Transforming downtown SF vacancies into vibrant communities, shaped by local participation.

Gawd, some days I just love living here. And most especially love when I find out about a event which is just goofy and thoughtful enough to be deemed “so Bay Area”. In West Oakland, on May 6th, a group of Bay Area artists and musicians are putting together an

Tree Hugging, Grassalingus and Finding Your E-Spot: Walking With the Ecosexuals

All Day Subculture Dark Art and Music Festival that draws a merry band of nomadic, feral and cultishly-dedicated, awesomely awe-inspiring, anomalously aberrant, distinctively divergent and devient, as well as idiosyncratic and individualistic misfit artists from near and as far away as New York, South Carolina, Portland, and Los Angeles who regularly participate in the now, nearly 40, annual fantastical and festishized themed Curiosities Shows, Peculiar Pop-Ups, Residencies and Festival events projected for 2023. 

When two wonderful SF institutions get together to throw a block party your ears should perk up.  KQED has teamed up with Noise Pop and is blocking off the streets in front of its storied SF headquarters for an all-day, live music-infused, street festival with delicious local food vendors, legendary Bay Area talent, and of course, your favorite KQED journalists and personalities. 

There is a ridiculous tradition each April Fool’s Day in San Francisco.  It’s a celebration of all things illogical, a demonstration for the foolish by the fool hearty, a preposterous procession that celebrates above all one thing: human stupidity.

The history of SFAI is a rich one. It was one of the oldest art schools in the United States. Past students include Richard Diebenkorn, Manuel Neri, Annie Leibovitz, Kathryn Bigelow, and Kehinde Wiley. I was also a student there.

The 4-story historic Dempster building at 447 Minna has been redone and repurposed, revitalized from its heyday as a Hearst-era print shop, the charming brick facades and the “LETS GO GIANTS” block letters remain, but the interior of the building is reborn as an affordable, state-of-the-art facility for working artists to paint, play, perform, and exhibit in.