Now through 7/23 Sunday
Art: Ansel Adams in Our Time
For many of us Ansel Adams’ photographs are as familiar as corporate logos. The first time we saw them they were stunning, capturing the contrasting beauty of earth and sky in Yosemite and other places the photographer helped make famous. After a while, the magic filmed over, made murky by the flow of time that still images are largely unable to portray. In this exhibit curators attempted to reframe Adams’ art in the context of how he influenced other photographers and created a critical steppingstone in our collective understanding of place. It’s partially successful, with efforts to incorporate things outside the lens, such as Native Americans’ practices and presence on the land, fundamentally flawed. Worth seeing. De Young, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. For more information.
5/4 Thursday
Design: Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti ‘Zines of the 1990s
Subscription to Mischief: Graffiti ‘Zines of the 1990s draws from the collections of Letterform Archive and of Greg Lamarche, creator of Skills Magazine, a seminal ’90s graffiti publication. This show will feature 40+ ‘zines, as well as letters, flick trade photos, and submissions which document various pieces, throwups, and handstyles by both prominent and lesser-known graffiti writers of the era. Preview May 4, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Free. Letterform Archive, 2339 Third Street, 4R. For more information.
5/6 Saturday
Health: Senior Smiles and Wellness Health Fair
Services for those aged 55+ include hearing, dental, oral cancer, and diabetes screenings, blood pressure and glucose testing, fall prevention, and nutrition counseling. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free. University of the Pacific, 155 Fifth Street. For more information or email pr@pacific.edu.
5/6 Saturday
Art: MakeArt Family Day
Celebrate spring with guest artists and new projects in the redesigned MakeArt Gallery, filled with prompts and materials inspired by the local artists who created “Fight and Flight: Crafting a Bay Area Life.” Immerse yourself in a Crochet Jam from Ramekon O’Arwisters, celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Jojo Calligraphy, scribble up a storm with ArtBots. Plus, composer JG Everest offers a springtime Sound Garden in Minnesota Grove, a self-guided, drop-in experience that uses layers of live performance and spatial sound design to activate natural spaces. Stop at the Museum, just a short walk away, to receive a Sound Garden MakeArt Kit with reflection prompts, a journal, and colored pencils to enhance creative memory-making in the Grove. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. $8 to $10. Museum of Craft and Design, 2569 Third Street. For more information.
5/7 Sunday
Music: Bryan Bielanski
Imagine Nirvana and the Beatles had a kid together who became an acoustic rock singer-songwriter; that’s Charlotte, North Carolina-based Bryan Bielanski. Although inspired by rock greats like Tom Petty and REM, he has a distinct musical style and lyrics. 6 p.m. Simple Pleasures Café, 3434 Balboa Street. For more information.
5/8 Monday – 5/28 Sunday
Theater: Playground Festival of New Works
A showcase for the next generation of great playwrights, the PlayGround Festival of New Works has helped launch dozens of the Bay Area’s most promising early-career writers. This year’s event features more than a dozen new short and full-length plays, including premiere presentations, staged readings of full-length works, shorts by the Bay Area’s top high school dramatists, and an opening night panel discussion and party with PlayGround’s producers and playwrights. All events are simulcast; online content is admission-free (donations gratefully accepted). For more information and full schedule.
5/13 Saturday
Printmaking: Graphic Arts Workshop Open House
Meet fine art printmakers and see lithographs, etchings, letterpress printing and monoprints being made, with silk-screening and printmaking workshops for all levels. Learn more about this printmaking cooperative located in Dogpatch. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or contact Leslie Lowinger 415.664.5670
5/14 Sunday
Retail: Inner Sunset Flea
Voted one of the Bay Area’s 10 best markets, the Inner Sunset Flea is a monthly, grassroots-organized event. Enjoy a full day of live music while exploring more than 30 resident, artisan, nonprofit, and local business vendors, as well as food, family activities, and more. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. Irving street between Ninth and 10th avenues. For more information.
5/19 Friday – 5/20 Saturday
Dance: fault lines
Pateldanceworks offers the premiere of fault lines, a site-immersive performance exploring Asian-American identity and home seeking across the Pacific by way of the San Andreas fault, part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. 5/19, 6 p.m. 5/20, 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Free (donations accepted). Fort Funston Road. For more information.
5/23 Tuesday
Music: D.F.H. Experience
The D. F. H. Experience is a trio of instrumentalists raised on Bay Area funk, jazz, and Latin grooves, influenced by soulful rhythm and blues from the south. Each trio member is an accomplished composer who, when combined, create a unique instrumentation blend. 12 p.m. Free. 1 Warriors Way. For more information.
5/27 Saturday – 5/28 Sunday
Community: Carnaval Festival & Parade
The festival spans 17 blocks, with five main stages, 50 local performing artists, and 400 vendors. Enjoy food, dancing, sampling sites and entertainment. The Grand Parade, televised by CBS, boasts a 60-contingent lineup, with more than 3,000 artists representing the cultural heritages of Brazil, Mexico, Panama, Bolivia, Cuba, Peru, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Trinidad & Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, and more. Free. Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Parade: Sunday 5/28. For more information.
5/28 Sunday
Music: Armenian Cultural Celebration in the Park
Featuring The Golden Gate Park Band — in its 141st season in Golden Gate Park’s music concourse — Alfred Reed’s Armenian and Khachaturian’s Sabre dances. 1 to 2:45 p.m. Free. Spreckels Temple of Music (Golden Gate Park Bandshell), Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. For more information.
