The former home of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) will be reborn again as an art school, albeit unaccredited. But first, it will need some renovations. This is according to its owner, the BMA Institute (BMAI)—a non-profit created expressly for the purpose of revamping the campus and headed by Laurene Powell Jobs, the philanthropist and widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. BMAI has already filed an application with the San Francisco Planning Department for renovation approval.
BMAI issued a press release earlier this month announcing its plan of “conceptualising a new visual arts programme rooted in studio practices that will nurture emerging artists and create opportunities for learning, experimentation and public engagement”. BMAI bought the old SFAI campus (together with its famous Diego Rivera mural) in February 2024, almost a year after the art school had declared bankruptcy with $20m in debt.
BMAI is working with Jensen Architects and the architecture firm Page and Turnbull on renovations. These will restore the campus’s landmark buildings—with former classrooms rethought as artist studios and workshops—as well as its gardens and courtyards.
“It’s not in great shape,” Carolyn Kiernat, a principal at Page and Turnbull, told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Laura Waxmann. “The goal of the project is not to impact any of the historic character or historic features of the building, but to really be good stewards and treat them well.” If all goes as planned, renovations could start as early as September and are expected to last several years.
As for the $50m question? “Public access to Diego Rivera’s iconic mural The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City (1931) will also be prioritised and maintained,” BMAI’s press release notes of the mural estimated to be worth $50m, which has been barred from public view since 2023.
More details on the project, including the name of the new art school and its proposed curriculum, are expected in the coming months.
