Bringing Art Home: A Conversation on Collecting

Join friends of San Francisco Art Week and Minnesota Street Project in the atrium of 1275 Minnesota St. for an engaging, informative, and inspiring conversation on art collecting. Moderated by SFAW director Emily Counihan with arts leaders:

Jessica Silverman, gallerist

Paul D. Henderson, collector

Kelly Huang, art advisor

Pamela Hornik, collector

This event is free and open to the public. RSVPs are required as space is limited.

Jessica Silverman is an international art gallery known for building artists’ careers, collaborating with collectors keen on positive provenance, and partnering with museums on innovative exhibitions. Established in 2008, the gallery has occupied several locations in San Francisco and now resides on Grant Avenue in the heart of Chinatown, on the border of the Financial District. The gallery participates in all four prestigious Art Basel fairs – Hong Kong, Paris, Miami Beach, and the original Basel, Switzerland. The gallery also exhibits at Frieze LA and Frieze Seoul, as well as San Francisco’s own FOG DESIGN + ART.

Jessica Silverman, the founder and CEO of the gallery, has an MA in Curatorial Practice from the California College of the Arts and a BFA from Otis College, Los Angeles. She is a Board member of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA). She was a member of the San Francisco Arts Commission for nine years from 2009 to 2018 and is happy to consult on public projects.

Paul D. Henderson is a civic leader, attorney, and passionate arts advocate whose commitment to social justice infuses both his professional and collecting work. As Executive Director of the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, Henderson has led reforms around transparency, oversight, and equitable policing. ‎

In the art world, Henderson curates not only with aesthetic sensibility but with a purpose: amplifying voices and visual narratives from historically underrepresented communities. His personal collection of over 280 pieces of work balances emerging creators and established luminaries — names like Carrie Mae Weems, Kara Walker, Gordon Parks, Adrian Piper, Deborah Roberts, and Nina Chanel Abney appear alongside newer additions such as Raelis Vasquez Demetri Broxton, Khari Turner and John Bankston. ‎

He serves on cultural boards including the California African American Museum as a trustee, and is chairman of ArtLikeMe, advising on equity-driven strategy, institutional growth, and inclusive programming. In his curatorial and mentoring roles (such as through the MoAD Emerging Artist Program), Henderson conducts portfolio reviews and fosters visibility for rising talent, helping bridge the gap between creators and wider audiences. ‎

Henderson often frames his collection as “a collection of love letters to my past, present, and future selves”; works chosen to celebrate identity, challenge stereotypes, and invite deeper cultural reflection.

Kelly Huang has dedicated her professional career to expanding access to and interest in contemporary art. Before founding KCH Advisory, Kelly was the Co-Director of Gagosian San Francisco, where she curated exhibitions and programmed special events. Previous to that, Kelly spent ten years as an art advisor with Zlot Buell + Associates in San Francisco, helping a new generation of Bay Area clients participate at every level of the contemporary art world while building and managing curated collections of art. She also has extensive experience in building corporate and public art collections.

In addition to advising private clients, Kelly serves as the Art Basel VIP Representative for the West Coast, US and is the founder of the biennial Gold Art Prize, a partnership with Gold House to support and elevate artists from the Asian diaspora.
She has a BA in Visual Rhetoric, Media Studies and Art from Indiana University and an MA in Arts Administration and Policy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Pamela Hornik spends all day, every day, obsessing over art. She has volunteered at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center for more than fifteen years and sits on the Cantor’s Director’s Advisory Board. She has volunteered at the Anderson Collection at Stanford University since it opened in 2014 and serves on the Anderson Collection’s Management Committee. Pamela is a Founding Board Member of the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco and is member of the FOG Fair Focus Committee. She enjoys supporting art in all forms, from publishing art books by artists she loves to funding exhibitions at a wide variety of institutions. Pamela is an avid collector of contemporary art and believes firmly in the power of art to heal, empower, and make the world a better place.

Located in San Francisco’s historic Dogpatch district, Minnesota Street Project offers economically sustainable spaces for art galleries, artists and related nonprofits. Inhabiting three warehouses, Minnesota Street Project seeks to retain and strengthen San Francisco's contemporary art community in the short term, while developing an internationally recognized arts destination in the long term.

Founded by entrepreneurs and collectors Deborah and Andy Rappaport, Minnesota Street Project was inspired by the couple's belief that philanthropic support for the arts today requires an alternate model—one that uplifts the innovative nature of San Francisco and the Bay Area as a whole.

Their vision of a dynamic, self-sustaining enterprise that encourages heightened support for the arts from newcomer and established patrons alike.

San Francisco Art Week is an annual event that celebrates the rich arts landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The third edition of SF Art Week will take place January 17-25, 2026. SF Art Week will provide a participant list, program, map, and neighborhood guide with insider tips.

SF Art Week provides special opportunities to connect with diverse participants including art museums, galleries, non-profit organizations and creative spaces in new and meaningful ways.

Also check out other Arts events in San Francisco, Fine Arts events in San Francisco, Business events in San Francisco.