San Francisco Art Institute’s Planned Graduate Center at Fort Mason

Michael T. Jackson is a former Belvedere, California-based hedge fund executive who has resided in Florida since 2002. Along with his wife Pepper, Michael T. Jackson had an active presence in the Belvedere and greater Bay Area communities. With an abiding interest in modern art, he continues to serve on the board of trustees of the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI).

A non-profit college headquartered in the city’s Russian Hill neighborhood, SFAI was established in 1871 and has studios in the Dogpatch district. Currently, the school is the midst of constructing a new graduate center at the historic Herbst Pavilion within the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture. Spanning nearly 70,000 square feet, the location will encompass exhibition galleries that the public can access with no entrance fees.

In addition, the graduate center will have installation and performance spaces, as well as community rooms, teaching space, and a lounge area. One of the innovative aspects of the building is its rooftop solar panel array, which will be the most extensive for a National Park Service building nationwide. When completed in late 2017, the center will fully replace the current Dogpatch neighborhood studios.