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": "Indonesia Now!" (Through Sun/7); and "Contemporary Indonesian Art" (Sept 9-14), artist demonstrations and hands-on art activities (daily, noon-4pm).

California Historical Society 678 Mission; 357-1848. Wed-Sat, noon-4:30pm. $3, $1 seniors and students, free for six and under and members. "At Work: The Art of California Labor." An overview of labor themes in 20th Century California art. Through Dec 20.

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). "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.

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

Mexican Museum Fort Mason Center, Bldg D, Marina at Laguna; 441-0404. Wed-Fri, 11am-5pm, free. "The Fantastic and the Familiar: Works on Paper from the Permanent Collection," more than 20 prints by eight modern Mexican artists. Through Sept 27.

Museum of Craft and Folk Art Fort Mason Center, Bldg A, Marina at Laguna; 775-0991. Sat, 10am-5pm; Tues-Fri, Sun, 11am-5pm (first Wed, 11am-7pm). $4, $3 seniors, free for 18 and under (free first Wed and Sat, 10am-noon). "Revealing Influences: Conversations with Bay Area Artists." New work by twenty Bay Area artists including Amy Berk, Frank Haines, Jason Mecier, Charles Linder, Rigo 03, Jarrett Mitchell and Mary Elizabeth Yarbrough, Midori Harima, and Becky Schaefer. Through Nov 15.

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 Sun/7. "33 RPM: Ten Hours of Sound from France." Electronic music by French sound artists. Sept 6-14. "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. "Reprocessing Information." Works using information as primary subject and medium. Through Feb 8. "The Photographs of Reagan Louie: Sex Work in Asia." Large-scale color photographs. Sept 4-Dec 7.

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). $8, $5 seniors and students. "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.

San Mateo County Historical Museum 777 Hamilton, Redwood City; (650) 299-0104. Tues-Sun, 10am-4pm. $1-2. "Ledesma and His Disciples." watercolor paintings by Ralph Ledesma. Through Sept 22.

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 Sun/7. "Gene(sis): Contemporary Art Explores Human Genomics." Almost 100 works by contemporary artists on the topic of genetic engineering. Through Dec 7.

galleries

Opening

Ampersand International Arts 1001 Tennessee; 285-0170. Thurs-Fri, 11am-5pm, and by appt. "That Day: A Retrospective, 1973-2003," works by Christine Lando (reception Fri/5, 5-8pm). Sept 5-Oct 3.

Andrea Schwartz Gallery 525 Second St; 495-2090. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Mixed-media and resin on panel works by Griff Williams (reception Wed/3, 5:30-7:30pm). Through Oct 3.

Anthony Meier 3007 Jackson; 351-1400. Tues-Fri, 11am-5pm; Sat, by appt. Free-form quilts by Rosie Lee Tompkins (reception Fri/5, 6-8pm). Sept 5-Oct 17.

Artseal 1847 Larkin; 567-3523. Tues-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat, 10am-5pm. "The Figure Part II," photographs by George Platt Lynes, Dorothea Lange, Edward Weston, Eadweard Muybridge, Will McBride, J. John Priola, Duane Michals, and others. Sept 9-Oct 31.

Balazo/Mission Badlands Gallery 2811 Mission; 920-0896. Sat-Sun, noon-5pm. "Handmade," works by Alisha Trimble, Coral Silverman, Bob Vergera, Jen Boothby, Kris Struble, and Dallis Willard (opening reception Fri/5, 8-midnight; closing reception Sept 14, noon-5pm). Sept 5-14.

Big Pagoda Company 310 Sutter; 296-8881. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Migrations and Transitions," works by Gregory Burns. Sept 4-30.

Bonnafont Gallery 946A Greenwich; 431-7546. Sat-Sun, 2-5pm, and by appt. Bronze and terra-cotta sculpture by Joseph Bacon (reception Thurs/4, 6-8:30pm). Sept 4-21.

Brian Gross Fine Art 49 Geary; 788-1050. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Recent works by Marco Casentini, Teo González, and Ed Moses (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 4-Oct 4. 1 Post; 788-1050. Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm. Recent paintings by Chad Buck. Through Fri/5. "Selected Paintings 2002-2003," works by Donald Feasél. Sept 8-Nov 21.

Dolby Chadwick 210 Post; 956-3560. Call for hours. "Provocative Poses: 2001-2003," drawings and paintings on paper by Kim Frohsin (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-8pm). Sept 4-27.

Fraenkel 49 Geary, 981-2661. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "The Eye Club," the gallery's 25th anniversary photographic exhibition featuring works by Robert Adams, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Harry Callahan, and others. Sept 4-Nov 29.

Gregory Lind Gallery 49 Geary, fifth floor; 296-9661. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm (first Thurs, 10:30am-7:30pm). "Focus (Painting and Works on Paper)," works by Marti Cormand (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 4-Oct 18.

Hackett-Freedman 250 Sutter, fourth fl; 362-7152. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "A Singular Humanity," paintings by David Park (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 4-Nov 1.

Haines 49 Geary, fifth flr; 397-8114. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm (first Thurs 10:30am-7:30pm); Sat, 10:30am-5pm. "The Light Within," light installation by James Turrell (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 4-Oct 25.

Hang 556 Sutter; 434-4264. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "B(e)aring," paintings by Ines Kramer (reception Thurs/4, 6-8pm). Sept 4-30.

Hang Annex 567 Sutter; 544-0610. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. "... and so it goes...," painting and mixed-media works by Anthony May (reception Thurs/4, 6-8pm). Sept 4-30.

Heather Marx Gallery 77 Geary, second fl; 627-9111. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. New paintings by Sharon Weiner (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 4-Oct 4.

Hosfelt Gallery 430 Clementina; 495-5454. Tues-Sat, 11am-5:30pm. "exPECTACLE," works by Marco Maggi (reception Sat/6, 3-5pm). Sept 6-Oct 11.

James Nicholson Gallery 49 Geary, fourth flr; 397-0100, www.nicholsongallery.com. Mon-Fri, 11am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Inaugural Exhibition," photography, video, and computer-rendered art by 10 contemporary American and European artists. Sept 4-Nov 1.

Lizabeth Oliveria Gallery 49 Geary, fourth fl; (415) 229-1138. Tues-Fri, 11am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Don't Touch Me," works by Stella Lai (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 4-Oct 11.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery Fort Mason, Bldg A, Marina at Laguna; 441-4777. Tues-Sat, 11:30am-5:30pm. "Fresh Currents," works by Linda Meiko Allen, Xavier Damon, Suzanne Dycus-Gendreau, Alan Parrish, and Laura Jo Wegman (reception Wed/3, 5:30-7:30pm). Through Sept 26.

Seam Gallery 600 Illinois; 621-9899. Call for hours. "Living in His Presence: Until the Dali Lama Returns," photographs by Nancy Franco Blum. Sept 4-22.

Shivaani Gallery 855 Folsom, Ste 108; 341-8055. Wed, 6-8pm, and by appt. "Finger Paintings," works by Shakil (receptions Thurs/4, 6-8pm; Fri/5, 7-9pm; Sat/6, noon-5pm). Sept 4-30.

66 Balmy Annex 591 Guerrero; 522-0502. Wed-Sun, 1-6pm. "Recent Works," paintings by Sona Holman and Cheryl Finfrock (reception Fri/5, 5-9:30pm). Sept 4-7.

Stephen Wirtz Gallery Bankers Investment Bldg, 49 Geary; 433-6879. Call for hours. 4pR2," works by Camille Solyagua (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Sept 4-26.

Student Center Art Gallery SFSU, Cesar Chavez Student Union, 1650 Holloway; 338-2580. Mon-Wed, 10am-6pm; Thurs-Fri, 10am-3pm. "Cuba on My Mind," works by Rafael Arzuaga and Juan Carlos Quintana (reception Thurs/4, call for hours). Sept 4-Oct 1.

Tinhorn Press and Gallery 511 Laguna; 621-1292. Tues-Sat, 11:30am-6pm; Sun, 1-5pm. Recent woodcuts by Carol Summers (reception Fri/5, 5:30-8:30pm). Through Oct 12.

Tunnel Top 601 Bush; 986-8900. "Between the Hours," photography by Ted Pushinsky (reception Sept 11, 6pm). Sept 6-Oct 3. See 8 Days a Week, page 58.

Bay Area

Alameda Historical Museum Gallery 2324 Alameda, Alameda, (510) 521-1233. Wed-Fri, Sun, 1:30-4pm; Sat, 11am-4pm. "Bay Area Art," oil paintings by Robert Ruark. Sept 6-27.

A New Leaf 1286 Gilman, Berk; (510) 525-7621. Wed-Fri, 11am-5pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-5pm. "Focus on the Figure," contemporary figurative sculpture by 22 artists (reception Sat/6, 2-4pm). Sept 6-Nov 9.

Pacific Art League of Palo Alto 668 Ramona, Palo Alto; (650) 321-3891. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat, 10am-4pm. "Close Up," artists explore the beauty in common objects (reception Fri/5, 5pm). Through Sept 24. "Photographic Impressions," works by Nancy H. Hole. Sept 6-30.

21 Grand 449B 23rd St, Oakl; (510) 444-7263. Thurs, 4-8pm; Fri-Sun, 1-6pm. Recent two-dimensional works by Jamie Nelson (reception Fri/5, 7-10pm). Sept 4-28.

Ongoing

Academy of Art College Galleries 410 Bush; 567-3606. Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm. "Fine Art Faculty Show" (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Through Oct 1. 625 Sutter; 274-2229. Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm. "MFA Photography Show: Woo Suk Kim (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Through Oct 1. 688 Sutter; 931-5892. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "Fine Art Faculty Show (reception Thurs/4, 5:30-7:30pm). Through Oct 1.

Atrium 600 Townsend; (650) 851-3754. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "One of a Kind," clay and glass art exhibition, juried by Sandy Simon and Robert Brady. Through Fri/5. "Pacific Rim Sculptors Group Summer Outdoor 2003 Member's Exhibition," 28 outdoor sculptures. Through Mon/8.

Crown Point Press 20 Hawthorne; 974-6273. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Summer Group Show," etchings and woodblock prints by William Bailey, Tony Cragg, Brad Davis, Francesco Clemente, Shoichi Ida, Anish Kapoor, Alex Katz, and others. Through Sat/6.

Crucible Steel 2050 Bryant; 648-7562. Daily, 10am-10pm. "Stencils: The Art of Negative Spaces," stencil art from the world-wide underground street art community. Through Sat/6.

Don Soker Contemporary Art 49 Geary; 291-0966. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Recent photographic-based installations by Heidi Struble (reception Sat/6, 2-4pm). Through Sept 27.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura 425 Washington; 788-7142. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "The Gardens of Tuscany: A Photographic Exhibit," photographs of Tuscan villas, countryside, farmland, and landscape architecture. Through Oct 4.

Jack Hanley Gallery 395 Valencia; 522-1623. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm. "Your Shits Stuff." Simon Evans's roll of Scotch tape is an indispensable tool of his trade. Each of his taped-down creations is a vast map or diagram consisting of handwritten words, found materials, and frequently organic stuff. Everything is carefully labeled, and even the smiles are numbered in 1000 Smiles, a collection of a thousand tiny magazine-cutout grins. Judging by his artwork, you might think Evans had the world's first-ever combined case of ADD and OCD. Each piece is irrefutable proof of his sprawling creativity – his ability to generate a seeming infinitude of ideas from a single germ of a word or phrase. But the rigorous organization of those thoughts belies an opposing impulse: the obsessive imposition of structure on everything, no matter how random the data or how impenetrable the organizational system might seem. A deep vein of humor and a stubborn refusal to take himself seriously make Evans's material successful, elevating it above the realms of cynicism and irony. Through Sept 13. (Westbrook)

Limn Gallery 292 Townsend; 977-1300. Wed-Sat, 11am-5:30pm; Sun, 9am-3pm. "Post Magnetic North," works by Dean DeCocker; "Modular Living," works by Michael Burns. Through Sat/6.

Linc Real Art 1632C Market; 503-1981. Wed-Sun, noon-6pm. "La Machina." Dave Puck's "pounded-metal" poems are punched into found pieces of sheet metal with a hammer and awl. Puck, best known for his short stint on MTV's Real World San Francisco, is an old friend of Linc Real Art owner Charles Linder, whose penchant for battered, shot-up road signs seems to have exerted a strong influence on the former bike messenger's venture into the world of visual art. The poems have a kind of overpowering, manic energy that definitely reflects the character of their creator. Some even seem surprisingly sentimental. Puck's metalwork shares the gallery space with Gerhard Nicholson's collection of homemade cameras, created over a period of more than 25 years. Each one is unique and takes unique-looking pictures. Their insides are constructed from old-fashioned camera parts, and their outsides are an eclectic assortment of antique machines: a vacuum cleaner, a meatball maker, some that resemble metal diving helmets, and others so esoteric that they are totally unidentifiable. Through Sun/7. (Westbrook)

Live Art Gallery 151 Potrero; 552-5875. Sat, 1-5pm, and by appt. "Mount," a group show by the gallery's studio artists (reception Sat/6, 7-11pm). Through Sept 27.

Rx Gallery 132 Eddy; 860-6455, www.blasthaus.com. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm. "The Art of Machines," a group show featuring works by machine artists, sculptors, and roboticists. Through Oct 4. See Critic's Choice.

San Francisco City Hall 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl; 252-2568. Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm; Sat-Sun, noon-4pm. "Insights," works by artists who are legally blind; "Portraits from Cuba," photographic portraits by Halle Merrill; "Crosscuts/Tagli Trasversali," woodblock prints by Marco Flavio Marinucci; "Snapshot: San Francisco Children and Youth Today," photographs by Brian Moore and Lisa Zimmerman. Through Sun/7.

Shooting Gallery 839 Larkin; 931-8035. Call for hours. "The Gun Show," works by David Perry, Anthony Augang, the Pizz, Marco Almera, and others. Through Sat/6.

Toomey-Tourell Fine Art 49 Geary; 989-6444. Tues-Fri, 11am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Still: Drawings and Sculptures," works by Nathaniel Price. Through Sept 30.