Each month KQED Interactive visits a number of Bay Area art galleries to check out what's up in the local art scene. You can view a video of what we found below or subscribe via iTunes.
Our adventures in March led us to scope out what's new on Polk Street. In recent years, the Polk Street zone -- from the Civic Center to Washington Street -- has emerged as a vibrant shopping, eating and entertainment mecca. During our afternoon we visited Velvet da Vinci and SPACE Gallery, which have contributed to the neighborhood's eclectic and creative milieu.
Velvet da Vinci, a name inspired by an old episode of Perry Mason, was originally located in Hayes Valley but now inhabits a new spacious location on Polk. It is both an art-jewelry boutique and a sculpture gallery. The gallery features approximately six shows per year showcasing the work of international artists whose creations cross the spectrum of metal and art-jewelry possibilities.
Throughout March 2006, Velvet da Vinci, hosts a solo show featuring gallery mainstay, Thomas Hill. The British-born Hill works primarily in wire, a medium the artist utilizes for its malleable nature, creating three-dimensional "sketches" of birds and other animals. Likening wire manipulation to the act of drawing, his forms achieve a gestural look and possess a kinetic quality suitable for depicting a variety of creatures. His new works were inspired by the sequential photographs of Eadweard Muybridge.
Where: 2015 Polk St., San Francisco Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Saturday from 12-6pm, Sunday from 12-4pm Phone: (415) 441-0109
This cutting-edge gallery offers a wide range of art to appeal to chin-scratching art aficionados as well as curious spectators. You can expect to see installations and time-based media, along with more traditional mediums such as photography and painting. The folks at SPACE feature work by emerging and established local artists and host solo and group shows year round.
From March 3-17, 2006 the gallery exhibits work by locals Stephen Kasner and David d'Andrea whose work side-by-side demonstrates gothic intensions and the ability to harness darker themes. Kasner works in illustration and graphic design. His drawings and paintings have been used as cover art for several heavy metal bands. Kasner's work finds a perfect match in the paintings, drawings and mixed-media collages of David d'Andrea, who uses similar motifs: skulls and swords, human and animal figures. Where: 1141 Polk St., San Francisco Gallery hours: Monday-Friday from 1-5pm or by appointment Phone: (415) 377-3325
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