by Claire Wu
(May 18, 2026)
Created over the span of 16 years, “Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird)” is a stunning patchwork of vérité footage, handmade dioramas and puppets, animation sequences and collages. This is not simply a film about grief, but rather a piece of ritual art that continuously meditates on all the highs and lows of Yo’s vibrant life and the integral role she played throughout the filmmaker’s lives as their dear friend.
Photo by Andy Mitchell
By Noma Faingold. (May 5, 2024)
As far as ancient history, the Romans and the Greeks seem to get all the attention culturally, with respect to architecture, artifacts, precious jewels, inventions, the alphabet, religious ritual and even the Gods.
Until now.
The new exhibition at the Legion of Honor Museum, “The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy,” opened May 2 and continues through September 20. Continue reading
By Geneva Anderson (April 24, 2026)
The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM 69) returns to the Bay Area Friday, April 24, and runs 11 days through Monday, May 4, featuring 79 sharply-curated film programs from 40 countries screening in seven Bay Area theaters. The world cinema line-up of 32 narratives and 11 docs is phenomenal, with original stories that crystalize into masterful portraits of individuals and place. Continue reading
By Noma Faingold. (April 8, 2026)
John at the Castro screening of “Serial Mom.” Photo by Noma Faingold.
“Pope of Trash,” “Prince of Puke.” “People’s Pervert,” “King of Sleaze” and “Filth Elder” are all monikers apropos for prolific filmmaker, author, photographer, visual artist, provocateur and true original, John Waters, who turns 80 this month.
By Noma Faingold. (March 18, 2026)
Claude Monet of France (1840-1926), the founder of Impressionism and the movement’s most prolific painter, reluctantly visited Venice in October of 1908. At the time, he had grown disenchanted with the way his “Water Lilies” paintings were progressing. His dealer, Paul Durand-Ruel, rejected the work, leading Monet to cancel the upcoming show at the Paris gallery and to destroy many of the paintings in the series.
By Noma Faingold. (February 8, 2026)
More than 100 of Northern California’s top floral designers are donating their talents, time and materials to the 42nd annual Bouquets to Art exhibition. Approximately 50,000 people will tour the de Young and Legion of Honor museums to encounter the enhanced galleries during the exhibition fundraiser, March 3-8.
Installation view of Bouquets to Art 2025, Legion of Honor. Photograph by Randy Dodson
By Noma Faingold. (December 24, 2025)
Nail artist Kristen Valdez-Doherty is a maximalist in terms of nail design, which is reflected in the kitschy, crowded décor of her Nails of Modern Art Clement Street studio. She’s surrounded by abstract splashes of bright turquoise, chartreuse, hot pink, shades of purple, along with gold and silver metallic accents. Labubu dolls share shelf space with other whimsical pop culture figurines – from Wednesday Addams to Japanese anime characters. Continue reading
A debate on water, movies & inspiration
By Ari Gold. (October 21, 2025)
Where does inspiration come from? My answer can sound like I read books: Francis Coppola’s “Live Cinema”, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “Psychomagic,” Werner Herzog’s “Conquest of the Useless.” But let’s be honest, my lifelong hunt for mentorship can feel like distraction. Continue reading
The United Nations Association Film Festival returns to the Bay Area with another urgent, globally expansive lineup. Running from October 16–26, the 28th edition of UNAFF brings 60 documentary films to venues across Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Stanford University. More than just a film festival, UNAFF is a civic forum—a space for dialogue, reflection, and action.
By Noma Faingold (Updated September 10, 2025)
Artist Rose B. Simpson is more than a little preoccupied with vessels. She views pottery, cars, her figurative sculptures, the womb and clay, a material she most often uses in her creations, as vessels.
Courtesy of Rose B. Simpson
“I think in clay. Clay was the earth that grew our food, was the house we lived in, was the pottery we ate out of and prayed with,” Simpson told a de Young Museum audience at a very personal lecture she delivered earlier this year. “My relationship to clay is ancestral and it has a deep genetic memory. It’s like a family member for us.” Continue reading
By Noma Faingold (August 1, 2025)
“I never wanted to be a poet. It chose me. I didn’t choose it. One becomes a poet almost against one’s will, certainly against one’s better judgement. I wanted to be a painter, but from the age of 10, these damn poems kept coming. Perhaps one of these days they will leave me alone and I can get back to painting.”
– Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet laureate, publisher, activist, playwright, novelist and painter
The poet and artist Lawrence Ferlinghetti in his San Francisco studio. (Photo courtesy of Brian Flaherty for The New York Times)
Calling someone an “icon” is annoyingly overused these days. However, when it comes to the late multi-hyphenate Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021), the moniker is appropriate, especially in San Francisco, where he thrived artistically and socially since his arrival in 1951. Continue reading
