set up as a pretty sizable theater. It felt a lot like the multipurpose auditorium at my high school, only filled with rad feminist chicks. read more

This venue is pretty cool. It's basically a big warehouse that holds various events (most recently I went to a fashion show here). The space is very old and the wood rafters are fantastic. All in all it was a nice change to usual settings that normally make up a Saturday night. read more

I'm a total D-list socialite. I like to feel 1) "in-the-know" and 2) "urban". For three hours this Saturday I felt both. Four of us wannabes attended the VisualAid "Big Deal" Art Auction. All art is priced at $150 and all proceeds go to benefit artists with terminal illnesses. Overall a terrific cause and you get to take art home!!! (The most you usually get at a charity event is a picture of the back of Gavin's gelled head. I like the give-n-get. That's right - see you in hell.) Had an amazing time getting my sip on, eating shitty apps, posing with drag queens, getting jiggy wid it, and bidding on some terrific art. Ended up with a Peter Max Lawrence piece. (Check out this guy's website, he's amazingly talented.) SOMArts space was perfect for the event. I'm so big with the freaks. read more

SoMarts is one of the few art venues in the city that is large enough to handle giant art events. An old warehouse, SoMarts gallery has been mildly modified to accomodate varied art events, some of which include Arcadia Art Auction's first two events in 2003 and 2005, benefitting the Friends of the Urban Forest, an annual Dia de los Muertos celebration featuring over 100 artists, and ArtSpan's benefit auction, which I attended only this last Saturday. I won. That's right, I won a beautiful Trish Tunney print, at around half it's retail value. Let's just say I left there feeling like I got the Best in Show (because I actually believe I did). In fact, I hung it right here above my computer, and I'm looking at it right now. It's a digital photo printed on canvas of the marquis of the Tower Theatre on Mission Street. Trish has a great way of capturing light on old, dilapidated subjects. They render so beautifully on her canvases that I'll have to buy a couple more now. Next time you hear of an event at SoMarts Gallery, get on in there and check it out. It's a very cool experience, one where you'll appreciate the building as much as you do the artwork it houses. To check out Trish's artwork, see her website: www.trishtunney.com She's a great photographer, a jewel of a person, and is available for commission work. read more

This review has been a long time coming. talk about entitlement? These guys get hundreds of thousands of dollars from the city in non-competitive grant funding because they were supposed to be a place for folks form the western addition to go once they were displaced. Please be sure the next time you are in to look for that crowd! But, it goes beyond that. We actually used this facility twice. The first time, we rented a stage from them. Wow!! The thing is made out of I-beams crossed over and placed on scaffolding. Holy Crap! Then they lay down a piece of plywood and wa lah, that's my ada ramp? An ada ramp is supposed to be 1ft run for every 1-inch in the air, so a 36" tall stage should have a 36ft long ada ramp. But, not these guys! The second time we used them was to rent their facility. We set up the night before. And I kid you not, our food box had a whole in it the size of a soft ball that a rat gnawed through to get to the food. I kid you not, none of this is made up. The event manager's response, if you want to call her that, was: "it's a warehouse, what do you expect?" Well, I expect you to have some form of rodent control. Your tax dollars hard at work. This place is the pits! read more

Wonderful venue, incredible staff! Our non-profit arts organization has hosted our annual fundraiser at SOMArts for the last five years and we are always grateful for the warm energy, professional environment, and excellent experience the team creates for us and our guests at this venue. I would highly recommend SOMArts to any organization looking to host a performance or event for their community! read more

Being that I have a hot and steamy love affair with the arts, I must say that I get all sweaty when I visit SomArts Cultural Center! They have got to be one of the only cultural centers I've been to that really foster community involvement in the arts. I'm not just talking arts and crafts activities either. We're talking a real conversation with the public that forces people to explore their interests within a cultural context (and, in some cases, subtext). From performative to visual art, you will not be disappointed by their wide array of shows, exhibitions, and artists groups and collectives that grace the main gallery and large exhibition hall. Total first date worthy if you want to impress that special someone BUT be forewarned that some shows are not for the prudish. Get your culture on and pay SomArts a visit, will ya?! read more

Excellent venue, convenient parking across the street. Went for Molcajete Dominguero pop up event.

I've played at a bunch of different raves here. I always have agood time going in the back go go dances dressing room and getting nice and wasted before my set. It's nice and spacious, fairly easy to set up in a multi room configuration and doesn't get packed to easily (except for by the bathrooms, theres kind of a bottleneck right there) Overall though had many fun times at this place. read more

I went here for an Asian American Arts event, a Thursday night 8PM show. It was called cooking with Karimi y Castro I think. Highly entertaining comedy cooking show. The staff also made sure things started and ended on time (nice). The facilities were clean and street parking was easy. The area could use more street lights to protect the ladies. read more

Airy clean for the conference space. No offense but the restrooms were um, smelly?? Maybe the restrooms were just having a bad day or something, haha. read more

This is such a cool venue, used during Yelp in the Hundreds event on August 8. There's an outside area, accessible to food trucks and multiple vendors. The inside is extremely spacious, fitting hundreds and maybe even a thousand people. During the event, my friends and I were able to create art and nail it to the wall using nails and a hammer. I think this is one of the only places that lets you do that. So awesome. There was also some very cool artwork - my favorite was the sculpture built using large packaging foam pieces. Not sure if you could hold a wedding here, but it seems like a great venue! read more

Came here for the PiNoise-pop festival about a year ago and was impressed with the sheer size of the place and the crowd. It's cool how it's located underneath a highway overpass and stands out in the middle of the block. I'll admit, i don't make it out to too many cultural events, but seeing how supportive all these people were at the festival, it'd be a shame not to be. read more

It's rough around the edges. The people who work with it really care about it. I have worked with some events through ArtworkSF. I liked the center located downtown. It's fun. read more

We rented this space for a small event and were very disappointed. The staff's attitude was disrespectful toward our patrons, they were unprepared for our arrival including not allowing our guests to use the bathroom because they neglected to clean it in time, consistently disturbed our gathering by making noise and were generally very unprofessional. Yes, it has been a great space to attend a event, but I do not recommend renting this space. read more

www.somarts.org Well My dad used to be the director of Somaarts back in the 80's I did not pay much attention to it back then all I know was on Sat's I would find myself going thru donated materials and I distinctly recall an attempt at making a bong.... Anyhow its been a long time since 1983 and my Dad is no longer the director..Honestly I don't think they liked the time he put on a show at somarts w/ Johnny Rotten( John Lydon) and PiL yeah the cops shut that down a bunch of drama..That's neither here nor there ... Somarts is still thriving they put together 1 of the best day of the dead shows ..Dia de los Muertos You can take some classes Tai Chi,InkClan,Figure Drawing,Cuban Popular Dance Out of Site(classes for teens) My favorite is Shorin Ryu Shorin Kan Karate with Sam Ahyte.. In fact he is taking new students from now until November here is a little info: OUR DOJO The San Francisco Shorin Ryu Shorin Kan Okinawan Karate and Kobudo Dojo was founded in1992. We continue to grow into a unique karate community. We have deep roots in Okinawa. We belong to the Shorin Ryu Shorin Kan Kyukai, A strong national karate organization. We take the best customs of Okinawan karate to create an environment of learning and hard work. We use a minimum of structure and little regermentation. The focus is self-defense and extracting the principles from the kata.We de-emphasis rank. In fact we have only three color obi (belt); white, brown and black. We fully understand that karate gives you back exactly what you put into it. We practice karate as a lifetime of effort THE INSTRUCTOR The chief instructor of the San Francisco Shorin Ryu Shorin Kan Okinawa Karate and Kobudo Dojo is Sensei Sam Ahtye. He has been practicing since 1967. Sensei Ahtye is the direct student of some of the greatest martial artist in the world. He is privileged to walk in the footsteps of legendary instructors like Master Clarence Lee. During this eight year relationship, Master Lee instilled his love of hard training and kata. Sensei Ahtye also studied Traditional Chinese Martial Arts with Master Quan Sai Hung (of "The Wandering Taoist" fame) for four years. He became the teaching assistant to the late Professor William Paul (Kodokan Judo) for nine years. Dr. Paul taught self defense and bio-mechanical efficiency. Since 1995, Sensei Ahtye's advanced studies have been the responsibility of the eminent Doug Perry of North Carolina. Kyoshi Perry is the North America Director of Shorin Kan Kyoshi Kai. Sensei Ahtye continues to make frequent trips to Okinawa for further training with Grandmaster Shugoro Nakazato. Sensei Ahtye is a Shihan (licensed instructor) and is currently ranked Renshi 6th Dan. We practice every Tuesday and Thursday at 5pm to 730pm Our weapons class is about every Monday at the same time. You may email Sensei Ahtye at : samahtye@yahoo.com to confirm current schedule. Visitors are always welcome. Come by the dojo during classes and observe. Feel Free to ask Questions. Come join us in learning life protection skills in the study of authentic Okinawan Karate. Check out somarts when you get a chance read more

I came here for the A Sensory Feast. The gallery has a nice space though a bit small. The place has good easy street parking.

My work had a wonderful and lovely holiday party at SOMArts, so this review is WAY overdue. The staff at SOMArts went so above and beyond to make the space one that worked so well for us. It was a fantastic party, and the space is so flexible that it's really just about the best venue in the city for anything. I hope that we have every party there! read more

Free street parking after a certain time, metered street parking. I was in a group show here in June, the venue is crazy big. Visit this space when you get a chance. read more

OK Somarts has really grown up in the last couple of years. Better signs so you can actually find it, diverse events including literature based performances and as always art shows that inspire. This is the heartbeat of the art community in many ways and deserves to receive support as they give back to the community. read more

This review is specifically for the space during The Black Woman is God exhibit, which was beyond incredible and deeply spiritual. I like how the outside of the gallery is a garden-esque walkway and the bathrooms are non-gendered. Overall incredible space to view this type of exhibit and relatively close to other art spaces in SF by bus or car. read more

Love this gallery space. Have been to many great events here from parties to exhibits. Very cool and large space. Very interesting and diverse shows. read more

The biggest and the best of the Community Cultural centers. Rent space for your event or attend a show. Tell Ding I sent ya!

The Black Woman is God art exhibit was one like no other. Enjoyed myself the entire two hours I was there!

Wow, we enjoyed 100 Performances around a Hole. A bunch of amazing talent so graciously hosted by SOMArts! The space is excellent for a variety of event types both indoor and outdoor. My only gripe is that it seem is that no cabbies know where the heck it is. read more