The weekend is almost here. Hooray!
Looking for things to do? Listen to KQED Arts’ Gabe Meline and Sarah Hotchkiss discuss their event picks at the audio link above, or read about each event below.
Charo: Ms. “Cuchi Cuchi” herself, Charo, is still at it, and this weekend she plays her first show in the Bay Area in ten years. Now, I’m not crazy, hear me out—I saw Charo once and it was so ridiculous, and so fun, I have never been the same since. In San Francisco, she’s bound to have a loyal camp following in the audience, but don’t forget her guitar playing and hilarious, self-effacing jokes. She plays on Friday, Sept. 20, at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. Details here.
Free Museum Day: Officially, Sarah’s recommendation is to call in sick on Thursday, Sept. 19. That’s because a bunch of the museums around Yerba Buena Gardens, including SFMOMA, the Museum of the African Diaspora, YBCA and the Contemporary Jewish Museum are all opening their doors for free. It’s a celebration they’re calling Culture for Community, and most of the arts and culture institutions (over a dozen total) have extended hours and special programming happening—all of it completely free (though SFMOMA does recommend reserving your tickets in advance). Details here.
’50 Faces’: This populist show is a collection from Italy of mosaic images of celebrities, and other figures: Carlos Santana, Frida Kahlo, David Bowie, Basquiat. Total Instagram bait, if we’re being honest. Sarah is unsettled by the Frida Kahlo portrait’s tiny doll hand earrings hanging off her mosaic ears, and I’m brave enough to admit that this is not high art. But if you’re like me, you have a side of you that loves this stuff. It opens Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art in Novato, and runs through Nov. 10. Details here.