[SFMOMA has commissioned renowned artist Kerry James Marshall to create two murals for the museum's Haas Atrium. For over 30 years, Marshall has explored stories of racial identity, the Civil Rights movement, and unsung histories in his work. In response to Marshall's works, fifteen teens from three Oakland high schools are designing and producing a... More

On behalf of the Public Programs Department and SFMOMA I’m sorry to announce that a family emergency prevents Chantal Akerman from joining us this Saturday,  February 28. She sends many regrets.

We will, of course, still screen the new 35mm print of Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles at 1pm.  B. Ruby Rich will introduce the film, and we’ve also added a small post-screening reception to celebrate the conclusion of the Akerman series. Hope you can join us for both.

Very sorry to report this news, as we were quite excited to host Chantal — but we certainly understand the necessity of her cancellation.

You can read more on Chantal Akerman and this film below.

Also, acclaimed film/media theorist Kaja Silverman will screen and discuss some of Akerman’s recent film and installation work Sunday at the PFA.

Getting a purchase on Chantal Akerman, the Paris-based film and video artist, who over the last forty years has created a monumental body of work from ignored and abandoned images, and the hidden rhythms of the everyday, is no small or easy task. There are many routes of approach, and almost as many identities and communities to claim her. The da... More

[This month's Collection Rotation features a selection of SFMOMA works paired with songs by Bay Area bands, organized by Chris Appelgren & the fabulous people at Noise Pop. If you're checking in from outside the Bay, SF's Noise Pop Festival is one of the nation's most popular annual independent music events, and what started off as a one-night, one... More

[SFMOMA has commissioned renowned artist Kerry James Marshall to create two murals for the museum's Haas Atrium. For over 30 years, Marshall has explored stories of racial identity, the Civil Rights movement, and unsung histories in his work. In response to Marshall's works, fifteen teens from three Oakland high schools are designing and producing a collaborative mural, in Town Park at DeFremery Park, focusing on the themes of silenced histories and storytelling. We’re blogging about it here on Saturdays.]

The Teen Program talking with Kerry James Marshall in the Atrium.  Photo: Andria Lo

Last Saturday the group was given the exceptional opportunity to spend the morning with artist, Kerry James Marshall. We met in the Atrium where we watched the mural artists in action painting Kerry’s enormous and prolific designs. The teens poured their curiosity into questions for Marshall, & I took notes on his answers:

What made you think of the concept of this piece?

Kerry answered... More

[SFMOMA associate curator of Public Programs Frank Smigiel arrived on the scene here a year and a half ago, and in record time he's implemented a whole new SFMOMA programming vehicle, Live Art. This blog has been following his projects with interest, in part because of their boundary-pushing & often community-attentive nature, but also because, on more than one occasion, there's been cabaret involved. Here Frank waxes prophetic (as opposed to nostalgic) on last year's Valentine's Day-era cabaret extravaganza Weimar New York: A Golden Gate Affair, and its seedling relationship to his ever-expanding set of Live Art programs.]

Just before the holiday weekend last year I was immersed in a week of activities surrounding Weimar New York, a radical cabaret created by curator, producer, and all-around downtown New York impresario Earl Dax. The show uses Weimar-era Germany as a rubric & reference to gather burlesque, cabaret, comedy, drag, and East Village-flavored performance artists. The ... More

I’m obsessed with the how and where people are installing their Gerz gift portraits, and the relationships they’re having with the portraits.

The outdoor installs are great (from funderbolt):

Some are naming theirs (“She looks like an Ashley to me”):

anna leah says:  I’ve had a blast with this experience. I especia... More

Last week we had our first site visit to Town Park in DeFremery Park & met up with some key players in the Teen Mural Project: Internationally renowned local artist Brett Cook [left]; mural artist, and artistic director of our program, Fred Alvarado from Precita Eyes; and Bay Area activist, artist, teacher & skateboarder, K-dub.

We all piled into cars and headed over to Emeryville to Brett’s incredibly gigantic and light filled studio. Upon entering, many “wows” were heard when Brett’s very large spray paint collection was disco... More

A sweet little robot-love interlude during last Saturday’s MTAA performance AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (We Solemnly Promise That No One Will Get Naked), while Uni and her Ukelele perform R.E.M.’s Nightswimming, above. Every element of the event was dictated by popular vote, including subtitle, duration, location, audience, costume, theme, props, etc.  As voted by the people, and to be interpreted by the artists, the performance was to take place in the freight elevator; be the exact length of R.E.M’s album Automatic for the People; include lawn chairs, potted plants, & robot costumes; and reference Marcel Duchamp, chat rooms, ukeleles & take-out food. Man, I love these guys. You wish you were here, for serious.  More pics, more video, here.

Jochen Gerz was here on Sunday handing out portraits to participants of THE GIFT, and now the portraits are making their way all over town and, one can hope, beyond. We’ve set up a Flickr group for all participants to upload pictures of where and how they’ve installed their “gifts”—do note that participants who sat to have their portrait taken were given not their own picture, but a picture of stranger to take home with them.

Here’s Heidi De Vries, out at the Headlands Sunday afternoon with hers:

Photo: Alek... More

Hans Haacke’s News, on November 5th, 2008, when Art of Participation opened:

and on February 8th, 2009, when it closed:

Janis Joplin said it best: Get it while you can. AoP closes today.

The Teen Mural Project started in full force last Saturday when fifteen enthusiastic students from three different Oakland high schools gathered at SFMOMA. We had teen rappers, t-shirt artists, graffiti artists, and lots of skateboarders.  A talented bunch, for sure.

First, Annie Lawson (Manager of School, Youth and Family Programs here at SFMOMA)... More

Exhibit A: MTAA is going to do their you-voted-it-through performance AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (We Solemnly Promise That No One Will Get Naked) tomorrow at high noon. Gather yourselves circa 11:45 a.m. in front of the freight elevator on the third floor, where the performance will take place. If you’re not familiar with MTAA, check out Karaok... More

David Bernstein, Head of Music and Professor of Music at Mills College, demonstrating 4’33″ for staff performers, back in early November. On the piano is the Irwin Kremen 4’33″ score in proportional notation, and behind the piano is Robert Rauschenberg’s White Painting (Three Panel).

[Throughout the run of the Art of ... More

Mai-Thu Perret, Borogrovess, 2008; MDF Ultra Light, synthetic foam, plastic mirror; courtesy of Timothy Taylor Gallery, London; photo: James Lander; © 2008 Mai-Thu Perret

“The Swiss artist Mai-Thu Perret produces multidisciplinary, installation-based work that integrates socialist subject matter, feminist politics, and classic modernist themes. Her protean artistic practice flows from a utopian narrative titled The Crystal Frontier that she has been writing for nearly a decade, and comprised of a series of discrete fictional texts that... More