A selection of rugs exhibited. Image courtesy of FOR- SITE Foundation.

October 7th to March 11th- Sanctuary at Fort Mason Chapel: Installed on the floor of the historic Fort Mason Chapel, the four-by-six-foot wool rugs call to mind traditional prayer rugs, but they transcend religious connotations, encompassing thoughtful viewpoints on cultural identity, sense of place, and belonging. The rugs are meant to be appreciated by touch as well as sight; visitors are encouraged to remove shoes and walk, sit, and recline on the artworks—to quietly contemplate our shared humanity and this space of sanctuary. The notion of sanctuary—both physical and psychological—has been fundamental in shaping a sense of selfhood and social identity throughout human history. But in an era of increasing global migration and rising nationalism, the right to safe haven is under threat, and the necessity for compassion is greater than ever. Sanctuary offers visitors a multiplicity of perspectives on the basic human need for refuge, protection, and sacred ground. Fort Mason Chapel is located at Fort Mason.

Adam Katseff “River X” 2014, Pigment ink print. Image courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery.

Ongoing to October 28th- Adam Katseff: Water Memory at Robert Koch Gallery: Adam Katseff’s large-scale reductive landscapes, while being minimalist in approach, on closer inspection present the viewer with rich and exceptional detail. Katseff’s subjects are simultaneously familiar and elusive. The viewer is invited to take the partial landscape and then compose the rest themselves. Viewers are invited to invest their own experience, their own subconscious into the work to make it whole, and each comes away with an impression based partly in reality, and partly of their own creation. In this way the images become at once universal and deeply personal; an exploration of the line between physical space and our psychological relationship to it. Robert Koch Gallery is located at 49 Geary Street, 5th Floor.

Nina Katchadourian “Pink Volcano” 2011, c- print. Image courtesy of the artist.

October 12th to February 24th- Mechanisms at The Wattis Institute: These days, machines don’t look much like machines. Heavy and greasy machinery is absent from the smooth surfaces of digital interfaces. Mechanisms seeks to reclaim interruptive tactics for art, where, since the birth of modernism, innovation has served messier ends. Through around 100 sculptures, photographs, videos, paintings and site specific installations, the 20 artists represented in this exhibition throw wrenches into a capitalist system devoted to speed and productivity. The Wattis Institute is located at 360 Kansas Street.

Opening reception: Thursday, October 12th, 6:30- 8:30pm

Last year’s San Francisco Arts Commission Passport event. Image courtesy of San Francisco Arts Commission.

October 22nd, 12 to 4pm- Passport 2017 at various venues on Polk Street: SFAC Galleries event, Passport, puts the art collecting experience in the hands of the general public. By bringing local artists into small neighborhood businesses, Passport attendees can “create” their own limited-edition artist’s book by collecting original, artist-designed stamps in a customized “passport” notebook. Walking throughout Middle Polk, hundreds of do-it-yourself art collectors will follow a designated route to collect stamps from emerging and established Bay Area artists while discovering a variety of small businesses.  The home base for this event is located at Cheese Plus, 2001 Polk Street.

Tickets: $25.00 Passport (blank), $125.00 Concierge Passport (fully stamped)

Edition of 500
Click here for tickets.

Gordon Parks “Untitled, Harlem, New York” 1948, gelatin silver print. Image courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation.

Ongoing to December 17th- Gordon Parks: The Making of an Argument at BAMPFA: The Making of an Argument offers a comprehensive investigation into the African American photographer, Gordon Parks’ first Life magazine photo-essay, “Harlem Gang Leader” (1948). Through vintage gelatin silver prints, contact sheets, original issues of Life, and a significant selection of unpublished photos from the series, the exhibition examines unspoken conflicts between photographer, editor, subject, and truth. Parks handed over hundreds of photos to his editors at Life, who chose twenty-one for reproduction in the magazine. Their choices are telling. The Making of an Argument explores the relationship between images and text while revealing how what was left out becomes just as important as what was included in the printed report. It raises the questions: What was the intended argument, and whose argument was it? BAMPFA is located at 2155 Center Street in Berkeley.

Last year’s Auction at San Francisco Camerawork. Image courtesy of San Francisco Camerawork.

Saturday, October 28th, Doors open at 5:30 bidding begins at 7:00pm- 2017 Benefit Auction at SF Camerawork: As part of their most important fundraising event, SF Camerawork will have over one hundred fine-art prints available from an array of well- known photographers. SF Camerawork will be hosting a preview exhibition between October 21 – 27 from 12 – 6 PM, and by appointment. Preview Reception: “Curator Picks” Walkthrough with Sandra S Phillips, SFMOMA Curator Emeritus- Thursday, October 26, 6 – 9pm. SF Camerawork is located at 1011 Market Street, 2nd Floor.

Tickets: $40 in advance; $50 at the door
Click here for tickets.

Wayne Thiebaud “For Nan: Cake, Pie Slice and Olives” 1997, oil on canvas. Image courtesy of The New York Times.

Saturday, October 28th- Opening of The McEvoy Foundation for the Arts: The McEvoy Foundation for the Arts will have about 5,000 square feet of exhibition space. The inaugural show, la Mère la Mer or The Mother, the Sea will bring together artworks acquired by his mother, Nan Tucker McEvoy, along with selections from his own collection that touch on an ocean or beach theme. Mr. McEvoy’s photographs by Roe Ethridge and Thomas Ruff, among others, will appear alongside some works in other mediums, such as sculptures by Carol Bove and Sarah Braman. The McEvoy Foundation for the Arts will be located at 1275 Minnesota Street.