ABOUT HANG ART
ABOUT HANG ART
Hang Art is fresh art.
We scour the San Francisco Bay Area to find exceptional artists, giving you access to a wide variety of the best quality original artwork being produced today. Whether you like abstract art or landscapes, painting or sculpture—for your home or for a business space— you'll find a large selection of fine art on hangart.com or at our gallery in the Union Square area of San Francisco—whether on display or in our inventory room.
Hang Art is also the place for exceptional service. Our relaxed and friendly gallery is open by advanced scheduled appointment. We encourage you to browse works on display, ask questions about our artists and art, and have us walk you through artworks in our inventory. Even if you have questions from afar, feel free to call us to discuss any artist or artwork.
We want more people to enjoy the unique experience of collecting fine art, so we strive to make art collecting as straightforward as possible. In addition to posting prices and information about the artists next to the art on display, we do not engage in price negotiation since that creates an awkward experience for clients and forces prices higher to accommodate "discounts." We also offer a rental program that allows local clients to either evaluate a piece before purchasing or simply refresh their surroundings by rotating their art.
There is no possession quite as personal and gratifying as a work of art. We are confident that you will enjoy the art at Hang Art as well as the process of acquiring it. Click the "Art/Artists" button on the menu above to start browsing our collection and find the art you love!
OUR MISSION & HISTORY
MISSION
Founded in 1998, Hang Art presents original artworks by Bay Area artists to a vast audience of locals and visitors in our friendly, engaging San Francisco gallery. Our staff searches for the best artists emerging in the San Francisco Bay Area, aiming to find something for everyone. With our straightforward sales and rental program, we provide an easy, accessible and fun collecting experience.
HISTORY
Shanna McBurney founded Hang in 1998 to bridge the gap between emerging artists and emerging collectors. To do so, she not only offered artworks for sale, but also created a rental program to provide the experience of living with art before owning it. This pioneering program searched the San Francisco Bay Area for emerging artists fresh from local colleges, open studios and word of mouth, quickly defining Hang as a place of discovery. Year after year, Hang Art’s audience grew, as did its artists’ careers. The gallery became a place for novice and established collectors alike, launching the careers of many emerging artists. Some of our notable alumni include 2013 SFMOMA SECA recipient John Herschend, Green Renaissance pioneer Josh Keyes, Maja Ruznic, Yvette Molina, and Siddharth Parasnis.
Hang also set itself apart by taking intimidation out of the art collecting and viewing experience. By setting straightforward pricing instead of inflating to accommodate for discounts or “back room deals,” it created a unique model of transparency to maintain and grow artists’ market values. To this day, all prices are clear and upfront.
The Bay Area and beyond quickly caught on, and a few years after opening, Hang Art launched Canvas at 9th and Lincoln, Hang Annex on Sutter Street across from the flagship location, and Hang Palo Alto. With the changing tides of the last decade, Hang eventually pared down its auxiliaries and consolidated in the former Hang Annex across from the original location on Sutter Street.
In 2010, long time employee and artist Piero Spadaro purchased the gallery from Shanna, who is also his mentor. With a commitment to Hang’s founding tenets, Hang Art continues to discover and launch the careers of emerging Bay Area artists.
STAFF
The people behind Hang Art are as important as the art we display. Find out what makes us tick.
PIERO SPADARO
A native San Franciscan, Piero first joined Hang Art in 2003 as an intern and eventually worked his way up the ranks to Director. He has a passion for finding new talent and identifying the tipping points of artists' careers. Piero practices what Hang Art preaches by actively collecting contemporary artworks with a focus on artists from the San Francisco Bay Area. Piero studied general fine art and art history at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), where he earned his B.F.A. He continues to maintain an active studio practice..
CANVAS
Canvas joined Hang Art fresh off a family ranch in Santa Rosa in 2012. Piero's golden doodle proudly follows in the footsteps of previous Hang Art pet ambassadors with a regular shift in gallery. Do not be too surprised if you see her romping around Hang Art. She loves visitors and is sure to give you a warm, bellowing welcome on your next visit. If you are more of a cat person (or just don’t like dogs), we can be sure Canvas is tucked away in the back too.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q: HOW DOES HANG ART FIND THE ARTISTS WHO SHOW THEIR WORK IN THE GALLERY?
A: We are constantly adding new artists to our roster to offer a broad and fresh collection. With our rolling submission process, we continually receive and review portfolio submissions from local artists. We also have our eye on the community in order to discover new artists.
Q: HOW DOES HANG ART DETERMINE THEIR PRICES?
A: Our goal is to help emerging artists define their unique market values and to grow demand for their artworks over time. Therefore, we generally offer relatively low prices on high quality art for artists just beginning their careers. As their popularity grows, so do their prices, steadily.
In setting individual prices, we consider each artist’s sales history, conventional pricing structures in the general market, and our own trained instinct. We also loosely take the cost of time and materials into consideration because some materials are more costly than others. For example, oils are generally more expensive than acrylic, canvas is more expensive than paper, frames add additional cost, larger works tend to be more expensive than smaller works, etc.
Hang Art is unconventional in its pricing structure because we do not inflate our prices in order to negotiate. Our objective is to make the purchase of art as transparent as possible. Skipping the negotiation process simplifies the purchase for our customers and allows us to keep our prices as low as possible, so everyone benefits. These efforts protect artists’ market values, allowing them to flourish steadily.
Q: DOES HANG ART RECOMMEND PURCHASING ART AS AN INVESTMENT?
A: Although many collectors enjoy purchasing art as an investment, we advocate buying art solely for the enjoyment you get from the work. The art at Hang Art is not selected for its investment potential but for its overall quality, craftsmanship, and interest value. Even if an artist is successful and prices of their artwork increases, the "investment" is only as good as the secondary market is liquid. For example, if you buy an artist's work at $1,000 and the price of subsequent works increases to $10,000, you only realize the appreciation if you can find a buyer for the work you own.
Hang Art's artists generally do increase prices for their artwork as their careers advance. Many receive prestigious residencies and awards as well as recognition, both nationally and internationally. Still, there are no guarantees that a strong secondary market will develop for any emerging artist at Hang Art or any other gallery. We hope our collectors purchase art at Hang Art as a personal investment—because it moves them on an aesthetic, emotional, or intellectual level.
Q: DOES HANG ART OFFER FRAMING?
A: Hang Art does not have framing facilities in-house, but we partner with fantastic local framers to bring our collectors quality framing options. We are happy to help you find the right frame through our recommended vendors.
We rarely frame works on canvas, preferring the simple, clean look of the canvas edges and the raw intention of the artist. Leaving works unframed also allows us to keep the prices low and gives customers the option to choose their own framing.
As for works on paper, we tend to frame them using hand-finished, top quality moldings in a simple, clean, and consistent manner that lets the art shine.
Q: DOES HANG ART OFFER PRINTS OR PHOTOGRAPHY?
A:Currently Hang Art does not offer edition prints or photography. Though all of us at Hang Art enjoy and respect these media immensely, our objective is to offer only original works of art.
Q: CAN ART BE PURCHASED AT HANG ART BE DELIVERED LOCALLY OR SHIPPED OUT OF TOWN?
A: Of course! Local delivery can be arranged with one of several third party art handling experts Hang Art works with regularly and recommends with complete confidence. Artworks shipped out-of-town are sent well-packed and fully insured by ground or air freight. All costs associated with delivery and shipping are the responsibility of the customer, including any return costs.
Q: HOW MUCH OF HANG ART'S INVENTORY IS FOUND ON HANGART.COM?
A: We strive to include every work of art in our inventory on hangart.com. The website updates automatically when the availability of artworks change and when new works are consigned.
Q: WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR PURCHASING ON HANGART.COM?
A: When you submit an online order on hangart.com, your credit card is not immediately charged. Rather, one of our art consultants will call you upon receiving your order to confirm the artwork is available. We will also see how you wish to receive your new artwork (pick-up, delivery, or shipment). Based on your unique requirements, we can then obtain an estimate for any additional handling services you request. Upon confirmation, we will then charge your card for the artwork purchase.
Q: WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES TO RENTING ART FROM HANG ART?
A: At Hang Art, we want to be certain our customers love the art they select. Renting from Hang Art lets you live with a painting or sculpture to be certain you love it before purchasing it. If changing things up often is more your style, the rental program allows you to refresh your surroundings on a quarterly basis. For our business and institutional clients, renting art enhances and revives office spaces in a sophisticated, engaging way for employees and visitors alike.
For more information on the specifics of our Art Rental program click here
INTERNSHIP AND JOBS
Currently there are no job openings at Hang Art.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
We love looking at new art and review work from dozens of prospective artists each month. If you think your artwork may be a good fit for Hang Art, we recommend you spend some time looking through our site and visit the gallery to get a sense of the type of work we carry, the prices we set, and our underlying mission.
A few very important things to keep in mind when deciding to submit your portfolio:
Hang Art exhibits the work of living San Francisco Bay Area artists only. Portfolios of artists that live and work beyond this geographic region will not be considered. We define the San Francisco Bay Area by the counties that border the bay including; San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Contra Costa, Alameda, San Mateo, and northern Santa Clara counties.
Hang Art does not review portfolios with you in person.
Hang Art exhibits unique originals, specializing in paintings, drawings and sculptures. We do not exhibit photography, digital images, video, prints, or any other serially reproduced artwork.
Work is assessed for its quality, originality, and potential to enhance the collection exhibited by Hang Art. Our artists vary widely in terms of their age, education and experience; there is no absolute requirement.
To have your artwork considered for representation at Hang Art please email the following to review@hangart.com. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed or receive a response..
- A cover letter addressing how you found out about Hang Art and why you would like to work with us
- An artist resume with your exhibition history, publications, awards, and education (if applicable) in PDF or DOC format
- A brief statement discussing your intentions, influences, and methods of your artwork in PDF or DOC format
- A link to your website with images and information of 12-20 available artworks (preferred)
o or, 12-20 clearly labeled JPEG files at 72 dpi resolution and size no greater than 600 pixels in width. JPEG files should correspond to a separate image list. - A list of the currently established retail prices of your artwork or summary of listed prices and sales history (if applicable) in PDF or DOC format.
The review process involves the voices and opinions of the entire Hang Art staff and takes at least 6-8 weeks. Hang Art will contact selected artists for the next step of the review process.
Hang Art is a privately owned, commercial gallery and all represented works are for sale and/or rental. We have exclusive agreements with our represented artists. The artist agreement outlines our responsibility, offerings, and expectations. The Artist Agreement will be made available for review upon acceptance into Hang Art.
GIFT CERTIFICATES
Want to give the gift of art but aren’t sure what to choose? A gift certificate to Hang Art is the perfect solution. You can give a thoughtful gift without worrying if your special someone will like your selection. Gift certificates can be applied towards purchases as well as rentals.
VISIT & CONTACT
787 Broadway, San Francisco, CA 94133
+1 (415) 434-4264
info@hangart.com
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Hang Art is located in San Franciscos historic Chinatown neighborhood. Accessible by cable car, rideshare, bus and foot. To plan you trip click here.
PARKING
We recommend parking at SFMTA parking garages North Beach Garage or Vallejo Street located 1.5 blocks away at 735 &766 Vallejo Street. Street parking in front of Hang Art is metered can be difficult to come by. If you are picking-up or dropping off artwork give us a call for the best recomendation at the time.