Enrique Chagoya as guest juror for 'The de Young Open'

Enrique Chagoya was recently tasked as a guest juror for The de Young Open, which opens this fall at the de Young Museum, San Francisco. Together with Mildred Howard, Hung Liu and four of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s curators, Chagoya selected the works in the exhibition from over ten thousand submissions. Citing the overwhelming enthusiasm from artists all across the city, the museum plans to leave no empty space on the walls and hang the artworks salon-style.

As a lifelong activist and a resident of the San Francisco Bay Area for several decades, Chagoya has been an advocate for Bay Area artists throughout. He spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle Datebook about the exhibition and the importance of supporting local communities. “Shows like this keep the arts exciting and moving. Local museums should think of doing something beyond the walls and typical mainstream exhibitions trying to compete with New York. We have a lot of interesting artists emerging from Bay Area all the time. The freedoms artists experience here are unlike any other place.” He continued this sentiment in the New York Times, saying “One of the best things a museum can do is get in tune with the local community."

Chagoya gave a virtual tour of his studio on September 24, 2020, with curator Karin Breuer as part of the exhibition’s online programming. The tour was recorded and is available to watch on the de Young Museum’s YouTube channel.

The de Young Open will be on view from October 10 through January 3, 2021. More information here.