SFMOMA is hosting an eerily delightful exhibit on Spider sculptures created by a unique Tomato! Want to bring in some healthy new recipes for the New Year? 1440 Multiversity offers a class to kick-start your healthy resolutions. Musical theatre geeks take note, Sondheim on Sondheim, the bio musical is in San Jose – time to sing along!

Spiders

If you suffer from arachnophobia, you may not want to visit SFMOMA for Louis Bourgeois Spider exhibit. But this fascinating woman created the first of her darkly compelling spider sculptures in the mid 1990’s when she was in her eighties. Now that’s a Tomato gals! The artist saw spiders as both fierce and fragile, capable of being protectors as well as predators.

For Bourgeois, the spider embodied an intricate and sometimes contradictory mix of psychological and biographical allusions. Yes, that’s a little deep for me who cringes when I see a spider on the wall. But to Bourgeois spiders represent cleverness, industriousness, and protectiveness.

Filling the museum’s sculpture gallery on Floor 5, Louise Bourgeois Spiders explores the captivating complexity of the artist’s conception of these elegant and fearsome creatures, with works sculpted in a range of materials and scales, from the intimate to the monumental. Yes, it’s a little scary but also compelling and you just can’t look away! www.sfmoma.org

Now-Jan. 21. Sondheim On Sondheim

Hailed as “a funny, affectionate, and revealing tribute to musical theater’s greatest living composer and lyricist,” Sondheim on Sondheim is an intimate portrait of the famed songwriter told through his own words via film, live performances and his amazing music at 3 Below in San Jose. Being a self-proclaimed theatre geek/Tomato, and having had the opportunity to sing a challenging tune or two of his, this show screams, “See me”!

More than two dozen carefully selected songs from hits like West Side Story, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Company, Into the Woods and more are brought to life by a talented ensemble cast, while in-depth video interviews with the man himself delve into his personal life and artistic process. This acclaimed bio-musical is an excellent intro for you casual musical-theater fans and a graduate-level treat for those of us who are long-time admirers of the Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner. Tonight through the 21st. Discount tickets via Goldstar.

Jan. 21. Art Gives Back

That ever so creative space, The Minnesota Project is hosting a Give Back night on Sunday from 4 – 8 p.m. After last year’s devastating North Bay fires, members of the Bay Area art community began organizing a fundraiser for the region’s most vulnerable victims. The fruit of those labors is Art Gives Back, a one-night event set to include an auction, music, performances, karaoke, food, drinks and the promise of “more,” though what else could be packed into four hours, I’m not sure.

All the proceeds from the night will go to UndocuFund and the Latino Community Foundation, organizations providing support to farm workers and immigrant families in Sonoma, Calistoga and Santa Rosa. Tickets to Art Gives Back are just $20, and even though the specifics of whose art, what music and which karaoke songs will be available are still undisclosed, there’s no doubt it will be $20 well spent. www.artgivesback.org

Jan. 27. Cooking Demo

If healthy eating is on your “to do” list this year, but you don’t know where to start, Executive Chef of 1440 Multiversity in Scott’s Valley will show you how on January 27th from 4:30 – 8:00. I have written about this wonderful location and I have also taken a weekend class there and I can assure you the food is amazing. Chef Kenny Woods will demonstrate how to prepare wholesome dishes including a protein bowl, a citrus detox dressing and a morning juice shot sure to fill you with energy.

He will also share top tips and habits for healthy meals throughout the day. Of course, you get to sample the goods and take home mouth-watering recipes to impress your family and friends. After the class, you get to dine in the community dining room, and believe me, you will want to! There is also an option to spend the night, a great way to finish the month. www.1440.org