San Francisco with Susan Swig of FOG Design+Art
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Susan Swig, one of the organizers of FOG Design+Art, was born in San Francisco and loves her hometown. As a member of the fair’s steering committee, she is also responsible for its programming.The sixth edition of FOG, opening January 17, will celebrate thSan Francisco with Susan Swig of FOG Design+Art
Susan Swig, one of the organizers of FOG Design+Art, was born in San Francisco and loves her hometown. As a member of the fair’s steering committee, she is also responsible for its programming.The sixth edition of FOG, opening January 17, will celebrate the cultural vitality of the Bay Area through a series of events exploring ideas and issues that resonate with today’s cultural climate and speak to current social and political issues.In a conversation with BLOUIN ARTINFO, Swig recommended several art events and also a walk along San Francisco’s seafront.(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)Why do you live in San Francisco?I was born here. I lived in other cities, but I returned here. This is where I raised my children and now I’m a part of the art community. I am a trustee at SFMOMA and one of the organizers of the FOG fair.What is exceptional this year with FOG?Oh my goodness! We have 53 amazing galleries from across the world; 12 of them are new to us. We are excited and welcome them. Our programming slate is really extraordinary this year. It just gets better and better every year.On Thursday, we honor Pamela Joyner, who is a collector, but she also has worked hard with the African American art that she collects. She basically has rewritten the narrative of our history by including African American artists. So she and the artist Lorna Simpson are both speaking together.We have Pae White coming from Los Angeles and artists and educators speaking about “artist as activist.” Designers will also speak, because we at the fair like to represent design and art as close to 50/50 as we possibly can.We invite people to come look at the artworks and visit the galleries. The party favor, if you wish, is that they come and also hear a talk and they leave with fresh ideas that are relevant to the conversation that’s happening in the art world these days.Would a fair like this take place on the East Coast of the United States?There are some good fairs on the East Coast as well. But FOG has definitively got a San Francisco flair. The feeling within the fair is very communal, it is small enough and there is the feeling of community. The people who run it are the people who come, too, although now we have visitors from across the globe. It is unique to San Francisco and we try to keep it — though it is obviously a commercial fair — highly curated.We see it as a gift to San Francisco because it sort of lights the San Francisco art world on fire. We have amazing cultural institutions, artists’ spaces and museums, such as SFMOMA. And everybody rallies during this week around FOG, whether it’s other art fairs, or openings, or performances, dinners that are going on around San Francisco. It is an exciting week in the city.What would you say about the neighborhood of the fair?It is down in Fort Mason where there is a farmers’ market. The Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture has various shows, one of them is Joan Jonas next week, who will also speak at the fair. The San Francisco Institute is not far. There are small artists’ spaces. It is right on the water, it is beautiful.Would you recommend a restaurant near the fair?There are restaurants right around where the fair is. But inside the fair, we have one of our best San Francisco restaurant pop-ups, A16, as well as another cafe, called Jane. We have great food at the fair. We are known for our good food. A16 — one of our favorite restaurants in San Francisco — is Italian, and Jane has delicious salads and coffees.What would you advise someone who has never been to San Francisco, to do in the city during the fair?Besides going to the museums and the shows, I would eat! Coming from Paris I wouldn’t necessarily go shopping!San Francisco is so beautiful. In the city, there are lots of things to do, especially in the arts, for example private collections open to the public. You can go to Alcatraz Island, and across the bay, Sausalito is beautiful.What would you recommend as a non-museum to visit?We have a national park here, the Golden Gate Recreation Area. You can walk miles and miles around the sea shore. We also have SF JAZZ, an unbelievable performance place. The opening of the Ballet is a week after FOG as well. There are plenty of clubs; music is big in San Francisco.Where do you go when you want to relax in San Francisco?I hike and I go across the bay. But I spend a lot of time in museums. I find it very relaxing. I live here so my relaxation is mostly walking with my dog.Where would you recommend to stay in the city?There are hotels near SFMOMA and there are some hotels in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, like the hotel Drisco. The Four Seasons is a great one as well.https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more