Abby Sadin Schnair

​Abby Sadin Schnair was born and raised in Chicago. She has always been involved in the arts. She went to junior classes at the Art Institute of Chicago on weekends and during the summer when she was in elementary and high school. Abby studied photography at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), with Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind. She collects as well as pursues her own art. She has been married for many years to Gene Schnair, Architect and they have 2 sons and 3 grandchildren.

When Abby was just starting out as an architectural photographer in Chicago, she found that it was very hard to be taken seriously as a woman in a male dominated field. So, it is important to her to see women artists thrive. Her photography has been published in Architect magazine, Architectural Digest and Architectural Record.Following her BFA, Abby co-founded the first women-owned professional architectural photography studio in Chicago.

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In 1994, Abby relocated to San Francisco, where she consulted for the design community in digital imaging. Abby transitioned from her consulting practice in 2005 to focus on her photography and community involvement in the Arts. Abby was appointed to the San Francisco Arts Commission in 2013, serving on the Visual Arts and Civic Design Review committees. She has served on the board of A.C.T. for the last 15 years and is on the Board of Trustees at California College of the Arts.

As a photographer, Abby is drawn to Katherine Wagner’s work. She also really enjoys Claire Rojas, Kara Walker, and Mildred Howard. Tennis, hiking, and cycling regularly are Abby’s recreational favorites.  She loves snapping a quick iPhoto when she is out and about. After years of toting around a camera and lots of equipment, she says, “it is so freeing!” Since Abby is on the SF Arts Commission, she is always looking for new artists to talk to about public art and SFNMWA is a great source of up-and-coming women artists for her to follow.  ​​

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Profile written by Mary Mocas, SFA Member​

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