The San Francisco Arts Institute's Gala Vernissage is a showcase of MFA students' visual art—and a $500 a plate fundraiser for the school—but this year another kind of exhibit will be on display: the giant inflatable rodent known as Scabby the Rat,
Adjunct faculty at SFAI unionized with SEIU 1021 last year, but claim that negotiations for a new contract are stuck over the question of job security. According to the union, SFAI's adjuncts make up 85% of the school's faculty, and "are paid poverty wages, have no benefits, and, most crucially, have no reasonable expectation of employment from one semester to the next."
Ross McKinney, a student at SFAI, spoke out about the difficulties facing adjunct professors and how it affects students, to Inside Higher Ed.
“As a student, it's difficult to form a relationship with your professor when neither of you know if your professor will even be employed next semester,” he said. “The mistreatment of adjunct faculty is a national problem, but we hope by addressing it here we can create an example for other schools to follow.”
The evening should be a lively one, for those inside or out. The union expects hundreds of faculty, students, and supporters to join the fun outside, which will include the giant rat, puppets, edible protest art from the "Great Tortilla Conspiracy," and music from the Brass Liberation Orchestra.
Gala Vernissage is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of SFAI’s emerging artists; to honor one of their greatest champions, Cissie Swig; and to raise funds to support current and future students. We look forward to our next meeting with SEIU and adjunct faculty but request all parties set aside differences for tonight to celebrate our extraordinary student-artists.
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