A public art crossroads in the
University of San Francisco's main library, the Mary and Carter Thacher
Gallery at USF is a forum where creativity, scholarship and community
converge.
Each year the Thacher Gallery presents exhibitions that probe community and aesthetic issues,
multicultural and interfaith dialogue, and the urban Jesuit
university’s commitment to social justice.
In 2007, the
University opened a Rooftop Sculpture Terrace on the third floor of
Kalmanovitz Hall to serve as a venue for rotating outdoor exhibitions.Along
with its exhibition calendar, the Thacher Gallery presents free public
programs, such as artist lectures and panels, craft seminars, gallery
publications, and guided tours to increase art appreciation and
cross-disciplinary discussions on campus and in the community.
Exhibitions often complement University curricula across the
disciplines while the facility serves as a professional training ground
for students interested in art and arts management.
Rotating student shows take place throughout the year in the Art + Architecture Department’s Crossroads Gallery in the basement of the University Center.
The gift of Mary and Carter Thacher, the Thacher Gallery at USF
mounted its first exhibition "Coyolxauhqui • Madre Cosmica" in the
winter of 1998.
Since its inception, the gallery has been
committed to presenting a range of artistic media and expression, from
regional to international, from traditional to experimental. Each year
the gallery presents a diverse range of exhibitions, including an
annual student showcase.
Previous group exhibitions and solo shows include:
- Bay Area icons such as Eleanor Dickinson, David Lance Goines and Lawrence Ferlinghetti;
- international
artists such as Claudia Bernardi of Argentina, Borbála Kováts of
Hungary and Manuel Rodriguez Sr. of the Philippines;
- exemplary
spiritual exhibitions such as Georges Rouault’s Miserere et Guerre and
Sacramental Light: Latin American Devotional Art;
- and
innovative collaborations with groups such as the California Society of
Printmakers, Women’s Environmental Artists Directory (WEAD), and the
Faithful Fools/Kopanang Women’s Group from South American.
The Sculpture Terrace, Kalmanovitz Hall
From
2000-2003, the gallery sponsored an annual outdoor exhibition and now
continues this tradition with biannual exhibitions on the Kalmanovitz Hall
rooftop sculpture terrace. It opened in the Fall of 2008 with "The Puma
at the End of Fulton Street: San Francisco Sculptor Arthur Putnam"
featuring five figurative bronzes from the de Young Museum's
collection.
When visiting the sculpture terrace, be sure to
view the two historic portals located in Kalmanovitz Hall. The
Romanesque Portal located in the Lou and Suzanne Giraulo Atrium dates
to around 1175-1200. It came from Northern Italy, and shows Adam and
Eve at the Tree of Knowledge. A gift of the Fine Arts Museums of San
Francisco, the portal was raised through a generous gift of Diane
Wilsey in honor of her late husband Alfred Wilsey.
The Santa
Maria de Ovila Portal (ca. 1575) in the outdoor amphitheater between
Kalmanovitz and Cowell Halls comes from a monastery approximately 90
miles northwest of Madrid, Spain. It features fine renaissance
carvings of Saint Catherine and Saint Mary Magdalene, and God the
Father. Brought to the United States by William Randolph Hearst, it
stood for many years in the former de Young Museum building in Golden
Gate Park, and was given to USF by the Fine Arts Museums of San
Francisco. It serves as the backdrop of the Ovila Amphitheater, a
vibrant new performance space at the center of the USF campus.
The Thacher Gallery is located on the campus of the University of San Francisco in the Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. The USF campus can be easily entered at Fulton and Cole, Parker and McAllister, and Golden Gate and Temescal. Directions to USF.
The Gallery is open to the public and the University community during regular library hours. If you do not carry a USF identification card, please check in at the circulation desk prior to entering the gates.
The sculpture terrace, located on the third floor of Kalmanovitz Hall, is open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Thacher Gallery is committed to presenting established and
emerging Bay Area artists representing a broad range of artistic
expression.
Call for Outdoor Sculpture and Installations
The gallery is often scheduled one to two years
out, but we accept and respond to submissions for individual and group
shows throughout the year. In January, the curatorial board meets to
finalize the upcoming academic calendar (Fall to Summer). On occasion,
we issue call for submissions for thematic exhibitions.
Submissions
should include an artist statement, project description, CV/resume,
sample work (slides or digital), and a self-addressed stamped envelope
for return. Email submissions are discouraged.
Mail to:
Glori Simmons
Mary and Carter Thacher Gallery
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton Street — XARTS 016
San Francisco CA 94117
To receive announcements, send your email and/or mailing address to Glori Simmons.
For
more information, please contact Glori Simmons, Associate Director:
Email: thachergallery@usfca.edu
Phone: (415) 422-5178
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