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San Francisco galleries are exploring different ways to remain open amid rising living costs, closures of arts organizations and a weak collector base, according to Hyperallergic. Cushion Works, in the Mission District, acquired nonprofit status last year and started a membership program; founder Jordan Stein says the space is focused on local history and artists rather than a conventional gallery business model.
Some San Francisco art galleries are adopting alternatives to the conventional commercial model as rising living costs and local arts closures add pressure to the city’s art scene, according to a Hyperallergic report. One example is Mission District space Cushion Works, which acquired nonprofit status and launched a membership program in 2025 to help cover its costs and sustain its community work.
Cushion Works founder Jordan Stein told Hyperallergic that he did not set out to build a conventional gallery business when he opened the space in 2018. The organization’s nonprofit status and membership program offer a different framework for supporting its activities, though the report does not give financial figures or explain how much either initiative contributes to its operating costs.
Stein described the space as a place for exploring local history and cultural production. Its exhibitions have included Bay Area artists such as R. Crumb and Dewey Crumpler, as well as artists Betty Bailey and BJ Newton. The report also names Grace Rosario Perkins and Dionne Lee, whose work has appeared at the Whitney, among the artists in the program.
The report says other galleries are exploring approaches that include nonprofit status and retail businesses. It presents these models as responses to difficult conditions, not as proof that any one approach will secure a gallery’s long-term future.
How Galleries Are Funding Their Work
Alternative structures can change how a gallery pays for space and programming, and how it relates to audiences. At Cushion Works, a membership program gives supporters a way to contribute, while nonprofit status places the organization outside a standard for-profit gallery structure. The report does not detail the membership benefits or the legal and financial arrangements behind the change.
The broader stakes extend beyond individual venues. The report describes a city arts environment shaped by high living costs, closures and the departure of artists and galleries. If spaces cannot remain open, San Francisco may lose places where local artists exhibit work and audiences encounter the region’s art history. The experiments described offer possible ways to keep such spaces active, but their durability is not yet established.
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Pressure on San Francisco’s Art Scene
Hyperallergic frames the gallery changes against a prolonged cost-of-living crisis and the closure of local arts organizations and art schools. It also describes a collector base that galleries perceive as limited. Together, these pressures have contributed to an exodus of artists and galleries, according to the report.
Cushion Works opened in 2018, before adopting nonprofit status in 2025. Stein’s account suggests that its identity has not been limited to selling art: he told Hyperallergic he was interested in who had lived in the area, what had been made there and what could be learned from that history. That focus helps explain why community-building is part of the survival question for the space.
““I don’t think of it like a gallery, and I’ve never had a business model.””
— Jordan Stein, founder of Cushion Works, speaking to Hyperallergic
The Models’ Long-Term Viability
The report does not provide budgets, membership totals, revenue figures or details about how Cushion Works’ nonprofit status affects its finances. It also does not identify the specific retail businesses or explain the terms of their operating models. The long-term financial results of these approaches remain unclear, as does whether they can be adopted by other galleries facing different costs and audiences.
The pressures described are also presented broadly rather than through citywide data. The report does not quantify gallery closures, artist departures or the size of San Francisco’s collector base. Those limits mean the examples illustrate current responses but do not establish how widespread they are or whether they will reverse the broader strain on the arts community.
Membership and New Models Ahead
Cushion Works’ membership program and nonprofit structure are already in place, making their ongoing operation the next test of whether the approach can help support the venue. The report does not announce a specific future milestone, fundraising target or expansion plan.
For other San Francisco galleries, the next steps will depend on how their alternative models develop and whether they can meet costs while sustaining exhibitions and community activity. Further information about their finances, audience support and programming would clarify which approaches are proving workable; for now, the reported examples show experimentation rather than a settled solution.
Key Questions
What change did Cushion Works make?
The Mission District space acquired nonprofit status and launched a membership program in 2025, according to Hyperallergic.
Why are San Francisco galleries trying other models?
The report points to rising living costs, closures of local arts organizations and art schools, and a collector base described as limited.
What does Jordan Stein say guides Cushion Works?
Stein told Hyperallergic that he is interested in the area’s residents, what has been made there and what its history can teach. He said he did not think of Cushion Works as a conventional gallery with a business model.
Are the alternative models working?
The report does not provide financial results or other measures of success. Whether nonprofit status, memberships or retail businesses can sustain galleries over the long term remains unclear.
Source: hyperallergic.com
