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Stirring the [Pot]
Preserving traditional Cambodian dance, a Bay Area art auction, and opening night for the Arab Film Festival
Memories of my Cambodian honeymoon elicit conflicting emotions: euphoria, when remembering the Angkor Wat sunrise, and heartbreak, when reflecting on S-21, also known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. The Khmer Rouge understood that art and the creative minds behind it were a powerful force, which is why they executed over 90% of the country’s artists during Pol Pot’s reign. Art, however, is both resilient and resilience, and Cambodian artists have worked to fill in the gaps of their lost generation.
Learn about the fight to save Cambodian dance, participate in an art auction, and enjoy some onigiri over in East Bay.
San Francisco Dance Film Festival: Pol Pot Dancing
Category: Film
Date: Saturday, October 19th @ 3pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Delancey Street Theater (SF)
Price Range: $15
Why I Care: The San Francisco Dance Film Festival is about the celebration and documentation of (wait for it) dance, from the underrepresented to the experimental to the Bay Area local. The film that most caught my eye was Pol Pot Dancing, a documentary on the preservation of traditional Cambodian dance in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge. Historical footage intertwines with the contemporary to tell the story of Chea Samy, who not only survived the killing fields and strove to keep the art form alive, but also learned years later that the elusive Pol Pot was her brother-in-law.
Día de los Muertos: Fall Family Day
Category: Art & Family Friendly
Date: Saturday, October 19th @ 12pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Richmond Art Center (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Start your Saturday of dance at Richmond Art Center, where Danza Azteca Teokalli takes the stage as part of Día de los Muertos celebrations. Troupe leader Alvaro Piñeda joined the group almost 30 years ago because of its exaltation of traditional Aztec culture. Th group’s engagement goes beyond performances, with free Aztec dance classes and youth education on indigenous heritage. The day will also include community mural painting, a repujado (embossed metal art) station, and a DJ for those parents looking to live that lunchtime club life.
Root Division Art Auction
Category: Art
Date: Thursday, October 24th @ 7pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Root Division (SF)
Price Range: $100
Why I Care: Art collector Storm Anthony Griffith credits the Root Division Art Auction as an entry point for building his collection. Over 175 artists from the Bay Area will have works for purchase, and a ticket grants you access to the artist studios, food, drinks, and most excitingly, a paddle. Bids start as low as $40, with proceeds supporting youth art classes and infrastructure for local artists. As the person who previously chased delinquent bidders at Sotheby’s, my only request is that you pay for what you bid on.
Onigiri Pop-Up & Momoca Art Market
Category: Culinary & Art
Date: Friday, October 25th @ 5pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Bombera (East Bay)
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: Japan’s 7-Elevens deliver Bi-Rite quality minus the Bi-Rite prices. Part of what makes these konbinis (short for con-ven-i-ence store in Japanese) so appealing is their selection of milk teas, Japanese-style sandwiches, and onigiri rice balls. Chef Eiji Hashimoto comes straight from Tokyo to take onigiri to the next level right here in Oakland with his Japanese rice ball brand Hogure. Artist Momoca will also be set up with her dream-inspired paper works of art for purchase.
Ravyn Lenae: Bird's Eye Tour
Category: Music
Date: Saturday, October 26th @ 8pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: The Fillmore (SF)
Price Range: $51+ (originally $29.50; subject to resale pricing)
Why I Care: I first heard Ravyn Lanae’s “Sticky” in Oaktown Spice Shop. I did the awkwardly shameful Shazam-phone-lift to bookmark the artist and have enjoyed Lanae’s beats ever since. I’ve listened reflectively to “Venezuela Trains” and gotten amped up to “Free Room,” which speaks to the range of moods and energy Lanae will bring to the space. The concert is at the historic Fillmore, which holds a special place in my heart for being a venue in my very first post.
Making Their Mark: Works from the Shah Garg Collection
Category: Art
Date: Sunday, October 27th @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Bay Area collector Komal Shah co-founded the Shah Garg Foundation to further recognition of women artists. This exhibition is the first public showing for the collection and travels from New York to highlight reappropriation of craft and unconventional materials to create works of art. This free community day includes a panel with Shah, New York curator Celilia Aemani, and BAMPFA chief curator Margot Norton discussing the foundation, exhibition, and advancing scholarship on women artists.
Opening Night: Arab Film Festival
Category: Film
Date: Thursday, October 24th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Palace of Fine Arts (SF)
Price Range: $25
Why I Care: Representation matters, which is why AFMI lionizes Arab storytellers through its Arab Film Festival. Opening Night will feature Life is Beautiful: A Letter to Gaza, a documentary by Gaza-native Mohamed Jabaly dedicated to finding the beauty and joy in his life and land while exiled in Norway. The festival will continue into November with Sudanese storytelling, Moroccan skateboarders, and an Arab drag queen, to name a few. Keeping my eyes peeled for news on the opening night after party.
Next Drop: Monday, October 28th
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