Since 1974, the needs and voices of artists have been the driving force behind Southern Exposure (SoEx)’s activities. Through our extensive, innovative programming, SoEx strives to experiment, collaborate, and educate while providing an extraordinary resource center and forum for artists of all ages.

Our Artists in Education programs strive to catalyze leadership opportunities for young artists in underserved communities, enabling them to utilize their artistic vision to express their perspectives on the social issues that impact their lives. Our Curatorial Council – a group of BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and immigrant artists who lead SoEx’s creative vision – curates our Projects and Exhibitions program and promotes innovative, risk‐taking visual art practices. And Alternative Exposure is our major re‐granting initiative that provides funding and promotion for the independent, self‐organized work of artist collectives that serve, highlight, or lift up historically marginalized artistic communities within the Bay Area arts community.

Having always been located in San Francisco’s Mission District, SoEx has become an even more critical institution for visual artists, especially those that are historically marginalized, given the neighborhood’s and City’s rapid economic transformation.