FALL DANCE PARTIES, BOOK READINGS, ART SHOWS AND DANCE PERFORMANCES
an artist's dates calendar in progress for Fall
Normally I would say there’s nothing exciting about watching someone DJ but @baabaaco has proven me wrong. In this clip of one of the collective’s artists, I recognized something subtle, something joyous, something connected in the before-not-appreciated-by-me art of spinning. I wish I could be at Drom in NYC on 9/27 for the Black Sheep Collective’s dance party to see it in the flesh. Never mind that I haven’t left the house after 10pm in a number of years…
I loved an essay Sarah Thankam Mathews published on her now Lithub noteworthy Substack that reminded me that falling for the DNC hype is very much a privilege and one I should be more skeptical of. A fellow writer at The Ruby, a women and non-binary writer’s space with its own AMAZING calendar of events, turned me on to Sarah Thankam Mathews and so I’m passing on her upcoming talk (and dance party recommendation above) on to you. It takes one look at Dionne Brand’s fiction to know that this evening, where she and STM will be in conversation at Books Are Magic, will be amazing.
Fellow Goth Mom, Michelle Tea is throwing a party for her newly launched Dopamine Press. I’ve been chasing Michelle since I found her graphic memoir on the Lower East side at the front table of Red Stockings, a now shuttered radical feminist bookstore. Also, I was a reader of her beloved column at the questionable online magazine XO Jane, where she wrote in the moment memoir including her fertility journey, using shifting pronouns in reference to her partner as the essays moved through different kinds of emotional moments. Dopamine’s first release, SLUTS, an anthology, is of course, on my reading list. Looks like I still won’t get to meet Michelle because the party is in Los Angeles, on 9/28 @7pm, Junior High in Glendale.
In SF I’m recommending this very under the radar Butoh performance promoted by the SF Zen Center. Last Saturday I had one of those days where everything was going too well and I couldn’t keep up with the flow. The flow had me driving up to the Green Gulch Farm to do a morning meditation in preparation for a full day meditation later in the fall. But sometimes things move too quickly for my brain and the lizard in me had me sleeping late instead. So to make up for my laziness, I’ve put this performance, Breath of Our Ancestors, A Butoh Performance, on my calendar. With Sandra Soto and Clara Burgio, Friday, October 25, 7:30–9:00 pm, City Center Conference Center at 308 Page Street
Here’s a weird one: Pablo Solaras, from JPMorgan Chase is hosting two Artist’s Financial Literacy Lunches, one in September and once in October for free. The target audience is primarily art administrators, but also sites “band leaders,” as a kind of person who might benefit from their info based lunches. The talks are a part of the SF International Artist’s Festival which hosts ongoing events as well as their regular annual festival in May. RSVP to get some guidance on things artists don’t always like to prioritize.
So yeah, I’m just coming around to cooking and I’m a 46 year old parent. I might be late to this game but I’m still going to put down $25 for a Community Dinner at 18 Reasons, a very cool space that offers cooking classes and also community support around food. Their dinner on October 30th promises a delicious menu with a mind toward education us on how they serve Black and Latine birthing parents during the last weeks of pregnancy and first weeks postpartum with Nourishing Pregnancy, their innovative cooking and health program. Will also put their cooking class: Japanese Comfort Food, Ochazuke and Friends, on my wishlist for October 25th.
Ever since I did some in-gallery drawing at the de Young I’ve looked at my time in a museum a little differently so I’m recommending their family program, sketching in the galleries, which runs every Saturday between 11am-3pm, upstairs in the galleries. Free for Bay Area residents.
Right after my amazing day at the de Young I found that the funders of the Svane Gift, whose contemporary selection I loved so much, have also invested in the Headlands Art Center. I missed the opening for Simone Bailey, but the party included a shuttle up from the city for what looked like a fun celebration. Her work is up until October 13th, but there is also a Fall Open House on October 27th from 12pm-5pm where visitors can check out the entire property and the different areas for art and installation.
Finally, we are right smack in the middle of SF Open Studio month and this weekend is dedicated to the Central and South area of the city. In this unique offering, artists make their studio’s available for regular people to just come on in. Most people offer some snacks or some drinks and if you’re lucky a little bit of both. You can just hop from studio to studio chatting with different people about their art practice and having a little treat while you do. One of my favorite artist’s dates and awkward but fruitful social adventure. The studio listings that are open can only be viewed on the website when using Safari but I won’t hold that against them.
So, in summary,
9/26: Artists can learn about managing money for free, SF
9/27: Dance Party, NYC
9/28: Feminist Press Benefit, LA
9/30: Book Talk, Brooklyn
9/19-10/13: Open Studios, SF
Ongoing Saturdays from 11am-3pm, Family Program at the de Young
10/23: Artists can learn about managing money for free again, SF
10/25: Butoh Performance, SF
10/27: Headlands Center Fall Open House, SF
10/30: Community Dinner, SF
Please, for the love of God, check dates and times with the source before you go anywhere.