The Bay Area’s dispensary names can really throw you for a loop. The Apothecarium is not, in fact, a bespoke alternative to your out-of-stock, shelf-locked Walgreens. Think fresh snickerdoodles are just around the corner? You’re in for a world of hurt (or not?) when you find out Cookies prioritizes the ‘baked’ in baked goods. Naming conventions aside, cannabis is a homegrown industry that goes hand in hand with Bay Area lore, whether it be imagined, real, or somewhere in between.
Learn about the intersections of activism + weed, trash + creativity, and dreams + the collective, alongside plenty of snacks to munch on, this coming week.
Heads Together: Weed and the Underground Press Syndicate Book Event
Category: Literary
Date: Thursday, July 11th @ 7pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Et al. Books (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Heads Together documents the symbiotic relationship of The Underground Press Syndicate (UPS) and cannabis in the 1960s & 70s. An organization known for publications across the states, the UPS exercised freedom of the press to talk politics, race, gender, and most relevantly, drugs. Heads Together, in a joint effort with Et al., will dive into the influence of cannabis on counterculture, from “stoner-art canon” to underground weed gardening how-tos.
And if you missed out on Snoop Dogg's literary endeavor, consider this a second chance at collecting rolling paper art, just sans smokeability.
Vintage Remix: An Interactive Pop Up
Category: Fashion
Date: Sunday, July 7th @ 12pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: iMasala Collective (East Bay)
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: Elena and Naomi are the dynamic, soulful duo behind iMasala Collective. Focused on community and sustainability, the collective has held Children’s Day fairs, Holiday Markets, and even a matcha pop-up. One of my most adored vintage jackets is from iMasala, which is why I know their Vintage Remix will deliver on the goods, especially with vendors like LaliSimone.
Need back-to-back vintage weekends in your life? (The answer is yes.) Keep your eyes peeled for details on Neutral Ground’s July 13th moving sale. We’ll miss you, Alysha!
Opening Reception: The Dump Show
Category: Art (Party)
Date: Saturday, July 13th @ 3pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Hosfelt Gallery (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: The literal and figurative art of dumpster diving is the star of this opening. Hosfelt Gallery and the Recology Artist in Residence Program are putting on The Dump Show to show how the discarded can become the celebrated through upcycled material art. The artists will channel Dr. Frankenstein in bringing deadstock and other scrap materials back to life, so be on the lookout for those ankle socks a gen Z-er shamed you into throwing out.
Interested in pre-gaming your opening with an opening? Consider the "Counter Cartographies" reception on the 12th at the ICA.
Indigenous Red Market
Category: Music & Culinary
Date: Sunday, July 7th @11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Native American Health Center (East Bay)
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: Indigenous Red Market is chockablock full of performers this Saturday: Audiopharmacy composes music inspired by sustainability and education. Signal99 is delivering on the metal punk, hard rock vibes. Def-i is an artist, MC, and producer that brings elements of Hip Hop, Spoken Word, and Contemporary Native-American Acoustic to his tracks. Top this all off with powwow dancers and amazing vendors from the indigenous community, and you’ve got a mini-music festival, without the $50 ramen.
Fraenkel Film Festival: Wings of Desire
Category: Film
Date: Thursday, July 11th @ 6:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Roxie Theater (SF)
Price Range: $16
Why I Care: Fraenkel Gallery is celebrating 45 years in the Bay Area by celebrating the Bay Area: Proceeds from their film festival will go to The Roxie, as one of several anniversary initiatives championing San Franciscan spaces. The Roxie has been home to thoughtful, amusing, and most wonderfully, local cinema, which is why Fraenkel has appointed artists from their roster to curate films in this iconic space.
Enjoy Kota Ezawa’s pick of Wings of Desire, a journey of sacrifice and humanity set in Cold War Berlin for those desiring a love story beyond the Ton.
Temescal Street Fair
Category: Art & Culinary
Date: Saturday, July 13th @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Telegraph Ave & 45th-51st Street (East Bay)
Price Range: Free to enter
Why I Care: I live in Temescal. Well not in Temescal, but nearby (no, not Piedmont). The neighborhood is a treasure trove, from the best cocktails in the East Bay at
Temescal Brewing will go full Inception and host a pop-up within a pop-up as Nosh also kicks off its first food festival dedicated to East Bay culinary talent.
Collective Dream Re-Entry Workshop
Category: Workshop
Date: Thursday, July 11th @ 6:30pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Museum of the African Diaspora (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: My dreams mostly result in me hyperventilating, pushing myself out of bed, and (allegedly) smacking my partner, so I’d likely benefit from a guided exploration of the subconscious. Like the previously discussed Mary Graham, Corinne Smith is a MoAD Emerging Artist and will be leading participants to find their “personal magic”, connect with their dream worlds, and ponder how one’s inner workings can bring a bit more light into the outside world.
Looking to keep that ‘personal magic’ bottled up real tight? Consider swapping in MoAD’s Free Family Day on the 13th.
Next Drop: Monday, July 15th