Dear Reader,
The KQED Arts newsletter has returned! And, as you can see, we’ve got some fresh threads, shined up our Oxfords, and styled our hair up nice. We hope you like our new look.
A lot has happened since we last talked. The San Francisco School Board voted to destroy a 1930s WPA-era mural, SFO premiered a new terminal named for Harvey Milk filled with contemporary art, and a new study showed that employers are more prone to exploit passionate, creative workers. Meanwhile, for the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, we looked back at the history of LGBT resistance in our 10-part series Pride as Protest — the same spirit that brought the parade to a halt in the Civic Center last month.
If you’re looking for things to do, our newly revamped site for The Do List is where you’ll find all our critic’s picks for the best events around the Bay Area. (You can even listen to The Do List in your smart speaker now. Try it out!) And even though nobody has any spare time, carve some out to see The Last Black Man in San Francisco while it’s still in theaters. It’s a stunning visual portrait that reverberates no matter where you’re from.
We’ll be dropping into your inbox every other week. I’ve missed hearing from you, our readers, so let me know what’s on your mind — what you’ve been watching, what you’ve been listening to, what you’ve been missing — by emailing me here.
Gabe Meline
Senior Editor, Arts
@gmeline
PRIDE AS PROTEST
Meet the LGBTQ+ Elders who Rioted, Organized and Lobbied to Change History
By Emmanuel Hapsis
Armed with Ink, 1960s Activists ‘Struck Back’ Against Homophobic Media
By Sarah Hotchkiss
SF’s First Black-Owned Gay Bar Offered Refuge from Racism in the ’90s Queer Scene
By Sam Lefebvre
While the U.S. Government Sat Idle, AIDS Activism Mobilized in San Francisco
By Sarah Hotchkiss
Can You Spare Some Time? Not in The Bay Area, You Can’t
See, the Bay Area costs too much to be nice. The parking tickets, the rent, the gas money, the groceries! I’m paying college tuition prices for my babysitter. And don’t get me started on the price of a drink at the bar, where most of the cocktails are watered down anyway.
But the real crime is that the cost of living in the Bay Area has made me lightweight impersonal — and in some ways, downright rude.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Privatizing the Public City: Oakland’s Lopsided Boom via Places Journal
An Open Letter to LACMA Architect Peter Zumthor: Stop Dissing L.A.’s Art via Los Angeles Times
Why Artists Should Be Allowed to Fail via Artsy
Day’von Hann is Just the Latest Black Child Robbed of His Life — and Then Robbed of His Youth or Even the Perception of Innocence via Mission Local
Wimbledon’s First Fashion Scandal via The Atlantic
What Will Space Suits Look Like in the Future? via Pacific Standard
TRENDING
Why Do Employers Lowball Creatives? A New Study Has Answers
New research from Duke University demonstrates that people find exploitation more justified if a worker is passionate about what they do. New research shows that people find exploitation more justified if a worker is passionate about what they do.
KQED ARTS ON SOCIAL
San Francisco band Polythene Pam shared their thoughts on whether or not concertgoers should turn their cell phones off during live shows and concerts.
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