Looking to conjure something out of thin air? Well, if you can’t do it yourself you can always attend the Magic Fest and see how the pros do it. SFMOMA presents a 7-hour marathon of ideas. Recology presents their Art of Trash exhibit – talk about making something out of nothing! Just when you thought you paid all your bills, here are a few new shopping finds. Sorry, not sorry!

Jan. 24, 26. Magic Fest at Exit Theatre

This weekend’s prestidigitators are not like the magicians you hired for your 5-year old’s birthday bash back in the day. An amazing line-up of those who create magic and mayhem returns to the Exit theatre this weekend. They are introducing their first ever close-up magic event – whoa, maybe we can learn a thing or two, and you won’t want to miss SLAM, the Iron Chef of magic competitions.

A highlight this year includes solo storyteller and magician David Hirata’s historical excavation, The Jap Box. His story and illusions are inspired by the story of a Japanese magician, who in 1866 became the first Japanese citizen to be issued a passport to visit the West, where one of his prize illusions was appropriated by American magicians in yellow face, and renamed, The Jap Box. The Jap Box is a unique look at Asian American history and is part theatrical story, part magic show. Get your tickets before they disappear! http://www.theexit.org

Feb. 2. Night of Ideas at the SF public Library

Can our cities be community focused and globally connected? Smart, resilient and infused with poetry and empathy? Is an innovative and inclusive city possible?

Presented by SFMOMA, the SF Public Library and the French Consulate, in collaboration with cultural, science, tech and academic partners, this free and festive 7-hour marathon of debates, talks, performances, food, and music — as well as a special onstage presentation of KQED’s Forum with Michael Krispy — features 50+ top thinkers from San Francisco and beyond. Thought provoking don’t you think? February 2nd. SF Public Library Main Branch 100 Larkin Street. Nightofideassf.com

The Art of Trash

You know how they say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure? In this case the artists in residence at Recology have turned our trash into art. The three current artists’ creations will be exhibited tonight from 5 – 8, tomorrow from 1 – 3 and on Tuesday the 29th from 5 – 7 p.m. The exhibition will be the culmination of four months of work by the artists who have scavenged materials from the dump to make art and promote recycling and reuse.

Leah Rosenberg is one of the artists and you will be hard pressed to believe that “junk” created her pieces. She is focused on the role of color in our lives and their impact on us. (Formerly the creative director of the color factory). In a twist of fate that only the dump can provide, Rosenberg found components from one of her past projects in the pile. She found a group of discarded wooden stands, each painted in a color specifically chosen by her, which had been constructed to display cakes she had made for the SFMOMA Birthday Bash in 2017 Repurposing the dowels and disks, Rosenberg uses them as canvases for poured paint works. Now they are multi-colored paintings and sculptures, what a surreal serendipity of her residency experience. Recology.com