CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art
The Wattis is a contemporary art space that critically engages with audiences, artists, and ideas.
About
Discover art discourses of today
Michelle Lopez, Single Line/Ropehenge, 2025. Nylon, steel, fiberglass, resin, enamel, 88 1/2 x 72 1/2 x 110 in. Co-commissioned by the Wattis and Tufts University Art Galleries.
Mission and Approach
CCA established the Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in 1998 as a public forum for discussing and presenting leading-edge art and culture. The Wattis works with artists in two distinct ways: as an exhibition space and research institute. We organize exhibitions, artist residencies, public programs, performances, and publications.
Located on CCA's expanded campus, the Wattis is a resource for students and faculty members in multidisciplinary programs at CCA, including the Fine Arts and Visual and Critical Studies graduate programs.
The Wattis centers the artist's perspective and supports artists who take risks and experiment with new ideas. It provides a public forum to established, emerging, and under-recognized artists who challenge our understanding of the art of our current moment. Our exhibitions and programs are free and open to all.
Programs
On view and on our mind
What can we learn from artists today?
The Exhibition Program consists of new productions of commissioned work and exhibitions of specific bodies of existing work by artists from around the world.
The Research Program commits an entire year to a single artist's work. It uses it as a lens to reflect on our contemporary moment more broadly via reading groups, public events, and publications.
Exhibition: MFA Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition
May 1 - May 16, 2026
Closing Reception: May 15, 2026, 5-8 pm
Performances: May 15, 2026, 6 pm
The 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition features a diverse range of works in painting, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, installation, and textiles. The international group of artists include Nishat Ahmed, Mel Blue, Alfredo Zapata De Jesus, Jiao Deng, Jennifer Boyuan Han, Arielle Harvey, Grace Jin, Ana Diaz Korin, Abby Lawrence, Megan March, Adrian Martinez, Lara Rabinowitz, Soorim Ryu, Gabby Severson, Adam Wever-Glen, Jasmine Narkita Wiley, Enbo Yang, Wang Ye, and Zimo Zhang.
Justin Caguiat and Rafael Delacruz, production still from The Tramp, 2026, (work in progress, 16 mm, color, sound). Courtesy of the artists.
Caguiat Delacruz: The Tramp
June 10 – November 21, 2026
Opening reception: June 10, 2026, 6–8 pm
The Tramp, an exhibition by Caguiat Delacruz (Justin Caguiat and Rafael Delacruz) brings together a newly commissioned film, installation, painting, and prints, marking the artists’ first institutional exhibition on the West Coast.
At the heart of the exhibition is a new film by Caguiat Delacruz that follows the characters Wesley, his dog Chips, and Hiroko as they wander the streets of Oakland and the fields of Half Moon Bay. Dressed in baggy pants, a snug jacket, and a bowler hat, the film draws upon Charlie Chaplin’s iconic character “The Tramp,” first introduced in a 1915 silent film of the same name. For the exhibition at the Wattis, Caguiat Delacruz transform the gallery into an immersive environment, highlighting the inner workings of their creative, collaborative process.
Visit
Free and open to all
Address
The Wattis is located on CCA's campus at 145 Hooper Street in San Francisco.
Check in at the main entrance and take the exterior stairs to the Wattis on the second level.
Hours and admission
The Wattis Institute is open to the public Wednesday–Saturday, 12–6 pm. Please note that will need to sign in with an ID to access our campus and the Wattis.
Parking and public transportation
Limited parking with a four-hour time limit is available along streets adjacent to the CCA campus.
CCA is accessible by BART with Muni bus connections at Civic Center or 16th Street station or by Muni with nearby stops for the 19, 22, and 55 bus lines.
The Wattis is ADA-accessible through an elevator inside the Simpson Family Makers Building. Take a right inside the lobby and follow the corridor to the Wattis elevator.
Library
Explore our living archive
Ester Partegàs and Stephen Lichty in Conversation
This online collection includes artist interviews plus video and audio documentation of all past lectures, performances, and events. There are also essays about exhibitions, plus reviews, reading lists, and interviews to read.