The Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts is a contemporary art center in San Francisco, California, United States and part of the California College of the Arts. The Wattis Institute was established in 1998 to serve as a forum for the presentation and discussion of international contemporary art and curatorial practise and a premiere venue for contemporary art exhibitions worldwide. Through exhibitions, lectures, symposia, and publications, along with its residency program, Wattis has become one of the leading art institutions in the United States and provides an active site for contemporary culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. The local impact is equally important and the Wattis Institute is central to the vitality of the Bay Area art scene.