500 Capp Street

Supporting us supports artists.

500 Capp Street’s mission is to encourage artistic experimentation, support new modes of living, and build community— just as David Ireland did during his lifetime.

Located in San Francisco’s Mission District, 500 Capp Street is a physical location rooted in conceptual art that was David Ireland’s home. It is where our collection and archive informs artist-driven exhibitions, programs, educational workshops, and curatorial practice. 

David Ireland was an artist with a diverse practice who viewed the making of art as a part of daily life. He blended sculpture, architecture, painting, and performance, and drew on ordinary materials such as dirt, concrete, wood, or wire that he collected.

Our exhibitions, programs, and educational workshops enable artists, teachers, scholars, and participants to experiment and interpret art practices and ideas while becoming an integral part of the 500 Capp Street community. Our educational workshops challenge participants to explore what art can be, without limits and constructs.

The collection & archive includes 500 Capp Street, an environmental artwork, social sculpture, and residence; over 2,500 David Ireland art pieces, including painting, sculptures, prints, and ephemera of David Ireland’s work and performances. It also contains paper and ephemera of the Bay Area conceptual artists past and present, including extensive catalogs of artist-run spaces such as New Langton Arts and 65 Capp Street.

The curatorial practice is steeped in experimentation, artist-driven participation, and is process-oriented. It is collaborative, intergenerational, dynamic, and generous. It explores and challenges the boundaries of space, museology, artistic practice, material. It is  comfortable reflecting on important questions relevant to critical inquiry. 

500 Capp Street is not a museum or static historic home in the traditional sense. It is dynamic in its form and creation. It is a living sculpture.