Way Bay

January 17–June 3, 2018

Explore the creative energies that have emerged from the Bay Area over the past two centuries with this sweeping array of art, film, performance, poetry, and archival materials.

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  • Yosemite Landscape

    Emma Michalitschke: Yosemite Landscape, 1913; oil on canvas; 50 x 44 in.; gift of Emma Michalitschke.

  • Upcoming
    Films
  • Past
    Films
  • Past
    Events

Past Events

  • Saturday, June 2, 1 PM

    Personal Flag Generator Workshop

    Join artists Chris Hamamoto and Jon Sueda and make symbols to contribute to a Bay Area flag symbol archive, then print your own personal flag.

    Programmed by Denise Kan

  • Saturday, May 26, 6 PM

    Black Life: Benjamin Michel

    Filmmaker Michel offers a presentation exploring the works of African-descended directors, past and present, who challenge the medium through their artistic voices.

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, May 18, 6 PM

    Language Project with Shaghayegh Cyrous

    Through participatory performance, storytelling, and recording, spend time exchanging histories and languages with other workshop members.

    Programmed by Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo

  • Sunday, May 6, 4 PM

    Volti Vocal Ensemble

    Volti presents a program of contemporary American music by composers Dany Clay, Robin Estrada, and Žibuoklé Martinaityté.

  • Saturday, May 5, 1:30 PM

    Way Bay Days: Dena Beard, Jeffrey Spahn, Jeff Gunderson, Steve Anker

    For the second of our Way Bay Days, four speakers take on four Bay Area artists: Xara Thustra, Kay Sekimachi, Carlos Villa, and Alice Anne Parker (Severson).

  • Saturday, May 5, 4 PM

    Lil B: Extremely Rare Photography and Art Collection Issue #1

    Iconic Berkeley recording artist Brandon “Lil B” McCartney presents photographic works and “extremely rare art,” sharing his unique focus on compassion, unrestrained creative expression, and the power of positive thinking.

  • Saturday, April 28, 5:30 PM

    Way Bay Vogue Ball

    Come witness this epic gathering of the Bay’s drag and ballroom scene, or enter the competition and walk the runway!

  • Saturday, April 21, 2 PM

    Panel Discussion: Carlos Villa: Worlds in Collision

    Our panelists revisit the legacy of Bay Area artist Carlos Villa, whose Worlds in Collision project addressed multiculturalism, education, activism, and identity politics.

  • Friday, April 20, 6 PM

    Enrique Chagoya and Rupert García on Political Art

    Two celebrated Bay Area artists engage in a public conversation about their approaches to making politically driven art.

  • Thursday, April 19, 5:30 PM

    Squeak Carnwath and Susan Griffin

    Carnwath and Griffin discuss their recent books from Kelly’s Cove Press, noted publisher of California art and literature.

  • Saturday, April 14, 11:30 AM–1 PM or 1–2:30 PM

    Gallery + Studio: Through Line: Collaged Portraits/Imagined Spaces

    Inspired by figurative works in Way Bay, play with collage and create a portrait of people dear to you in an imagined space that you revere.

    For ages 6 to 12 with accompanying adult(s)

  • Yosemite Landscape
    Saturday, April 14, 1:30 PM

    Way Bay: Guided Tour with American Sign Language Interpretation

    Join sign language interpreter Patricia Lessard for an ASL-interpreted tour of Way Bay

  • Saturday, April 14, 6 PM

    Black Life: Zoé Samudzi, Ed Ntiri, Malika Crutchfield

    Photographers Samudzi, Ntiri, and Crutchfield talk about their photographic practices, the politics of images, and the changing nature of the medium.

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Saturday, April 7, 2 PM

    Invitation to a Lost World: 5,000 Years of Art from the Bay Area Shell Mounds

    See rare archeological objects from the East Bay’s shell mounds—traces of the fishing villages established by an ancient people thousands of years ago—and hear from a panel of Native Californian artists and others.

  • Sunday, April 1, 2 PM

    Embroidery Lab with Caroline Hayes Charuk

    Try your hand at multiple embroidery techniques and walk away with a stitched sampler and a finished project!

    Programmed by Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo

  • Sunday, March 25, 2 PM

    Printed Textiles with Sierra Reading

    Discover how printed fabric can tell a story and learn how to print a repeating textile pattern.

    Programmed by Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo

  • Saturday, March 24, 6 PM

    Black Life: Awon Ohun Omnira

    East Bay choir Awon Ohun Omnira taps into the roots of African faith and culture through old Yoruba songs and the Ring Shout. You are invited to participate in this moving performance.

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, March 23, 6 PM

    House of Malico: Spectrum Summit

    Oakland-based art production organization House of Malico presents a discussion exploring contemporary issues affecting the social, cultural, and mental health of black people.

  • Saturday, March 17, 1:30 PM

    Way Bay Days: Mark Johnson, Claire Carlevaro, Jack von Euw, Kevin Killian

    In the first of our Way Bay Days, four speakers take on four Bay Area artists: Saburo Hasegawa, Ruth Wall, Ludwig Choris, and Harry Jacobus.

  • Saturday, March 17, 3 PM

    Kearny Street Workshop: Evolving Legacy

    Join us for stories and a performance celebrating the forty-fifth anniversary of San Francisco–based Kearny Street Workshop, the oldest Asian Pacific American multidisciplinary arts organization in the country.

  • Sunday, March 4, 3 PM

    Riso Printing with Unity Press

    Hang out with the Unity team for a day of zine making and free printing on the Art Lab Riso, with a DJ set and broadcast by Lower Grand Radio.

  • Saturday, February 24, 7 PM

    Ritual Noise: LEXAGON, Titania Kumeh, Earthbound

    Join us for a three-part performance event of sound and ritual.

     

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, February 23, 6 PM

    Vogue Dance Class with Sir JoQ

    Tap into your inner diva and learn the basics of voguing in this intro dance class with San Francisco vogue legend Sir JoQ.

  • Sunday, February 18, All Day

    San Quentin Prison Studio Mail Art Exchange

    Exchange mail art with the artists of the San Quentin Prison Arts Program at this special all-day Art Lab event.

  • Friday, February 9, 6 PM

    Fabric Marker Jam with Chulita Vinyl Club and Creative Growth

    Bring a garment and use our fabric-marker stash to explore the expressive potential of your style. Get inspired by fashions from Creative Growth Art Center and groove to a DJ set by Chulita Vinyl Club.

  • Sunday, February 4, 2 PM

    Cardboard Sculpture with Grace Rosario Perkins

    Using cardboard and printed materials, work alongside artist Grace Rosario Perkins to create abstract or representational objects and contribute to a collaborative group sculpture.

  • Yosemite Landscape
    Selected Sundays, Wednesdays, and Free First Thursdays

    Guided Tours: Way Bay

    Get fresh insights into the works in view in Way Bay with a tour led by a UC Berkeley graduate student.

     

  • Saturday, January 27, 6 PM

    Duane Deterville: The Future Blackwards: Afrifuturism and Black Visual Culture

    Artist, writer, and visual culture scholar Duane Deterville discusses "Afrifuturism" (sic)—its history, its manifestations in various media, and how it can be used as a tool for black liberation.

     

    Programmed by Chika Okoye and David Brazil

  • Friday, January 19, 6 PM

    Way Bay Poetry Assembly

    Celebrate the release of a series of postcard prints made in the BAMPFA Art Lab with a spirited mass reading of more than a hundred poems.

     

  • Lawrence Rinder and Kathy Geritz
    Thursday, January 18, 12 PM

    Curators’ Talk: Lawrence Rinder and Kathy Geritz on Way Bay

    Navigate the evocative installation of Way Bay with the exhibition curators as they share insights into their process and selections.

  • Friday, January 12, 6 PM

    Desi Art Night with Discostan

    Artist group Desi hosts a night of collaborative art making scored by celebrated Los Angeles–based DJ collective Discostan.

Past Films

  • Way Bay on Screen

    Saturday, May 5 4 PM

    This selection of works from the exhibition Way Bay reveals the rich and varied landscape and people of the Bay Area. Featuring a time capsule of San Francisco before the 1906 quake and works by Bruce Baillie, Alice Anne Parker (Severson), Sara Kathyrn Arledge, and Ernie Gehr.

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