Art Parties, Openings, & Excellent Events in SF & Oak
By Kirsten Chen
garnish and table settings by Alex Mak
September and October in SF are the best. The Fogust leaves, the sun shines, the FREE outdoor festivals bloom, and there are art parties nearly every night. It’s our summer, and arguably our best time year, it’s go-time for those who love fun and culture, open season for music, art and all the creative programming coming out of our most creative houses. Get out there and have some fun
OPERA Battle, in the Club
The SF Opera Adlers are throwing a party at the Great Northern called the ‘Battle of the Divas’, where some of SF’s finest singers will face off against one another in vocal competition, while DJ troupe LOVES COMPANY provides beats. Mix a bit of Aria and a bit of Ableton, with splashes of vodka and tonic, and pour it into a nightclub, and you’ve got an Opera Lab party, or what some are calling the new gateway drug to the Opera house.“Battle of the Divas” will be hosted by director and San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow Aria Umezawa and feature performances by Adler Fellows including sopranos Sarah Cambidge and Natalie Image, mezzo-soprano Ashley Dixon, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, tenor Amitai Pati and pianist John Elam
SEPT 20, DOORS AT 730PM
THE GREAT NORTHERN, SF
CECELIA VICUÑIA: ABOUT TO HAPPEN
Learn more about one of BAMPFA’s current exhibitions About to Happen in a free lecture on Cecelia Vicuña. The Chilean-born artist works with a diverse range of mediums including installations, texts, and videos, and look out for her found object precario (precarious) sculptures. Although Vicuña’s practice has engaged with cultural and social issues over the last forty years, themes like displaced people, places, and things couldn’t feel more relevant.
THIRD THURSDAYS AT BAMPFA:
THURSDAY, SEP 20, 4:30PM
BERKELEY ART MUSEUM & PACIFIC FILM ARCHIVE
YAYOI KUSAMA MOVIE NIGHT
Learn more about the artist behind the Infinity Mirrored Rooms that you’ve been seeing in all your friend’s Instagram posts. Given the popularity of Yayoi Kusama’s art installations, it’s no surprise that she’s now the top-selling female artist in the world. The pieces that have sprung from her radical artistic vision are also typically marked with red and white polka dots.
KUSAMA – INFINITY
SEP 21 – 27
ROXIE THEATER, 3117 16TH ST
AN ARTIST BOOK SALE
The Friends of the San Francisco Public library have teamed up with artist Stephanie Syjuco and the SFMOMA to create a massive public book sale. Local artists have created work using secondhand books, with all sales proceeds going to benefit the SFPL. Can the way books are traditionally categorized reflect invisible power structures or hierarchies? The creative practices applied to these books work to reorganize knowledge, and will be partnered with screenings, talks, and other programs throughout the day.
ADDED VALUE: AN ALTERNATIVE BOOK SALE
SEP 22 & 23, 10AM
PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE LIBRARY, SFMOMA
MTT, ART HAUS, STRAVINSKY at the SF SYMPHONY
Igor Stravinsky hit music like a thunderclap. With Petrushka (1911) and The Rite of Spring (1913), he sent shockwaves that continue to ripple through music today. Driven, frenetic, and strikingly original, each score is as unique in character as it is wondrous. Hear these seminal works conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, and Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto played by the “rapturously lyrical” (The Guardian) Leonidas Kavakos. Experience Stravinsky’s music through electrifying choreography as Art Haus Collective artists perform as part of this must-see pre-concert event located in the First Tier Lobby beginning at 7pm.
Doors open at 6:15pm on 9/27-9/29 and 12:15pm on 9/30.
Davies Symphony Hall
$25 tickets available with code ARTHAUS
MUSLIM FASHION, ARTISTS, AND ICONS
This exhibition at the de Young is the first to explore the complex, diverse styles of Muslim dress codes worldwide. It’s only fitting that you celebrate the opening with modest fashion artists and icons including the former editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia, Her Highness Deena Aljuhai Abdulaziz, and artist Langston Hues. The show contains actual garments, runway footage, news clips, and fashion photography to show how the influences of Muslim fashion can be seen around the world.
CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM FASHION: OPENING DAY CELEBRATION
SATURDAY, SEP 22, 12-4PM
DE YOUNG MUSEUM
CELEBRATE ART AND RESISTANCE
Oakland’s ever-changing landscape has inspired this art space to launch a year-long inquiry and cultural think tank called The Fire Next Time: A Call and Response (#TFNTOakland). #TFNTOakland aims to celebrate the legacy of James Baldwin by starting conversations that can act as a model of cultural resistance. There will be food, music, lectures, and live performances, so making a generous sliding scale donation will be so worth it.
BONJOUR: A DAY PARTY + FUNDRAISER
SATURDAY, SEP 22, 1-5PM
BETTI ONO, 1427 BROADWAY
DRIPPED DOWN
Would you donate $4 a month to a community that supports women and non-binary artists? What if there was an patronage platform called Drip that helped you make an online contribution? Kick off the launch of CTRL+SHFT’s Drip campaign with Bay Area artists who will be creating drawings for auction on site. There will also be music, drinks, risograph prints, and other special goodies available at the event.
DRIP + DRAW FUNDRAISER!
SATURDAY, SEP 22, 6-10PM
CRTL+SHFT COLLECTIVE
NORDIC MEETS BAY AREA ARTISTS
This exciting group show shines a light on questions about identity, stereotypes, nationalism, and multicultural ideas that we all face. The curators have selected artists from California and the Nordic region to explore the similarities and differences between them; some of the Bay Area artists include Tracey Snelling, Jenny Sharaf, and Chad Hasegawa. Beldina, a Swedish-Kenyan singer signed to Kanye West’s management, will also be performing on the opening night.
ILLUMINATE
SATURDAY, SEPT 22, 7-10PM
HERON ART, 7 HERON ST
INSPIRED BY MORALITY
Catch poetry and performances in the sideroom of Oakland’s favorite hangout Starline Social Club. The themes of the night include death, grief, loss, and other things that are too hard to handle on your own. Everyone is welcome to share their original creations (that clock in under five minutes) at the event. Proceeds from cover charge goes back to featured performers and YG2D, a nonprofit that creatively brings diverse communities together.
YOU’RE GOING TO DIE: POETRY, PROSE, & EVERYTHING GOES
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 26, 7:30-11PM
STARLINE SOCIAL CLUB, 2236 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR WAY
CURATED BY CCA x YBCA
Located at YBCA, the new Curatorial Research Bureau (CRB) combines a bookshop, learning site, and public programming to further engage audiences. The CRB will host exhibitions, academic seminar, visiting artists, and other public events to learn more about curatorial research. CCA Graduate students in its Curatorial Practice will meet in YBCA to take their training outside of the classroom and participate in the institution’s infrastructure.
CURATORIAL RESEARCH BUREAU OPENING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, SEPT 27, 6PM
YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS
BLICK PARTY ON MARKET ST
Mix and mingle with local artists and art lovers at an exclusive event hosted by ArtSpan. Get the new FREE SF Open Studios Guide– the 200-page magazine contains articles from the best of San Francisco’s art community (and for some reason an article by Alex Mak). Artist Demonstrations by Cindy Shih, Laurie Wigham, Mark Harris, and more to be announced! Complimentary refreshments, and discounts from Blick Art Materials for all attendees.
SF OPEN STUDIOS 2018: GET THE GUIDE PARTY
THURSDAY, SEP 27, 5-8PM
BLICK ART MATERIALS, 979 MARKET STREET
BLACK ART, CULTURE, SPIRITUALITY
This multidisciplinary exhibition presented by SOMArts celebrates the Black female presence as the highest spiritual form with works from over 50 artists. As different identities are reclaimed by these Black women artists, the show contributes not only to the art world but also to cultures everywhere. The third iteration of The Black Woman is God continues to develop as a movement-building platform for dismantling racist and patriarchal notions in society. Expect the live performances from the Dakatari Dance Collective to activate the space.
THE BLACK WOMAN IS GOD: ASSEMBLY OF GODS CLOSING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, SEP 27, 6-9PM
SOMARTS CULTURAL CENTER, 934 BRANNAN ST
ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PREMIERE
Catch a screening of the SF Bay Area episode for “Art in the Twenty-First Century” at non-profit Creative Growth. The PBS show follows artists Katy Grannan, Lynn Hershman Leeson and Stephanie Syjuco as they make art, talk about it, and wrestle with the issues that artists are tackling today. Celebrate the Bay’s thriving art scene with the three artists during a meet-and-greet after the screening.
PUBLIC SCREENING OF ART 21’S SF BAY AREA EPISODE
FRIDAY, SEP 28, 6-8PM
CREATIVE GROWTH ART CENTER, 355 24TH ST
SAFETY FIRST, PARTY LATER
Missed the opening of Safety First’s month-long solo show? Stop by the closing party to view the artist’s exhibit that investigates the diversity of Bay Area car culture. The rotating collection of cars at Classic Cars West is the perfect setting for his pieces inspired by fine art, folk art, street art, and hip hop. Custom t-shirts and prints by Safety First will also be available for purchase at the gallery.
NOBODY RIDES FOR FREE – CLOSING PARTY
FRIDAY, SEP 28, 6-10PM
CLASSIC CARS WEST, 411 26TH ST
FALL ART FAIR
Find pieces by contemporary artists that will actually fit in your apartment at this “tabletop” style art fair in an industrial warehouse in the Dogpatch. stARTup aims to provide artists with more access to the art world and allow guests to connect directly with the artists. While you look at some of the best art in the Bay, keep an eye out for a graffiti installation that 80’s graffiti artist Jocelyn Superstar created for the fair!
STARTUP SMALL WORKS 2018
SEP 28-30, 5 PM
1599 TENNESSEE ST
OAKLAND INTERACTIONS
Visit engaging pop-up projects within a three-block radius of OMCA to experience Oakland in a more meaningful way. The five spaces host creative programming from artists like storytelling, screen printing, tai chi, plein air painting, and more. Listen, learn, and contribute with your own stories about Oakland’s culture at each of the spaces around the block.
AROUND THE BLOCK: A DAY OF NEIGHBORHOOD STORIES
SATURDAY, SEP 29, 11AM- 5PM
OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
WEST COAST MAGAZINE LAUNCH
Join Argot, a non-profit magazine that features queer narratives, in building a stronger community united by a passion for art and literature. Writers from the magazine will be reading alongside a curated selection of other performers, art, and music.
SUNDAY, SEP 30, 3-7PM
B4BEL4B GALLERY, 184 10TH ST
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