Artist Talk with Inez Storer

Along with discussing Storer's long career as an artist, we will also talk about how she has used her agency to assist others as an educator. Inez and Griff met while he was attending graduate school at the beloved San Francisco Art Institute in the early 1990s. By then Storer had worked as an educator at UC Santa Cruz, San Francisco Art Institute, Sonoma State University, San Francisco State University, and the College of Marin. Her colleagues included other Bay Area luminaries, including Angela Davis, Carlos Villa, Bill Berkson, and Jay DeFeo. Many of Storers students went on to artworld notoriety, including Barry McGee and Kehinde Wiley, whose exhibition An Archaeology of Silence is currently on view at the DeYoung Museum.

Art historical narrative is almost exclusively the purview of object makers and not of educators. The discussions of our day jobs frequently have stigmatizing effects on an artist's career. However, we consider the importance of these contributions to contemporary art, not only for the artist, but society. Mentorship and the collective, cooperative work are necessary for art’s production.

We are proud to be presenting a survey exhibition of both Inez Storer and Andrew Romanoff’s artwork. Andrew Romanoff passed away in November 2021 at the age of 98. The couple's relationship lasted 47 years. Storer, 89, continues to work in her Pt. Reyes studio. This exhibition presents work of both artists made over the last 25 years, including Storer's new work. Her paintings are included in the permanent collections of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Oakland Museum of California, San Jose Museum of Art, and the de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University. Romanoff's work was exhibited all over the world. In 2006, Gallery 16 published the book The Boy Who Would Be Tsar, which told the story of Romanoff’s childhood illustrated by the artist, now in its second printing. We have also published a small monograph of Inez Storer's work, Allow Nothing To Worry You.

Host or Publisher Gallery 16