Patrick Hull is owner and curator of Vertical Gallery in Ukrainian Village, which exhibits urban, contemporary, and street art. But take a glance at his LinkedIn profile pic, and you might assume otherwise: the former marketing executive sits in an office chair sporting a crisp white shirt and tie, an argyle sweater vest, and a can-do smile. His resumé of past high-powered positions—at Birkenstock USA, Caboodle Cartridge, Woodruff-Sawyer & Co.—is impressive, but what does this conservative-looking dude “with proven ability to grow market share for diverse companies” know about street art?
Hull didn’t encounter such a flexible, unstodgy approach when he first became interested in art. “I have never been one to wander around galleries,” he says. “It just felt intimidating.” A friendlier entree came while visiting San Francisco street art fairs, open studios, and galleries such as the urban-art-focused White Walls.
