Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle's ‘Bazoombas in Love’ Brings Heart to Breast Celebration at Cushion Works

I love boobs. You probably do too. But no one I know loves boobs more than ecosexual artists and Bay Area icons Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens. To prove their deep affection for all things mammary and titular, their exuberant new show Bazoombas in Love opens at Cushion Works on October 23.

Presented in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this immersive and cheeky art experience celebrates breasts of all kinds. The message is clear: no boob will be turned away. Breasts of all colors, genders, sizes, and ages are welcome and represented.

This tata-loving tribute runs through November and includes a lineup of performances, panels, and participatory events that could only come from the minds of Sprinkle and Stephens. Highlights include a walking tour on October 17 hosted by THE LAB, titled An Ecosexual Walking Tour in Search of the Elusive Boobie Bird, and a screening of their award-winning documentary Playing with Fire, which appeared at Frameline Film Festival earlier this summer, showing again at ATA on October 18.

Also on the bill are gallery tours with the artists, clinicians from Love Infusion Clinic, and a celebratory event marking Annie’s Radiation Termination Day. There will be Boob Cake, and an opportunity to join in Tits, Tarts & Crafts, a make-your-own holiday boobie-themed gift workshop featuring special guests Julie Blankenship, Oak, and Carol Queen. A “Tit Print” making demo rounds out the schedule, offering attendees a breasts-on experience in chest-forward creativity. Trust me, you do not want to miss learning how to craft a good tit print.

I actually first met Beth and Annie a few years ago after a close friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. When they heard the news, they invited us over to make inked boob prints in tribute to my friend’s soon-to-be-lost breasts. What I thought would be a somber moment quickly turned into something far more joyful.

There is, as it turns out, a genuine art to creating a proper boob print. Those with more generous assets can center their nipples over the paper with ease. I, however, lacked that advantage and soon found myself topless and covered in ink while being guided by Beth and Annie like a human claw machine. “To the left,” Beth called out. “A little to the right!” Annie chimed in. “Right there! Drop! Drop now!” The final result was a perfectly centered print and an unexpectedly tender experience, one that transformed my friend’s grief into something bittersweet, celebratory, and strangely fun.

Stephens, a filmmaker and professor at UC Santa Cruz, is both thoughtful and funny, combining academic rigor with the flair of a seasoned performance artist. She and Sprinkle have been both collaborators and life partners for 25 years. They often finish each other’s sentences as they talk, animatedly, about upcoming projects. Their dynamic is part theater, part philosophy seminar, and part warm domestic banter.

Sprinkle’s resume is long and colorful. She is a former sex worker, sex educator, feminist stripper, filmmaker, photographer, and the first porn star to receive a doctoral degree. She earned her PhD in Human Sexuality from the Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality, based in San Francisco. She is also a breast cancer survivor, first diagnosed nearly 20 years ago. Recently, she learned the cancer had returned. In recognition of Breast Cancer Survivor Month, the show will also host a panel featuring seven generations of breast cancer survivors, a nod to resilience and shared experience.

The art itself, a curated collection of works from other artists along with several by Sprinkle and Stephens, is whimsical, poignant, and sincere. It spans altered mammograms, sculptures, collages, and photographs. Touring their home, which doubles as their informal studio and storage space, I saw a striking black-and-white portrait of a younger Annie.

It turned out to be a work by famed photographer Joel Peter Witkin. Without hesitation, she decided it belonged in the show. Beth, a gifted storyteller, offered an anecdote for nearly every piece. “This is Annie's grandfather's painting that no one really liked, so we thought, because it was quite serious and really boring, we should boob it up,” she tells me, gesturing to a wittily reimagined canvas.

The show is powerful because Stephens and Sprinkle understand the value of community and the importance of coming together in times that can feel so polarized. Through their work as climate activists and artists, they use the tools of humor and breasts for good. When I ask about their long-term collaboration, Annie smiles and says, “We love each other like crazy. We've been very blessed. It's really nice not to be a solo artist. We need to learn how to get along, how to collaborate. We collaborate with our community. We have a nonprofit called the Earth Lab SF, and we create opportunities for other people to collaborate with us.” Come and join the fun through November. Everybody is invited.

For more information visit Cushion Works

Calendar

Friday, October 17, 6-7:30 pm — “An Ecosexual Walking Tour In Search of the Elusive Boobie Bird” with Beth Stephens and Amanda Starbuck. Cameo by Annie Sprinkle. Produced by THE LAB.

Saturday, October 18, 8-10 pm — Screening of Playing with Fire–An Ecosexual Emergency, Artist Television Access.

Saturday, November 15, 12-5 pm — Love Infusion Clinic clinicians on-staff, gallery tours with the artists, and Annie’s Radiation Termination Celebration Day. Boob Cake.

Saturday, December 6, 12-5 pm — “Tits, Tarts & Crafts,” make some holiday boobie themed gifts from 1-3pm with Beth and Annie. Art supplies provided, thought bring some to share if you can! Special guests: Julie Blankenship, Oak, Carol Queen. 3-5pm — “Tit Print” making demo with Beth and Annie.