San Francisco's Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts celebrates Dia de los Muertos with the exhibit Bring Back the Dead with altars and installations by the Rivera Family, Larry Reed, Favianna Rodriguez, and many others. There will also activities for families at the gala reception on November 2 (starting at 6pm) as well as workshops scheduled throughout the exhibition.

The solo exhibition of San Francisco-based artist Michael Arcega presents a multi-dimensional installation that explores a meditative post-apocalyptic atmosphere. Arcega uses humor in his sculptures to deal with episodes of power, tragedy, human folly, and recently, the possibilities of renewal.

The Latin American artist's collection of paintings and drawings that shows the horrors of prisoner abuse is now on display at the Berkeley Art Museum.

A group of 32 international artists (including Damian Ortega, Angela Bulloch, Paulina Olowska, and Richard Serra), working across multiple media (from sculpture to film, video, drawing, and photography), present works related to Herman Melville's epic novel. More than half of the participating artists have created new works specifically for this show in response to the novel's wide-ranging and evocative themes. The exhibition will also feature numerous historical artifacts and documents.

The works in this group exhibition represent are executed in a variety of media, most of the pieces represent actual locales that one can find on a map. For some artists, such as Michael Mazur, Nathan Oliveira, and Gregory Edwards, the objective was to capture a feeling, rather than specific geographic details. Photo: detail of Thomas Moran's East Hampton, Long Island.

The San Francisco Jazz Festival is a two-week celebration with jazz concerts, from the classic to the avant-garde, gathering the legends of today and the rising stars of tomorrow in venues throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area. Check their site for for times and venues: sfjazz.org.

Smuin Ballet's Fall Program opens with a world premiere by choreographer-in-residence Amy Seiwert, accompanied by music from Grammy Award-winning group Kronos Quartet's album Pieces of Africa. The program continues with Michael Smuin's 'Medea,' and 'Fly Me to the Moon,' which pays homage to the songs made famous by Frank Sinatra.

Don't miss Mark Foehringer Dance Project's new holiday show! Specifically designed for young families and children, 'The Nutcracker' at the Zeum is a new version of the classic ballet 'Nutcracker' with a contemporary twist. Featuring music direction by Michael Morgan, set design by Peter Crompton, costume design by Richard Battle, and Magik*Magik Orchestra , 'The Nutcracker' at the Zeum is an affordable, 50-minute, fun and zany rendition of this popular holiday tradition.

This exhibition includes 48 works by 13 artists who teach studio art at Stanford University: Kevin Bean (painting), Matt Kahn (paintings/design), Terry Berlier (sculpture and media), Jan Krawitz (film), Enrique Chagoya (paintings, prints, and mixed media), Joel Leivick (photography), Robert Dawson (photography), Jamie Meltzer (film), Paul DeMarinis (interactive new media), Kristine Samuelson (film), John Edmark (interactive kinetic sculpture), Gail Wight (new media), and Lukas Felzmann (photography).

Insights 2009 celebrates 20 years of works by blind and visually impaired artists, featuring 118 works in a variety of media by 38 artists, and offers a free audio tour -- with voiceovers provided by locals like Harry Denton of the Starlight Room, Mattin Noblia of Top Chef Season 6 and District 4 Supervisor Carmen Chu, and Lyrics Born bass player Uriah Duffy. Photo: Haley Goodlett's Abalone from Insights 2008.