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

Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin; 581-3500, www.asianart.org. Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm (Thurs, 10am-9pm). $10, $7 seniors, $6 for ages 12 to 17, free for 11 and under. "AsiaAlive: "Gorgeous Textiles of Japan" (through Sun/24) and "Indonesia Now!," (Aug 26-Sept 7) artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities (daily, noon-4pm). "Warrior Kings and Divine Jesters: Indonesian Puppets from the Herbert Collection." More than 200 puppets from Indonesia. Through Aug 31.

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 ages 12 to 17, free for 10 and under (free Tues). "Treasures of a Lost Art." Italian manuscript paintings from the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Through Aug 31. "Black and White: Prints from the 1970s and 1980s." More than 20 prints by Richard Diebenkorn, Wayne Thiebaud, Chuck Close, Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden, Bryan Hunt, and Robert Arneson. Through Sept 28.

Cartoon Art Museum 655 Mission; CAR-TOON. Tues-Sun, 11am-5pm. $6, $4 students and seniors, $2 for ages 6 to 12, free for members and children five and under. "Alternative to What? Comic Art of the Free Weeklies" When the Village Voice launched the nation's first major alternative news weekly in 1955, it included a comic strip called Feiffer, which ended up running for 42 years and inspiring an entire genre of alt-weekly cartooning. This exhibition features Feiffer and 13 other respected strips. Weekly cartoonists have the freedom to be more political, more intellectual, and less concerned about offending their readers than their daily-paper counterparts; many of the strips on display are almost dauntingly text-heavy, with nary a cute animal or little kid to be seen. As with any Cartoon Art Museum show, it's exciting to get so close to the original drawings and examine the evidence of the artist's hand and working process. Through Oct 5. (Westbrook) "Great Comic Cats." An exhibition of original cartoon art featuring cat characters, including Garfield, Krazy Kats, Bill the Cat, Hobbes, Sylvester, and Mooch. Through Oct 26. "From off the Streets of Cleveland Comes American Splendor." Works by comic book writer Harvey Pekar illustrated by five underground comic book artists. Through Nov 23.

Chinese Historical Society of America and Chinese American National Museum 965 Clay; 391-1188. Tues-Fri, 11am-4pm. $3, $2 seniors, $1 for 6-17, free for 5 and under. "The Life and Documentary Photographs of George Lee." Photographs on Santa Cruz Chinatown by Lee. Thurs/21, 7pm, free. "Cultural Fragments." An interactive installation by Amy Lam. Through Aug 31.

Exploratorium 3601 Lyon; 563-7337. Tues-Sun, 10am-5pm. $10, $7.50 students and seniors, $6 youths, free for three and under. "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. For more information go to www.exploratorium.edu. Through Sept 1. (Westbrook) "Animal Magnetism." An exhibit focusing on our relationship with animals through displays and artworks from the 19th century to the present. Through Sept 28.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 151 Third St; 357-4000. Fri-Tues, 10am-6pm (Fri, 10am-9pm); Thurs, 10am-9pm. $10, $7 seniors, $6 students, free for 12 and under and members (free first Tues; half price Thurs, 6-9pm). "ROY/design series 1." Works by architect Lindy Roy. Through Sept 7. "Philip Guston Retrospective." More than 100 paintings and drawings by the artist. Through Sept 28. "Marc Chagall." Paintings and works on paper by the artist. Through Nov 4.

San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum 401 Van Ness, fourth fl; 255-4800. Tues and Thurs-Sat, 11am-5pm; Wed, 11am-7pm. Free. "Hirschfeld: A Centennial Celebration." drawings, paintings, and lithographs from the Hirschfeld Archives. Through Dec 19.

Seymour Pioneers Museum 300 Fourth St; 957-1849. Wed-Fri, 10am-4pm (also first and third Sat, 10am-4pm). $3, $1 seniors and students. "Ore to Opulence." An examination of the history of silver from the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859 through the following three decades. Through Oct 4. "The City Rises: Etchings of a Revitalized San Francisco from the Drum Collection." Works by George Taylor Plowman, Lawrence Norris Scammon, and Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt. Through Dec 19.

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). "To Protect and Serve: The LAPD Archives." Black-and-white crime scene photographs taken between the 1920s and 1970s, artifacts, logbooks, and paraphernalia. "out of bounds (from near and afar)." Site-specific projects by Yunhee Min. "Pocket Atlas." Works by Nick Ackerman, Dean Byington, and Clare E. Rojas. All exhibits through Oct 5.

Bay Area

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 (starting Fri/15, $8, $5 seniors and students). "Reflections in Black: Smithsonian African American Photography." An examination of the history of African American photographers from 1840 to the present. Through Aug 31. "Iconic to Ironic: Fashioning California Identity." More than 100 articles of clothing and accessories. Through Sept 21. "Marvin Lipofsky: A Glass Odyssey." Almost 60 works by the founder of the California studio glass movement. Through Oct 12. "The Art of Fred Martin: A Retrospective, 1948-2003." Works by the painter, teacher, and writer. Through Dec 28.

UC Berkeley Art Museum 2626 Bancroft Way, Berk; (510) 642-0808. Wed-Sun, 11am-7pm. $8, $5 seniors and youths, $4 members and UC Berkeley students and faculty (free Thurs). "Matrix 207: Anna Von Mertens Suggested North Points." Handmade quilts by Anna Von Mertens. Through Sept 7. "Turning Corners." Innovative masterworks from the UC Berkeley Art Museum collections. Through summer 2004.

galleries
Opening

Ariel Fine Arts Gallery 582 Sixth St; 725-9175. "Horizons and Highways," recent works by Susan Osborn and Deanne Beye (reception Thurs/21, 6-10pm). Sat/22, 1-7pm.

Build 483 Guerrero; 863-3041. Call for hours. "Mybrary: A Pro-Literacy Project," a collaborative exhibition by Elliot Lessing, Jennifer Schmidt, the Internet Archive/Bookmobile and the public at large (reception Fri/22, 7-11pm). Aug 22-Sept 12.

Crucible Steel 2050 Bryant; 648-7562. Daily, 10am-10pm. "Stencils: The Art of Negative Spaces," stencil art from the worldwide underground street art community (reception Thurs/21, 6-10pm). Aug 21-Sept 6.

Galería de la Raza 2857 24th St; 826-8009. Wed-Sat, noon-6pm. "Land Rites," work by Caleb Duarte, Al Hernandez, Branca Nitzsche, Veronica Duarte, Justin De Leon, Richard Godinez, and Lisa Marie Delgadillo (reception Sat/23, 7-10pm). Aug 23-Oct 25.

Bay Area

Liminal Gallery 2000 Myrtle, Oakl; www.nonchalance.org. "Water," water installation. Sat/23, 6pm-2am.

Ongoing

Andrea Schwartz Gallery 525 Second St; 495-2090. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Silver Gelatin Prints," work by Nick Czap; "Chromogenic Prints," work by Belinda Gray; "Mixed Media and Resin on Panel," work by Jon Gregory. Through Aug 29.

Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason; 397-2000. Tues-Sat, 11am-7pm. and by appt. "Masters of Modern Art," works by Bacon, Calder, Chagall, Clemente, Diebenkorn, Haring, Hockney, and others. Through Aug 28.

Belcher Studios 69 Belcher; 255-8900. Call for hours.

Berkeley Historical Society 1931 Center, Berk; (510) 848-0181. Thurs-Sat, 1-4pm. "Focus on Berkeley," photographs by the Berkeley Camera Club, Berkeley High School students, and community photographers. Through Sept 13. "The Decade of Change: 1900-1910," various works. Ongoing.

Big Pagoda Company 310 Sutter; 296-8881. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. New works by John Smiddy and Jeanette Bokhour. Through Aug 30.

Bonnafont Gallery 946A Greenwich; 431-7546. Sat-Sun, 2-5pm, and by appt. Recent photographs by Arthur Bacon. Through Sun/24.

Brian Gross Fine Art 49 Geary; 788-1050. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Recent works on paper by Andrea Way. Through Fri/22.

Capobianco Gallery 1841 Powell; 296-9110. Call for hours. "Painting ... Interrupted," works by Jennifer Foxley. Through Aug 31.

Chatter Box 1185 Church; 647-0900. Tues-Fri, 11:30am-6:30pm; Sat, noon-5pm. Work by Mike Cappozola, Kelly Kerslake, Larry Lowell, and Jenne Giles. Through Aug 31.

City Art 828 Valencia; 970-9900. Wed-Sun, noon-9pm. "Naked in August," works by various aritsts. Through Aug 31.

Culture Cache 1800 Bryant, Ste 104; 626-7776. Thurs-Sun, noon-5pm, and by appt. "Work," a group show featuring work by Bigfoot, Tiffany Bozic, Jeremy Fish, Dennis McNulty, Craig McPhee, Mat O'Brien, Andrew Pommier, and Albert Reyes. Through Sept 21.

871 Fine Arts 49 Geary; 543-5155. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "General Idea," various works. Through Aug 30.

Eleonore Austerer 565 Sutter; 986-2244. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Still Life Portraits," work by Roberto Azank; art jewelry by Nandiz Jewelry Design. Through Aug 30.

Focus Gallery 2423 Polk; 567-9067. Wed and Fri-Sun, noon-6pm; Tues and Thurs, noon-9pm. Recent metal sculptures by John Cowan. Through Aug 31.

Gallery Lux 521 Seventh St; 864-2222. Wed-Fri, 1-5pm, and by appt. "In This Instant." Many of the photographs in "In This Instant" have appealing-sounding titles referencing food, home, and family. And a few of the images actually deliver on their moniker's, like Kirsten Nordine's Sprite and Cookies, an affectionate look at the colorful clutter of her teenage sister's bulletin board. But this wholesome and clean-looking slice of life is the exception among Nordine's photos, the rest of which look closely at household dirt: a pillowcase yellowed with years of use, for instance, or the remnants of a home haircut on a linoleum floor. David Black and Kathryn Miller also focus on bits and pieces of the everyday – Black through informal portraits of his family members, and Miller through her unconventional views of a house. Rebecca Veit's Prim and Pink series comes at the end of the show. She focuses on a woman's body – her face as she eats a spoonful of grapefruit, her knees balancing a teacup, her hands folding a blanket. The woman is obviously coiffed and pretty, but it's impossible to miss the tiny flaws that the rest of the show has conditioned us to look for. Arm hair, leg hair, and little cuts and moles all loom large in a way that is simultaneously fascinating and icky. Sept 12. (Westbrook)

Gallery 16 1616 16th St; 626-7495. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, and by appt. New works by Andrew Romanoff. Through Aug 31.

Hackett-Freedman 250 Sutter, fourth fl; 362-7152. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Selected works by Paul Resika and Robert de Niro Sr. Through Aug 30.

Hang 556 Sutter; 434-4264. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Standard Pack," painting by Marianne Kolb. Through Aug 31.

Hang Annex 567 Sutter; 544-0610. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Four in the Foreground," painting and mixed-media work by Rosie O'Gorman, Beth Howe, Gregg Cassin, and Diane Rollins Feissel. Through Aug 31.

Harvey Milk Photography Center 50 Scott; 554-9522. Tues-Thurs, 3-10pm; Fri-Sat, 11am-5pm. "The Faces of Blues, Jazz, and R&B," photographs by Michael Shea. Through Aug 31.

International Village Gallery 3036 Larkin; 441-ARTS. Tues-Thurs, 11am-7pm; Sat, noon-5pm. "Summer in San Francisco," works by Richard Bagguley, David Baltzer, Pola Harrel. Through Sat/23.

Jack Hanley Gallery 395 Valencia; 522-1623. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm. Work by Simon Evans. Through Sept 13.

Linc Real Art 1632C Market; 503-1981. Wed-Sun, noon-6pm. "La Machina," works by Gerhard Nicholson, Dave Puck, and others. Through Sept 7. See Critic's Choice.

111 Minna Gallery 111 Minna; 974-1719. Tues-Fri, noon-5pm; Sat-Mon, by appt. "Surf Style," works inspired by the surf aesthetic of the 1970s. Through Sat/23.

Robert Koch 49 Geary; 421-0122. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "Concealed Identity," photographs by various artists. Through Aug 30.

San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery 401 Van Ness; 554-6080. Wed-Sat, 11am-5:30pm; Tues, by appt. "Murphy Fellowships Award Exhibition," work by the 2003 Murphy Fellowships recipients. Through Aug 30.

San Francisco Main Library 100 Larkin; 557-4400. Mon, 10am-6pm; Tues-Thurs, 9am-8pm; Fri, noon-6pm; Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Min-Sok: Korean Heritage in San Francisco," photographs of and documents about Korean immigrants. Through Thurs/21.

Scott Nichols 49 Geary, fourth fl; 788-4641. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm, and by appt. Photographs by James Nicholls and from the Gallery Collection. Through Aug 28.

66 Balmy Annex 591 Guerrero; 522-0502. Wed-Sun, 1-6pm. "Soul Tracing," abstract paintings by Kathleen King. Through Sun/24.

SomArts Cultural Center 934 Brannan; 552-2131. Tues-Sat, noon-4pm. "The Cafe Show," art exhibit and daily performances. Through Aug 27.

Space 743 743 Harrison; 777-9080. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm, and by appt. "Adventures in Geometric Repressionism," new sculptures by Mitchell Durkee. Through Sat/23.

Spanganga 3376 19th St; 821-1102. Tues, Fri-Sat, 8-10pm, and by appt. "A Sure Thing," photographs, drawings, and sculpture by Geoffrey Chadsey, Jim Christensen, Todd Hido, and Alice Shaw. Through Sun/24.

Stephen Wirtz Gallery Bankers Investment Bldg, 49 Geary; 433-6879. Call for hours. "Makeshift World," a group show. Through Sat/23.

Thomas Reynolds Gallery 2291 Pine; 441-4093. Wed-Fri, 1-6pm; Sat-Sun, 12-6pm. "Summer and the City," recent painting by Veerakeat Tongpaiboon. Through Sat/23.

Triangle Gallery 47 Kearny, fifth fl; 392-1686. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. Selected paintings by Louis Siegriest. Through Aug 30.

Varnish Fine Art 77 Natoma; 222-6131. Tues-Sat, 11am-11pm. "assemblage/montage," work by Ron Garrigues and Winston Smith (reception Fri/22, 6-10pm). Through Sept 19.

Weinstein Gallery 383 Geary; 362-8151. Sun-Wed, 10am-7pm; Thurs, 9:30am-10pm; Fri-Sat, 9:30am-10:30pm. Works by Marc Chagall. Through Mon/25.

Weinstein Gallery 253 Grant; 397-6177. Daily, 10am-7pm. Works by contemporary artists. Through Fri/22.

Bay Area

African American Museum and Library 659 14th St, Oakl; (510) 637-0200. Tues-Sat, noon-5:30pm. "Belonging: Photographs and Words from Gang Members," works by inmates of the Challenger Memorial Youth Center rehabilitation facility. Through Aug 30.

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). "The Big Tree Project," works by more than 100 artists. Through Aug 31.

Creative Growth Art Center 355 24th St, Oakl; (510) 836-2340. Mon-Fri, 11am-5:30pm, and by appt. "Fantastic Journey," works by artists with disabilities. Through Fri/22.

East Bay Municipal Utility District Administration Building 375 11th St, second fl lobby, Oakl; (510) 287-0143. Mon-Fri, 8am-4:30pm. Landscapes by Treve Johnson (reception Fri/22, 5-7pm). Through Sept 12.

NIAD Art Center 551 23rd St, Richmond; (510) 620-0290. Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm. "Inside and Outside," NIAD home and garden show. Through Fri/22.

Oakland Art Gallery 199 Kahn's Alley, Broadway and 14th St, Oakl; (510) 637-0395. Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Out of Line," mixed meda works by Katherine Aoki, Nancy Mizuno Elliott, Katy Krantz, Constance Maher, Isis Rodriguez, and Nicole Repack. Through Sat/23.