Art Parties, Awesome Performances, and Even a Salon, OH MY!
BY KIRSTEN CHEN
( w/ some crappy ‘accoutrements‘ from ALEX MAK)
Did you ask for ‘MORE ART’, again? Well, good. There are lots of new exhibits, street parties, performances, & festivals on both sides of the bay till the end of May. There’s even a tech-fueled artist salon this week, mind-bending dance performances, queer inspired party photography, and tons of other great events and openings. You really shouldn’t sleep, there is art everywhere right now.
ART AND TECHNOLOGY INCUBATOR
Artists in Gray Area’s Incubator cohort will show their projects in development, which lie at the intersection of art, technology, and social critique. Nearly all of the projects utilize a new technology including facial recognition, VR and 3D Printing, so the resulting artwork is very interactive. Expect a social scene that may inspire you to participate in the next session of their cohort.
2018.1 GRAY AREA INCUBATOR ARTIST SALON
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 6PM
GRAY AREA ART + TECHNOLOGY
2665 MISSION ST
INFO & RSVP
20 YEARS OF SCULPTURE IN MOTION
Celebrating the company’s twenty-year anniversary, Left to Her Own Devices: 20 years of Sculpture in Motion is a distillation of all of Capacitor’s work to date, focusing on physical structures—which have essentially been oppressive problems for the performers to overcome—to explore the theme of liberation. Capacitor is a dance, cirque, and sculpture company founded by artistic director Jodi Lomask, whose work often engages scientists to create performances and installations about the natural world. The company’s visually stunning experiences are delivered by athletic dancers, acrobats, aerialists, and contortionists on abstract structures Lomask designs out of steel, bungee, fiberglass, and wood. Her choreography unites unique characters with distinctive movement.
Broke-Ass readers get a special 2-for-1 tickets! Use code “FEST50”
works for all Transform Festival performances at YBCA this May.
Thursday May 17 2018 — Sunday May 20 2018
Full Festival schedule
Capacitor Tickets
HOSPITALITY HOUSE’S ART AUCTION
Bid on artworks from both local and nationally renown artists at this Art Auction. The art sold will fund projects like Hospitality House’s Community Arts Program, and other projects in SF’s downtown neighborhoods. Tickets include hors d’oeuvres from Vive La Tarte, drinks, and a live DJ set by PANTZ.
HOUSEPITALITY HOUSE’S 33RD ANNUAL ART AUCTION
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 6PM
MINNESOTA STREET PROJECT
1275 MINNESOTA ST
INFO & TICKETS
ASIAN HIP-HOP STYLES & WISDOM
Join the Center for Asian American Media at OMCA for a panel on the Asian American community’s connection to Hip-Hop. The speakers include some of the hottest artists and professionals in hip-hop, and other activities for their Friday Nights events. Get there before the conversation starts so that you can catch the museum’s current exhibition, RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom.
ASIAN AMERICANS IN HIP-HOP PRESENTED BY CAAMFEST x AAMC
FRIDAY, MAY 18, 5:00PM
OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
INFO
A CLOSER LOOK AT ARTISTS
Aggregate Space Gallery opens its doors for a fundraiser where the public can get a closer look at how art is made. Watch dozens of invited artists while they work on new pieces, which will be up for sale to support the gallery and the resources that it provides to artists. Artists will be exploring new ideas in the woodshop, metal shop, and other spaces of the gallery.
ORIUM II – AN ART-MAKING FUNDRAISER
FRIDAY, MAY 18, 6PM, OPENS AT 12PM
AGGREGATE SPACE GALLERY
801 W GRAND AVE
INFO
ALL OF THE LIGHTS
Los Angeles-based artist, Cleonette Harris, captures the energy of the Queer, Femme, and Trans parties that she promotes in the photos at her solo exhibition. Inspired by the underground artists and performers that she’s met, this electrifying photo series shines a light on a lesser-known side of nightlife. Dress to impress at an equally vibrant opening reception with special drag performances planned for the night.
NEON PARADISE LOS ANGELES
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 7PM
HIT GALLERY
2740 16TH ST.
INFO
ceci n’est pas une party (THIS IS NOT A PARTY) sauf si vous êtes membre du musée (UNLESS YOU’RE A MEMBER OF THE MUSEUM) Then, it’s totally a party
SFMOMA members can be the first to see the new exhibition of painter René Magritte’s later works. Magritte is known for using symbolism to transform how reality is represented in his paintings. Ponder the mysteries of this Belgian artist’s work at the (Belgian) beer garden that the museum has created for the opening party.
RENÉ MAGRITTE: THE FIFTH SEASON MEMBER PARTY
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 7PM
SFMOMA
INFO & TICKETS
THIRST AND SATISFACTION
Stop by this artist residency space in the Haight for a video installation, risograph prints, and chapbooks from artist, Leila Weefer. Her sound collage provokes discussion on the space between noise and silence or thirst and satisfaction. Find out what it means for the artist when Blackness is also related to this space.
LEILA WEEFUR: NOISE + THIRST
SATURDAY, MAY 19, 7PM
THE GROWLERY
INFO
BAY TO BREAKERS
Only San Francisco could turn a foot race into a costumed explosion of street parties and hedonism. You may not consider Bay to Breakers an ‘art’ event, but then again, maybe you’ve never created a salmon costume from scratch and played a game of freeze tag with Sponge Bob Square Pants in the middle of the street? #SFPerfromanceArt. Even though the city has done everything to take away our B2b parties in the parks, our floats, and our open containers, they havent taken away our costumes yet! So Bay to Breakers is still a great event for you and your friends to get creative (and weird) with wardrobe in the streets. First time? Here’s a guide to winning Bay2Breakers
Bay to Breakers 2018
Sunday May 20th
START AREA DROP OFF ZONE: Sue Bierman Park
FINISH LINE PICK UP ZONE: Northside Golden Gate Park (Fulton & Chain of Lakes/42nd Ave)
Race Info
PLAY LIKE AN ARTIST
Artist Veronica De Jesus will be leading a hands-on workshop that allows participants to tap into their inner child and play. She will also talk about the brainstorming process for her artistic practice, and other ways to find inspiration. Materials provided.
FUTURE VISIONS: HANDS ON WORKSHOP WITH VERONICA DE JESUS
TUESDAY, MAY 22, 6:30PM
SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION GALLERIES
401 VAN NESS AVE, SITE 126
INFO & TICKETS
CONVERSATION, COLLABORATION, COMMUNITY
Hear about collaboration and artistic dialogue from two artists, Alicia McCarthy and Ruby Neri. Although the artists share a lot in common, Neri is known for including horses in her practice while McCarthy has explored patterns, colors, and grids. Learn more about Bay Area art from these leading figures in the scene during the 90’s. LECTURE: ALICIA MCCARTHY AND RUBI NERI
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 6:00PM
BERKELEY ART MUSEUM & PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE
INFO
DESIGN-THINKING MACHINES
Catch the latest installment of the de Young’s Thinking Machines series with conversation and networking centered on how design is changed by technological innovation. Industry leaders will discuss a variety of new machines, developments in design thinking, and the future of design. Speaker Yves Béhar is the founder of fuseproject and fusedspace, where art and design are merged with a superb show by gallerist Jessica Silverman. Tickets include access to the related exhibition, Cult of the Machine.
THINKING MACHINES: DESIGN, FORM AND FUNCTION
THURSDAY, MAY 24, 6PM
DE YOUNG MUSEUM
INFO & TICKETS
DIS-TOPIAN PARTY
Catch the closing party for New York-based collective DIS’ exhibition, Genre-Nonconforming: The DIS Edutainment Network. 36 LED screens will be playing their hybrid entertainment and educational videos on loop through the night. Shows on The DIS Network include cooking shows, drawing tutorials, and a headless lecture series.
DIS CLOSING PARTY FT. FATIMA AL QADIRI & BRONTEZ PURNELL
SATURDAY, MAY 26, 8PM
DE YOUNG MUSEUM
INFO & TICKET
AN ARTIST’S HOUSEPLANT
The latest group show from artist Yarrow Slaps and Auguste Somers at SWIM Gallery features 39 artists primarily from the Bay Area who use the latest millennial trend of owning a houseplant in their artwork. The selection of mixed media artworks will turn the space into a luscious environment at their opening reception.
THE HOUSE PLANT SHOW
SATURDAY, MAY 26, 6PM
SWIM GALLERY
509 ELLIS ST
INFO
COMICS, HOT OFF THE PRESS
Check out comics and zines drawn by artist, Krusty Wheatfield, for RE/Search Publications. The classic cars showroom will also have video art and musical performances, and a selection of vegan eats and beer.
SEARCH FOR WEIRD #2 RELEASE PARTY
THURSDAY, MAY 31, 6PM
CLASSIC CARS WEST
411 26TH ST
INFO
SUSANE KRIEMANN
Artist Susanne Kriemann will be examining the process of photographic exposure in her first solo exhibition in the United States. Her focus on identifying recording systems for human-caused processes drivers her photography practice. There will also be a site-specific installation and a series of essays commissioned about the artist at this Deep-Time Construction’s exhibition.
SUSANNE KRIEMANN: CANOPY & DEEP-TIME CONSTRUCTION
THURSDAY, MAY 31, 6PM
WATTIS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS
360 KANSAS ST
INFO
17th San Francisco Documentary Festival
SF DocFest is an annual festival devoted to documentary cinema. Since 2001, this two week-long event has brought the most weird and wonderful aspects of real life to the big screen. They open the fest with BREWMASTER, a deep dive into the world of craft brewing through the eyes of both pros and amateur enthusiasts!