Thao Nguyen on Collective Power and the One Vegetable She Always Brings On Tour
We catch up with the East Bay songwriter on the eve of her nationwide tour to support Show Me, her first studio album in six years.
Art
Visual media, theater, things that make you feel sophisticated
17 articles
Forget Lurie’s Boosterism. SF Artists Say Only DIY Organizing Can Save the Scene
While the mayor boasts about Vogue World as a win for the local “creative community,” one thing’s never been more clear: A healthy art scene can’t depend on politicians or wealthy donors.
ChatTJB Wants You to Stop Trusting LLMs
A San Francisco poet is answering your prompts badly, slowly, and earnestly.
To Artist Ton Mak, Whimsy and Weirdness Are the Point
The artist Ton Mak retraces her creative journey, ahead of debuting a new exhibit at Empire Seven Studios in San Jose’s Japantown.
A Home for Queer Chinese Stories Opens in Chinatown
‘It’s rare to see Chinese LGBT people or to hear their stories.’ Lesbian artist Xiangchi Chen shares the origin story of the OUT Museum in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Berkeley Second Graders say: "Trees R Important"
Meet Poppy, Johnny Jo Bob the 13th, Clover, Sunny, Little Timmy Neon Cloudy, and NJjamba.
How Did An AI-Generated Mural Wind Up in This Vallejo Alley?
Searching for the soul in "The Soul of the Bay in Vallejo.”
Forget "Redefining Masculinity." These Artists Are Blowing the Whole Thing Up
A Castro gallery show and a new Oakland bar ask what masculinity could look like if we stopped trying to nail it down.
‘How Could You Be Against Joy?’: Bay Area Artists Are Turning on the Civic Joy Fund
A private initiative founded by the mayor and backed by a crypto billionaire is increasingly shaping San Francisco’s arts scene. Musicians are asking questions — and some are calling for a boycott.
The Oakland School That Keeps Producing Stars
Once, they were kids walking the hallways of Oakland School for the Arts. Now they're at the Grammys, publishing bestsellers, and performing at the SF Ballet.
Local Woman Has Hobby: Maggie Tokuda-Hall’s Pigeon Paintings
“Everything that we think is disgusting about human life, pigeons wear without shame.”
What Does Frida Kahlo Have to Do With the Bay Area? I Found Out in Mexico
A review of Mexico City's latest Frida Kahlo museum and a tangent about finding home away from home.
The Only Haunted House I Can Stomach Is At YBCA
What happens when you turn the creation of a haunted house over to local artists? Spinning wolf heads, hanging entrails, and one very good fluffy dog.