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[Open] To Work
Open artist studios, aerial arts, and a dog costume contest are all in play this week
When an artist opens their studio to visitors, they make themselves vulnerable and extend an invitation for intimacy. A younger me didn’t really understand this when I flaked on my friend Carol's open studio day in Bushwick. I had lost my wallet that day, was in a bad mood, and decided that the best solution was to stay home and pout. The pouting did not, in fact, return my wallet. But judging by the side-eye Carol gave me the next day, my truancy royally bummed her out (though not as much as me questioning if bagels are really just condensed bread). I've since gotten back in her good graces, but the experience drove home just how vulnerable an artist is when they share works-in-progress.
Get some steps with studio visits & a photography walk, enjoy a free film in the Presidio, and travel to Okinawa in spirit(s).
Richmond Open Studios
Category: Art
Date: Saturday, August 17th @ 11am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Multiple Richmond Studios (East Bay)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: We spend a lot of time here focused on finished work, but an open studio day is a chance to see the acrylic, clay, and messiness behind the canvas. Visual Artists of Richmond is a nonprofit that runs Richmond Open Studios with a team of artist volunteers. The event includes almost 50 local artists from a range of disciplines and highlights the “grassroots community of artists in Richmond.” And if you’ve promised to visit a special artist in your life, don’t let ‘em down.
Be on the lookout for the Richmond Art Center’s Third Richmond Biennial of Art early next month.
San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival: Youth Showcase
Category: Dance
Date: Saturday, August 17th @ 1pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Fort Mason Center for the Arts (SF)
Price Range: $25 ($13 for under 12)
Why I Care: Already missing the Olympics? The San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival is celebrating it’s 10th year of mind-boggling performances. While the festival lasts all weekend, I’m highlighting the Youth Showcase because as someone who was (is?) afraid to attempt a cartwheel, I give mad props to the child who decides they’re going to do backflips 10 feet off the ground.
Green Apple Books: 10th Anniversary Party
Category: Literary
Date: Saturday, August 24th @ 10am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Green Apple Books on the Park (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: Photo booths! Free Beer! Live Music! A dog costume contest??? Green Apple Books on the Park is turning the page as they toast to a decade in the Inner Sunset. The institution has hosted book talks, school fundraisers, and even album release parties as a satellite location of Green Apple Books. With 57 years of operations in the Bay, Green Apple Books has deep roots in the community with unionized employees and a dedication to the public school system (their kids all attend SF public schools; and they actively fundraise).
They’ll even have a haiku writing station. So consider stopping by // this local party // photograph best dog costume (please)
On Valencia: Film Photo Walk
Category: Art
Date: Friday, August 16th @ 6pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: 16th Avenue Tiled Steps —> Shouk (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: I love taking a sneaky photo, but there’s something heartwarming about a group of folks documenting the world together. This photo walk is exactly that: a coordinated stroll for anyone interested in shooting the city on a film camera. Photographer Nat will shepherd the crew to its final destination, Shouk, where our wandering artists will be treated with wine and festivities.
Prefer to cut straight to coffee and wine? Check out their Gay Girl Coffee Club pop-up and Still Here: Zine Release Party these next few weekends.
Awamori Festival
Category: Culinary
Date: Tuesday, August 20th @ 4pm (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Umami Mart (East Bay)
Price Range: $50
Why I Care: Umami Mart founders Yoko and Kayoko bring back the best souvenirs. The pair are hand delivering Okinawa to East Bay with a celebration of awamori, a distilled spirit made with rice and black koji, that they’ve hustled in checked bags across the Pacific for our tasting pleasure. They’re even shuttling an awamori expert in from the exotic land of Boston.
Ticket includes entry to the awamori tasting bar, 1 cocktail, and 1 plate of Taco Rice by Casa de Kei. Mini matcha Kit Kats sold separately.
Size Inclusive Thrift Pop Up
Category: Fashion
Date: Sunday, August 18th @ 10:30am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Jack London Square (East Bay)
Price Range: $2 entry
Why I Care: Vintage isn’t kind to all bodies. The one-of-a-kind factor in second hand shopping is what makes it exhilarating but also frustrating when the one size available doesn’t fit all. Seconds Market makes size inclusivity an explicit part of its mission, giving people of all sizes the chance to find that one perfect item. The $2 entrance fee supports local resellers by eliminating vendor commissions.
DiDi: Film Screening
Category: Film
Date: Saturday, August 17th @ 11:45am (Add to Google Calendar)
Location: Presidio Theatre (SF)
Price Range: Free
Why I Care: The film’s tagline really says it all: “For anyone who’s ever been a teenager.” Asians Are Strong, an organization focused on empowerment in the Asian community, has organized a free screening of DiDi, a coming-of-age film about a teenage Taiwanese American boy. The film has won awards at various film festivals, including Sundance, and presumably has a touch more nuance than the latest Marvel film.
Hoping my Marvel jab is tepid enough to prevent a Jamie Lee Curtis-level backlash.
Next Drop: Monday, August 26th