San Francisco Art Institute

San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) is a private, non-profit college of contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its the graduate centre is in Fort Mason on Pier 2 in the Golden Gate National Recreation Center which originally was an army post. Approximately 400 undergraduates and 200 graduate students are enrolled.

 The institution is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD).

Founded in 1871, SFAI is one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River.

Students are given direct access to exhibitions, lectures, symposia, films, and other unique interdisciplinary events. An integral part of campus life, such events connect students to the larger community of artists, art, and contemporary ideas.

The Walter and McBean Galleries (on the 800 Chestnut Street campus) house exhibitions, workshops, and other alternative and experimental avenues for presenting work by international contemporary artists. Students also have the opportunity to show their own work in a number of spots on SFAI's two campuses, including the Diego Rivera Gallery.