![San Francisco Has [No] Culture](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hMuY!,w_120,h_120,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F134d0298-cfa2-4012-b9cf-70fa3e39d4bb_590x590.png)
American [Pie]
Fourteen Bay Area galleries exhibit in one space, the Bay Area Book Festival, and Andy Warhol film archives
60% of galleries shut down within their first five years. Thin margins, constant hustle, and serious overhead all work against the institution’s longevity, with success and the gallery’s name often tied to its founder. Gallerists also need to build trust with the artists they recruit and the collectors who make the venture financially possible. Add all this to the unrepentant art fair schedule requiring travel of both people and goods, and it’s no wonder that arts economist Clare McAndrew concluded that, to open a gallery today, “you either need contacts or money, and most times, you need both.”
See fourteen Bay Area galleries, newcomers to decades-long survivors, represented in a single exhibition, peruse an artisan fair featuring Japanese and Bay Area makers, and hear free music in the Mission.
Opening Reception | Slice of the Pie: Fourteen Bay Area Galleries & What Makes Them Different
Category: Art
Date: Saturday, May 30th @ 3pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Fraenkel Gallery (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Slice of the Pie: Fourteen Bay Area Galleries & What Makes Them Different is opening at Fraenkel Gallery, bringing together over forty artists across painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, photography, animation, and more. The Bay Area galleries range from long-established names like Berggruen and Crown Point Press to newer ones like Rebecca Camacho Presents and Jonathan Carver Moore. The show lands at a pointed moment, as California’s latest gold rush works through a familiar cycle, with the creative sector absorbing the costs.
Film Screening | Andy Warhol Exposed: Newly Processed Films from the 1960s
Category: Film
Date: Thursday, June 4th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF)
Price Range: $12
Why I Care: Andy Warhol Exposed: Newly Processed Films from the 1960s screens at SFMoMA next month, bringing together footage shot during the early days of Warhol’s Factory. In 2024, Katie Trainor of New York’s MoMA and Greg Pierce of the Andy Warhol Museum processed more than 80 rolls of unprocessed black-and-white and color film that had sat untouched since the 1960s and debuted the finished work at MoMA earlier this year. The reels capture everyday Factory life, screen tests, gallery openings, and some NSFW couch activity. Trainor and Pierce will be in attendance to discuss the process and what the footage reveals about Warhol’s filmmaking.
Bay Area Book Festival: Bookworm Block Party
Category: Literary
Date: Sunday, May 31st @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Allston Way - Downtown Berkeley (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: The Bay Area Book Festival’s Bookworm Block Party is an outdoor literary fair with over one hundred exhibitors: authors, booksellers, publishers, literary clubs, and more. Two exhibitors not to miss? Same Page SF and the Oakland Review of Books, who will be sharing a booth. Christina from Same Page SF and Marthine from ORB have both been steady supporters of this newsletter and are also doing the work to highlight literary events in the Bay. Check out Same Page SF’s Substack for more on the festival’s panels and workshops to help you plan your weekend.
Opening Reception | Holding (Queer) Space
Category: Art
Date: Friday, May 29th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Sentro Filipino (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Holding (Queer) Space will exhibit work by Queer and Trans Asian and Pacific Islander artists, many of whom will be at the opening reception. The exhibition explores what it means to claim and create space within the QTAPI diaspora, from personal identity to chosen family to broader community. Among the artists are Jun Yang, whose exhibition I wrote about in 2024, and Henry Roark, an SFH[N]C subscriber who also provided access to an exclusive screening of Godzilla. GAPA and Sentro Filipino have organized the show, both of which are long-standing supporters of AAPI arts and culture.
Artisan Market | MULTIPLA
Category: Culinary & Art
Date: Sunday, June 7th @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: O2 Artisans Aggregate (East Bay)
Price Range: $10
Why I Care: Japanese and Bay Area makers are coming together for MULTIPLA, a one-day artisan market with live music, food, and drinks. Thirteen artists and one food vendor are making the trip from Japan to participate, giving attendees a chance to enjoy Japanese craftsmanship in the heart of West Oakland. The event is held at O2 Artisans Aggregate, a workspace supporting over forty Oakland-based makers. O2 artisans Den Sake Brewery and bakery Grand Opening are just a few of the local makers that will be selling their (flavorful) wares at the event.
SF Porchfest
Category: Music
Date: Saturday, May 30th @ 12pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Mission District (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: SF Porchfest is a free community music festival that brings local musicians to the stoops of Mission homes. Built on volunteers and community donations, the festival has grown from a handful of outdoor performances into a full district takeover. The festival is genre-agnostic by design, allowing attendees to wander and find their musical niche or fall in love with a new one. Have a specific musical vibe in mind? Filter the schedule by genre to find your match.
Opening Party | East Bay Open Studios: Rooted In Art
Category: Art
Date: Saturday, May 30th @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Orchard Galleries (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Oakland Art Murmur (OAM) is celebrating twenty years with Rooted in Art, a block party held alongside their East Bay Open Studios. OAM organizes events throughout the East Bay, from First Friday Art Walks to artist workshops, with biannual open studios as a cornerstone of its programming. The block party adds live music, snacks, and a Community Exhibition featuring work from over one hundred local artists in its program.
Next Drop: Monday, June 8th
