December 25, 2002

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

California Palace of the Legion of Honor Lincoln Park (near 34th Ave and Clement); 863-3330. Tues-Sun, 9:30am-5pm. $8, $6 seniors, $5 for 12 to 17, free for 11 and under (free Tues). "Poor Richard." More than 70 drawings on paper by Philip Guston. Through Jan 26. "Casting a Spell: Winslow Homer, Artist and Angler." Works by Winslow Homer. Through Feb 9. "Max Ernst: Surrealism in Artists' Books." Through Feb 23.

Cartoon Art Museum 655 Mission; CAR-TOON. Tues-Sun, 11am-5pm. $2-5. "Superwacky: Animation on Television, 1949-2002." An exhibition on the history of television cartoons. Through Jan 12.

Exploratorium 3601 Lyon; 563-7337. Thurs-Tues, 10am-6pm; Wed 10am-9pm. $10, $7.50 students and seniors, $6 youths. "Seeing." Though the title of the show is "Seeing," you'll probably be most surprised at what you don't see in some of the installations. Change Blindness is a huge computer screen showing a quiet storefront-sidewalk scene. Every few seconds the screen goes black for a moment, then flashes back to what appears to be the same picture. It actually changes significantly each time, but the intervening black screens prevent your eyes from perceiving the differences. Dozens of other installations explore the social aspects of seeing. Paul Kaiser's Inkblot Perceptions analyzes the ways in which interpretations of Rorschach-like blots vary with age and cultural background. Go to www.exploratorium.edu for complete information. Through Tues/31. (Westbrook)

Museum of Craft and Folk Art Fort Mason Center, Bldg A, Marina at Laguna; 775-0991. Sun and Mon, 11am-5pm; Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm; Sat, 10am-6pm. Free during the month of Dec. "Craft Showcase 3," works in glass, clay, metal, wood, fiber, and nontraditional materials. Through Sun/29.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 151 Third St; 357-4000. Fri-Tues, 11am-6pm; Thurs, 11am-9pm. $10, $7 seniors, $6 students, free for 12 and under and members (free first Tues; half-price Thurs, 6-9pm). "Ellsworth Kelly in San Francisco." More than 20 works by Kelly. Through Jan 5. "Gerhard Richter: Forty Years of Painting." Nearly 140 paintings from the early 1960s to the present by Richter. Through Jan 14. "August Sander: People of the 20th Century." More than 200 vintage prints of Sanders's photographic works. Through Feb 23. "No Ghost Just a Shell." A dozen works, including digitally animated films, paintings, and a neon sculpture, by French contemporary artists Philippe Parreno and Pierre Huyghe. Through March 16. See Critic's Choice.

San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum 401 Van Ness, Fourth fl; 255-4800. Tues and Thurs-Sat, 11am-5pm; Wed, 11am-7pm. Free. "Natural Selections: Stage Designs by Sandra Woodall." Costumes and sets. Through Sat/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). "Bay Area Now 3." visual, film/video, and performance art by over 50 local artists and filmmakers. Through Jan 12.

Bay Area

Magnes Museum 2911 Russell, Berk; (510) 549-6950. Mon-Thurs, noon-5pm; Sun, 10am-5pm. $4 donation, $3 seniors and students, free for 12 and under and members. "Hidden in the Walls: The Time Capsule from San Francisco's Lost Sanctuary." This exhibition is devoted to the discovery of a time capsule in the cornerstone of Congregation Ohabai Shalome. Viewed through the lens of the 19th-century time capsule, the congregation offers all kinds of fascinating insights into the history of Judaism in the West and life in young San Francisco. Recovered a little more than a year ago, the capsule contained eight newspapers, a number of coins, pamphlets containing constitutions and bylaws for various Jewish organizations, and even a few charmingly antique business cards from members of the congregation, including one for a plumber and another for a dairyman. (Westbrook) "Hamakom (The Place)." An installation by Stephanie Snyder. "Sharing the Screen: Israeli and Palestinians in the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 1981-2002." Video and film clips from the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. All exhibits through Feb 16.

Museum of Children's Art 538 Ninth St, Oakl; (510) 465-8700. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. Free. "Then and Now," works by children's book illustrators. Through Tues/31.

Oakland Museum of California 1000 Oak, Oakl; (510) 238-2200. Wed-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm (first Fri, 10am-9pm). $6, $4 seniors and students. "Art of Eastern Cuba." Recent paintings by artists from Santiago de Cuba. Through Jan 5. "Solo Flights: The Aerial Photographs of Robert Hartman." Robert Hartman's aerial photographs hardly look like landscapes. A lot of them don't even look like photos. Shooting from the cockpit of his 1949 Piper Clipper airplane, he uses special heat-sensitive infrared film to capture images of the terrain a thousand feet below. Full of vibrant magentas, oranges, and reds, his prints are practically abstract and look more like something squashed under a microscope slide than any landscape you've ever seen. Through Jan 12. (Westbrook) "Arte Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum." More than 60 paintings, sculptures, and photographs by artists of Latin heritage who live in the United States and Puerto Rico. Through Jan 26.

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 (free Thurs). "Matrix 200: Yehudit Sasportas: By the River." More than 70 hand-painted wood panels by Sasportas. Through Jan 19.

galleries

Opening

Brain Cookies 1340 Bryant; 437-0949. Fri-Sun, noon-4pm. Experimental works by Jill Epstein, Kate Farrall, Yuriko Iga, Jon Knowles, Karen Carlo Salinger, Laura Splan, and Clint Taniguchi (reception Jan 3, 7-11pm). Dec 27-Jan 5.

Ongoing

Academy of Art 410 Bush; 567-3606. Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm. "Beauty of Winter II," work by various artists. Through Jan 1.

American Institute of Architects SF Gallery 130 Sutter, Ste 600; 362-7397. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "Drive-Ins: The Last Picture Show," photographs by Elaine Reed de Laszlo. Through Jan 9.

A.O.V. 3328 22nd St; 431-8341. Thurs-Fri, 5-8pm; Sat, noon-6pm. "Perez Prado: Unauthorized Collaborations," works by various artists. Through Jan 25.

ArtHaus 1053 Bush, Ste 2; 922-8219. By appt. only. "The Fine Art of Living," work by Greg Drasler, Suzanne Benton, Carol Massa, Deborah Brown, Jess Johnston, Marc Lambrechts, Jeffrey Ketcham, and Andrea Arroyo. Through Tues/31.

ArtRock 893 Folsom; 777-5736. Mon-Sat, 11am-3:30pm or by appt. "The Plaster Caster Exhibit," plaster cast penises and breasts of rock stars and other celebrities. Through Tues/31.

The Art Room 1072 Geneva; 333-9363. Wed, 3-6pm; Sat, noon-2pm. "Women Emerging: A Tribute to Uganda," an exhibition hosted by the Center for African Studies at UC Berkeley. Through Tues/31.

Artseal 1847 Larkin; 567-3523. Tues-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat, 10am-5pm. "Coming of Age," works by Will McBride. Through Tues/31.

Atelier of Famous Melissa and Co. 545 Sutter; 788-1866. Wed-Sat, 1-6pm. "Ocular Curiosities," mixed-media works by Chip Sullivan. Through Sat/28.

Atlas Cafe 3049 20th St; 648-1047. Mon-Fri, 7am-10pm; Sat, 8am-10pm; Sun, 8am-8pm. Paintings by Amy Browne and Dionne Stevens. Through Mon/30.

Aurobora Press 147 Natoma; 546-7880. Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Review 2002," various works. Through Jan 11.

Blue Room Gallery 2331 Mission; 282-8411. Wed and Sun, noon-9pm; Thurs-Sat, noon-10pm. "Holiday Exhibition," works by various artists. Through Jan 12.

Braunstein/Quay 430 Clementina; 278-9850. Tues-Sat, 11am-5:30pm. "Inconsistency of Conclusion," works by Paul Pratchenko. Through Jan 11.

Brian Gross Fine Art 49 Geary; 788-1050. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Checkerboard Lounge," works by Cheonae Kim. Through Jan 4.

Caldwell Snyder Gallery 341 Sutter; 392-2299. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-6pm. Works by Paul Balmer. Through Tues/31.

Calumet Gallery 2001 Bryant; 643-9275. Call for hours. "Promenade aux Jardins," black-and-white photographs by Alan Blaustein. Through Jan 3.

Crown Point Press 20 Hawthorne; 974-6273. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Dreamingday," color etchings by Peter Doig. Through Tues/31.

Fort Mason Center Foundation Main Office Bldg A, Fort Mason, Marina at Laguna; 441-3400. Mon-Fri, 9am-5:30pm; Sat-Sun, 9am-5pm. "Nocturnes: Fort Mason and Environs," new photographs of Fort Mason night landscapes. Through Sun/29.

Fraenkel 49 Geary, 981-2661. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Circular Forms," photographic works by Adam Fuss from 1985-2002. Through Sat/28.

Gallery Paule Anglim 14 Geary; 433-2710. Tues-Fri, 10am-5:30pm; Sat 10am-5pm. New work by Benji Whalen; new work by Leo Bersamina. Through Jan 4.

Gallery 16 1616 16th St; 626-7495. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. Work by Rex Ray. Through Mon/30.

Hackett-Freedman 250 Sutter, fourth fl; 362-7152. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "The Color of Light," works by Esteban Vicente; works by Roland Petersen. Through Jan 4.

Haines 49 Geary, fifth flr; 397-8114. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm (first Thurs to 7:30pm); Sat, 10:30am-5pm. New paintings by William Wood; "Evidence of Thought," works by Nigel Poor. Through Jan 4.

Hang 556 Sutter; 434-4264. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Decomposition," works by Kevin Moore. Through Jan 6.

Hang Annex 567 Sutter; 544-0610. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Small Wonders," gem sized paintings and works on paper by various artists. Through Jan 6.

Heather Marx Gallery 77 Geary, second flr; 627-9111. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Pedigree," works by Matt Gil; "Brink," new work by Madeline Silber. Through Jan 4.

Hospitality House 146 Leavenworth; 749-2132. Call for hours. "Art Spin: Turning the World Around," works by homeless and low-income individuals. Through Jan 7.

International Institute of California/Korean Center 1362 Post; 441-1881. Daily, 9am-5pm. A photography exhibit celebrating Korean American immigration. Through Tues/31.

Intersection for the Arts 446 Valencia; 626-2787. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm. "The Multiplication of Bread/La multiplicacion de los panes." You've heard stories about the various propaganda items Americans have dropped from airplanes onto our wartime opponents. Some of these tales – say, of us dropping extralarge condoms – seem too weird to be true, though the intended message is still clear. But what happens, for instance during last year's U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, when bombs accidentally land on food-drop targets, and vice versa? Marcos Ramírez ERRE explores this tragic mixed message in The Multiplication of Bread/La multiplicacion de los panes, an elegantly spare installation specifically designed for Intersection for the Arts' gallery. Through Jan 11. (Westbrook)

John Berggruen 228 Grant; 781-4629. Mon-Fri, 9:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 10:30am-5pm. "Pietrasanta Paintings," painting by Caio Fonseca; "Arrangements," works by Linda Ridgway. Through Sat/28. "The Art of Giving," various works. Through Tues/31.

Meyerovich 251 Post, fourth fl; 421-7171. Mon-Fri, 9:30am-6pm; Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "Portraits and Nudes," etchings, lithographs, and rare aquatints by Henri Matisse. Through Tues/31. "American Masters: Works from the 1980s and '90s," mixed-media works by Frankenthaler, Stella, Stanley Boxer, Hockney, and Lichtenstein. Through Tues/31.

National Product 1845 Market; 255-1920. Wed-Sat, 11am-7pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Galleria de los Sueños," paintings by Sakino, Bill Domonkos, and Julie Moll. Through Jan 16.

ODC Theater Gallery 3153 17th St; 626-6745. Thurs, 3-5pm; Sat, 3-6pm. Paintings by Brian Kim. Through Jan 4.

Otsu 3253 16th St; 255-7900. Wed-Fri, noon-7pm; Sat, 11am-8pm; Sun, 11am-5pm. Paintings and other works by Kaori Kasai. Through Tues/31.

Parlor Projects 1311 Church; 824-1311. Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm; Sat, by appt. "Made in the Good ol' US of A." There was a time, not too long ago, when a big brass belt buckle was an everyday fashion accessory not unlike a baseball cap or a T-shirt. Aesthetic yet functional, not to mention infinitely customizable, it was a way to express yourself and to promote your favorite brands and organizations. This new show at Parlor Projects represents a lifetime of belt-buckle collecting by gallery owner Melissa Peline. All the buckles in this show were manufactured during the golden years of the belt buckle, the '60s through the '80s. Through Jan 6. (Westbrook)

Punch Gallery 155 10th St; 522-5555. Mon-Fri, noon-5pm and by appt. "Living Large," works by Brian Barneclo, Misk, and Mars. Through Jan 2.

Rena Bransten Gallery 77 Geary; 982-3292. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Abstraction," a group exhibit; "Movie Map," works by Chip Lord; new work by Rachael Neubauer. Through Jan 4.

Robert Koch 49 Geary; 421-0122. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "Inside Havana," work by Andrew Moore. Through Jan 3.

SF Black and White Gallery 619 Post; 929-9424. Call for hours. "Alien DNA on Display!," works by T.M. Scott. Through Tues/31.

Scott Nichols 49 Geary, Fourth fl; 788-4641. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm, and by appt. "Scott Nichols Gallery 10th Anniversary Exhibition," works by various artists. Through Jan 4.

Shenson Memorial Gallery 900 Hyde; 353-6650. Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm. "Border Reach: The Colors of Mexico," paintings by Sali Mour. Through Feb 6.

Skylight Gallery San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, 100 Larkin, Sixth fl; 557-4277. Sun, noon-5pm; Mon and Sat, 10am-6pm; Tues-Thurs, 9am-8pm; Fri, noon-6pm. Works by members of the Hand Bookbinders of California. Through Jan 3.

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 307-0109. Sat-Mon, noon-4pm, and by appt. "Cozy," works by Heather Johnson, Marina Vendrell, Eric Mortensen, and Laura Splan. Through Feb 2.

Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens Golden Gate Park, Ninth Ave at Lincoln Way; 661-1316, ext 303. Daily, 10am-4pm. "Forms of Light." Sidney Hollister's photographs ought to be out among the plants he photographed, rather than decorating the Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens' library walls. His images reveal incredible blues, greens, and reds; intricate patterns of shadow and light; and strange textures and surfaces that, up close, look more like alien flesh than anything from this planet. He often deliberately blurs the focus or pushes the camera so brazenly into his subject that we find ourselves looking almost literally into its heart. Maybe he's searching for the souls of these plants, or at least some kind of intangible essence that can only be grasped after this kind of prolonged, intense contemplation. Through Tues/31. (Westbrook)

Thacher Gallery University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton; 422-2660. Mon-Fri, noon-5:30pm. "Cuatro Voces," works by Zulema Di Marco, Santiago Gino Gervasi, Gabriel Navar, and Veronica Rojas. Through Jan 5.

364 Hayes Street Gallery 364 Hayes; 431-0364. Tues-Wed, noon-6pm; Thurs-Sat, noon-7pm. "Aphasia," works by Rainey Straus. Through Sat/28.

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

Traywick 1316 10th St, Berk; (510) 527-1214. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. New work by gallery artists. Through Jan 4.

Triangle Gallery 47 Kearny, fifth flr; 392-1686. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Survival Tactics," recent paintings by Stephanie Peek. Through Jan 4.

View 155 155 Grove; 554-6080. 24 hours. "Love Me, Inside and Out," new sculpture and video installation by Marina Vendrell. Through Mon/30.

Weinstein Gallery 383 Geary; 362-8151. Sun-Tues, 10am-7pm; Wed-Thurs, 9:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 9:30am-10:30pm. "Lithographs: From the Artist's Archives 1968-1990," works by Robert Kipniss. Through Mon/30. "Legacy: The Lithographs 1968-1989," works by Robert Kipniss. Through Jan 8.

Zip Zap 245 Fillmore; 621-1671. "Zip Zap Gets Artsy," works by Paul Urich, Mark Gonzalez, Alicia McDole, Sam Flores, and Dave Schubert. Through Tues/31.

Bay Area

Ardency Gallery 709 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 836-0831. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "12," works by 12 members of the Teachers and Artists Organization. Through Sat/28.

Bedford Gallery Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; (925) 295-1417. Tues-Sun, noon-5pm (also Thurs-Sat, 6-8pm). "Heavenly Gardens: Early Rugs of the Near and Far East," 60 carpets, prayer rugs, and rug fragments from the 15th through 19th centuries; "Shikishi: Gifts of Art for the New Year," works by local and national artists. Through Jan 5.

Craft and Cultural Arts Gallery Elihu M. Harris State of California Office Bldg, 1515 Clay, Oakl; (510) 238-6952. Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. "Art of Eastern Cuba," recent paintings by artists from Santiago de Cuba. Through Fri/27.

Fig Tree Gallery 2599 Eighth St, Space no. 42, Berk; (510) 540-7843. Sat-Sun, 11am-5pm, and by appt. "Group Nineteen," various works (reception Tues/31, 6pm). Through Jan 31.

Joseph-Prescott Center for Community Enhancement 920 Peralta, Oakl; (510)839-3212. "Art in the Convent," works by various artists. Through Tues/31.

Oakland Art Gallery 199 Kahn's Alley, Broadway and 14th St, Oakl; (510) 637-0395. Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Art of Eastern Cuba," recent paintings by artists from Santiago de Cuba. Through Jan 4.

Thelma Harris Gallery 5940 College, Oakl; (510) 654-0443. Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm; Sat, noon-5pm. "Ties, Wraps, and Poles," sculptures by Kevin Cole and Alonzo Davis. Through Tues/31.