art

Art listings are compiled by Sarah Han. Because of space limitations, new art shows are listed the week they open (thereafter, shows are listed on a rotating basis), and we cannot list café exhibits. For information on how to submit listings to this section, see 8 Days a Week. Reviews are by Lindsey Westbrook.

museums

Cartoon Art Museum 655 Mission; CAR-TOON. Tues-Sun, 11am-5pm. $2-5. "Web-Slinging and Wall-Crawling: The Art of Spider-Man." The Cartoon Art Museum hosts the first-ever major exhibition of original artwork from the Spider-Man comic book series. The show features almost 20 pages of drawings by Steve Ditko, who created the character with Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, as well as dozens more drawings by the artists who took over where Ditko left off: John Romita, Ross Andru, Todd McFarlane, and others. The original drawings offer fascinating insights into Marvel's process of comic book creation. For example, patches of Wite-Out and pasted-over text balloons show an artist's hand at work in ways that are completely invisible in the final product. Special sections of the show focus on Peter Parker's wedding, "Marvel Team-Ups" (Spider-Man paired with Daredevil, the Transformers, the Black Widow, etc.), and an issue devoted to the aftermath of Sept. 11. Unless you're already a Spider scholar, however, you might find yourself wishing the show had fewer pictures and more text on the walls. Through July 21. (Westbrook) "An Exploration of Cartoon Art." Ongoing.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 151 Third St; 357-4000. Fri-Tues, 10am-6pm; Thurs, 10am-9pm. $10, $7 seniors, $6 students, free for 12 and under and members (free first Tues; half-price Thurs, 6-9pm). "Jack Stauffacher: Selections from the Permanent Collection of Architecture and Design." Almost 25 prints by the artist. Through Sun/26. "Perfect Acts of Architecture." Works by Peter Eisenman, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Thom Mayne, and Bernard Tschumi. Through Sun/26. "Points of Departure II: Connecting with Contemporary Art." Exhibition explores art within six thematic contexts. Through June 9. "Edward Weston: The Last Years in Carmel." Landscapes, still-lifes, and portraits by the photographer. Through July 9. "Sampling/Christian Marclay." Video installation and film works by Christian Marclay. Through July 28.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm (first Thurs, 11am-8pm). $6, $3 seniors, students, and youths; free for members (free first Tues). "The Film Art of Isaac Julien." Video and film projects by the British filmmaker. "The Cockettes." An exhibition devoted to the drag theater troupe from the early '70s. "Straight to Hell: 10 Years of Dyke Action Machine!" An exhibition of posters, books, video, and more. "2000 Dragons." A 500-foot-long work by San Francisco painter and tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy. Through July 14.

Bay Area

Magnes Museum 2911 Russell, Berk; (510) 549-6950. Sun, 10am-4pm; Mon-Thurs, noon-5pm. $4 donation, $3 seniors and students, free for 12 and under and members. "Telling Time: To Everything There Is a Season." Part one of this two-year exhibition, "Spring and Summer," includes cultural objects highlighting the passage of time. Through June 30.

Oakland Museum of California 1000 Oak, Oakl; (510) 238-2200. Wed-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm. $6, $4 seniors and students. "Scene in Oakland, 1852-2002: Artworks Celebrating the City's 150th Anniversary." More than 65 paintings, drawings, watercolors, and photographs from 1852-2002 by 48 California artists. Through Aug 25.

UC Berkeley Art Museum 2625 Durant, Berk; (510) 642-0808. Wed-Sun, 11am-7pm. $6, $4 seniors and youths, free for 12 and under, members, and UC Berkeley students and faculty. "Masterworks of Chinese Painting." Paintings from the Ching Yüan Chai Collection. Through Sun/26. "The Subtle Life of Plants and People." Work by Marion Brenner. Through Sun/26. "Psychic Windows." New sculptures by Sanford Biggers. Through Sun/2. "XXL." Large-scale paintings and sculpture. Through July 14. "Komar and Melamid's Asian Elephant Art and Conservation Project." Paintings by elephants under the instruction of artists Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid. Through July 14.

galleries

Opening

George Krevsky Gallery 77 Geary; 397-9748. Tues-Sat, 11am-5:30pm. "lit.paint," work by Lawrence Ferlinghetti (reception Thurs/23, 5:30-7:30pm). May 23-June 29.

Walter and McBean Galleries San Francisco Art Institute, 800 Chestnut; 749-4564. Mon-Sat, 11am-6pm. "BFA Spring Show," work by students from the Art Institute's bachelor of fine arts and postbaccalaureate programs (reception Sat/25, 2-6pm). Sat/25-Sun/2.

Ongoing

Ampersand International Arts 1001 Tennessee; 285-0170. Thurs-Fri, 11am-5pm, and by appt. "Forms and Forms," work by Susanna Sartarelli. Through June 14.

Andrea Schwartz 333 Bryant; 495-2090. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat, by appt. Recent work by Betsy Eby and Susanne Carmack. Through Fri/24.

Art Hut 626 Clayton, Apt D; 437-0949. Call for appt. "Carefully Advised for Every Day," new work by Kyoung-ah Kang. Through Sat/25.

Art Institute of California-San Francisco 1170 Market; 865-0198. Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 10am-4pm. "God Said No: The Fall from the Garden of Eden," paintings, drawings, and collage by Tom Fowler. Through June 14.

Aurobora Press 147 Natoma; 546-7880. Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm. "22 X 30," monotypes by various artists. Through Thurs/30.

Big Pagoda Company 1903 Fillmore; 563-8727. Tues-Sat, 11am-7pm; Sun, noon-6pm. "Visions of Utopia," propaganda posters depicting the Chinese Cultural Revolution, 1966-76. Through Fri/31.

Braunstein/Quay 430 Clementina; 278-9850. Tues-Sat, 11am-5:30pm. Work by Grace Munakata. Through Sat/1.

Brian Gross Fine Art 49 Geary; 788-1050. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Dark City," recent paintings by Patrick Wilson. Through Sat/1.

Calumet Gallery 2001 Bryant; 643-9275. Call for hours. Black-and-white photographs by Radek Skrivanek and Vicki Topaz. Through Tues/28.

Canessa 708 Montgomery; 296-9029. Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm. "New Landscape Works," work by Grant Johnson. Through Fri/31.

Catharine Clark 49 Geary; 399-1439. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5:30pm. "Counterfeit," new work by Ray Beldner and works on paper published by Trillium Press. Through Sat/1.

City Art 828 Valencia; 970-9900. Wed-Sun, noon-9pm. Work by various artists. Through Fri/31.

Crown Point Press 20 Hawthorne; 974-6273. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Invention/Tradition," group show featuring artists who blend traditional techniques with a contemporary focus. Through Sat/1.

Culture Cache 1800 Bryant, Ste 104; 626-7776. Wed-Sun, 2-6pm, and by appt. "Mission Detritus," work by Alena Rudolph, Christopher Ruess, Kyle Ranson, Andrew Schoultz, Chris Lindig, Shay Nowick, James Kirkpatrick, and Michael Eli. Through Fri/31. See Critic's Choice.

Dolby Chadwick 266 Sutter, Fourth fl; 956-3560. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm. New paintings Marshall Crossman. Through Sat/1.

Don Soker Contemporary Art 49 Geary; 291-0966. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Recent works by Peter Boyer. Through Sat/1.

Ebert Gallery 49 Geary, Fourth fl; 296-8405. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. Works by Lawrence F. Abrahamsen. Through Fri/31.

871 Fine Arts 49 Geary; 543-5155. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "Moving On: Part I," conceptual works by Jo Babcock, Nayland Blake, Terry Fox, and Tony Oursler. Through Fri/31.

Eleonore Austerer 540 Sutter; 986-2244. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Color and Light," sculptures, paintings, lithographs, and linocuts by Roberto Lauro. Through June 5.

Focus Gallery 2423 Polk; 567-9067. Tues and Thurs, noon-9pm; Wed, Fri-Sun, noon-6pm. "Women Nude," photographs by Sandra Merritt. Through Fri/31.

The Front Office 425 Bush, Ste 400; 788-0445. Call for appt. "Tough Guys," work by Tara Daly, Christian Maychack, and John C. Rogers. Through Sat/1.

Gallery Paule Anglim 14 Geary; 433-2710. Tues-Fri, 10am-5:30pm; Sat 10am-5pm. New work by Barry McGee. Through Sat/1.

Gallery 16 1616 16th St; 626-7495. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "Supermarket." Rudy VanderLans has been photographing California's landscapes ever since he moved to the Bay Area from his native Netherlands in 1981. In his 24 images of the Mojave Desert, VandeLans presents the Mojave as something uniquely American – a vast expanse of untamed Western terrain stretching out for miles and miles, welcoming those who are tough and resourceful enough to scrape out a habitable niche. It's difficult to figure out VanderLans's politics from looking at the pictures in this show. He's clearly poking fun at the encroaching suburbanites and their meticulously manicured green lawns, but he seems to be objecting mostly to their tacky aesthetics, rather than the ecological disruption they cause. Ultimately, VanderLans's photography casts him as a man on the periphery – someone with an insider's knowledge of the Mojave's strange and beautiful landscapes but who sees it through the fresh and unjaded eyes of a first-time visitor. Through Fri/31. (Westbrook)

Hackett-Freedman 250 Sutter, Fourth fl; 362-7152. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "The Sculptor's Notebook," work by Tor Archer; recent paintings by Jim McVicker. Through Sat/1.

Heather Marx Gallery 77 Geary, Second flr; 627-9111. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. New work by Philip Krohn. Through Sat/1.

Herbst Pavilion Fort Mason, Marina at Laguna; 771-7020. Daily, 11am-5pm. "MFA Spring Show," work by graduating students of the San Francisco Art Institute Master of Fine Arts program (open house Sat/25, 1-5pm). Through Sun/26.

Hespe 1764 Union; 776-5918. Wed-Sat, 11am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "May Five," work by Dennis McNulty, Pablo D'Antoni, Kathleen Li, Mitch Temple, and Madison Smith. Through June 12.

Hosfelt Gallery 430 Clementina; 495-5454. Tues-Sat, 11am-5:30pm. Inky darwings by Russell Crotty; "Flutter," work by Jess Von Der Ahe. Through Sat/25.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura 425 Washington; 788-7142. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "Manfredi Nicoletti: Architecture as a Metaphor of Nature," drawings, renderings, sketches, and models by Nicoletti. Through Fri/31.

Jack Hanley Gallery 395 Valencia; 522-1623. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm. New paintings by Scott Hewicker. Through June 8.

Jenkins Johnson Gallery 464 Sutter; 677-0770. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, 11am-5pm. "The Fruitful Menagerie," still-life paintings by Michael Zigmond. Through Wed/29.

John Berggruen 228 Grant; 781-4629. Mon-Fri, 9:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 10:30am-5pm. "Principal and Auxiliary Function: Some Recent Pictures," work by Donald Baechler. Through Wed/22. "Spring Forward: New Work from the Studio," work by various artists. Through Sat/25.

John Pence 750 Post; 441-1138. Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat, 10am-5pm. Work by Edward Minoff and Christopher Pugliese. Through Sat/25.

Kings Gallery 1187 Franklin; 776-4580. Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm; Sun, noon-2pm. "Retrospective," oil paintings by Lorant Chovan. Through June 10.

Marcel Sitcoske 20 Hawthorne; 434-4804. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm; Mon, by appt. "Utopia Parkway," abstract paintings by Erin Parish. Through Sat/25.

Mark I. Chester Studio 1229 Folsom; 621-6294. By appt. "Michael Rosen: 25 Years of Sexual Art," photography by Michael Rosen. Through Sun/2.

Max Furniture 1633 Fillmore; 440-9002. Tues-Sat, 11am-7pm; Sun, noon-5. Recent works by Joe Cariati. Through Fri/31.

Meyerovich 251 Post, Fourth fl; 421-7171. Mon-Fri, 9:30am-6pm; Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "Masters on Paper," works by Picasso, Miró, Lichtenstein, Hockney, Stella, Dine, and Motherwell. Through June 8.

Modernism 685 Market; 541-0461. Tues-Sat, 10am-5:30pm. "Teatro ZinZanni: New Paintings," work by Mark Stock; recent photographs by Robert Stivers. Both exhibits through June 22.

Patricia Sweetow Gallery 49 Geary; 788-5126. Tues-Fri, 11am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Work by Peter Dreher. Through Sat/25.

Paxton Gate 824 Valencia; 824-1872. Mon-Thurs, noon-7pm; Fri, noon-8pm; Sat, 11am-8pm; Sun, 11am-7pm. Works by Cristina Legato Orr and Damian Fagan. Cristina Legato Orr is an artist with an overabundance of morbid curiosity. Orr collects and photographs the desiccated corpses of little rodents, amphibians, and sometimes even medium-size mammals, like the cat in Burns. Her pictures have straightforward titles such as Frog and Newt, but the images are poetic, shadowy, sepia-toned prints that lovingly linger over the creatures' empty eye sockets and broken skeletons. Sharing the exhibition space with Orr is Damian Fagan, who also uses dead animals in his work but takes a more humorous approach. Fagan's wall-mounted constructions evoke seemingly random associations – from trophy-fish taxidermy to floral funeral monuments and B horror flicks. What they mean is unclear, but they've got a lot more going on than just pure Dada absurdity; there's an underlying method to Fagan's apparent madness. Through June 16. (Westbrook)

Pierotti 900 Hyde; 353-6650. Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. "Turn of the Millennium Havana," photocollage by Grace Sevy. Through June 7.

Place Pigalle 520 Hayes; 552-2671. Sun-Wed, 4pm-midnight; Thurs-Sat, 4pm-2am. "ONEMANSHOW," 10 paired sculptures and installations by JONANDTHOMAS. Through June 6.

Rena Bransten Gallery 77 Geary; 982-3292. Tues-Thurs, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. New work by Vik Muniz; new cutout drawings by Irene Pijoan. Through June 8.

St. Gregory of Nyssa 500 De Haro; (510) 638-0868. Call for hours. "Icons for a New Millennium," work by Sante Fe artist Katherine Wells. Through June 12.

San Francisco Center for the Book 300 De Haro; 565-0545. Mon-Fri, noon-5pm. "Celebrating Artists as Teachers," new works by 28 book artists. Through Fri/31.

Shapiro 760 Market, Ste 248; 398-6655. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 10:30am-5pm. "California in Transition," photographs by Horace Bristol. Through Sat/1.

Sheila Woodworth 1 Rincon Center, 101 Spear, A2; 546-0290. Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm. Recent work by Ray Thornton. Through Fri/31.

Skylight Gallery San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, 100 Larkin, Sixth fl; 557-4277. Sun, noon-5 pm; Mon and Sat, 10am-6pm; Tues-Thurs, 9am-8pm; Fri, noon-6pm. "Under the Big Top." Every April Fools' Day, the San Francisco Public Library's Book Arts and Special Collections Center opens a themed exhibition of books from the Nat Schmulowitz Collection of Wit and Humor. This year it's all about the circus, with a special emphasis on San Francisco circus history. Schmulowitz's collection now includes more than 20,000 volumes – the largest of its kind in the United States. The books in the show are under glass, but they're positioned so you can still get the most from their incredible full-color covers and illustrations. Some are as new as Jeffrey T. Brouws's Inside the Live Reptile Tent (2001). Others are as old as Lothar Meggendorfer's movable (pop-up) books from the 1880s, notable for their beautiful colors and craftsmanship. Each Thursday in May the library will present a free showing of a different circus-themed movie at noon in the Koret Auditorium (for a schedule go to www.sfpl.org). Through Fri/31. (Westbrook)

SomArts Cultural Center 934 Brannan; 552-2131. Tues-Sun, noon-4pm. "Zurag! Women Artists of Mongolia," works by 17 Mongolian artists. Through Sat/25.

Soularch Gallery 4033A Judah; 759-4100. Thurs-Sat, noon-5pm, or by appt. "A Beautiful Mind," paintings by Tim Yankosky. Through Fri/31.

Southern Exposure 401 Alabama; 863-2141. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Icons of Action: The Global Youth/Post Youth Underground," work by Amaze, Bratmobile, Sergio Brown, Demo, Shepard Fairey, Fawn Gehweiler, Barry McGee, and Volume One. Through Thurs/30.

Studio Nine Three Nine 939 Pacific; 391-9583. Sat-Sun, noon-5pm; Tues and Thurs, 7pm-10pm; and by appt. New paintings by Jack Hirschman and Agnetta Falk. Through Fri/31.

Studio Z 314 11th St; 221-7100. Mon-Thurs, noon-7pm. "Register This," work by 10 artists in various media (reception Thurs/30, 6-8pm). Through Thurs/30.

Suarez Gallery 2 St. George; 788-2626. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5pm; Sat, noon-4pm. "Overpass Exhibition," new paintings by Ted Vasin, Through June 30.

Tercera Gallery 550 Sutter; 773-0303. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "For the Love of Dogs," work by 24 artists focused on canines. Through Fri/31.

Terrainarts 163 Jessie; 896-0249. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm. "Work," new paintings by Julie Hodge. Through Sat/1.

Toomey-Tourell Fine Art 49 Geary; 989-6444. Tues-Fri, 11am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Paintings by Stephanie Weber. Through Fri/31.

Triangle Gallery 47 Kearny, Fifth floor; 392-1686. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Celestial Musings," works by Roger Berry, Robert Hartman, Carleen Keating, Elaine Myers, Stephanie Peek, Louis Siegriest, and Lynn Sondag. Through June 8.

Velvet da Vinci 508 Hayes; 626-7478. Tues-Sat, noon-6pm; Sun, noon-4pm. "Arctic 5," contemporary metalsmithing from northern Norway. Through June 9.

Washington Square Gallery 1821 Powell; 291-9255. Wed-Thurs, Sat-Sun, noon-5pm; Fri, 2:30-5:30pm; and by appt. "Recent Pastels," work by Richard Keltner. Through June 22.

Bay Area

ACCI 1652 Shattuck, Berk; (510) 843-2527. Tues-Thurs, 11am-6pm; Fri, 11am-7pm; Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Organic," work by six Bay Area artists. Through June 14.

Ardency Gallery 709 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 836-0831. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Re:Figuration," work by Jody Sears and Michele Ramirez. Through June 8.

ARTSHIP Windows Storefront windows at 19th St and Broadway, Oakl; www.girlsinthehall.org. Daily, 24 hrs. "Girls in the Hall," artwork and writing by girls involved in the juvenile justice system. Through June 8.

Craft and Cultural Arts Gallery Elihu M. Harris State of California Office Bldg, 1515 Clay, Oakl; (510) 238-6952. Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. "Still Happy," paintings and prints by Squeak Carnwath. Through June 21.

Door.7.Gallery 2316 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 763-6494. Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm; Sat-Sun, 9am-4pm. Work by Matthew Hart. Through Thurs/30.

East Bay Municipal Utility District Administration Building 375 11th St, Second fl lobby, Oakl; (510) 287-0143. Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm. Works on paper by Alan Lau. Through Fri/24.

Flora Lamson Hewlett Library Graduate Theological Union, 2400 Ridge, Berk; (510) 649-2541. Call for hours. "The Image of Evil in Art," images of the devil in works from various times and cultures. Through Fri/31. "Figuras Fantásticas! The Pottery of Ocumicho," Mexican pottery made in the village of Ocumicho, Michoacán. Through Fri/31.

John F. Kennedy University Arts and Consciousness Gallery Berkeley Business Center, 2956 San Pablo, Berk; (510) 649-0499. Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm. "2002 Faculty Exhibition," a group show featuring work by 19 artists. Through Sun/2.

Linda Penzur 71 Redhill, San Anselmo; 457-4079. Tues-Sat, noon-5pm. "Equus," work by Carol Gahagan. Through Fri/31.

Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery 942 Clay, Oakl; (510) 625-1350. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "The Drawing Show," work by Daniel Clowes, Geoff Chadsey, Marcel Dzama, Neil Farber, and Jason Jagel. Through Sat/25.

Mills College Art Museum 5000 MacArthur, Oakl; (510) 430-2164. Tues-Sat, 11am-4pm; Sun, noon-4pm. "Mills Master of Fine Arts Exhibition 2002," work by various artists. Through Sun/26.

Osceola Gallery 4053 Harlan, Ste 305, Emeryville; (510) 658-1440. By appt only. "Group Show," works by Mark Fox Morgan and Jean Fox; work by John Tennler. Through June 9.

Photolab 2235 Fifth St, Berk; (510) 644-1400. Mon-Fri, 8:30am-6:30pm; Sat, 9am-3pm. "Images in Juxtaposition: Recurring Compositions in Photographs, Landscapes, Cities, People, 1951-2001," color and black-and-white photographs by Stephen A. Fisher. Through June 8.

Third Street Grind Gallery 464 Third St, Oakl; (510) 653-1548. Mon-Fri, 7:30am-3:30pm. "Virtue," mixed-media visual form by six Bay Area artists. Through Thurs/30.