Martin Wong Gallery

Mission of the Martin Wong Gallery

The mission of the Martin Wong Gallery is to provide San Francisco State University's student artists the opportunity to exhibit works and organize and present exhibitions. The Martin Wong Gallery is located in the Fine Arts Building, Room 195. Under the guidance of faculty sponsors, student artists and curators are encouraged to propose exhibitions. This program is made possible through the generous support of the Martin Wong Foundation and San Francisco State University’s Instructionally Related Student Activities Fund.

Martin Wong (1946–1999) was born in Portland, Oregon and grew up in San Francisco. He graduated from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California where he focused on ceramics. Beyond developing his painting practice, during the early 1970s Wong designed sets and painted scenery for the Angels of Light, an avant‐garde theater group based in San Francisco. In 1978, Wong moved to New York City’s Lower East Side, and first exhibited his work in NYC in 1981. The paintings Wong created during his time in New York reflect the people and places he knew, particularly Latinx and Black subject matter. In this sense, he subverted traditional notions of portraying one’s own ethnic and racial heritage. Wong’s later work was centered more explicitly around his queer sexuality, most notably in his paintings I Really Like the Way Firemen Smell (1988) and Big Heat (1988). He was diagnosed with AIDS in 1994, and died five years later in the care of his family in San Francisco, continuing to paint up to the day he died.

In 2001, Wong’s mother, Florence Wong Fie, established the Martin Wong Foundation to provide scholarships to encourage young artists at four different universities, including San Francisco State, to study art. Additionally, she made a gift to SF State to establish the Martin Wong Gallery, an on-­campus venue for the presentation of art by students, and exhibitions curated by students. Mrs. Wong Fie died in San Francisco in 2017. Up until her death, she was closely involved in the Martin Wong Foundation and its support of student artists.

 

Apply for an exhibition in the Martin Wong Gallery

FALL 2026 Martin Wong Gallery Application

The mission of the Martin Wong Gallery is to provide San Francisco State University's School of Art student artists the opportunity to exhibit their work and organize and present exhibitions. We are serious about celebrating each other’s art! These are one-week exhibitions. Applications are open to SFSU students currently enrolled in at least one School of Art course. Propose a solo show or organize a group exhibition. Your solo show will share the gallery with other solo shows. Priority is granted to students who have not participated in a prior Martin Wong Gallery exhibition AND students in their last semester at SFSU.  For the FALL 2026 semester there will be a maximum of 4 artists sharing the gallery at one time. 

Exhibitions are held in the Martin Wong Gallery, FA195. Photo documentation will be used to promote your show on Instagram @sfsumwg.

THERE WILL BE TWO ROUNDS OF APPLICATIONS:

ROUND ONE: Due by 11:59pm on May 8, 2026
For artists who are ready to go. We will limit this to 4 artists per week.
For exhibitions the weeks of August 24 through September 14, 2026

ROUND TWO: Due by 11:59pm on September 4, 2026
This is for exhibitions from the weeks of September 21 through December 14, 2026.

To apply for FALL 2026 Martin Wong Gallery exhibition you will need to email your application to fineartsgallery@sfsu.edu & copy bpadilla3@sfsu.edu by 11:59 p.m. on the dates listed above.

Send an email application with a PDF attachment that includes all of the following information:

  • Artist Name (s)
  • Exhibition Title
  • Phone number
  • Email
  • Exhibition summary (200 words or less)
  • Work Samples (5 images per artist) that include title, dimensions and media

**Include your name and MARTIN WONG GALLERY PROPOSAL FALL 2026 in your subject line for the email.

For group shows please only submit one application with everyone’s information included. Feel free to share any additional comments about why you’re interested in working with the Martin Wong Gallery.

If your proposal is accepted you will be assigned a week for your exhibition. Installations happen on Mondays and all work must be out by 10pm on Friday when the building closes. You are responsible for cleaning and prepping the gallery for the next artist. There will be a mandatory orientation session to introduce you to the rules of the space, date to be scheduled.

We are looking forward to seeing your proposals!

Sample Exhibition Summary

Title: Under Construction

Name of artist: Christian Balanzar

Exhibition Statement: Under construction is a series that explores the concept of change. By photographing houses under construction that are unique in architectural style and staples to the identity of San Francisco’s landscape, I wanted to address the current ongoing changes here in the city in order to document the constant and inevitable state of change. Change is an integral component of everyday life. It can be seen as a reflection of time, perspective, or new ideas which can foster growth and good outcomes. However, in order for change to happen what has once been or is current present must be considered and revisited, which can invariably come with difficulty or meet with resistance. Currently, San Francisco is experiencing a tech boom which has brought with it some challenges and difficulties. As high rises go up, so does the rent and the demand for affordable housing, subjecting neighborhoods to gentrification and pushing out long standing communities, resulting in a drastic change to San Francisco’s diverse landscape and identity. These photographs serve as a symbolic representation of that experience.