'Yoga. The Art of Transformation' at the Asian

For most of us, the word “yoga” conjures up images of impossible body contortions, limited to the young, the limber and those fascinated by a certain image of India. Others, of a more spiritual bent, know yoga through the writings of Yogendra.

The current show, “Yoga and the Art of Transformation” shows how little we knew.

Gathered from 25 museums and private collections across the globe, the 135 artworks date from the 2nd to the 20th centuries. The exhibit debuted in October in Washington, D.C., at the Smithsonian Institution's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.  But it had to come to California  - possibly the first place where yoga was taken seriously in the West.

http://www.examiner.com/article/yoga-the-art-of-transformation-at-the-asian-art-museum

The week ahead in Bay Area art

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-week-ahead-bay-area-art

Celebrate the Year of the Horse at the Asian Art Museum

It’s the Lunar New Year and the Chinese Year of the Horse. The horse is part of a 12-year-cycle of animals that make up the Chinese zodiac. These interact with the five elements: wood, metal, fire, water, earth. 2014 is the year of the wood horse, taking over from the year of the water snake.

With the Year of the Snake slithering into history, they say that the incoming Lunar New Year beginning on Friday is going to be the kind of horse that you shouldn't stand behind -- because it incorporates the volatile element of fire.

http://www.examiner.com/article/celebrate-the-year-of-the-horse-at-the-asian-art-museum

RIP Pete Singer, musician, activist and America's social conscience

http://cheznamastenancy.blogspot.com/2014/01/rip-pete-seeger.html

Free on line access to Getty Publications

http://www.examiner.com/list/getty-publications-provides-free-on-line-access-to-backlist-titles

The week ahead: 'Neighbors' in the Tenderloin and more..

@ Troy Holden

"Neighbors" closes tomorrow but it's worth the trip to the hood to see the gritty, honest and tender portraits of our close neighbors. For "amateur" photographer Troy Holden, it took a year of canvassing just to get 50 willing subjects to form the exhibition "Neighbors." Holden who lives in Bernal Heights, discovered the Tenderloin on his first day in San Francisco in 1996. The photos range from tender to gritty but each is an honest, beautiful look at at those who live in a part of the city that we often hurry through with our eyes averted.

Troy Holden's website: http://troyholden.com/

"Neighbors:" Troy Holden's portraits of the Tenderloin, Through Wednesday. Lower Branch Gallery, 233 Eddy St., S.F. (415) 525-4626. www.lowerbranch.com.
Review: SF Gate: http://www.sfgate.com/art/article/Troy-Holden-snaps-people-of-the-Tenderloin-in-5159985.php

More at:  http://www.examiner.com/list/the-week-ahead-portraits-of-the-tenderloin-gallery-crawl-oakland-art-murmur?CID=examiner_alerts_article

Celebrate Martin Luther King's legacy at the Museum of the African Diaspora

The Museum of the African Diaspora will be celebrating Martin Luther King's birthday, life and legacy by hosting a full day of programs, exhibits, performances and art.

To honor the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s life and bring people together, MoAD is offering free admission to the museum and all of its exhibits, performances and programs for the entire day.

“This year, I am remembering the struggle to make Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday a federal day of remembrance. I especially remember signing the mighty petition for Congress to pass the law,” said Linda Harrison, Executive Director of MoAD. MLK Day was first observed in 1986.

Normally, MoAD is closed on Monday and Tuesday. But this special Monday, the museum has put together a program that includes film, photography, poetry and musical performances that celebrate the lasting greatness of King.

 Jamie Treacy A Crystalline Hub For Potential Memory. http://jamietreacy.com/

MLK Day celebrations start on the sidewalk with Jamie Treacy’s chalk art from 1-3 p.m.

 At 11:30 a.m., Brooklyn’s Castle will be screened on the second floor. The movie tells the stories of five members of the chess team at a below-the-poverty-line inner city junior high school that has won more national championships than any other in the country. The film follows the challenges these kids face in their personal lives as well as on the chessboard, and is as much about the sting of their losses as it is about the anticipation of their victories.(film and discussion 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. )

The celebration then moves to spoken word and poetry performances by "Young, Gifted and Talented from Oakland," a youth cultural arts and education repertory group (2 - 3 p.m.). Freedom stories will be shared by the Bay Area Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement through poetry, photos and music from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
An art project and a scavenger hunt will be held for the younger set. Films about King, his life, struggle and successes, will be shown in the Wells Fargo Heritage Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

About MoAD
Since 2005, the Museum of the African Diaspora showcases the history, art and cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the world, with innovative and engaging exhibitions, education and public programs. As a nonprofit organization, the museum’s operations and programs are supported by grants and contributions from public and private sources.”

The week ahead. Asian Art Museum, Creativity Explored, Fouladi Projects, Mark Wolfe Gallery, ArtHaus

At the Asian: "In Grand Style" closes this Sunday (Jan 12). n 1795, King Jeongjo journeyed to his father's mausoleum in an elaborate mile-long procession of thousands of people. The king ordered court officials to meticulously document the occasion, resulting in the royal protocol––several volumes of books containing every detail. This is just one of the fascinating stories in the first major U.S. exhibition exploring the colorful celebrations of Korea's Joseon dynasty. The illustrious era is brought to life by 110 exquisite artworks from Korea, many of which are in the U.S. for the first time.

Through the art, “In Grand Style” explores four key themes: what it meant to be a king during the Joseon dynasty; royal processions and banquets; women at the royal court; and the lives and celebrations of the Joseon dynasty’s subjects.

The Joseon period has left a substantial legacy to modern Korea; much of modern Korean etiquette, cultural norms, societal attitudes towards current issues, and the modern Korean language and its dialects derive from the culture and traditions of Joseon. The exhibit is full of exquisite objects and gives the viewer a comprehensive look at the life lived by the elite

http://www.examiner.com/list/the-asian-art-museum-presents-grand-style-masterpieces-from-korea

Camille Holvoet at Creativity Explored: Camille Holvoet has worked at CE for 12 years making brightly-colored, desirous cakes, and cross-eyed smiling figures in oil pastels and other media. This past year, she created a series of astounding and provocative self-portraits. The background of these drawings include scrawled narrative text and blunt statements of the artist’s desires. While cheerful at first glance, these commanding graphic works also reveal Holvoet's experiences of living in mental institutions, frustrated sexuality, and vivid memories of childhood.

More at:  http://www.examiner.com/article/the-week-ahead-asian-art-museum-fouladi-mark-wolfe-gallery-arthaus

Weekend Picks for Jan 3 - 5

There are a lot of good shows this week - several are wrapping up next week. But I decided to go with art that speaks to my heart - the artists at Creativity Explored, the artists at Arc who have visualized aspects of women's reproductive rights and Beth Van Hoesen's portraits of the Castro's  drag queens, leather daddies, and  activists.
http://www.examiner.com/list/weekend-picks-for-january-3-5-outsider-art-choice-at-arc-and-more

2013 favorites

In no particular order:

http://www.examiner.com/article/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-paintings-from-the-mauritshuis-at-the-de-young

http://www.examiner.com/list/anders-zorn-sweden-s-master-painter-at-the-legion-of-honor

http://www.examiner.com/list/david-hockey-a-bigger-exhibition-now-at-the-de-young-san-francisco

http://www.examiner.com/list/at-the-asian-the-moment-japanese-art-from-the-larry-ellison-collection

http://www.examiner.com/article/folding-paper-the-infinite-possibilities-of-origami-at-the-crocker-art-museum

http://www.examiner.com/list/de-young-s-tribute-to-richard-diebenkorn-the-berkeley-years-1953-1966

http://www.examiner.com/article/gordon-parks-human-odyssey-at-cas-asian-gender-and-identity-at-sjma

http://www.examiner.com/article/emancipating-the-past-kara-walker-s-tales-of-slavery-and-power-at-the-crocker

Free non-Christmas events during Christmas week

Arnold Lobel, "Old pig with pen."

In celebration of "Frog and Toad and the World of Arnold Lobel," The Contemporary Jewish Museum's Community Day is an admission-free, fun-for-all extravaganza. The exhibition features over 100 original illustrations and works on paper highlighting Lobel’s detailed illustration technique and warm, funny tales of love and friendship, mostly among animal friends. Lobel subtly reflected on human foibles in a charming world populated by a talking frog, a toad, an owl, mice, kangaroos, and other colorful creatures.
http://www.examiner.com/article/contemporary-jewish-museum-s-annual-free-day-on-xmas-day

Christmas is coming, which means you’re most likely spending the day with friends and family or stuck at work (or maybe both). If you want to get away, there are a multitude of opportunities and best of all, most of them are free.

If you’re looking to volunteer, opportunities abound, like serving meals for homeless and in-need families at Glide. More at: http://www.examiner.com/article/non-christmas-events-for-christmas-week

Celebrate the Winter Solstice

Tributes to the Solstice: http://www.livescience.com/42152-ancient-tributes-to-witner-solstice.html

Wikipedia does its bit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_solstice

Overview for 2014: http://www.kaykamala.com/overview2014.html

The winter time is nearing; raise your glass on high;
Prepare the meal, and let the beer and wine be drunk
To celebrate the shortest day and longest night,
On this time before the coming of deep winter.

The light dims near the edges of the darkling earth,
As men dance and sing to praise the westering sun;
http://www.timegoesby.net/elderstorytelling/2013/12/celebrate-the-solstice.html

'Emancipating the Past. Kara Walker's Tales of Slavery and Power' at the Crocker

A decade or more before Hollywood started using slavery for its exploitative value, Walker was making work that plumbed the depths of American's "peculiar institution" and mainstream society's hostile and cruel treatment to those who had been brought here forcibly from Africa to work the tobacco and cotton fields for the benefit of their white masters.

More at:  http://www.examiner.com/article/emancipating-the-past-kara-walker-s-tales-of-slavery-and-power-at-the-crocker

Bay Area art events for December 12 - 15

 Image courtesy of Michael Yochum

Arc Gallery: "Choice," a national juried gallery show in support of women's reproductive rights - not just abortion but contraception, access to decent medical care and if and when to be a mother. The attack on women's reproductive rights has reached new lows in today's lethal political climate. The show is about women being able, without harassment or intrusive medical (i.e. politically motivated) intervention, to decide for herself.

Juror Catharine Clark of the Catharine Clark Gallery in San Francisco selected the works of thirty-four artists for exhibition at Arc Gallery and eight additional artists to be represented in the Choice catalog and online gallery.

"Choice is binary: to take a pregnancy to term or not. As a working mother myself, it was important to choose works that convey the diverse paths women pursue."
--Juror Catharine Clark

Where: Arc Studio and Gallery, 1246 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Opening Reception: December 12th, 2013, 6 - 9 p.m.
Artist’s Talk: January 7th, 2014, 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Closing Reception: January 12th, 2014, 1–3 p.n.
Exhibition: December 12, 2013 - January 12, 2014

Sponsored by the Northern California Women's Caucus for Art.

More at: http://www.examiner.com/article/bay-area-art-events-for-december-12-15

Creativity Explored's Annual Art Sale and Valencia Street Block Party

I just hope it doesn't rain tonight. There is supposed to be a Valencia Street Block party and the Creativity Explored sale/opening is part of the PARTY!

The 2013 Annual Holiday Art Sale at Creativity Explored is an art lover’s shopping extravaganza, with a multitude of remarkable art—and this year they are giving 30% off all original artwork to celebrate the end of their 30th anniversary year! (NOTE: Discount does not apply to online store orders or any products.)

http://www.examiner.com/list/creativity-explored-s-annual-holiday-gallery-and-art-sale

Valencia Street Holiday Block Party: The holiday shopping season is just starting to heat up, and the merchants along Valencia Street are happy to help with whatever you need to get that special someone. The block party will feature more than 40 participating stores, with night hours and discounts, as well as each establishment offering extras such as food, drink and/or entertainment. 6-10 p.m. Friday. www.valenciastreetsf.com (Also, Friday is the Hayes Valley Block Party and there’s an Inner Sunset Sundays event this weekend.)

Happy Thanksgiving -may your feast be delightful and not cut short by any crazy rushing-off-to-do-shopping.

Cosco and Nordstrom refuse to ruin Thanksgiving and so say all of us

For those in the East Bay who wish to avoid the bridge and BART (and who can blame them), there are lots of choices:

http://www.examiner.com/article/oakland-the-black-2013-holiday-shopping-street-fair

And for those of us in San Francisco, I hardly know where to start. So many good art exhibits, museum shows and even, through SF City Guides, a way to walk off that stuffed feeling: Kristina Quinones, ArtZone 461, Studio Gallery, Green Apple and more.

http://www.examiner.com/list/sf-s-sweet-spots-to-avoid-black-friday-madness-art-books-affordable-gifts

Sofia Carmi and Brent Bushnell-life partners who make art that transcends boundaries.

Another in my sporadic series on artists who manage to survive in San Francisco.

San Francisco is a hard city for artists to survive in, harder now that ever. With apartments renting at $2000 a month and condos selling for five million and up, it’s become a city for the 1%.

But some artists have managed to survive without compromising their vision of making art that transcends boundaries.

Just ask Sofia Carmi and Brent Bushnell who have managed to survive here for decades, with one stint “in exile” in Sacramento.

http://www.examiner.com/list/sofia-carmi-and-brent-bushnell-partners-who-make-art-that-transcends-boundaries

'Frog and Toad and the World of Arnold Lobel' at the Contemporary Jewish Museum

The most delightful show in town..

 http://www.examiner.com/list/frog-and-toad-and-the-world-of-arnold-lobel-at-the-contemporary-jewish-museum

Cornelius Gurlitt claims that the looted art is legally his

The latest chapter in the saga of the Nazi-era looted art.
http://www.examiner.com/article/cornelius-gurlitt-claims-that-the-nazi-era-looted-art-is-legally-his

'Anders Zorn, Sweden's Master Painter' at the Legion

"Mourning Veil," the watercolor that started Zorn on his path to international fame.

Review at:  http://www.examiner.com/list/anders-zorn-sweden-s-master-painter-at-the-legion-of-honor