Fort Mason Center, Cowell Theater & Herbst Café, Conference Center Building A, Meeting & Activity Room building D & Resident Galleries Buildings A & C: Art Roundup


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June 2007

Art Roundup — Prints, Photos, Paintings

'Gold Chair' by Troy Paiva from the Lost America exhibit.
Cowell Theater & Herbst Café, Conference Center Building A, Meeting & Activity Room Building D & Resident Galleries Buildings A & C

Art lovers take note. There are seven opportunities to view and purchase great art at Fort Mason Center this month. From contemporary classics to rock art posters, there is something for everyone.

Vorpal Gallery Sale Charyn Auctions continues its liquidation sale of Vorpal Gallery art in Building D from June 15 to 17. This is the final sale of work from the 40-year archives of the famed San Francisco and New York gallery. More than 3,500 pieces from more than 300 artists are on sale, including work from Yozo Hamaguchi, Alberto Valverde, Jose Esteban Martinez, Michael Bowen, Laurent Schkolnyk, Luis Solari, Gary Smith, and many more.

CalArtsf On June 16 and 17, the San Francisco chapter of the California Institute of the Arts Alumni Association presents CalArtsf. The showcase of art in the Cowell Theater and the Herbst Café features the work of Northern California alumni artists from the famed Southern California school. Both performance and visual art are featured — the show includes examples of dance, theater, music, poetry, film and video, as well as painting, photography, illustration, animation, graphic design, mixed media, and installation. The free event is dedicated to the memory of Joe Ranft, Pixar Animation’s Head of Story and a Cal Arts alumnus, who was killed in an auto accident in Mendocino County in 2005.

Rock Art By The Bay On June 24, the Rock Poster Society returns to Fort Mason Center (FMC) for a one-day-only sale of poster art from the 1960s to the present. The Rock Poster Society — aka TRPS — is “the planet’s largest organized group of rock poster collectors, artists, and dealers.” The all-volunteer, nonprofit group professes an “overriding joy in the art of the rock poster.” The free event in FMC’s Building A Conference Center is their fourth annual show and sale of this unique art form. Artists are present throughout the show to sign and discuss their work.

Lost America In his own words, night photographer Troy Paiva is “an abandonment explorer and back roads wanderer.” The “ghost towns, junk yards, decommissioned military bases and dead roadside towns” of his moonlit landscapes reveal scenes most people only imagine in dreams. Using long exposures and hand-held colored lighting, he creates surreal images of a long-dead American landscape. His show of 25 extraordinary photographs in the Fort Mason Foundation Office Lobby (Building A) is on display through July 13.

Paintings & Drawings & Banzai/Godzilla In addition to these exhibits, two of FMC’s resident organizations also have shows worth checking out this month. Through June 22 the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art Artists Gallery (Building A) is showing “Paintings & Drawings” with work by Bret Arenson, Cheryl Carter, Kirk LeClaire, Mary Curtis Ratcliff, Marg Starbuck, and Michele Sudduth. On June 27 the featured exhibit is “Banzai/Godzilla: Japanese Influences in American Culture Then and Now,” with nearly 20 artists participating. The show continues through July 27, and there is an artists’ reception on June 27.

Terra D’Inferno At the Museo ItaloAmericano in Building C, the paintings of Luisa Petruni Cellai (1927-1986) are on display through July 22. A writer, scholar, and journalist, Cellai’s work developed as an extension of her interest in social and cultural causes. The exhibit, “Terra D’Inferno: The Colors of Dante’s Inferno,” grew out the artist’s empathy for human suffering that was a result of her own battle with a terminal illness.

For more information on these exhibits, see the Calendar and Ongoing Programs listings.