The Big [Picture]s
The Big [Picture]s
Films (with a dash of painting) take centerstage
I am not a film buff. But I’m lucky enough that my parents prioritized our exposure to the wider world through film, and my siblings have taken the medium to heart. In recent years, I’ve been terrified, mesmerized, transported, and hella confused c/o their recommendations, but every time I sit with a film, I realize the infinite number of ways people can see the world.
Also…dinosaurs.
Bye Bye Tiberias @ Palestinian Voices
Category: Film
Date: Sunday, March 3rd @ 6:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: The New Parkway Theater
Price Range: $14
Why I Care: I want a moment to pause and reflect on Palestinian stories without the frenetic paralysis of Instagram. You may know Hiam Abbass as Succession’s Marcia Roy, but in Bye Bye Tiberias, Abbass is simply Abbass. Exploring “how…a woman find(s) her place when caught between worlds”, the documentary is all the more intimate because Abbass' daughter directed it.
The film is part of the AFMI’s (Arab Film and Media Institute) Palestinian Voices festival, with events across the Bay throughout the weekend.
Full disclosure: this showing sold out mid-purchase, but I wanted to highlight (1) the film & (2) the festival. I’m attending the 3/9 screening at the Roxie, which includes a Q&A with Israeli-Palestinian actress Clara Khoury and is also co-presented with AFMI.
Free Days @ The Contemporary Jewish Museum
Category: Art (Museum)
Date: Friday, March 1st @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: The Contemporary Jewish Museum
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: I got so caught up in the Artists’ Panel and Neon Light Demonstration (… ok & eating sufganiyot) at the CJM’s Community Opening that I didn’t make it to the actual exhibition(!). She Bends is the art collective exploring the role of light in Jewish ritual in CJM’s First Light exhibition. Blending science with the celestial, the artists manipulate that tiny band of wavelengths we call light in the name of curiosity, spirituality, and ultimately, beauty. Jazzed to return and dive into the actual exhibition, sans sufganiyot.
Thursday After Hours @ OMCA [TONIGHT]
Category: Art (Museum) + Culinary
Date: Thursday, February 29th @ 5pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Oakland Museum of California
Price Range: $19 // buy one get one free (promo code: THURSDATE)
Why I Care: Late nights at the OMCA are filled with drinks, joy, and the Cupid shuffle. Now pair that with a cooking demonstration + pop-up performances + promo code and damn am I sold. Make the most of your leap evening before coming to terms with it somehow being March.
Jurassic Park in 35mm
Category: Film
Date: Tuesday, March 2nd @ 7:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Balboa Theatre
Price Range: $15
Why I Care: Once upon a time I had 10 annual vacation days and a long-distance relationship. Did I use 1 of those days and my partner’s visit for a Jurassic Park screening in 3D? Proudly. The special effects, thrills, and Jeff Goldblum all stand the test of time, so yeah, I’m going again.
My household has made clear this time will be a solo trip, so come join in.
Opening Reception: "Minted, Tinted" Exhibition
Category: Party (Art)
Date: Saturday, March 2nd @ 1pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Johansson Projects
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: Artist Sheena Rose has been making the rounds. When she isn’t participating in panel discussions at our very own Museum of the African Diaspora, she’s busy having her work purchased by none other than Venus Williams. Rose, along with Dana Robinson and Nimah Gobir, have filled the gallery space with color, patterns, and stories of identity. This opening reception is a chance to celebrate these women and their work.
Arlo Parks
Category: Performance (Music)
Date: Tuesday, March 5th @ 8pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Fox Theater
Price Range: $35+ (plus fees)
Why I Care: Arlo Parks was my first indoor concert post-pandemic. She brings this gentle, poetic spirit that radiates through both her music and stage presence. The British artist reflects on topics like depression in a way that strikes a chord, while still managing to find lightness in the dark. At age 23, these are early days for Arlo; she has so much more to come.
Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Project Community Day
Category: Family-Focused
Date: Sunday, March 10th @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: The Contemporary Jewish Museum
Price Range: Free to enter when accompanied by a child (age 18 or younger)
Why I Care: Not optimizing for late night cocktail excursions across the bay? This Community Day is for those readers balancing the creative urge with little ones not yet ready for baby’s first gallery opening. Community Days at the CJM have always made me feel welcome, and I’m sure this family-focused event will deliver.
Next Drop: Monday, March 11th