Ann Berchtold, BIO Information
Since its inception in 2000, Ann Berchtold has been the curator of SanDiegoArtist.com, which is a website dedicated to promoting the work of emerging and established artists who reside in San Diego and Baja California. The site includes several retrospectives and featured exhibitions by well-known San Diego artists such as Raul Guerrero, Jean Lowe and Ernest Silva. SanDiegoartist.com is a not-for-profit endeavor and provides a direct link to artists. So far the site has received considerable attention both locally and nationally in publications such as artnet, The San Diego Union Tribune, CityBeat, Riviera Magazine, 944, San Diego Magazine, ARTROCKS radio and various other local publications.
In 2003 Berchtold created, "Inspire! San Diego Art Kidz," into fourth-, fifth-and sixth-grade classrooms at Del Mar Heights and Del Mar Hills Academy of Arts and Science. After talking with teachers about the lack of art in the classrooms because of budget cuts, Berchtold, a Del Mar resident, offered to implement an art program as a supplement to the existing lessons. Each month, local artists introduce students to the artist that served as his or her inspiration. The class then participates in hands-on projects that emulate the style of the inspirational artist, such as Salvador Dali or Jackson Pollack. In conjunction she launched SanDiegoArtKids.com a website that presents children’s art opportunities. This site is geared toward helping parents with children who are art enthusiasts and serves as a resource for them to locate San Diego art resources and projects for their children. In 2004, the program was part of a documentary filmed by the Del Mar TV Foundation called “Inspire! Art for Kids” which recently won a Telly Award.
In 2006, Berchtold was asked to step in as gallery director at the L Street Fine Art Gallery part of the Omni Hotel, Downtown San Diego. At that same time Berchtold, along with Patricia Frischer and Joan Seifried, came up with the concept and launched The San Diego Art Prize, where local and emerging artists are recognized and awarded for their work, which is followed by a series of exhibitions in galleries around the county showcasing the winners. The Omni loved the idea and wanted to become the hospitality sponsor for The Prize and also dedicate the space at L Street to house the exhibitions that surround The Prize. The San Diego Art Prize is an annual recognition event now in its second year.
Berchtold serves on several boards and committees including the San Diego Visual Arts Network and the Del Mar Hills Academy Parent Teacher Association. She has given various lectures and has served on several panel discussions in regards to collecting art and using the Internet to promote artwork.
Berchtold attended San Diego State University and graduated from National University where she received a B. A. in Business Administration and a minor in Fine Arts. Berchtold was recently selected to participate in the 2007/08 LEAD, San Diego initiatives. LEAD is a nonprofit organization focused on developing community leaders who can provide a catalyst for creating a better future for San Diego.
Selected Articles
Del Mar art lover Ann Berchtold seeks to raise local cultural awareness level, 2007
Robert Pincus, San Diego Union Tribune, Show and Tell, Art Prize Winners Set , Aug 20,2007
Kevin Freitas, Art as Authority, And the winner is... SD Art Prize unveils, , August, 2007
Press release, SD Art Prize 2007/2008 award announcement, July, 2007
LetsPlayDowntown, Internet Interviews, July 2007
Art Net, June 28,2007
Robert Pincus, Union Tribune, A chance to see San Diego Art Prize winners' work , June 17,2007
Robert Pincus, Union Tribune, Anonymously funded, prize goal is local artist recognition December 1, 2006
NEW SAN DIEGO ART PRIZE, Artnet News
Robert Pincus, Union Tribune,New Prize Will Recognize Local Artists August 11, 2006
Hear David Codden on KPBS talking to Tom Fudge about the SD Art Prize Aug, 2006
This Week @ UCSD September 25, 2006
Art Rocks Interview: New Contemporaries with Doug Simay and Shannon Spanhake, June 2007
LetsPlayDowntown view the opening, meet the people, see the art!
San Diego Downtown News, July 2007
San Diego Magazine, The Everyman's Guide To Buying Art by Julia Spalding
WHO WILL BUY? SanDiegoArtist.com and other online resources are connecting local artists with local art collectors by Kinsee Moran
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS ? Ann Berchtold, founder of SanDiegoArtists.com, stepped in as the new director of L Street Fine Art.