Local arts & culture

Newspapers are art

John C. Liau, SF Public Press — Feb 22 2010 - 12:25pm

For Artopia competitor Phillip Hua, a digital media instructor at the Academy of Art, his piece, “Re: action,” is a mixed-media work using everyday objects such as newspapers (The Wall Street Journal), plastic and aluminum. His creation tells the story of the environment and its relationship to the economy, and how everything is related and degrades over time. The quality of the other finalists’ art “is great here, I do feel a little intimidated but it’s been fun.”

East Bay children’s theater company makes debut in San Francisco

Ambika Kandasamy, SF Public Press — Feb 17 2010 - 4:59pm

In its second, and final weekend, the Active Arts children’s theater company is staging its first San Francisco production with “Ramona Quimby” at the Zeum Theater.

Kwanzaa celebration focuses on youth

Gianmaria Franchini, SF Public Press — Dec 28 2009 - 12:52pm

A local Kwanzaa celebration at the African American Art and Culture Complex will highlight Nia, the fifth of the holiday’s seven principles.

1 comment

Three quick, cheap kids’ holiday hits

Gianmaria Franchini, SF Public Press — Dec 25 2009 - 10:00am

For better or worse, the holidays are a time to spend with the family. Here are three activities to take the edge off.

Hughes’ ‘Black Nativity’ is uplifting holiday musical

Gianmaria Franchini, SF Public Press — Dec 23 2009 - 6:16pm

You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps your browser cannot display it, or maybe it did not initialize correctly.

Public Press partner KALW Public Radio spoke with Thomas Robert Simpson, artistic director of AfroSolo Theater Company, about Black Nativity.

The gospel-inspired holiday musical “Black Nativity,” currently being performed by the cast of Lorraine Hansberry Theatre at the Marines Memorial Theatre through Dec. 27, was written by Langston Hughes and was one of the first performances by an African American to play on Broadway.

Special sign district on SF’s Mid-Market faces ‘uphill battle’

Marjorie Beggs, Central City Extra — Oct 16 2009 - 2:39pm

Warfield Building owner David Addington said he spent several years, working to bring general advertising back on Market Street from Fifth to Seventh streets, in hopes of returning the central city stretch to its former glory days as a theater district.

Although his enthusiasm for the special district hasn’t dimmed, a sense of reality has crept in as opposition to the initiative, Proposition D, mounts.

Art gallery raises money for local underground comix legend

Samantha McGirr and Jessica Wertheim, The Public Press — Aug 26 2009 - 1:28pm

S. Clay Wilson, a longtime fixture on the San Francisco underground comix scene who sustained a traumatic head injury last year, was honored at the close of “The Cresting Wave: The San Francisco Underground Comix Experience” exhibition in San Francisco Sunday evening.

San Francisco Jewish Film Festival screening sparks soul searching within community

Patricia Decker, The Public Press — Aug 5 2009 - 12:12pm

When the audience shuffled out of the Castro Theatre and the protesters headed home, the polarizing debate surrounding the July 25 screening of "Rachel” at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival was not over.

Rather than argue about the appropriateness of the film at the festival, which ends Aug. 10, the Bay Area Jewish community is engaged in another soul-wrenching internal conversation.

New tenant OK’d for San Francisco Tea Garden

Patricia Decker, The Public Press — Jul 29 2009 - 12:27pm

A new tenant for the Japanese Tea Garden concessions could move in as early as September – thanks to the support of the full board at Tuesday’s San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting.

Carol Murata, owner and operator of Murata’s Cafe Hana, was unanimously recommended July 22 by the parks commission to become the new occupant.

Controversial documentary roils SF Jewish Film Festival

Patricia Decker, The Public Press — Jul 23 2009 - 6:23pm

A film about the death of American activist Rachel Corrie is causing a stir at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, which began Thursday.

The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival opened its 29th season Thursday night amid controversy surrounding one of its 71 films, which has the Jewish community up in arms.

Simone Bitton’s film “Rachel” is a documentary about the controversial death of 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie in 2003. Corrie was volunteering with the International Solidarity Movement in the West Bank when an Israeli army bulldozer crushed her during the demolition of Palestinian homes.

What kindled the criticism from the Jewish community was the invitation of Corrie’s mother, Cindy Corrie, to speak after the Saturday afternoon screening at the Castro Theatre.