Culture Collective: Reflections on an Art Filled October
by Taylor Snowberger (a.k.a. Ruthie Day)
Man, October was PACKED with art events in SOMA. ArtSpan’s SF Open Studios, 2 Blocks of Art on Market, and a showing of the documentary WHO IS BOZO TEXINO at a pop up gallery in the former Rayko Photo building were the three events I got the chance to peruse.
Starting with SF Open Studios, I went to the opening night at ARC and saw the lovingly hand carved block prints of Sushma Kothari. She moves between India and San Francisco, and the parallels in the winding, rambling, magical moments of architecture can make it hard to tell which place she is depicting at times, in the best way. Walking through the lower floor of ARC, I was able to peep a few studios and talk with silvi alcivar, the pop-up typewriter poet who has been haunting the streets of San Francisco with her unique literary offerings for 13 years! She received an Honorable Mention at the ArtLaunch reception party for ArtSpans SF Open Studios that I wrote about mid-October. I also talked with Lena Lee, who has been busy peddling her photorealistic watercolor explorations of light, reflection and color at multiple SF Open Studios venues around SOMA this month.
Next I was able to make it out to 2 Blocks of Art, a two block stretch of 18 different venues with SITE+SOUND exhibits. It was a fun, refreshing way to pop into bars, businesses and hotel lobbies I otherwise probably wouldn’t have had the chance to, like Hospitality House and Jonathan Carver Moore, to chat with staff and resident artists.
What’s Left, Never Left at Jonathan Carver Moore gallery, showcased the talent and verve of Auudi Dorsey’s paintings. The exhibit, a slew of works Dorsey has made in a 6 week residency with JCM, was featured in Hyperallergics list of 10 Art Shows to See in the Bay Area This Fall. I also loved 1000 Years of Solitude, an exhibit of paintings by Drew Villanueva in the IKEA Saluhall Atrium. Villanueva did a month-long artist residency in Colombia and came back with these whimsical, playful acrylic paintings that definitely evoke an Urban-American-on-Vacation vibe.
ARTlaunch is composed of works from about a third of the artists participating over 5 weekends of Open Studios all over the city. Hundreds of artists whose studios will be open all over the city this September and October had their work selected to represent each section of the city where their studios are located, which is how the show is organized. Browsing the walls, I was able to see what would be up for viewing in SOMA.
Jasper themselves is an artist at Root Division, and recommends people stop by to see some of the exciting talent in the 2 story gallery and workspace. Root Division exhibits early career artists as part of their ethos. ARC will exhibit a mix of veteran ARC resident artists as well as a few guests invited by owner Michael Yokum for their previous participation in exhibits. Room and Board should also be worth a stop, with 9 artists on their roster whose work stood out amongst the others of the Weekend 4 wall, as well as the personal studios of the Sizeloves, which Jasper recommended.
I also loved the work at what used to be The Luggage Store Gallery, which is now Hospitality House, a day use gallery space for folks in the Tenderloin. I spoke with an employee who told me that they (semi)recently bought the building from the previous owners, and that the non-profit has been operating in the area since 1965! They’re excited to have a physical space that they now own, and it seems appropriate that such an important bay area artists hub as the Luggage Store gallery has been passed on to such a noble organization.
Speaking of The Luggage Store gallery, lastly, a bit of my art girl dreams came through going to the viewing of WHO IS BOZO TEXINO. The do-it-yourself ethos of San Francisco Art in the 90’s was tangible in the pop up gallery, where legendary zine makers such as V Vale of RE/Search were tabling up front. Past halls hung salon-style with photos and drawings from old skaters and taggers, was a room where Bill Daniel played his 12-years-in-the-making documentary, WHO IS BOZO TEXINO. I had heard of this film in 2008, when I watched a documentary about artists in the mission called BEAUTIFUL LOSERS, so for me it was a huge treat to watch and meet the film maker himself. There are lots more exhibits to come in the old Rayko Photo space put on by Pretty Gritty SF, who can be found on instagram with the handle @Prettygritty_sf.
Man, October was PACKED with art events in SOMA. ArtSpan’s SF Open Studios, 2 Blocks of Art on Market, and a showing of the documentary WHO IS BOZO TEXINO at a pop up gallery in the former Rayko Photo building were the three events I got the chance to peruse.
Starting with SF Open Studios, I went to the opening night at ARC and saw the lovingly hand carved block prints of Sushma Kothari. She moves between India and San Francisco, and the parallels in the winding, rambling, magical moments of architecture can make it hard to tell which place she is depicting at times, in the best way. Walking through the lower floor of ARC, I was able to peep a few studios and talk with silvi alcivar, the pop-up typewriter poet who has been haunting the streets of San Francisco with her unique literary offerings for 13 years! She received an Honorable Mention at the ArtLaunch reception party for ArtSpans SF Open Studios that I wrote about mid-October. I also talked with Lena Lee, who has been busy peddling her photo realistic watercolor explorations of light, reflection and color at multiple SF Open Studios venues around SOMA this month.