As dusk fell on the Tenderloin Thursday night, crowds of thirtysomethings in flat-billed caps and flannel shirts spilled out onto the sidewalks, sipping plastic cups of orange wine or tall boys bought from corner stores. They strolled the streets between galleries, popping into modest storefronts converted into art spaces. Some were shopping, others were there to support their friends and absorb the work of the artists among them: abstract landscapes, erotic Polaroids, rugs tufted in the shape of men’s underwear, cityscapes in pastels.
Before First Thursdays in San Francisco became synonymous with parties and downtown hoedowns, a city project that encourages San Franciscans to hang out for concerts and street fairs downtown after the workday, a different First Thursday claimed the name: the First Thursdays Tenderloin Art Walk.
Even booked against the city’s event, the Tenderloin Art Walk has hit its stride.
On Aug. 7, as they do every first Thursday of the month, 27 galleries and venues opened their doors across the Tenderloin to welcome visitors into a night celebrating local artists. In one of them, Mini Mart at Geary and Leavenworth, five artists in residence — including owner Brent Hayden — converted their paint-splattered studio space into a walk-through display, showing off their finest works. In the window, Risa Fairbanks Pedzewick rubbed her fingers into red pastels, blending an image of paper lanterns. Around her, San Francisco landscapes decorated the walls.
Two artists, E Dyer and Nick Maltagliati, raved about the neighborhood’s embrace of its artists, which has allowed the community — and the Art Walk — to grow. Dyer wore pastels and pigtails, pops of pink and baby blue against her black-and-white designs. She and Maltagliati chatted about plans to go out after the walk, maybe at Emperor Norton’s BoozeLand.
“We’re in a renaissance in this area,” Maltagliati said.
The Art Walk is a tradition handed from venue to venue through the past 12-plus years, said John Vochatzer, its current docent. Vochatzer owns Moth Belly Gallery on Larkin Street at Geary, which he opened in 2021. Prior to that, the walk was organized by the owner of Fleetwood, a screenprinting shop that has since moved to the Richmond District.
The Art Walk, which was small at the time, had suffered during the pandemic, when many of the stops along the way closed their doors and the conditions of the neighborhood deteriorated. It was down to around five participating locations across the Tenderloin when Moth Belly opened in 2021, Vochatzer said. Now, over 20 galleries, tattoo parlors, clothing stores, bars and restaurants display works by local artists, including Low Key Skate Shop and Outta Sight Pizza.
“There’s a really core group that keeps the Tenderloin Art Walk a foundation for artists,” said Justin Marks, owner of Low Key Skate Shop. He opened the store, which is also a gallery, in the Tenderloin because he wanted to be part of the Art Walk. “It’s a small community, but it just seems to be so large and has connections to other bigger galleries.”
Until last year, organizing, promoting, and documenting the event was a volunteer effort. Vochatzer recently secured a small grant from the Tenderloin Community Benefit District to compensate the gallery owners who organize it and pay for promotional materials.
“For many, including Moth Belly Gallery, it is the single most important night of the month that helps us keep our doors open,” he said in an email. Moth Belly’s show of the evening was dedicated to San Francisco at night — paintings depicted Sutro Tower above the tree line, fog rolling over the sunset, the elaborate twists of iron gates lit by streetlights. In the gallery, so many folks crowded together that their shoulders touched, body heat raising the temperature of the room.
Cabure Bonugli, who owns Rosebud Gallery on Larkin Street, agreed — the Art Walk is the most lucrative night of the month for his gallery, too. When the city started booking its own downtown parties on the first Thursday of the month, he noticed that his space was a little emptier than it had been before. But within a few months, the evening crowds were back.
“People missed the community that was here,” he said. The crowd at Rosebud donned neon tones and vibrant jewelry. Their laughter echoed off the high white ceiling, snapping photos of the more absurd pieces. Outside, a crowd leaned against bicycles and shared cigarettes in the fluorescent lighting of the Hotel Hartland.
Bonugli is a nightlife photographer who opened his space in March 2024. During past Art Walks, he’s discovered new artists to highlight in his store and ended up recruiting some of them. But the environment isn’t competitive, he said. Instead, gallery and store owners are often pleased to see their favorite artists get a new wave of support.
“I like to joke and say that we’re pretty incestuous with our artists,” he said of the Tenderloin arts community. “We’re so much like family.”
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