January 1, 2003

art

Art listings are compiled by Sarah Han. Because of space limitations, new art shows are listed the week they open (thereafter, shows are listed on a rotating basis), and we cannot list café exhibits. For information on how to submit listings to this section, see 8 Days a Week. Reviews are by Lindsey Westbrook.

museums

California Palace of the Legion of Honor Lincoln Park (near 34th Ave and Clement); 863-3330. Tues-Sun, 9:30am-5pm. $8, $6 seniors, $5 for 12 to 17, free for 11 and under (free Tues). "Poor Richard." More than 70 drawings on paper by Philip Guston. Through Jan 26. "Casting a Spell: Winslow Homer, Artist and Angler." Works by Winslow Homer. Through Feb 9. "Max Ernst: Surrealism in Artists' Books." Through Feb 23.

Cartoon Art Museum 655 Mission; CAR-TOON. Tues-Sun, 11am-5pm. $2-5. "Superwacky: Animation on Television, 1949-2002." An exhibition on the history of television cartoons. Through Jan 12.

Exploratorium 3601 Lyon; 563-7337. Thurs-Tues, 10am-6pm; Wed 10am-9pm. $10, $7.50 students and seniors, $6 youths. "Traits of Life: A New Living Laboratory." More than 30 exhibits explore the definition of what it means to be alive. Through March 31.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art 151 Third St; 357-4000. Fri-Tues, 11am-6pm; Thurs, 11am-9pm. $10, $7 seniors, $6 students, free for 12 and under and members (free first Tues; half-price Thurs, 6-9pm). "Ellsworth Kelly in San Francisco." More than 20 works by Kelly. Through Sun/5. "Gerhard Richter: Forty Years of Painting." Nearly 140 paintings from the early 1960s to the present by Richter. Through Jan 14. "August Sander: People of the 20th Century." More than 200 vintage prints of Sanders's photographic works. Through Feb 23. "No Ghost Just a Shell." Masterminded by contemporary French artists Pierre Huyghe and Philippe Parreno, "No Ghost Just a Shell" is a digital-age meditation on life and death, animation and vacuity, art and consumerism. It began in 1999 when Huyghe and Parreno purchased the copyright to a manga character named Annlee. They and their artist friends proceeded to bring her to life through a series of artworks, using sculpture, painting, and animated videos to give her a voice and a personality. The project raises some fascinating moral questions, for instance, about the buying and selling of a "person" like Annlee and her status as a money-making tool for the entertainment industry. Through March 16. (Westbrook)

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts 701 Mission; 978-ARTS. Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm (first Thurs, 11am-8pm). $6, $3 seniors, students, and youths, free for members (free first Tues). "Bay Area Now 3." visual, film/video, and performance art by over 50 local artists and filmmakers. Through Jan 12.

Bay Area

Magnes Museum 2911 Russell, Berk; (510) 549-6950. Mon-Thurs, noon-5pm; Sun, 10am-5pm. $4 donation, $3 seniors and students, free for 12 and under and members. "Hidden in the Walls: The Time Capsule from San Francisco's Lost Sanctuary." This exhibition is devoted to the discovery of a time capsule in the cornerstone of Congregation Ohabai Shalome. Viewed through the lens of the 19th-century time capsule, the congregation offers all kinds of fascinating insights into the history of Judaism in the West and life in young San Francisco. Recovered a little more than a year ago, the capsule contained eight newspapers, a number of coins, pamphlets containing constitutions and bylaws for various Jewish organizations, and even a few charmingly antique business cards from members of the congregation, including one for a plumber and another for a dairyman. (Westbrook) "Hamakom (The Place)." An installation by Stephanie Snyder. "Sharing the Screen: Israeli and Palestinians in the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 1981-2002." Video and film clips from the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. All exhibits through Feb 16.

Oakland Museum of California 1000 Oak, Oakl; (510) 238-2200. Wed-Sat, 10am-5pm; Sun, noon-5pm (first Fri, 10am-9pm). $6, $4 seniors and students. "Art of Eastern Cuba." Recent paintings by artists from Santiago de Cuba. Through Sun/5. "Solo Flights: The Aerial Photographs of Robert Hartman." Robert Hartman's aerial photographs hardly look like landscapes. A lot of them don't even look like photos. Shooting from the cockpit of his 1949 Piper Clipper airplane, he uses special heat-sensitive infrared film to capture images of the terrain a thousand feet below. Full of vibrant magentas, oranges, and reds, his prints are practically abstract and look more like something squashed under a microscope slide than any landscape you've ever seen. Through Jan 12. (Westbrook) "Arte Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum." More than 60 paintings, sculptures, and photographs by artists of Latin heritage who live in the United States and Puerto Rico. Through Jan 26.

UC Berkeley Art Museum 2625 Durant, Berk; (510) 642-0808. Wed-Sun, 11am-7pm. $6, $4 seniors and youths, free for 12 and under, members, and UC Berkeley students and faculty (free Thurs). "Matrix 200: Yehudit Sasportas: By the River." More than 70 hand-painted wood panels by Sasportas. Through Jan 19. "Intaglio Prints by John Cage." Works on paper by John Cage. Through March 16.

galleries
Opening

Academy of Art 410 Bush; 567-3606. Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm. "Beauty of Winter II," work by various artists. Through Wed/1. "Computer Arts: New Media," work by Sowimya Pushparaj and Charles Sun. Jan 2-31.

Academy of Art College Gallery 688 Sutter; 931-5892. Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm. "Illustration, Imagination and Expression," a group show (reception Jan 31, 5:30-7:30pm). Jan 2-Feb 1.

City Art 828 Valencia; 970-9900. Wed-Sun, noon-9pm. Works by local artists (reception Fri/3, 7-10pm). Jan 3-31.

Eleonore Austerer 540 Sutter; 986-2244. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. Work by Joseph Solman; "Memory and Imagination," work by Lev Babin. Jan 1-31.

Fraenkel 49 Geary, 981-2661. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. Photographic work by Richard Avedon. Jan 4-March 1.

Meridian Gallery 545 Sutter; 398-7229. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Shakabook," paintings and drawings by Devin Cecil-Wishing, Alexis Lopez, Marina Perez-Wong, Tiffany Turill, Austen Ward, and Miriam Wilson (reception Sat/4, 7-10pm). Jan 4-23.

Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens Golden Gate Park, Ninth Ave at Lincoln Way; 661-1316, ext 303. Daily, 10am-4pm. "Timeless Beauty: Nature Etchings by Claus Sievert," hand-colored etchings inspired by the trees of California. Jan 2-March 31.

View 155 155 Grove; 554-6080. 24 hours. "Benz," work by Libby Black. Jan 6-Feb 28.

Bay Area

Pacific Art League of Palo Alto 668 Ramona, Palo Alto; (650) 321-3891. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm; Sat, 10am-4pm. "Time Travel," various works (reception Sat/4, 5-8pm). Jan 4-29.

Third Street Grind Gallery 464 Third St, Oakl; (510) 832-5282. Mon-Fri, 6:30am-2:30pm. "For Artists: A Room with a View," works by children artists. Jan 2-30.

Women's Cancer Resource Center Gallery 5741 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 601-4040, ext 11. Mon-Thurs, 9am-3pm; Sat, noon-4pm, and by appt. "Two Women Testify," works by Oalitan Callender-Scott and Roberta Almerez (reception Sat/4, 1-3pm). Jan 3-30.

Ongoing

American Institute of Architects SF Gallery 130 Sutter, Ste 600; 362-7397. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "Drive-Ins: The Last Picture Show," photographs by Elaine Reed de Laszlo. Through Jan 9.

Aurobora Press 147 Natoma; 546-7880. Mon-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Review 2002," various works. Through Jan 11.

Baxter Chang Patri Fine Art Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason; 397-2000. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm, and by appt. Handblown glass by Murano and oil paintings by JungEun Ha. Through Jan 28.

Bayview-Anna Warden Branch Library 5075 Third St; 715-4100. Call for hours. Work by Malik Seneferu. Through Jan 17.

Blue Room Gallery 2331 Mission; 282-8411. Wed and Sun, noon-9pm; Thurs-Sat, noon-10pm. "Holiday Exhibition," works by various artists. Through Jan 12.

Brain Cookies 1340 Bryant; 437-0949. Fri-Sun, noon-4pm. Experimental works by Jill Epstein, Kate Farrall, Yuriko Iga, Jon Knowles, Karen Carlo Salinger, Laura Splan, and Clint Taniguchi (reception Fri/3, 7-11pm). Through Sun/5.

Braunstein/Quay 430 Clementina; 278-9850. Tues-Sat, 11am-5:30pm. "Inconsistency of Conclusion," works by Paul Pratchenko. Through Jan 11.

Brian Gross Fine Art 49 Geary; 788-1050. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Checkerboard Lounge," works by Cheonae Kim. Through Sat/4.

Calumet Gallery 2001 Bryant; 643-9275. Call for hours. "Promenade aux Jardins," black and white photographs by Alan Blaustein. Through Fri/3.

Catharine Clark 49 Geary; 399-1439. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5:30pm. "Black Cherry," new work by Jil Weinstock; "Exemplum," new embroidered work by Angela Lim; "(reserve video/writing)," work by Ann Hamilton; "Unveil," a video installation by lenoradogillesfleur. Through Jan 11.

Cecile Moochnek 1809D Fourth St, Berk; (510) 549-1018. Wed-Sun, noon-5pm. "The Gift of Art," new works by various artists. Through Jan 19. See Critic's Choice.

A Different Light Bookstore 489 Castro; 431-0891. Call for hours. Photographs by Frank Celaya, Louis LaSalle, Conrad Hechter, and Tom Mitchell. Through Jan 15.

Gallery Paule Anglim 14 Geary; 433-2710. Tues-Fri, 10am-5:30pm; Sat 10am-5pm. New work by Benji Whalen; new work by Leo Bersamina. Through Sat/4.

George Krevsky Gallery 77 Geary; 397-9748. Tues-Sat, 11am-5:30pm. "10th Anniversary Exhibition," various works. Through Jan 11.

Gregory Lind Gallery 49 Geary; 296-9661. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm (first Thurs, 10:30am-7:30pm). "Cabins and other difficulties," computer drawings by Bob Matthews; "Pieceable Kingdom," ceramic installations by Thomas W. McCanna. Through Jan 11.

Hackett-Freedman 250 Sutter, fourth fl; 362-7152. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "The Color of Light," works by Esteban Vicente; works by Roland Petersen. Through Sat/4.

Haines 49 Geary, fifth flr; 397-8114. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm (first Thurs to 7:30pm); Sat, 10:30am-5pm. New paintings by William Wood; "Evidence of Thought," works by Nigel Poor. Through Sat/4.

Hang 556 Sutter; 434-4264. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Decomposition," works by Kevin Moore. Through Mon/6.

Hang Annex 567 Sutter; 544-0610. Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm. "Small Wonders," gem sized paintings and works on paper by various artists. Through Mon/6.

Heather Marx Gallery 77 Geary, second flr; 627-9111. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Pedigree," works by Matt Gil; "Brink," new work by Madeline Silber. Through Sat/4.

Hospitality House 146 Leavenworth; 749-2132. Call for hours. "Art Spin: Turning the World Around," works by homeless and low-income individuals. Through Tues/7.

Intersection for the Arts 446 Valencia; 626-2787. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm. "The Multiplication of Bread/La multiplicacion de los panes." You've heard stories about the various propaganda items Americans have dropped from airplanes onto our wartime opponents. Some of these tales – say, of us dropping extralarge condoms – seem too weird to be true, though the intended message is still clear. But what happens, for instance during last year's U.S. attacks on Afghanistan, when bombs accidentally land on food-drop targets, and vice versa? Marcos Ramírez ERRE explores this tragic mixed message in The Multiplication of Bread/La multiplicacion de los panes, an elegantly spare installation specifically designed for Intersection for the Arts' gallery. Through Jan 11. (Westbrook)

Istituto Italiano di Cultura 425 Washington; 788-7142. Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm. "Pinocchio of Tuscany," paintings and etchings by Roberto Ciabani. Through Jan 13.

Jack Hanley Gallery 395 Valencia; 522-1623. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm. An installation of photographs and collages by Tilman Wendland. Through Jan 11.

Logan Galleries California College of Arts and Crafts, 1111 Eighth St; 551-9210. Wed, Thurs, Sat, 11am-6pm; Tues, Fri, 11am-8pm. "Shelf Life," works by Shirley Tse. Through Jan 10. "In the Making." This group show devoted to experimental practices in arts and crafts features objects by artists as diverse as architect Frank Gehry and fashion designer Yeohlee Teng. The real hidden treasure is something called the zgodlocator/mobile II, an electronic invention by Herwig Weiser with software engineer Albert Bleckmann and audio programmer F.X. Randomiz. It's presented in a case like dual DJ turntables, with the left circle full of ground-up computer hardware and the right circle full of gloppy black "ferrofluid." As we turned the knobs on the case, electromagnets interacted with the materials and translated their movements into audio, which was broadcast over the sound system. With enough twiddling, we figured out that certain knob positions produced repeatable effects – that you could actually "play" the thing in the traditional instrumental sense. So where can I sign up to buy one? Through Jan 10. (Westbrook)

Luggage Store Gallery 1007 Market; 255-5971. Wed-Sat, noon-5pm, and by appt. "No War," works by 70 artists who oppose war. Through Jan 11.

Marcel Sitcoske 20 Hawthorne; 434-4804. Tues-Sat, 10am-6pm; Mon, by appt. "Attack: Attraction," photographs and paintings by 13 artists. Through Jan 31.

National Product 1845 Market; 255-1920. Wed-Sat, 11am-7pm; Sun, noon-5pm. "Galleria de los Sueños," paintings by Sakino, Bill Domonkos, and Julie Moll. Through Jan 16.

Octavia's Haze 498 Hayes; 255-6818. Wed-Sat, noon-6pm; Sun, 11am-5pm. Photographs by Steven Starfas. Through Jan 12.

ODC Theater Gallery 3153 17th St; 626-6745. Thurs, 3-5pm; Sat, 3-6pm. Paintings by Brian Kim. Through Sat/4.

Parlor Projects 1311 Church; 824-1311. Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm; Sat, by appt. "Made in the Good ol' US of A." There was a time, not too long ago, when a big brass belt buckle was an everyday fashion accessory not unlike a baseball cap or a T-shirt. Aesthetic yet functional, not to mention infinitely customizable, it was a way to express yourself and to promote your favorite brands and organizations. This new show at Parlor Projects represents a lifetime of belt-buckle collecting by gallery owner Melissa Peline. All the buckles in this show were manufactured during the golden years of the belt buckle, the '60s through the '80s. Through Mon/6. (Westbrook)

Paxton Gate 824 Valencia; 824-1872. Mon-Thurs, noon-7pm; Fri, noon-8pm; Sat, 11am-8pm; Sun, 11am-7pm. Bird paintings by Liz Ross. Through Jan 15.

Peres Projects 1800 Bryant, Ste 210; 861-2692. Wed-Sat, noon-6pm, and by appt. "What Is Between Us," works by Chris Ballantyne. Through Jan 25.

Punch Gallery 155 10th St; 522-5555. Mon-Fri, noon-5pm and by appt. "Living Large," works by Brian Barneclo, Misk, and Mars. Through Thurs/2.

Rena Bransten Gallery 77 Geary; 982-3292. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 11am-5pm. "Abstraction," a group exhibit; "Movie Map," works by Chip Lord; new work by Rachael Neubauer. Through Sat/4.

Robert Koch 49 Geary; 421-0122. Tues-Sat, 10:30am-5:30pm. "Inside Havana," work by Andrew Moore. Through Fri/3.

Scott Nichols 49 Geary, Fourth fl; 788-4641. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm, and by appt. "Scott Nichols Gallery 10th Anniversary Exhibition," works by various artists. Through Sat/4.

Shapiro 760 Market, Ste 248; 398-6655. Tues-Fri, 10:30am-5:30pm; Sat, 10:30am-5pm. "Point of Departure: Photography to Drawing," new drawings by Mario M. Muller. Through Jan 11.

Skylight Gallery San Francisco Public Library, Main Branch, 100 Larkin, Sixth fl; 557-4277. Sun, noon-5pm; Mon and Sat, 10am-6pm; Tues-Thurs, 9am-8pm; Fri, noon-6pm. Works by members of the Hand Bookbinders of California. Through Fri/3.

Thacher Gallery University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton; 422-2660. Mon-Fri, noon-5:30pm. "Cuatro Voces," works by Zulema Di Marco, Santiago Gino Gervasi, Gabriel Navar, and Veronica Rojas. Through Sun/5.

Traywick 1316 10th St, Berk; (510) 527-1214. Tues-Sat, 11am-6pm; Sun, noon-5pm. New work by gallery artists. Through Sat/4.

Triangle Gallery 47 Kearny, fifth flr; 392-1686. Tues-Sat, 11am-5pm. "Survival Tactics," recent paintings by Stephanie Peek. Through Sat/4.

Bay Area

Bedford Gallery Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic, Walnut Creek; (925) 295-1417. Tues-Sun, noon-5pm (also Thurs-Sat, 6-8pm). "Heavenly Gardens: Early Rugs of the Near and Far East," 60 carpets, prayer rugs, and rug fragments from the 15th through 19th centuries; "Shikishi: Gifts of Art for the New Year," works by local and national artists. Through Sun/5.

Gallery 555 555 City Center, Oakl; (510) 238-2200. Mon-Fri, 7am-6pm. "Space, Not Space," works by Kati Casida. Through Jan 10.