The San Francisco Art Dealers Association was established in 1972 to promote the activities of artists and galleries in the San Francisco area, and counted as its members many of the leading art dealers of the day.
From it's founding, the association held educational programs and art focused activities. In the late 1970s the organization developed the idea of an annual exhibition in which area galleries introduced the work of emerging artists in the Bay Area. Titled "Introductions" these exhbitions launched artists with many different styles, themes, and artistic backgrounds into the gallery world.