SF LIFE: Pops, Design Week, Magic, Art
Happy Pops day to all Mr. Tomatoes out there! In case you are late to the game, check below for some last minute ideas. NYC has fashion week and we have Design Week and it’s coming up with an eclectic array of events. Lots of art around these days, and we have some cool new exhibits for you to check out. Magic and mind reading….oooooh. Coming right up – ta da!
Unique Father’s Day Fun
Make Pops day by gifting him with an experience he will remember more than a six pack or new golf balls! How about getting some cool new cocktail glasses and giving him an experience at China Live’s hidden speakeasy. Collaborate with expert mixologists to concoct a personalized “omakase” cocktail and enjoy a sampling of dim sum dishes. $75 per person.
If the man (men) in your life are obsessed with tech – (maybe they are the few who don’t work in that arena). Book a luxury SUV and visit Silicon Valley’s most famous spots in style. Facebook, Steve Jobs’ home and the garage of Hewlett Packard are included. Great gift for an out of town dad who might enjoy this on a visit! Get the details.
How about a private walking tour of the breweries in the Haight? Fill his mouth with beer, his head with knowledge and his face with smiles as you traipse from one craft beer spot to another. (Why not grab some fancy pilsner glasses and put the gift certificate in them). Get the details.
June 20-29. Design Week
Your annual appointment with the best of California design is around the corner. June 20- 29th at various locations around the city. The theme this year – The Future: Started Here. This week-long city-wide festival showcases the unique intersection of ideas, design, business and entrepreneurism that makes the Bay Area the birthplace of the future. There are panel discussions, workshops, and art installations highlighting the evolution of design in the Bay Area, as well as an eclectic lineup of both established and emerging talents.
You won’t want to miss an appearance from acclaimed designer tomato Gere Kavanaugh, who epitomized the craft and folk vibe of the ’60s and ’70s—she’ll be talking up her new book, A Colorful Life. You’ll also have the opportunity to get in a bit of learning to expand those horizons. On the 20th, you can head to an interactive workshop to amp up your public speaking skills led by evolutionary organization, “Women Talk Design”. Get the details.
June 19. Magic with David Gerard
Magic can be freaky – this we know. But Magician and Mind Reader David Gerard puts a new spin on the old standards. He has over 20 years of experience in the mystery arts (as it now appears to be called!) And he started when he was 6 – so that tells you his age! He will be showcasing new magic and mentalism at Piano Fight on Wednesday June 19th.
He is really amazing, and your jaws will drop with minds being read, uncanny coincidences happening between guests, eruptions of applause one moment and stunned silence the next. His program is highly interactive, with countless audience members partaking from their seat and on the stage. Plus the intimacy of the stage at PianoFight brings you right into the show. They do have light bites and beverages at this unpretentious and super fun venue. No rabbits out of hats here my friends. www.pianofight.com
Art Exhibits
The Sculptures of Liu Jianhua
June 21 through Aug. 4
Pace Gallery, 229 Hamilton Ave (Palo Alto), pacegallery.com
In this solo exhibition, the Chinese artist depicts the duality of accumulation and impermanence through porcelain sculpture. The centerpiece of the show is “Square,” an installation of gold-glazed porcelain pools resting atop steel sheets; it was introduced at the Venice Biennale in 2017.
Divine Women, Divine Wisdom
June 26 through Jan. 12, 2020
BAMPFA, 2155 Center St. (Berkeley), bampfa.org
Calling all goddesses: This exhibition is a celebration of the power and beauty of women in the Himalayan region, as seen through sculpture, jewelry, and more. // General Admission is $13 or free (Thursdays).
Daria Martin: Tonight the World
June 27 through Feb. 19, 2020
Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St. (SoMa), San Francisco, thecjm.org
Bay Area artist Daria Martin shines a light on the dreams and memories of her grandmother, who fled Czechoslovakia, through work combining computer gaming technology and film
Field of Light
Through Jan. 5, 2020
Sensorio, 4380 Highway 46 East (Paso Robles), sensoriopaso.com
The day trip to Paso Robles will be well worth it to see this immersive lighting installation by British artist Bruce Munro, who recalls his 1992 trip through the desert of central Australia in this solar-powered exhibition of more than 58,800 fiber-optic lights blooming across the multi-acre innovative art space Sensorio.
Kim Selby, the SF life editor of The Three Tomatoes, is your gal for info on what’s hot and happening in the beautiful bay area. Having lived on the Left Coast for 27 years, after almost a decade in NYC, she has explored and continues to have adventures all over the San Francisco area. Passionate about fashion, formerly with GLAMOUR magazine and Fashion Director at Saks Fifth Avenue , Palo Alto, Kim produced fashion shows in the bay area for over 20 years. She now creates events to empower, delight and inspire women, aka “Tomatoes”. Learn more about Kim at www.kim-selby.com
