Pierre Hardy Poworama sneakers. Courtesy of Oakland Museum of California.
Artsy Openings to Check Out in December
07 December 2016
The art lover's December to-do list for gallery openings, theater, and dance performances.
What: Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture
Where: Oakland Museum of California
When: December 22–April 2017
Why: Because you're a sneaker addict with a closet full of Nike, Puma, Converse, and Adidas. Your Instagram feed consists of sneaker brands. You're somehow aware, like a stalker, what's in the sneaker inventories of celebrity sneaker obsessives such as Dee Wells and Bobbito Garcia. But it's never been enough to collect great urban kicks, you're interested in learning about their history and the evolution, too. And one thing's for sure: You'll show up to do it wearing your most prized pair. // Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street (Oakland), museumca.org
Where: State Gallery
When: December 10–January 28, 2017
Why: Because you're curious about how popular American culture from 1930 to 1980 has unconsciously shaped your hipsterism and your preference for underground art. To help you trace those tendencies, Bay Area artist Maria Forde will present an original series, "Western Drawings," inspired by Western movies and Chris Thorson will be showing work from "Tabula Rasa," created with super hero stickers. // State Gallery, 1295 Alabama Street (Mission), statespacesf.com
Where: A.Muse Art Gallery
When: Through December 23, only by appointment.
Why: Because you like artwork made with recycled materials and you appreciate an interactive installation. In her latest exhibition, local artist Paz de la Calzada, originally from Spain, takes hand-cut pieces of carpet she found inside of local hotels such as the Palace Hotel, and sticks them on walls and floors to erase the limits of architecture. // aMuse gallery, 614 Alabama Street (Mission), yourmusegallery.com
What: Next Time, I'll Take the Stairs
Where: Joe Good Annex
When: December 8–18
Why: Because you're always walking the line between reality and imagination, like a good user of hallucinogenics should. Dancers with the 13th Floor Theater Company, directed by Jenny McAllister, jump onboard something known as the "Otis People Mover" and subsequently get lost in a fantasy world, where present and past memories overlap and where the perception of their own reality gets disrupted by the stories of other people. // 401 Alabama Street (Mission), 13thfloortheater.org, tickets joegoode.org/box-office.
What: Home
Where: 836M Gallery
When: December 19–January 27, 2017
Why: Because you want to see a San Francisco not in the throes of gentrification. Where relationships are built outside Facebook or Snapchat. Where you invite your neighbor home for dinner. This is the ideal urban world known as Praise Frisco, created in painting and drawings by William Scott, a local self-taught artist. // 836M Gallery, 836 Montgomery Street (FiDi), 836m.org
What: Cinderella
Where: Herbst Theater
When: December 22 - 24
Why: Because you like, ahem, happy endings. A new version of Cinderella, directed by Rodney Earl Jackson, Jr. and Marcelo Pereira of San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company will be performed for the first time at Herbst Theater. Samantha Williams, a young woman of color studying classical voice at Stanford, is the long-lost owner of the glass slipper. Through challenges and difficulties, she'll make her dreams come true. How? With a little help from a Fairy Godmother, of course. // The Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave (Civic Center), sfwmpac.org
Where: City Dance Studios
When: December 17–18
Why: Because hip hop is your favorite dance style and you want to burn the floor. Now's the time to learn from the masters. Les Twins, Larry and Laurent Bourgeois, will lead you in two high-vibe workshops to give you new moves to show off during the after party following the classes. // 10 Chase Court (Mid-Market), citydancesf.com
What: Réseau d' Equilibre
Where: Bateau Hair Salon
When: December 17, 6 p.m.–10 p.m.
Why: Because you're always seeking balance. A new project by local designer Maxime Genauzeau, originally from France and founder of DMG DESIGN SF , will display a series of mini-3D letter sculptures made of metal, acrylic paint, ink and graphite that draw the boundaries between tension and balance. During the event there will be a performance of Dean Mermell and Mauro De Nucci, local musicians and founders of Sunset Piano, a collective of Bay Area musicians who tickle the ivories with free concerts in public spaces. Hot cider and bourbon cocktails will also be served from a 1947 teardrop trailer.// 2 Townsend, Suite 4b (South Beach), bateauhairsalon.com
What: The Rama Epic
Where: Asian Art Museum
When: Through January 15, 2017
Why: Because your fascination with India goes beyond veggie samosas and yoga. Indian spiritual traditions are explored in this exhibition of drawings, paintings, and old books inspired by the "Rama Epic," a 2,500-year-old tale about a prince who must overcome a demonic king to rescue his wife. You'll also find more contemporary works made by living artists who have reinterpreted the "Rama Epic." // Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street (Civic Center), asianart.org
What: Sutro Baths, Portraits from Land's End
Where: Spark Arts
When: Through December 31
Why: Because hiking this iconic blufftop trail is your Sunday ritual and you never quite make it down to Sutro Baths. For your viewing pleasure, photographer Kenneth Leaf shoots the historic ruins in low light, adding the presence of fictional characters. // Spark Arts, 4229 18th Street (Mission), sparkarts.com
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