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"content": "\u003cp>Beneath its placid and gorgeously manicured surface, the quasi-supernatural Thai romantic fantasy \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> conceals a deep well of weirdness. A reserved yet occasionally ribald rendering of omnisexual love, longing and belonging, the Roxie’s Valentine’s weekend offering (\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/a-useful-ghost/#showtimes\">playing Feb. 13–16 and 19\u003c/a>) should find plenty of admirers in what used to be called Babylon by the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13986620']Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke begins his Cannes prizewinning debut feature with an arresting tableau of Indigenous and historical figures posing for an artist. The completed frieze has only a short life in a public square, however, before it is removed, damaged, discarded and dissipated into dust — albeit not the same particles that make Academic Ladyboy (yes, that is the name of the shyly endearing character played by Wisarut Homhuan) sneeze, and prompt him to buy a vacuum cleaner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust has many meanings in \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>, primarily as the physical and psychological residue of memories. On the personal level, dust suggests the lingering presence of deceased lovers. The filmmaker also laments the loss of historical memory, represented by the destroyed artwork (and its forgotten subjects) and the 2010 massacre of protestors by Thai soldiers that he explicitly references much later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986672\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986672\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman embraces man from behind\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Politics and history are not on Ladyboy’s mind, though, when a hiccup in his new appliance necessitates a visit from a repairman. The preternaturally composed Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) explains, possibly as a means of seduction, that there’s a ghost in Ladyboy’s machine, and he begins to recount the drolly haunted fable that comprises the heart of \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The film is a compendium of unorthodox choices, starting with a gay romance as the frame for a heterosexual love story. Two more homosexual couples will join the proceedings; the audience discovers one of those relationships in flagrante. Partial spoiler alert: Three of the four couples share the same obstacle, namely, that one partner is dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The movie gets to the central relationship much, much faster than I have, patient reader. March (Witsarut Himmarat), mourning a loss, has contracted a respiratory illness. His late wife, Nat (Davika Hoorne), takes up residence in a vacuum cleaner to help cure him. This is not quite as random as you may think because Nat’s perennially disapproving mother-in-law Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon) owns the vacuum cleaner factory at the center of all the paranormal shenanigans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986669\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg\" alt=\"group of six older people face a vacuum cleaner\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Boonbunchachoke’s precise compositions reminded me of absurdist Swedish filmmaker and Roxie favorite Roy Andersson (\u003cem>A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence\u003c/em>), so I expected oddball behavior passing as normal. The machine (that is, Nat) waiting patiently in line to get on an elevator at the hospital has the anthropomorphic pathos of a Pixar sequence. Suman’s dead-serious admonishment of March, “Please stop screwing your vacuum,” is a pretty good laugh line. (If you’re wondering if a vacuum cleaner can give consent, the answer is “Yes, please.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other bits are more jarring than funny, like the monks commissioned by Suman to dispel Nat whose vitriol includes the c-word. The electroconvulsive therapy used to erase March’s memories of Nat — and which is subsequently employed for political purposes — isn’t intended to be funny but it certainly puts a chill on the light comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986670\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg\" alt=\"medical staff around a man in a chair, gagged with soundproofing on walls\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While it’s understandable, though not ideal, that the tone of a writer-director’s first feature wavers from time to time, it’s harder to accept the variability of the performances. The pretty young couple playing Nat and March don’t display much more emotional range than the vacuum cleaner — though it’s certainly possible that’s another joke I missed. (For the record, the machine is exceedingly well cast.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13986658']\u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> manages to be both earnest and transgressive, thoughtful and snotty. It’s an impeccably designed argument for “the force of love” (as March tells his mother) and against the curse of loneliness, with a political hand grenade tucked inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather unexpectedly, given its basic premise of a ghost inhabiting a vacuum cleaner, \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> is a deeply moralistic film and a comedy of conscience. In Boonbunchachoke’s view, there’s a place for everyone, even ghosts.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/a-useful-ghost/#showtimes\">A Useful Ghost\u003c/a>’ plays at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco) Feb. 13–16 and 19, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke begins his Cannes prizewinning debut feature with an arresting tableau of Indigenous and historical figures posing for an artist. The completed frieze has only a short life in a public square, however, before it is removed, damaged, discarded and dissipated into dust — albeit not the same particles that make Academic Ladyboy (yes, that is the name of the shyly endearing character played by Wisarut Homhuan) sneeze, and prompt him to buy a vacuum cleaner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dust has many meanings in \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>, primarily as the physical and psychological residue of memories. On the personal level, dust suggests the lingering presence of deceased lovers. The filmmaker also laments the loss of historical memory, represented by the destroyed artwork (and its forgotten subjects) and the 2010 massacre of protestors by Thai soldiers that he explicitly references much later.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986672\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986672\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman embraces man from behind\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-04_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Politics and history are not on Ladyboy’s mind, though, when a hiccup in his new appliance necessitates a visit from a repairman. The preternaturally composed Krong (Wanlop Rungkumjad) explains, possibly as a means of seduction, that there’s a ghost in Ladyboy’s machine, and he begins to recount the drolly haunted fable that comprises the heart of \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The film is a compendium of unorthodox choices, starting with a gay romance as the frame for a heterosexual love story. Two more homosexual couples will join the proceedings; the audience discovers one of those relationships in flagrante. Partial spoiler alert: Three of the four couples share the same obstacle, namely, that one partner is dead.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The movie gets to the central relationship much, much faster than I have, patient reader. March (Witsarut Himmarat), mourning a loss, has contracted a respiratory illness. His late wife, Nat (Davika Hoorne), takes up residence in a vacuum cleaner to help cure him. This is not quite as random as you may think because Nat’s perennially disapproving mother-in-law Suman (Apasiri Nitibhon) owns the vacuum cleaner factory at the center of all the paranormal shenanigans.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986669\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986669\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg\" alt=\"group of six older people face a vacuum cleaner\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-0_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Boonbunchachoke’s precise compositions reminded me of absurdist Swedish filmmaker and Roxie favorite Roy Andersson (\u003cem>A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence\u003c/em>), so I expected oddball behavior passing as normal. The machine (that is, Nat) waiting patiently in line to get on an elevator at the hospital has the anthropomorphic pathos of a Pixar sequence. Suman’s dead-serious admonishment of March, “Please stop screwing your vacuum,” is a pretty good laugh line. (If you’re wondering if a vacuum cleaner can give consent, the answer is “Yes, please.”)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other bits are more jarring than funny, like the monks commissioned by Suman to dispel Nat whose vitriol includes the c-word. The electroconvulsive therapy used to erase March’s memories of Nat — and which is subsequently employed for political purposes — isn’t intended to be funny but it certainly puts a chill on the light comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986670\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986670\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg\" alt=\"medical staff around a man in a chair, gagged with soundproofing on walls\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/AUG-03_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A scene from Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s ‘A Useful Ghost.’ \u003ccite>(Cineverse)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>While it’s understandable, though not ideal, that the tone of a writer-director’s first feature wavers from time to time, it’s harder to accept the variability of the performances. The pretty young couple playing Nat and March don’t display much more emotional range than the vacuum cleaner — though it’s certainly possible that’s another joke I missed. (For the record, the machine is exceedingly well cast.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> manages to be both earnest and transgressive, thoughtful and snotty. It’s an impeccably designed argument for “the force of love” (as March tells his mother) and against the curse of loneliness, with a political hand grenade tucked inside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rather unexpectedly, given its basic premise of a ghost inhabiting a vacuum cleaner, \u003cem>A Useful Ghost\u003c/em> is a deeply moralistic film and a comedy of conscience. In Boonbunchachoke’s view, there’s a place for everyone, even ghosts.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://roxie.com/film/a-useful-ghost/#showtimes\">A Useful Ghost\u003c/a>’ plays at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th St., San Francisco) Feb. 13–16 and 19, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Castro Theatre Again",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dropcap]F[/dropcap]irst things first: \u003cem>Priscilla, Queen of the Desert\u003c/em> at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/castro-theatre\">Castro Theatre\u003c/a> is not, strictly speaking, a “film event.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a film, sure. But it also doubles as the Castro Theatre’s long-awaited reopening after a two-year closure. It’s a celebration. It’s not Film 101 like \u003cem>Stalker\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Ikiru\u003c/em> or \u003cem>In the Mood for Love\u003c/em>; it’s \u003cem>Priscilla\u003c/em> — a communion, a camp fest, and a party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, since it is the first movie shown at the newly renovated Castro, once my favorite movie theater in the entire world, I am duty-bound to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See, I have been talking my head off about the Castro to anyone who will listen for the past four years, ever since Another Planet Entertainment, the live music promoter, announced plans to convert it into a multi-use venue. I’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13908311/castro-theatre-to-become-live-music-and-events-venue-after-renovation\">reported\u003c/a> on the story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917362/theres-only-one-castro-theatre-why-change-it-now\">publicly\u003c/a>, and also, as my coworkers will attest, ranted pessimistically about it in private. I have been “that guy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986461\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ceiling in the balcony of the Castro Theatre is readied for reopening on Feb. 5, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Like thousands of others, I’d loyally seen movies there for 30 years. I \u003cem>loved\u003c/em> the Castro. It was reasonable to be worried. Another Planet does not operate any other venue that shows film — how could they possibly uphold their requirement by the Planning Commission to do so, for 75 days out of each calendar year? And how could they destroy a beloved institution’s original floor seating to become yet another music venue, with a tacked-on film element, in a city with no other movie palaces? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, I never minded the run-down look of the Castro. While it was hard to argue with restoring the ceiling, upgrading the sound, fixing the roof and adding ADA compliance, was it a fair trade-off for losing around-the-clock film programming?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole thing felt like someone walking into \u003ca href=\"https://tommysjoynt.com/about\">Tommy’s Joynt\u003c/a> and saying, “Nice place, good potential. But let’s take all this garbage off the walls and repaint it. And say, why don’t we put in a matcha bar?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986460\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newly renovated interior at the Castro Theatre during its grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]S[/dropcap]o while touring the theater the day before it opened, I was mainly fixated on how it would show movies. Another Planet needed to appease three contingents with this project: the LGBTQ community, the Castro neighborhood, and the film community. Their bookings so far lean very queer, a good thing, and they’ll easily bring people, and money, to the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Film, though, was still an open question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13917362']I was glad to learn that the projection booth retains both a 35mm and 70mm film projector, along with a new digital 4K BARCO projector. The screen is 36 feet by 25 feet, similar in size to the old one. There’s a new sound system, and in classic movie-palace style, the speakers sit behind the screen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a bar at the back of the auditorium for concerts, but it’s fully removable and will be absent for film screenings. Film booking is done in-house, and festivals like Berlin & Beyond, the SF Silent Film Festival and Frameline are all returning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New seats await filmgoers at the Castro Theatre during its grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The seats are ugly. There’s no other way to say it. The point of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11952358/sf-supes-ok-effort-renovate-castro-theater\">so much debate\u003c/a>, anger and town halls, the new seats aren’t technically folding chairs, but to me they still look like seats at a school assembly, with toothpick legs. They’re on six-inch risers with improved sight lines, and they’re padded and have cup holders, but if AMC installed these seats at their theaters they’d go out of business immediately. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sitting in the seats with Mary Conde, the senior vice president of Another Planet, I ask: you must know that some people will complain about this, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She nods. “We are prepared for that,” Conde says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986463\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986463\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Another Planet Entertainment Senior Vice President Mary Conde, Senator Scott Wiener, drag artist D’Arcy Drollinger and Mayor Daniel Lurie help cut the ribbon during the Castro Theatre’s grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he cops are milling around on Castro Street, trying to keep the teeming crowd on the sidewalk. It’s the Castro’s grand re-opening on Friday night, and politicians, drag queens, a marching band, a guy with a sign reading “\u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mead4xikds26\">THIS SUCKS\u003c/a>,” security workers, lookie-loos, local merchants and movie fans have all congealed in front of the theater. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Who’s Sam Smith?” one of the cops asks, looking up at the marquee. “Some singer,” another replies, disinterestedly. “Here for two weeks, they say.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ruby Day from Beach Blanket Babylon sings “our national anthem,” “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/dv6mHsXKI2c?si=0ZOJwbwF341-ijm2\">San Francisco\u003c/a>.” Castro Supervisor Rafael Mandelman says “Go queers in construction!” Mayor Lurie does his we’re-so-back Lurie thing. The ribbon gets cut, the marching band strikes up, and we’re off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986464\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986464\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newly renovated ceiling at the Castro Theatre during its grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>People enter the theater and immediately look upward at the stunning new ceiling. One remembers “the \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/castro_2.8.22_rosasandrew_23-copy_custom-54d51f69ab1b36290c8f6c747b6061b3de0f0c3d-1920x1281.jpe\">brown expanse that it used to be\u003c/a>.” The new 2,000-pound digital organ emerges from the stage, and a standing ovation ensues for David Hegarty, the Castro’s organist since 1978. He’s canonized as “St. Mellifluous” by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. There’s a sing-along to “Mamma Mia” with 14 drag queens on stage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, after 42 minutes of pre-show, the movie starts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is my show-me-what-you-got moment. And, after the masking is adjusted, I have to say: the movie looks \u003cem>good\u003c/em>. The film print is clean, the focus is sharp and the presentation is bright, with a strong bulb in the projector. I also find that I don’t mind my seat at all, or how it feels. I am back at the Castro, this cathedral for film, watching a movie again. Could it be that all my worries were unfounded? What’s happening here?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will forever miss the old interior, and the sound system needs some fine-tuning. But I think to myself: I can live with this. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986465\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1447px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1447\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986465\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955.jpg 1447w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955-160x221.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955-768x1062.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955-1111x1536.jpg 1111w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1447px) 100vw, 1447px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Organist Dave Hegarty is honored at the grand reopening of the Castro Theatre on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At my age, I am trying to accept change. While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13965624/oakland-as-last-game-songs-played-coliseum\">watching my last A’s game\u003c/a> at the Oakland Coliseum, another Bay Area cathedral, I considered the possibility that what makes a place special isn’t the place so much as the people. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seared into my memory is the first movie I ever saw at the Castro: \u003cem>Grey Gardens\u003c/em>, which amazed me not only for its story but for the audience interaction. During \u003cem>Priscilla\u003c/em>, people cheer for Terence Stamp, who recently died, in the opening credits. They recite lines like “a cock in a frock on a rock” back to the screen. They laugh at the jokes, sing along to the drag numbers, and get silent for the emotional scenes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And me? For 104 minutes, I get lost in the film, forget about the past four years, and realize that when the lights go down, it’s still the same Castro magic. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"headline": "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Castro Theatre Again",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">F\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>irst things first: \u003cem>Priscilla, Queen of the Desert\u003c/em> at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/castro-theatre\">Castro Theatre\u003c/a> is not, strictly speaking, a “film event.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a film, sure. But it also doubles as the Castro Theatre’s long-awaited reopening after a two-year closure. It’s a celebration. It’s not Film 101 like \u003cem>Stalker\u003c/em> or \u003cem>Ikiru\u003c/em> or \u003cem>In the Mood for Love\u003c/em>; it’s \u003cem>Priscilla\u003c/em> — a communion, a camp fest, and a party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And, since it is the first movie shown at the newly renovated Castro, once my favorite movie theater in the entire world, I am duty-bound to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See, I have been talking my head off about the Castro to anyone who will listen for the past four years, ever since Another Planet Entertainment, the live music promoter, announced plans to convert it into a multi-use venue. I’ve \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13908311/castro-theatre-to-become-live-music-and-events-venue-after-renovation\">reported\u003c/a> on the story \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13917362/theres-only-one-castro-theatre-why-change-it-now\">publicly\u003c/a>, and also, as my coworkers will attest, ranted pessimistically about it in private. I have been “that guy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986461\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986461\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-2000x1500.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-160x120.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0897-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ceiling in the balcony of the Castro Theatre is readied for reopening on Feb. 5, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Like thousands of others, I’d loyally seen movies there for 30 years. I \u003cem>loved\u003c/em> the Castro. It was reasonable to be worried. Another Planet does not operate any other venue that shows film — how could they possibly uphold their requirement by the Planning Commission to do so, for 75 days out of each calendar year? And how could they destroy a beloved institution’s original floor seating to become yet another music venue, with a tacked-on film element, in a city with no other movie palaces? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus, I never minded the run-down look of the Castro. While it was hard to argue with restoring the ceiling, upgrading the sound, fixing the roof and adding ADA compliance, was it a fair trade-off for losing around-the-clock film programming?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The whole thing felt like someone walking into \u003ca href=\"https://tommysjoynt.com/about\">Tommy’s Joynt\u003c/a> and saying, “Nice place, good potential. But let’s take all this garbage off the walls and repaint it. And say, why don’t we put in a matcha bar?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986460\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986460\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-16_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newly renovated interior at the Castro Theatre during its grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">S\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>o while touring the theater the day before it opened, I was mainly fixated on how it would show movies. Another Planet needed to appease three contingents with this project: the LGBTQ community, the Castro neighborhood, and the film community. Their bookings so far lean very queer, a good thing, and they’ll easily bring people, and money, to the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Film, though, was still an open question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>I was glad to learn that the projection booth retains both a 35mm and 70mm film projector, along with a new digital 4K BARCO projector. The screen is 36 feet by 25 feet, similar in size to the old one. There’s a new sound system, and in classic movie-palace style, the speakers sit behind the screen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There’s a bar at the back of the auditorium for concerts, but it’s fully removable and will be absent for film screenings. Film booking is done in-house, and festivals like Berlin & Beyond, the SF Silent Film Festival and Frameline are all returning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986458\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-12_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">New seats await filmgoers at the Castro Theatre during its grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The seats are ugly. There’s no other way to say it. The point of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11952358/sf-supes-ok-effort-renovate-castro-theater\">so much debate\u003c/a>, anger and town halls, the new seats aren’t technically folding chairs, but to me they still look like seats at a school assembly, with toothpick legs. They’re on six-inch risers with improved sight lines, and they’re padded and have cup holders, but if AMC installed these seats at their theaters they’d go out of business immediately. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sitting in the seats with Mary Conde, the senior vice president of Another Planet, I ask: you must know that some people will complain about this, right?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She nods. “We are prepared for that,” Conde says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986463\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986463\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-5_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">(L–R) Another Planet Entertainment Senior Vice President Mary Conde, Senator Scott Wiener, drag artist D’Arcy Drollinger and Mayor Daniel Lurie help cut the ribbon during the Castro Theatre’s grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class=\"utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__dropcapShortcode__dropcap\">T\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>he cops are milling around on Castro Street, trying to keep the teeming crowd on the sidewalk. It’s the Castro’s grand re-opening on Friday night, and politicians, drag queens, a marching band, a guy with a sign reading “\u003ca href=\"https://bsky.app/profile/gmeline.bsky.social/post/3mead4xikds26\">THIS SUCKS\u003c/a>,” security workers, lookie-loos, local merchants and movie fans have all congealed in front of the theater. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Who’s Sam Smith?” one of the cops asks, looking up at the marquee. “Some singer,” another replies, disinterestedly. “Here for two weeks, they say.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ruby Day from Beach Blanket Babylon sings “our national anthem,” “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/dv6mHsXKI2c?si=0ZOJwbwF341-ijm2\">San Francisco\u003c/a>.” Castro Supervisor Rafael Mandelman says “Go queers in construction!” Mayor Lurie does his we’re-so-back Lurie thing. The ribbon gets cut, the marching band strikes up, and we’re off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986464\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986464\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/20260206_CastroTheatreGrandReopening-8_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The newly renovated ceiling at the Castro Theatre during its grand reopening on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>People enter the theater and immediately look upward at the stunning new ceiling. One remembers “the \u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/12/castro_2.8.22_rosasandrew_23-copy_custom-54d51f69ab1b36290c8f6c747b6061b3de0f0c3d-1920x1281.jpe\">brown expanse that it used to be\u003c/a>.” The new 2,000-pound digital organ emerges from the stage, and a standing ovation ensues for David Hegarty, the Castro’s organist since 1978. He’s canonized as “St. Mellifluous” by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. There’s a sing-along to “Mamma Mia” with 14 drag queens on stage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Finally, after 42 minutes of pre-show, the movie starts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is my show-me-what-you-got moment. And, after the masking is adjusted, I have to say: the movie looks \u003cem>good\u003c/em>. The film print is clean, the focus is sharp and the presentation is bright, with a strong bulb in the projector. I also find that I don’t mind my seat at all, or how it feels. I am back at the Castro, this cathedral for film, watching a movie again. Could it be that all my worries were unfounded? What’s happening here?!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I will forever miss the old interior, and the sound system needs some fine-tuning. But I think to myself: I can live with this. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986465\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1447px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1447\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986465\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955.jpg 1447w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955-160x221.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955-768x1062.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/IMG_0955-1111x1536.jpg 1111w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1447px) 100vw, 1447px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Organist Dave Hegarty is honored at the grand reopening of the Castro Theatre on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Gabe Meline/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>At my age, I am trying to accept change. While \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13965624/oakland-as-last-game-songs-played-coliseum\">watching my last A’s game\u003c/a> at the Oakland Coliseum, another Bay Area cathedral, I considered the possibility that what makes a place special isn’t the place so much as the people. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Seared into my memory is the first movie I ever saw at the Castro: \u003cem>Grey Gardens\u003c/em>, which amazed me not only for its story but for the audience interaction. During \u003cem>Priscilla\u003c/em>, people cheer for Terence Stamp, who recently died, in the opening credits. They recite lines like “a cock in a frock on a rock” back to the screen. They laugh at the jokes, sing along to the drag numbers, and get silent for the emotional scenes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And me? For 104 minutes, I get lost in the film, forget about the past four years, and realize that when the lights go down, it’s still the same Castro magic. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "kehlani-san-jose-block-party-grammy-wins-folded",
"title": "After Two Grammy Wins, Kehlani Does a ‘Victory Lap’ at a Sold-Out San José Block Party",
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"headTitle": "After Two Grammy Wins, Kehlani Does a ‘Victory Lap’ at a Sold-Out San José Block Party | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>You would’ve thought \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kehlani\">Kehlani\u003c/a> was hanging out with 10,000 of her besties from her laid-back, jokey mood at the sold-out Big Game Block Party at San José City Hall on Friday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m always so grateful to be here when massive events get to happen in the Bay, and all these people come, and we get to host them, and they get to see how magical we are,” the Oakland-raised R&B star said breathlessly after opening her set with seven back-to-back anthems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13986328']With long hair billowing behind her in the heavy fog, Kehlani belted the flirty “Distraction” and cinematic “Gangsta” with supreme breath control, no backing track, while delivering taut, early-2000s-inspired choreo alongside her crew of athletic dancers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“’Cause for so long, only we knew how magical we were,” she continued with a grin amid massive applause. “Now you get these big-ass fuckin’ events, everyone comes here, and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’re fuckin’ cool, fuck y’all. But welcome!’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986446\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000.jpg\" alt=\"large happy crowd\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The crowd sings along during Kehlani’s Big Game Block Party at San José City Hall on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Amaya Edwards/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Repping the Bay during Super Bowl weekend wasn’t the only cause for celebration. Just five days ago, after 10 years of Billboard Hot 100 hits and five previous Grammy nominations, Kehlani finally won not one but two awards for “Folded.” It’s a smart, sexy and highly danceable single where she makes a bid for reconciliation with a love interest by offering to fold her clothes, flipping the old cliche of tossing them out on the lawn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, “Folded” reached No. 6 on Billboard — the biggest hit of Kehlani’s career so far, even after previous collaborations with mega-stars like Cardi B and Justin Bieber. Its organic success arrives after Kehlani went through some notable setbacks: Last year, her criticisms of Israel led several concert promoters to cancel a spate of shows. She received death threats and moved out of her house because of safety concerns, she revealed in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCzlxXLty-o\">Breakfast Club interview\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kehlani has arrived at a career apex without compromising her values. At last week’s Grammy Awards she implored her fellow artists to speak out against injustice and ended her \u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/kehlani-2026-grammys-acceptance-speech-ice-1236169276/\">acceptance speech\u003c/a> for Best R&B Performance with a resounding “fuck ICE.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000.jpg\" alt=\"singer and two dancers on stage with crowd holding phones\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehlani was fresh off two Grammy wins for ‘Folded’ on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Amaya Edwards/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In San José, however, Kehlani didn’t get into politics and leaned into the celebratory mood of the Super Bowl, which has Bay Area artists showing out at clubs, concerts and special events in the lead-up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bad-bunny\">Bad Bunny\u003c/a>’s halftime show performance (as well as the face-off between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If y’all see me drunk, don’t say nothin’. It was AI,” she joked as she invited the audience to the afterparty at San Francisco’s 1015 Folsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After performing an intimate rendition of “Everything,” where she stood at the mic stand and let her voice drip with devotion, Kehlani teased a snippet of an unreleased song from her forthcoming album, another ode to all-consuming love with the refrain, “There’s no such thing as I love you too much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986447\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986447\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000.jpg\" alt=\"dimly lit performer with mic\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehlani closed the night with her hit ‘Folded.’ \u003ccite>(Amaya Edwards/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Along with the ballad “Out the Window,” whose music video shows Kehlani literally dropping to her knees in the rain, this section of the set highlighted how exquisitely her songwriting conveys the aching feeling of yearning. The thousands-deep crowd of mostly Latinas, Filipinas and Black women in stylish sportswear and Y2K glamour cathartically belted along to the hits and deep cuts alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13986280']Then came the moment everyone was waiting for. “I won two Grammys for a song that came out two months ago, and I have to say I love you so much,” Kehlani gushed. “This is like a victory lap, and I wanna sing it with you guys.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the opening violin chords played, friends hugged, couples swayed and thousands of phones lit up in the air as the audience erupted into a joyous chorus: “I’ll let your body decide / if this is good enough for ya / already folding it for ya.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "After Grammy Wins, Kehlani Does a ‘Victory Lap’ in San José | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>You would’ve thought \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/kehlani\">Kehlani\u003c/a> was hanging out with 10,000 of her besties from her laid-back, jokey mood at the sold-out Big Game Block Party at San José City Hall on Friday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m always so grateful to be here when massive events get to happen in the Bay, and all these people come, and we get to host them, and they get to see how magical we are,” the Oakland-raised R&B star said breathlessly after opening her set with seven back-to-back anthems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>With long hair billowing behind her in the heavy fog, Kehlani belted the flirty “Distraction” and cinematic “Gangsta” with supreme breath control, no backing track, while delivering taut, early-2000s-inspired choreo alongside her crew of athletic dancers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“’Cause for so long, only we knew how magical we were,” she continued with a grin amid massive applause. “Now you get these big-ass fuckin’ events, everyone comes here, and we’re like, ‘Yeah, we’re fuckin’ cool, fuck y’all. But welcome!’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986446\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986446\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000.jpg\" alt=\"large happy crowd\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-11_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The crowd sings along during Kehlani’s Big Game Block Party at San José City Hall on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Amaya Edwards/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Repping the Bay during Super Bowl weekend wasn’t the only cause for celebration. Just five days ago, after 10 years of Billboard Hot 100 hits and five previous Grammy nominations, Kehlani finally won not one but two awards for “Folded.” It’s a smart, sexy and highly danceable single where she makes a bid for reconciliation with a love interest by offering to fold her clothes, flipping the old cliche of tossing them out on the lawn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last month, “Folded” reached No. 6 on Billboard — the biggest hit of Kehlani’s career so far, even after previous collaborations with mega-stars like Cardi B and Justin Bieber. Its organic success arrives after Kehlani went through some notable setbacks: Last year, her criticisms of Israel led several concert promoters to cancel a spate of shows. She received death threats and moved out of her house because of safety concerns, she revealed in a recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCzlxXLty-o\">Breakfast Club interview\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kehlani has arrived at a career apex without compromising her values. At last week’s Grammy Awards she implored her fellow artists to speak out against injustice and ended her \u003ca href=\"https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/kehlani-2026-grammys-acceptance-speech-ice-1236169276/\">acceptance speech\u003c/a> for Best R&B Performance with a resounding “fuck ICE.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986449\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986449\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000.jpg\" alt=\"singer and two dancers on stage with crowd holding phones\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-29_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehlani was fresh off two Grammy wins for ‘Folded’ on Feb. 6, 2026. \u003ccite>(Amaya Edwards/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In San José, however, Kehlani didn’t get into politics and leaned into the celebratory mood of the Super Bowl, which has Bay Area artists showing out at clubs, concerts and special events in the lead-up to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bad-bunny\">Bad Bunny\u003c/a>’s halftime show performance (as well as the face-off between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If y’all see me drunk, don’t say nothin’. It was AI,” she joked as she invited the audience to the afterparty at San Francisco’s 1015 Folsom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After performing an intimate rendition of “Everything,” where she stood at the mic stand and let her voice drip with devotion, Kehlani teased a snippet of an unreleased song from her forthcoming album, another ode to all-consuming love with the refrain, “There’s no such thing as I love you too much.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986447\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986447\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000.jpg\" alt=\"dimly lit performer with mic\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/260207_KehlaniBlockParty_EDIT-33_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kehlani closed the night with her hit ‘Folded.’ \u003ccite>(Amaya Edwards/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Along with the ballad “Out the Window,” whose music video shows Kehlani literally dropping to her knees in the rain, this section of the set highlighted how exquisitely her songwriting conveys the aching feeling of yearning. The thousands-deep crowd of mostly Latinas, Filipinas and Black women in stylish sportswear and Y2K glamour cathartically belted along to the hits and deep cuts alike.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Then came the moment everyone was waiting for. “I won two Grammys for a song that came out two months ago, and I have to say I love you so much,” Kehlani gushed. “This is like a victory lap, and I wanna sing it with you guys.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As the opening violin chords played, friends hugged, couples swayed and thousands of phones lit up in the air as the audience erupted into a joyous chorus: “I’ll let your body decide / if this is good enough for ya / already folding it for ya.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "the-cherry-orchard-review-marin-theatre",
"title": "‘The Cherry Orchard’ Is a Captivating Portrait of Family Delusion",
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"headTitle": "‘The Cherry Orchard’ Is a Captivating Portrait of Family Delusion | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Delusions do not pay the bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/marin-theatre-company\">Marin Theatre\u003c/a>’s interpretation of Anton Chekhov’s final play \u003cem>The Cherry Orchard\u003c/em>, Liubóv is coming to terms with this fact, but in the worst way possible. It is her pride, and her belief that everything will magically turn around, that causes her downfall — all while disregarding that her aristocratic lot in society teeters on the brink of disappearance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a wonderful translation by Paul Schmidt, Marin Theatre’s production soars with a gleaming cast built from some of the best acting talents in the region. Those talents are showcased with terrific movement and sharp tableaus from Carey Perloff’s erudite direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986404\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986404\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1305\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19-768x501.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19-1536x1002.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liubóv Andréyevna Ranyévskaya (Liz Sklar), Lopákhin (Lance Gardner), Firs (Howard Swain), and Gáyev (Anthony Fusco) in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Liubóv (Liz Sklar) returns from Paris after a five-year absence to her “nursery,” a residence that sits on the massive land beside the family cherry orchard. The property has become a drag on the family’s bank account, the orchard no longer holding the magic that birthed so many variations of cherry, including the delicious dried one that 87-year-old valet Firs (Howard Swain) recalls with luscious longing. When the wealthy Lopákhin (Lance Gardner), whose enslaved father and grandfather worked this very land, suggests building summer cottages as a way to stay, Liubóv scoffs at the mere suggestion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what options are there? Liubóv has lived her life firmly upon the richest clouds of Russian society at the turn of the 20th century. Her lifetime habit of wasteful spending is not a new problem, but one that’s reached a breaking point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The power of Chekhov’s story is evident: all of the characters in this archaic aristocracy are careening towards extinction. There’s Liubóv’s adopted daughter Varya (Rosie Hallett), who awkwardly prances around with a perpetual hood over her head, hopelessly in love with Lopákhin while facing her own demise as the estate’s manager. Liubóv’s brother Gáyev (Anthony Fusco) presents as a hollow member of the aristocracy, often flexing his bona fides and penchant for great billiards shots, while also insulting those he feels are beneath him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986409\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1409px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986409\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1409\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16.jpg 1409w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16-160x227.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16-768x1090.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16-1082x1536.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1409px) 100vw, 1409px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ánya (Anna Takayo) and Trofímov (Joseph O’Malley) reflect on the estate in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Liubóv’s biological daughter Ánya (Anna Takayo) is only 17, but shares a deep connection with eternal student Trofímov (Joseph O’Malley), who advertises to be above love, focusing instead on his idealistic worldview that resists materialism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perloff’s direction shines in its commitment to symbolism, highly enhanced by Nina Ball’s scenic design with plenty of rustic, antique dolls that have seen better days, beautifully lit by Kate Boyd. For much of the play, actions only exist in a grander context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13984286']Notice the brilliant moment where a passerby begs for money and asks to cut through the orchard. With Liubóv’s action of presenting this beggar a gold coin, the others thunder that her own serfs are starving. Her inability to understand her own frivolity is perhaps her greatest tragic flaw. Throwing a ball you can’t afford on the day your property is about to be auctioned off? Bless her heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Does this allow for a completely empathetic view of Liubóv, who is genuinely crushed by her own vices? Well, yes and no. While many are in no rush to shed tears for a class that has built their fortunes on the literal backs of others, the production makes clear the pain of letting go of the place where Liubóv’s young child lost his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986402\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986402\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1459\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11-768x560.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11-1536x1121.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lopákhin (Lance Gardner) and Várya (Rosie Hallett) share a moment in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Schmidt’s interpretation strikes a wonderful balance of drawing out the story’s tragic elements while being terribly funny. As Píschik, Danny Scheie continues to display his sharp hilarity as one of the region’s most skilled comic actors, whether searching for some money or dealing with a sudden jolt of gout. Jomar Tagatac’s bumbling clerk Yepikhódov showcases his fantastic commitment to physical comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13983649']The production’s range belongs to both Sklar and Gardner, two performers who possess oodles of stage presence. Sklar’s strength is advocating for a character who’s clueless about what is coming. Her performance is loaded with melancholy radiance — choosing to dance in the most inopportune moments, while hoping this will all just go away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gardner’s power comes from understanding how his Lopákhin has the upper hand, and his unbridled glee at his rise from the lowest rungs of his class, now on the cusp of generational financial power. That makes for one particularly breathtaking, devastating moment, when he’s alone with Varya in a perfect position to propose, choosing instead to pull the earth from beneath her. (Hallett, as Varya, is in full command of how to play disappointment and devastation with grace.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986403\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986403\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sisters Ánya (Anna Takayo) and Várya (Rosie Hallett) connect in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>None of the play’s symbols are as striking as what Swain does with Firs, who gently appears throughout the story. In one of the play’s most painful moments, Firs is simply forgotten, a life deemed insignificant now cast aside, no matter how loyal he was to those whom he loved. Swain’s devastating physical work, showcasing Firs’ body slowly giving way to age, speaks volumes about the fragile nature of the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chekhov’s characters are sometimes described as sipping delicious hot tea while the walls crumble around them. In \u003cem>The Cherry Orchard\u003c/em>, it’s not walls, but trees. And when those trees finally crumble, due to Lopákhin’s new vision, all that’s left of this obscure cherry orchard is a lonely old man, riddled with dementia, forgotten and unafraid.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Cherry Orchard’ runs through Feb. 22 at Marin Theatre (397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley). \u003ca href=\"https://www.marintheatre.org/show-details/the-cherry-orchard\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"title": "Review: ‘The Cherry Orchard’ Makes Family Delusion Captivating in Marin | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Delusions do not pay the bills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/marin-theatre-company\">Marin Theatre\u003c/a>’s interpretation of Anton Chekhov’s final play \u003cem>The Cherry Orchard\u003c/em>, Liubóv is coming to terms with this fact, but in the worst way possible. It is her pride, and her belief that everything will magically turn around, that causes her downfall — all while disregarding that her aristocratic lot in society teeters on the brink of disappearance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a wonderful translation by Paul Schmidt, Marin Theatre’s production soars with a gleaming cast built from some of the best acting talents in the region. Those talents are showcased with terrific movement and sharp tableaus from Carey Perloff’s erudite direction.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986404\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986404\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1305\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19-160x104.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19-768x501.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen19-1536x1002.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liubóv Andréyevna Ranyévskaya (Liz Sklar), Lopákhin (Lance Gardner), Firs (Howard Swain), and Gáyev (Anthony Fusco) in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Liubóv (Liz Sklar) returns from Paris after a five-year absence to her “nursery,” a residence that sits on the massive land beside the family cherry orchard. The property has become a drag on the family’s bank account, the orchard no longer holding the magic that birthed so many variations of cherry, including the delicious dried one that 87-year-old valet Firs (Howard Swain) recalls with luscious longing. When the wealthy Lopákhin (Lance Gardner), whose enslaved father and grandfather worked this very land, suggests building summer cottages as a way to stay, Liubóv scoffs at the mere suggestion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what options are there? Liubóv has lived her life firmly upon the richest clouds of Russian society at the turn of the 20th century. Her lifetime habit of wasteful spending is not a new problem, but one that’s reached a breaking point.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The power of Chekhov’s story is evident: all of the characters in this archaic aristocracy are careening towards extinction. There’s Liubóv’s adopted daughter Varya (Rosie Hallett), who awkwardly prances around with a perpetual hood over her head, hopelessly in love with Lopákhin while facing her own demise as the estate’s manager. Liubóv’s brother Gáyev (Anthony Fusco) presents as a hollow member of the aristocracy, often flexing his bona fides and penchant for great billiards shots, while also insulting those he feels are beneath him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986409\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1409px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986409\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1409\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16.jpg 1409w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16-160x227.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16-768x1090.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen16-1082x1536.jpg 1082w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1409px) 100vw, 1409px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ánya (Anna Takayo) and Trofímov (Joseph O’Malley) reflect on the estate in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Liubóv’s biological daughter Ánya (Anna Takayo) is only 17, but shares a deep connection with eternal student Trofímov (Joseph O’Malley), who advertises to be above love, focusing instead on his idealistic worldview that resists materialism.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perloff’s direction shines in its commitment to symbolism, highly enhanced by Nina Ball’s scenic design with plenty of rustic, antique dolls that have seen better days, beautifully lit by Kate Boyd. For much of the play, actions only exist in a grander context.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Notice the brilliant moment where a passerby begs for money and asks to cut through the orchard. With Liubóv’s action of presenting this beggar a gold coin, the others thunder that her own serfs are starving. Her inability to understand her own frivolity is perhaps her greatest tragic flaw. Throwing a ball you can’t afford on the day your property is about to be auctioned off? Bless her heart.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Does this allow for a completely empathetic view of Liubóv, who is genuinely crushed by her own vices? Well, yes and no. While many are in no rush to shed tears for a class that has built their fortunes on the literal backs of others, the production makes clear the pain of letting go of the place where Liubóv’s young child lost his life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986402\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986402\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1459\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11-768x560.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen11-1536x1121.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lopákhin (Lance Gardner) and Várya (Rosie Hallett) share a moment in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Schmidt’s interpretation strikes a wonderful balance of drawing out the story’s tragic elements while being terribly funny. As Píschik, Danny Scheie continues to display his sharp hilarity as one of the region’s most skilled comic actors, whether searching for some money or dealing with a sudden jolt of gout. Jomar Tagatac’s bumbling clerk Yepikhódov showcases his fantastic commitment to physical comedy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The production’s range belongs to both Sklar and Gardner, two performers who possess oodles of stage presence. Sklar’s strength is advocating for a character who’s clueless about what is coming. Her performance is loaded with melancholy radiance — choosing to dance in the most inopportune moments, while hoping this will all just go away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gardner’s power comes from understanding how his Lopákhin has the upper hand, and his unbridled glee at his rise from the lowest rungs of his class, now on the cusp of generational financial power. That makes for one particularly breathtaking, devastating moment, when he’s alone with Varya in a perfect position to propose, choosing instead to pull the earth from beneath her. (Hallett, as Varya, is in full command of how to play disappointment and devastation with grace.)\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986403\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986403\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/MT_TheCherryOrchard_DavidAllen13-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sisters Ánya (Anna Takayo) and Várya (Rosie Hallett) connect in Marin Theatre’s ‘The Cherry Orchard.’ \u003ccite>(David Allen)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>None of the play’s symbols are as striking as what Swain does with Firs, who gently appears throughout the story. In one of the play’s most painful moments, Firs is simply forgotten, a life deemed insignificant now cast aside, no matter how loyal he was to those whom he loved. Swain’s devastating physical work, showcasing Firs’ body slowly giving way to age, speaks volumes about the fragile nature of the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Chekhov’s characters are sometimes described as sipping delicious hot tea while the walls crumble around them. In \u003cem>The Cherry Orchard\u003c/em>, it’s not walls, but trees. And when those trees finally crumble, due to Lopákhin’s new vision, all that’s left of this obscure cherry orchard is a lonely old man, riddled with dementia, forgotten and unafraid.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘The Cherry Orchard’ runs through Feb. 22 at Marin Theatre (397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley). \u003ca href=\"https://www.marintheatre.org/show-details/the-cherry-orchard\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "theresa-hak-kyung-cha-multiple-offerings-bampfa-review",
"title": "At BAMPFA, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Eloquent Art Lives On",
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"headTitle": "At BAMPFA, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Eloquent Art Lives On | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>There are so many words in \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/theresa-hak-kyung-cha-multiple-offerings\">Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings\u003c/a>\u003c/i> that it can be a bit daunting to form a written response of one’s own. The retrospective at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bampfa\">Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/a>, curated by Victoria Sung with assistance from Tausif Noor, presents a decade of work by an artist who died too soon: in 1982, at the age of 31. The museum has housed her art and archives since 1992.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cha’s practice transcended media, but words — spoken, recorded, written — are nearly always at the center. Born in Busan, South Korea in 1951, she immigrated with her family to Hawaii in 1962. They moved to San Francisco two years later. Words in Korean, English and French punctuated and inscribed her practice, which included performances, sound pieces, films, artist books and mail art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley isn’t just the starting point for this traveling retrospective, it’s the geographical backdrop of Cha’s commitment to art. The artist spent eight years at UC Berkeley, getting bachelor’s degrees in comparative literature and art, then an MA and an MFA. She worked at the Pacific Film Archive, and as a preparator and video technician at the University Art Museum, BAMPFA’s precursor. Along the way, she showed at a mix of major Bay Area institutions and artist-run spaces: 63 Bluxome, La Mamelle, the San Francisco Art Institute, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 80 Langton Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986357\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986357\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000.jpg\" alt=\"image of Asian woman in black, one hand tucked in pocket, the other leaning on window she looks out of; stenciled text piece on raw canvas\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1404\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000-768x539.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">L: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha in 1979. R: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, ‘Repetitive Pattern,’ 1975. \u003ccite>(Photo by James H. Cha; Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The main body of my work is with language,” she wrote in an artist statement in the late ’70s, “‘looking for the roots of the language before it is born on the tip of the tongue.’” Later in the same text, she used the phrase “multiple telling with multiple offering” to describe how she combined images, text and sound to give audiences a variety of entry points into the works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite Cha’s short career, \u003ci>Multiple Offerings\u003c/i> contains over 100 works, starting with early ’70s forays into ceramics and weaving, and ending with \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ucpress.edu/books/dictee/paper\">Dictée\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, an 1982 experimental book published by Tanam Press. Shortly after the book was published, Cha was raped and murdered in New York City, where she moved in 1980.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That staggering loss — of a full life and career — threatens to overshadow any posthumous reception of Cha’s work. In the beautiful catalog that accompanies BAMPFA’s exhibition, Mason Leaver-Yap cautions against solely focusing on “absence” in Cha’s work. “The repeated emphasis on its ‘ghostliness’ congeals uncomfortably to a retrospective biographical lensing,” Leaver-Yap writes. Cha had no presentiment of her own death. In the mid-’70s she began a piece of text with “i have time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Multiple Offerings\u003c/i> fleshes out the art historical context of Cha’s years at Berkeley with show posters, sketchbooks and the contemporaries who influenced her work. Wrapping around one corner of the first gallery, documentation of a 1975 rehearsal for \u003ci>Aveugle Voix\u003c/i> (“blind voice”) shows Cha in large, warmly framed black-and-white photos, wrapping fabric around her eyes and mouth at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre. She unfurls a long white cloth with words stenciled down its center, then crouches, barefoot, head tucked into arms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986358\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000.jpg\" alt=\"gallery view with framed black and white photographs and a table of ceramics\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of ‘Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings’ at BAMPFA with ‘Aveugle Voix’ in the corner. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Much of Cha’s work was temporal — her body took up time and space in the moment of performance, then flattened into a series of still images, onto film or video footage. Save for her early ceramic vessels, very little of Cha’s work at BAMPFA extends beyond the thickness of a book. But \u003ci>Multiple Offerings\u003c/i> is far from immaterial. Unfolding gracefully via sound and moving image, the show rewards a slower pace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The formal spareness of Cha’s work, mainly rendered in a spectrum of black and white, belies its playfulness and generosity. She delighted in wordplay, printing text upside down and backwards, prying words apart into new formulations. \u003ci>A Ble Wail\u003c/i>, a 1975 performance piece, is read as “a blue whale.” In \u003ci>Dictée\u003c/i>, “afar” becomes “a far.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes her art looked like a magic trick. In the 1974 performance \u003ci>Barren Cave Mute\u003c/i>, she marked large sheets of white paper with invisible wax letters. As she held a candle to the paper, the wax melted to reveal the hidden message of the artwork’s title.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 1976 film \u003ci>Permutations\u003c/i> is made up of six one-second shots of Cha’s younger sister Bernadette, ordered and repeated by chance. Cha embedded herself in the film like a secret message, spliced between her sister’s images. In BAMPFA’s presentation, a suspended scrim catches the projection for a double-sided presentation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986376\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000.jpg\" alt=\"thick black edged envelopes mounted sticking out from burgundy wall\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986376\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, ‘Faire-Part,’ 1976; Ink and press type on fifteen envelopes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The exhibition moves chronologically and geographically, following Cha’s semester abroad in Paris in 1976 and her trips back to Korea in 1979 and 1980. European travel brought her into contact with Fluxus, mail art and, in Amsterdam, the conceptual artist and bookmaker Ulises Carrión. In Korea, she traveled with her brother James, shooting footage for \u003ci>White Dust from Mongolia\u003c/i>, a film that remained unfinished at her death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scattered throughout the show are works by her antecedents and successors. A sound and textile installation by Cecila Vicuña (subject of her own \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838208/at-bampfa-the-discarded-and-forgotten-become-prayers-for-the-future\">stunning BAMPFA retrospective\u003c/a> in 2018) adds vertical columns of gauzy color to the show’s restrained palette. \u003ca href=\"https://www.na-mira.com/\">Na Mira\u003c/a>’s video installation \u003ci>Marquee\u003c/i>, deploys some of Cha’s now-familiar tactics (reflection, text, a proxy figure) around a transistor radio tuned to the Los Angeles AM station Radio Korea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Distance, displacement, memory, grief — Cha addressed these seemingly inexpressible things from as many angles as possible, and sometimes from every angle at once. It’s an approach, an offering, that still feels instructive, even 44 years after her death. Cha made her work with generosity, curiosity and rigor, reminding us now that no matter how difficult it is to form the words, there’s great value in trying.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/theresa-hak-kyung-cha-multiple-offerings\">Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2155 Center St.) through April 19, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>There are so many words in \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/theresa-hak-kyung-cha-multiple-offerings\">Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings\u003c/a>\u003c/i> that it can be a bit daunting to form a written response of one’s own. The retrospective at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/bampfa\">Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive\u003c/a>, curated by Victoria Sung with assistance from Tausif Noor, presents a decade of work by an artist who died too soon: in 1982, at the age of 31. The museum has housed her art and archives since 1992.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cha’s practice transcended media, but words — spoken, recorded, written — are nearly always at the center. Born in Busan, South Korea in 1951, she immigrated with her family to Hawaii in 1962. They moved to San Francisco two years later. Words in Korean, English and French punctuated and inscribed her practice, which included performances, sound pieces, films, artist books and mail art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berkeley isn’t just the starting point for this traveling retrospective, it’s the geographical backdrop of Cha’s commitment to art. The artist spent eight years at UC Berkeley, getting bachelor’s degrees in comparative literature and art, then an MA and an MFA. She worked at the Pacific Film Archive, and as a preparator and video technician at the University Art Museum, BAMPFA’s precursor. Along the way, she showed at a mix of major Bay Area institutions and artist-run spaces: 63 Bluxome, La Mamelle, the San Francisco Art Institute, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 80 Langton Street.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986357\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986357\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000.jpg\" alt=\"image of Asian woman in black, one hand tucked in pocket, the other leaning on window she looks out of; stenciled text piece on raw canvas\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1404\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000-160x112.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000-768x539.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/01_Theresa-Hak-Kyung-Cha_Portrait-in-Studio_2000-1536x1078.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">L: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha in 1979. R: Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, ‘Repetitive Pattern,’ 1975. \u003ccite>(Photo by James H. Cha; Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The main body of my work is with language,” she wrote in an artist statement in the late ’70s, “‘looking for the roots of the language before it is born on the tip of the tongue.’” Later in the same text, she used the phrase “multiple telling with multiple offering” to describe how she combined images, text and sound to give audiences a variety of entry points into the works.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despite Cha’s short career, \u003ci>Multiple Offerings\u003c/i> contains over 100 works, starting with early ’70s forays into ceramics and weaving, and ending with \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ucpress.edu/books/dictee/paper\">Dictée\u003c/a>\u003c/i>, an 1982 experimental book published by Tanam Press. Shortly after the book was published, Cha was raped and murdered in New York City, where she moved in 1980.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That staggering loss — of a full life and career — threatens to overshadow any posthumous reception of Cha’s work. In the beautiful catalog that accompanies BAMPFA’s exhibition, Mason Leaver-Yap cautions against solely focusing on “absence” in Cha’s work. “The repeated emphasis on its ‘ghostliness’ congeals uncomfortably to a retrospective biographical lensing,” Leaver-Yap writes. Cha had no presentiment of her own death. In the mid-’70s she began a piece of text with “i have time.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Multiple Offerings\u003c/i> fleshes out the art historical context of Cha’s years at Berkeley with show posters, sketchbooks and the contemporaries who influenced her work. Wrapping around one corner of the first gallery, documentation of a 1975 rehearsal for \u003ci>Aveugle Voix\u003c/i> (“blind voice”) shows Cha in large, warmly framed black-and-white photos, wrapping fabric around her eyes and mouth at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre. She unfurls a long white cloth with words stenciled down its center, then crouches, barefoot, head tucked into arms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986358\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986358\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000.jpg\" alt=\"gallery view with framed black and white photographs and a table of ceramics\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_002_hpr_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of ‘Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings’ at BAMPFA with ‘Aveugle Voix’ in the corner. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Much of Cha’s work was temporal — her body took up time and space in the moment of performance, then flattened into a series of still images, onto film or video footage. Save for her early ceramic vessels, very little of Cha’s work at BAMPFA extends beyond the thickness of a book. But \u003ci>Multiple Offerings\u003c/i> is far from immaterial. Unfolding gracefully via sound and moving image, the show rewards a slower pace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The formal spareness of Cha’s work, mainly rendered in a spectrum of black and white, belies its playfulness and generosity. She delighted in wordplay, printing text upside down and backwards, prying words apart into new formulations. \u003ci>A Ble Wail\u003c/i>, a 1975 performance piece, is read as “a blue whale.” In \u003ci>Dictée\u003c/i>, “afar” becomes “a far.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes her art looked like a magic trick. In the 1974 performance \u003ci>Barren Cave Mute\u003c/i>, she marked large sheets of white paper with invisible wax letters. As she held a candle to the paper, the wax melted to reveal the hidden message of the artwork’s title.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 1976 film \u003ci>Permutations\u003c/i> is made up of six one-second shots of Cha’s younger sister Bernadette, ordered and repeated by chance. Cha embedded herself in the film like a secret message, spliced between her sister’s images. In BAMPFA’s presentation, a suspended scrim catches the projection for a double-sided presentation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986376\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000.jpg\" alt=\"thick black edged envelopes mounted sticking out from burgundy wall\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986376\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/Install_Multiple-Offerings_2026_130_hpr_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, ‘Faire-Part,’ 1976; Ink and press type on fifteen envelopes. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of BAMPFA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The exhibition moves chronologically and geographically, following Cha’s semester abroad in Paris in 1976 and her trips back to Korea in 1979 and 1980. European travel brought her into contact with Fluxus, mail art and, in Amsterdam, the conceptual artist and bookmaker Ulises Carrión. In Korea, she traveled with her brother James, shooting footage for \u003ci>White Dust from Mongolia\u003c/i>, a film that remained unfinished at her death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scattered throughout the show are works by her antecedents and successors. A sound and textile installation by Cecila Vicuña (subject of her own \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13838208/at-bampfa-the-discarded-and-forgotten-become-prayers-for-the-future\">stunning BAMPFA retrospective\u003c/a> in 2018) adds vertical columns of gauzy color to the show’s restrained palette. \u003ca href=\"https://www.na-mira.com/\">Na Mira\u003c/a>’s video installation \u003ci>Marquee\u003c/i>, deploys some of Cha’s now-familiar tactics (reflection, text, a proxy figure) around a transistor radio tuned to the Los Angeles AM station Radio Korea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Distance, displacement, memory, grief — Cha addressed these seemingly inexpressible things from as many angles as possible, and sometimes from every angle at once. It’s an approach, an offering, that still feels instructive, even 44 years after her death. Cha made her work with generosity, curiosity and rigor, reminding us now that no matter how difficult it is to form the words, there’s great value in trying.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://bampfa.org/program/theresa-hak-kyung-cha-multiple-offerings\">Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Multiple Offerings\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (2155 Center St.) through April 19, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "cece-carpio-somarts-exhibition",
"title": "Time Traveling Through Cece Carpio’s New Exhibition at SOMArts",
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"headTitle": "Time Traveling Through Cece Carpio’s New Exhibition at SOMArts | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986215\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986215\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of two women wearing masks, facing each other, mounted on a green background in an art gallery.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio. ‘Brass and Copper,’ 2017. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Inside SOMArts gallery, the walls are adorned with sharp machete blades everywhere, and a pair of adorable, covertly embedded dangly earrings. Bold depictions of goddesses, painted in acrylic on wood and canvas, are surrounded by real bird feathers, wicker fans and seashells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one corner, a suspended pile of sticks rotating counterclockwise is accentuated with miscellaneous objects, including a mug with the face of Gromit from \u003cem>Wallace and Gromit\u003c/em>. In another corner, a multimedia installation airs an archival video from the \u003ca href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/4713466.stm\">EDSA People Power Revolution of February 1986\u003c/a> in Manila, Philippines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986202\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13986202 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A colorful display of paintings on two vertically standing surf boards that bookend a shrine-like display of arts. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio, ‘The Central Altar,’ 2026. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The wide range of materials — which also includes boots, a bottle of small-batch rum, surf boards, driftwood, brass bowls, copper containers and more blades than one can count — is all part of renowned visual artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.cececarpio.com/\">Cece Carpio\u003c/a>’s first solo gallery exhibition, \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://somarts.org/exhibition/tabitabipo/\">Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out with the Spirits! You Are Welcome Here\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The literal translation is ‘set aside, set aside,'” Carpio says of the exhibition’s title during a video call, noting the cultural norm of repeating a word for of emphasis. The title derives from the belief that spirits live in the forest, where one must “carve pathways” and “ask for permission to be able to walk through where they’re living.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The exhibition, on view through March 29, provides a look into the heritage, heart and mind of a longtime painter whose work can be found on walls of the streets around the Bay Area, and in countries around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using more than paint, Carpio combines multiple mediums with poetically penned descriptions, bringing audiences into a world where time travel and mysticism overlap with oral traditions and family history. Ultimately, her work reimagines what we understand, and creatively fills in the gaps where knowledge is lacking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986203\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986203\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A painted image of three brown-skinned faces, all with their eyes closed, next to each other as they're surrounded by pink flower pedals. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio, ‘Bugambilia,’ 2025. \u003ccite>(Brandon Williams)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in the Philippines and raised by her great-grandmother until the age of 12, Carpio attests that, in many ways, this exhibition is an ode to the matriarch of her family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She passed away in 1998 when she was 99 years old,” Carpio says of her great-grandmother. The year of her birth, 1899, is now tattooed on the artist’s neck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carpio’s great-grandmother was a midwife, an herbalist, a farmer and more. She survived wars and outlived her husband, as well as her own children. “She raised my mother, who then left [for America] when I was like three months old, and then she raised me,” says Carpio, affirming that her great-grandmother raised five generations in total. “Her story \u003cem>is\u003c/em> time travel.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Childhood interactions with her great-grandmother brought about Carpio’s earliest art pieces. Living in a farming village where tropical fruits readily grew, Carpio would illustrate things that were rare to her, like apples brought back from the United States by her parents during visits. When Carpio wasn’t teaching her great-grandmother how to read numbers, she would illustrate stories she’d learned at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted share that with her,” Carpio tells me. “Obviously, there were words” — at the time, she was also learning English herself — “but sometimes, the images actually say so much more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918.jpg\" alt=\"Through white clothing on a clothes line a painted picture is revealed, depicting a woman balancing a gourd on her head with one hand. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio, ‘Indianale: Goddess of Labor,’ 2019. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Education went both ways. Carpio’s great-grandmother, not a woman of many words, would wake every morning and sweep the leaves in the front yard before burning them; a custom in their village. Carpio sees this seemingly mundane practice, a morning meditation of sorts, as a microcosm of the lack of understanding about indigenous cultures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re an outsider looking in, then it’s something unfamiliar. I guess that’s what they make a lot of movies and animation about,” she posits, referencing the scene from \u003cem>The Little Mermaid\u003c/em> where Ariel sees a fork and thinks it’s a comb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it’s not familiar in people’s eyes, then it is going to be odd, it is going to be awkward, it’s going to be weird,” Carpio says sharply. “But if you practice it every day, and you have a whole community practicing every day, you don’t necessarily question it anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13986205 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A small figurine placed in a pile of foliage, mounted on a bamboo-raft like object. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A small community offering sits atop Cece Carpio’s ‘Maganda at Malakas,’ 2023. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Navigating “the norm” has been prevalent throughout Carpio’s life. As a kid she accepted that her parents living nearly 7,000 miles away was the way things were. When Carpio herself moved to the United States as a preteen, she learned to deal with cultural differences — namely, her accent — by drawing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Art became a tool of communication,” she says, recalling middle school days where she’d draw characters and flyers for folks’ birthday parties in exchange for a dollar or two. “And that made me cool,” Carpio says with a laugh. “It’s like, ‘It’s that girl who, I don’t know if she talks, but she can draw.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blessed to have landed in the Bay Area, Carpio still celebrates finding “like-hearted and like-minded people.” She’s built deep bonds with others also raised by their grandparents or great-grandparents. She’s befriended folks who listened to bedtime stories that didn’t come from books, but from the mouths of elders. She’s found community in people who were also allowed to play with machetes at five years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986206\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13986206\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"A broad view of multiple art pieces inside of a gallery with moody lighting. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A installation view of Cece Carpio’s exhibition ‘Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out with the Spirits! You Are Welcome Here’ at SOMArts in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To this day, Carpio, a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.trustyourstruggle.org/\">Trust Your Struggle Collective\u003c/a>, says that members of her crew sometimes gift small daggers to each other. Both practical and symbolic, Carpio says the daggers are a reminder that “we are trying to cut the injustices of… all those things that we know are not working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up poor, she says, forced Carpio to dream. In turn, her imagination became a tool of survival. She learned to change things she couldn’t control, and create things when there was a lack. She used story, myths and folklore to explain the incomprehensible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s on par with how she lives now. “In this show,” she says, “I’m highlighting some of those mythologies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using folklore and mythology, she says, is more normal than not. And, she adds, it plays a big part in her process of creating art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We create things that we not only imagine,” she professes, “but we \u003cem>see\u003c/em> and we \u003cem>believe\u003c/em>. At least that’s a hope.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://somarts.org/exhibition/tabitabipo/\">Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out with the Spirits! You Are Welcome Here\u003c/a>’ is on view through March 29 at SOMArts (934 Brannan St, San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://somarts.org/exhibition/tabitabipo/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986215\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986215\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of two women wearing masks, facing each other, mounted on a green background in an art gallery.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05930-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio. ‘Brass and Copper,’ 2017. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Inside SOMArts gallery, the walls are adorned with sharp machete blades everywhere, and a pair of adorable, covertly embedded dangly earrings. Bold depictions of goddesses, painted in acrylic on wood and canvas, are surrounded by real bird feathers, wicker fans and seashells.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In one corner, a suspended pile of sticks rotating counterclockwise is accentuated with miscellaneous objects, including a mug with the face of Gromit from \u003cem>Wallace and Gromit\u003c/em>. In another corner, a multimedia installation airs an archival video from the \u003ca href=\"http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/documentary_archive/4713466.stm\">EDSA People Power Revolution of February 1986\u003c/a> in Manila, Philippines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986202\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13986202 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A colorful display of paintings on two vertically standing surf boards that bookend a shrine-like display of arts. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05926-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio, ‘The Central Altar,’ 2026. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The wide range of materials — which also includes boots, a bottle of small-batch rum, surf boards, driftwood, brass bowls, copper containers and more blades than one can count — is all part of renowned visual artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.cececarpio.com/\">Cece Carpio\u003c/a>’s first solo gallery exhibition, \u003ci>\u003ca href=\"https://somarts.org/exhibition/tabitabipo/\">Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out with the Spirits! You Are Welcome Here\u003c/a>.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The literal translation is ‘set aside, set aside,'” Carpio says of the exhibition’s title during a video call, noting the cultural norm of repeating a word for of emphasis. The title derives from the belief that spirits live in the forest, where one must “carve pathways” and “ask for permission to be able to walk through where they’re living.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The exhibition, on view through March 29, provides a look into the heritage, heart and mind of a longtime painter whose work can be found on walls of the streets around the Bay Area, and in countries around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using more than paint, Carpio combines multiple mediums with poetically penned descriptions, bringing audiences into a world where time travel and mysticism overlap with oral traditions and family history. Ultimately, her work reimagines what we understand, and creatively fills in the gaps where knowledge is lacking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986203\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986203\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A painted image of three brown-skinned faces, all with their eyes closed, next to each other as they're surrounded by pink flower pedals. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05917-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio, ‘Bugambilia,’ 2025. \u003ccite>(Brandon Williams)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Born in the Philippines and raised by her great-grandmother until the age of 12, Carpio attests that, in many ways, this exhibition is an ode to the matriarch of her family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She passed away in 1998 when she was 99 years old,” Carpio says of her great-grandmother. The year of her birth, 1899, is now tattooed on the artist’s neck.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carpio’s great-grandmother was a midwife, an herbalist, a farmer and more. She survived wars and outlived her husband, as well as her own children. “She raised my mother, who then left [for America] when I was like three months old, and then she raised me,” says Carpio, affirming that her great-grandmother raised five generations in total. “Her story \u003cem>is\u003c/em> time travel.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Childhood interactions with her great-grandmother brought about Carpio’s earliest art pieces. Living in a farming village where tropical fruits readily grew, Carpio would illustrate things that were rare to her, like apples brought back from the United States by her parents during visits. When Carpio wasn’t teaching her great-grandmother how to read numbers, she would illustrate stories she’d learned at school.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted share that with her,” Carpio tells me. “Obviously, there were words” — at the time, she was also learning English herself — “but sometimes, the images actually say so much more.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986204\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13986204\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918.jpg\" alt=\"Through white clothing on a clothes line a painted picture is revealed, depicting a woman balancing a gourd on her head with one hand. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05918-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cece Carpio, ‘Indianale: Goddess of Labor,’ 2019. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Education went both ways. Carpio’s great-grandmother, not a woman of many words, would wake every morning and sweep the leaves in the front yard before burning them; a custom in their village. Carpio sees this seemingly mundane practice, a morning meditation of sorts, as a microcosm of the lack of understanding about indigenous cultures.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re an outsider looking in, then it’s something unfamiliar. I guess that’s what they make a lot of movies and animation about,” she posits, referencing the scene from \u003cem>The Little Mermaid\u003c/em> where Ariel sees a fork and thinks it’s a comb.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If it’s not familiar in people’s eyes, then it is going to be odd, it is going to be awkward, it’s going to be weird,” Carpio says sharply. “But if you practice it every day, and you have a whole community practicing every day, you don’t necessarily question it anymore.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986205\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1707px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-13986205 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A small figurine placed in a pile of foliage, mounted on a bamboo-raft like object. \" width=\"1707\" height=\"2560\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-scaled.jpg 1707w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05934-1365x2048.jpg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1707px) 100vw, 1707px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A small community offering sits atop Cece Carpio’s ‘Maganda at Malakas,’ 2023. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Navigating “the norm” has been prevalent throughout Carpio’s life. As a kid she accepted that her parents living nearly 7,000 miles away was the way things were. When Carpio herself moved to the United States as a preteen, she learned to deal with cultural differences — namely, her accent — by drawing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Art became a tool of communication,” she says, recalling middle school days where she’d draw characters and flyers for folks’ birthday parties in exchange for a dollar or two. “And that made me cool,” Carpio says with a laugh. “It’s like, ‘It’s that girl who, I don’t know if she talks, but she can draw.'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blessed to have landed in the Bay Area, Carpio still celebrates finding “like-hearted and like-minded people.” She’s built deep bonds with others also raised by their grandparents or great-grandparents. She’s befriended folks who listened to bedtime stories that didn’t come from books, but from the mouths of elders. She’s found community in people who were also allowed to play with machetes at five years old.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13986206\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13986206\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-2000x1333.jpg\" alt=\"A broad view of multiple art pieces inside of a gallery with moody lighting. \" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-2000x1333.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/02/A7R05959-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A installation view of Cece Carpio’s exhibition ‘Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out with the Spirits! You Are Welcome Here’ at SOMArts in San Francisco. \u003ccite>(Brandon Robinson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To this day, Carpio, a member of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.trustyourstruggle.org/\">Trust Your Struggle Collective\u003c/a>, says that members of her crew sometimes gift small daggers to each other. Both practical and symbolic, Carpio says the daggers are a reminder that “we are trying to cut the injustices of… all those things that we know are not working.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing up poor, she says, forced Carpio to dream. In turn, her imagination became a tool of survival. She learned to change things she couldn’t control, and create things when there was a lack. She used story, myths and folklore to explain the incomprehensible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s on par with how she lives now. “In this show,” she says, “I’m highlighting some of those mythologies.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using folklore and mythology, she says, is more normal than not. And, she adds, it plays a big part in her process of creating art.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We create things that we not only imagine,” she professes, “but we \u003cem>see\u003c/em> and we \u003cem>believe\u003c/em>. At least that’s a hope.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://somarts.org/exhibition/tabitabipo/\">Tabi Tabi Po: Come Out with the Spirits! You Are Welcome Here\u003c/a>’ is on view through March 29 at SOMArts (934 Brannan St, San Francisco). \u003ca href=\"https://somarts.org/exhibition/tabitabipo/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Home is a complicated place for \u003ca href=\"https://www.anoushkamirchandani.com/\">Anoushka Mirchandani\u003c/a>. The India-born, San Francisco-based painter — currently an artist in residence at Silver Art Projects in New York City — has recently returned to the Bay Area for her first solo museum show, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.icasanjose.org/current-exhibitions/mybodywasariveronce/\">My Body Was A River Once\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. Here, Mirchandani transmutes transience and diasporic experience into four distinct bodies of work: medium- to large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings, paintings on silk organza, wooden and glass sculptures, and an audio installation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13985855']The first gallery in the exhibition features eight paintings that blend Mirchandani’s signature and spare figurative style with her recent exploration of landscape painting. Her nude female subjects wander and recline amidst foliage and bathe in pools of water, immersed in the landscape to the point of becoming indistinguishable. Body parts fade in and out of the natural surroundings. The background of the painting overtakes a figure’s form in some places, the figure breaks from its environment dramatically in others. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Often, these wanderers are solitary. In \u003cem>All Us Come Cross the Water\u003c/em>, a group of women bathe together in a mountain lake — or perhaps it is a single figure, seen at different moments in time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani has long painted these types of figures: outlined in oil stick, blending with their environments, a play between background and foreground creating a dynamic visual and conceptual motif. Previously, the majority of her settings have been architectural — balconies, bedrooms, doorways. Here, her figures blur and meld with their surrounding landscapes more seamlessly than in past work. Set loose from a built environment they once resisted or assimilated into, their disappearance into a nature now speaks to transience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985916\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000.jpg\" alt=\"large paining of woman in landscape with wooden sculptures surrounding\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985916\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of Anoushka Mirchandani’s show ‘My Body Was A River Once’ at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. \u003ccite>(ICA San José)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Mirchandani, these figures reference apsaras, shapeshifting water spirits in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Their supernatural mutability correlates to a diasporic sense of displacement and assimilation, a process of reinventing oneself in order to locate a sense of belonging. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani’s natural settings are themselves collaged from a number of reference photos taken across the globe — India, Mount Tamalpais, New Mexico. The combined landscapes are not quite real, but not entirely imagined, either. They provide a makeshift home for Mirchandani’s ghostly characters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My family has a history of treating home like an anxious attachment with a lover,” the painter tells KQED. There is a sense of yearning throughout the work on view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In each of her canvases, Mirchandani uses the same color for the underpainting, a dark red that pays homage to the natural clay of Maharashtra, the Indian state she’s from. In some places, the color bleeds through thinner parts of the overpainting; it’s a literal foundation for both the artist and her work. In her search for a sense of belonging, Mirchandani can’t quite let go of the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985923\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b.jpg\" alt=\"nude female figure sits beside pool of water\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985923\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anoushka Mirchandani, ‘Cherry Springs,’ 2025; Oil, oil stick, and oil pastel on canvas. \u003ccite>(Courtesy the artist and Yossi Milo, New York; Photo by Paul Rho)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In this vein, a fraught tension between place and displacement shows up in material juxtapositions throughout the show. Wall-mounted wooden sculptures dot the exhibition’s main gallery, curving around the room’s corners and bending to frame individual paintings like the gnarled limbs of trees. Each branch bears an unexpected fruit. Several wooden and glass spines sprout from the sculptures, giving them the appearance of large cacti or strange sea urchins. The glass spines glitter brilliantly at certain angles and turn invisible at others, like drops of water. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sculptural forms lend to the organic theme of the landscape paintings but the spikes speak of hostility, drawing the viewer in and simultaneously warning “keep your distance.” The hostile installation feels like a declaration of possession by the artist, safeguarding her story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of long silk paintings hang ceiling to floor in a darkened second gallery that also includes an audio installation, both titled \u003cem>I Am Everywhere the Water Has Been\u003c/em>. The silks, featuring more female bathers, function as a single, multi-panel artwork. Some panels float behind others, blurring and obscuring painted images like a view through water. The specialized audio installation, a collaboration with producer Sanaya Ardeshir, layers interviews with Mirchandani’s grandmother; field recordings from Western Ghats; and the artist’s own abstract vocalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985917\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"paintings frame doorway with hanging silk pieces\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985917\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of Anoushka Mirchandani’s show ‘My Body Was A River Once’ at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. \u003ccite>(ICA San José)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani only recently began talking to her grandmother, who lived through the 1947 partition of India, about her experiences of migration. She has recorded and compiled the conversations into an archive that’s now starting to inform her painting practice, as well as her 2024 documentary short \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.anoushkamirchandani.com/new-page-3\">Landscapes of Longing\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. The archive itself is part reality, part fiction and part myth, and the audio installation at the ICA San José is similarly fragmented, layered intentionally to further obscure any coherent narrative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My archive is very fluid and amorphous,” Mirchandani says. “My family doesn’t have any heirlooms — just oral history and a few photos.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani’s family history is as collaged as the landscapes her figures occupy. It exists as snatches of memory and second-hand knowledge passed down through generations. So it follows that her representation of that history would feel pieced together, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The artist’s fragmented approach to this narrative is in some ways intentional, and in other ways symptomatic. In conveying the experience of an unsettled state of being, \u003cem>My Body Was A River Once\u003c/em> also feels full of potential, on the verge of something more expansive. While the show is a bold departure into new territory for the artist, it’s clearly just the first step. I can’t wait to see where in the world Mirchandani goes next.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.icasanjose.org/current-exhibitions/mybodywasariveronce/\">My Body Was A River Once\u003c/a>’ is on view at the ICA San José (560 S 1st St., San José) through Aug. 23, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Home is a complicated place for \u003ca href=\"https://www.anoushkamirchandani.com/\">Anoushka Mirchandani\u003c/a>. The India-born, San Francisco-based painter — currently an artist in residence at Silver Art Projects in New York City — has recently returned to the Bay Area for her first solo museum show, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.icasanjose.org/current-exhibitions/mybodywasariveronce/\">My Body Was A River Once\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. Here, Mirchandani transmutes transience and diasporic experience into four distinct bodies of work: medium- to large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings, paintings on silk organza, wooden and glass sculptures, and an audio installation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The first gallery in the exhibition features eight paintings that blend Mirchandani’s signature and spare figurative style with her recent exploration of landscape painting. Her nude female subjects wander and recline amidst foliage and bathe in pools of water, immersed in the landscape to the point of becoming indistinguishable. Body parts fade in and out of the natural surroundings. The background of the painting overtakes a figure’s form in some places, the figure breaks from its environment dramatically in others. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Often, these wanderers are solitary. In \u003cem>All Us Come Cross the Water\u003c/em>, a group of women bathe together in a mountain lake — or perhaps it is a single figure, seen at different moments in time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani has long painted these types of figures: outlined in oil stick, blending with their environments, a play between background and foreground creating a dynamic visual and conceptual motif. Previously, the majority of her settings have been architectural — balconies, bedrooms, doorways. Here, her figures blur and meld with their surrounding landscapes more seamlessly than in past work. Set loose from a built environment they once resisted or assimilated into, their disappearance into a nature now speaks to transience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985916\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000.jpg\" alt=\"large paining of woman in landscape with wooden sculptures surrounding\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985916\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A1968_V3_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of Anoushka Mirchandani’s show ‘My Body Was A River Once’ at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. \u003ccite>(ICA San José)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>For Mirchandani, these figures reference apsaras, shapeshifting water spirits in Hindu and Buddhist mythology. Their supernatural mutability correlates to a diasporic sense of displacement and assimilation, a process of reinventing oneself in order to locate a sense of belonging. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani’s natural settings are themselves collaged from a number of reference photos taken across the globe — India, Mount Tamalpais, New Mexico. The combined landscapes are not quite real, but not entirely imagined, either. They provide a makeshift home for Mirchandani’s ghostly characters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My family has a history of treating home like an anxious attachment with a lover,” the painter tells KQED. There is a sense of yearning throughout the work on view.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In each of her canvases, Mirchandani uses the same color for the underpainting, a dark red that pays homage to the natural clay of Maharashtra, the Indian state she’s from. In some places, the color bleeds through thinner parts of the overpainting; it’s a literal foundation for both the artist and her work. In her search for a sense of belonging, Mirchandani can’t quite let go of the past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985923\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1333px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b.jpg\" alt=\"nude female figure sits beside pool of water\" width=\"1333\" height=\"2000\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985923\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b.jpg 1333w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b-160x240.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b-768x1152.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Photo-credit_-Paul-Rho_2000b-1024x1536.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anoushka Mirchandani, ‘Cherry Springs,’ 2025; Oil, oil stick, and oil pastel on canvas. \u003ccite>(Courtesy the artist and Yossi Milo, New York; Photo by Paul Rho)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In this vein, a fraught tension between place and displacement shows up in material juxtapositions throughout the show. Wall-mounted wooden sculptures dot the exhibition’s main gallery, curving around the room’s corners and bending to frame individual paintings like the gnarled limbs of trees. Each branch bears an unexpected fruit. Several wooden and glass spines sprout from the sculptures, giving them the appearance of large cacti or strange sea urchins. The glass spines glitter brilliantly at certain angles and turn invisible at others, like drops of water. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The sculptural forms lend to the organic theme of the landscape paintings but the spikes speak of hostility, drawing the viewer in and simultaneously warning “keep your distance.” The hostile installation feels like a declaration of possession by the artist, safeguarding her story.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of long silk paintings hang ceiling to floor in a darkened second gallery that also includes an audio installation, both titled \u003cem>I Am Everywhere the Water Has Been\u003c/em>. The silks, featuring more female bathers, function as a single, multi-panel artwork. Some panels float behind others, blurring and obscuring painted images like a view through water. The specialized audio installation, a collaboration with producer Sanaya Ardeshir, layers interviews with Mirchandani’s grandmother; field recordings from Western Ghats; and the artist’s own abstract vocalizations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985917\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"paintings frame doorway with hanging silk pieces\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985917\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/0T5A2146_V2_2000-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Installation view of Anoushka Mirchandani’s show ‘My Body Was A River Once’ at the Institute of Contemporary Art San José. \u003ccite>(ICA San José)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani only recently began talking to her grandmother, who lived through the 1947 partition of India, about her experiences of migration. She has recorded and compiled the conversations into an archive that’s now starting to inform her painting practice, as well as her 2024 documentary short \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.anoushkamirchandani.com/new-page-3\">Landscapes of Longing\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. The archive itself is part reality, part fiction and part myth, and the audio installation at the ICA San José is similarly fragmented, layered intentionally to further obscure any coherent narrative.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“My archive is very fluid and amorphous,” Mirchandani says. “My family doesn’t have any heirlooms — just oral history and a few photos.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mirchandani’s family history is as collaged as the landscapes her figures occupy. It exists as snatches of memory and second-hand knowledge passed down through generations. So it follows that her representation of that history would feel pieced together, too. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The artist’s fragmented approach to this narrative is in some ways intentional, and in other ways symptomatic. In conveying the experience of an unsettled state of being, \u003cem>My Body Was A River Once\u003c/em> also feels full of potential, on the verge of something more expansive. While the show is a bold departure into new territory for the artist, it’s clearly just the first step. I can’t wait to see where in the world Mirchandani goes next.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.icasanjose.org/current-exhibitions/mybodywasariveronce/\">My Body Was A River Once\u003c/a>’ is on view at the ICA San José (560 S 1st St., San José) through Aug. 23, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/jazz\">Jazz\u003c/a> is dead, or so the perennial phrase goes, spoken by the jaded olds. And year after year, young artists prove them wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Case in point: \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rbk_flute/?hl=en\">Rabiah Kabir\u003c/a> brought her sextet to the Black Cat Wednesday night for a 90-minute set that was equal parts fresh, inventive and \u003cem>fun\u003c/em>. Performing songs from her recent album \u003cem>Jezebel: Rewritten\u003c/em>, the flutist and composer showed that so long as jazz is infused with new ideas and inspirations, it will be infinitely reborn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That much was evident from the first song, “Flute / Overture,” with electronic samples of birdsong and hopscotch-like sound effects. On the album, the song is dotted with samples of interviews Kabir undertook for her Stanford thesis \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ccsre.stanford.edu/undergraduate-resources/project-archives/jezebel-flute-female-flute-players-black-feminism-and\">The Jezebel Flute: Female Flute Players, Black Feminism and “The Masculine Jazz Spectrum”\u003c/a>\u003c/em>; onstage Wednesday, she referred to her celebration of “the power of femininity in music.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13985679']Odd time signatures undergird Kabir’s music, on Wednesday propelled by drummer Jaycie Grady along with the driving bassist Leela Paymai, whose compositions from a Persian-jazz project, \u003ca href=\"https://zheniia.com/\">ZHENIIA\u003c/a>, were also featured onstage to great effect. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one point, Aymai spoke of the historic protests in Iran, and Kabir introduced “The ReZident,” a song inspired by her time studying in Cape Town, by noting that jazz has always been protest music. During an arrangement of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” pianist Julian Lopez picked up the mic to rap about media manipulation, U.S. imperialism and the bombardment of Gaza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kabir, who sat at the piano herself for an improvised solo number, shouted out her parents, educators, and collaborators, which included Nathan Sariowan on violin and Wesley Larlarb on guest piano. Ethan Buck, on alto saxophone, shined while doubling Kabir’s solos with his own simultaneous soaring lines, bringing the set to repeated climaxes. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>https://youtu.be/Kf5iJYIH9zs?si=_oNv0qNYr0aVqSmN\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it was Kabir’s night, and rightly so. Neither a soul flutist in the vein of Bobbi Humphrey, an avant-gardist like Eric Dolphy nor a showman like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Kabir is reaching for something deeper, and she frequently finds it. On “Red Shapes and Green Shapes,” a song inspired by a loved one of Kabir’s who’s currently in London and missed the show, her solo started low and introspective, the sound of loneliness, then gradually built to high wails, as if calling across the sea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The set ended with “I Crashed My Car” — a song I \u003ca href=\"http://The%20Bay%20Area%E2%80%99s%20best%20music%20critics%20pick%20the%20best%20songs%20of%202025\">liked very much last year\u003c/a> — but the trajectory of Rabiah Kabir is far from over. Keep an eye on this one, folks. \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/jazz\">Jazz\u003c/a> is dead, or so the perennial phrase goes, spoken by the jaded olds. And year after year, young artists prove them wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Case in point: \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/rbk_flute/?hl=en\">Rabiah Kabir\u003c/a> brought her sextet to the Black Cat Wednesday night for a 90-minute set that was equal parts fresh, inventive and \u003cem>fun\u003c/em>. Performing songs from her recent album \u003cem>Jezebel: Rewritten\u003c/em>, the flutist and composer showed that so long as jazz is infused with new ideas and inspirations, it will be infinitely reborn.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That much was evident from the first song, “Flute / Overture,” with electronic samples of birdsong and hopscotch-like sound effects. On the album, the song is dotted with samples of interviews Kabir undertook for her Stanford thesis \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ccsre.stanford.edu/undergraduate-resources/project-archives/jezebel-flute-female-flute-players-black-feminism-and\">The Jezebel Flute: Female Flute Players, Black Feminism and “The Masculine Jazz Spectrum”\u003c/a>\u003c/em>; onstage Wednesday, she referred to her celebration of “the power of femininity in music.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Odd time signatures undergird Kabir’s music, on Wednesday propelled by drummer Jaycie Grady along with the driving bassist Leela Paymai, whose compositions from a Persian-jazz project, \u003ca href=\"https://zheniia.com/\">ZHENIIA\u003c/a>, were also featured onstage to great effect. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At one point, Aymai spoke of the historic protests in Iran, and Kabir introduced “The ReZident,” a song inspired by her time studying in Cape Town, by noting that jazz has always been protest music. During an arrangement of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” pianist Julian Lopez picked up the mic to rap about media manipulation, U.S. imperialism and the bombardment of Gaza.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kabir, who sat at the piano herself for an improvised solo number, shouted out her parents, educators, and collaborators, which included Nathan Sariowan on violin and Wesley Larlarb on guest piano. Ethan Buck, on alto saxophone, shined while doubling Kabir’s solos with his own simultaneous soaring lines, bringing the set to repeated climaxes. \u003c/p>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/Kf5iJYIH9zs'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/Kf5iJYIH9zs'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cp>But it was Kabir’s night, and rightly so. Neither a soul flutist in the vein of Bobbi Humphrey, an avant-gardist like Eric Dolphy nor a showman like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Kabir is reaching for something deeper, and she frequently finds it. On “Red Shapes and Green Shapes,” a song inspired by a loved one of Kabir’s who’s currently in London and missed the show, her solo started low and introspective, the sound of loneliness, then gradually built to high wails, as if calling across the sea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The set ended with “I Crashed My Car” — a song I \u003ca href=\"http://The%20Bay%20Area%E2%80%99s%20best%20music%20critics%20pick%20the%20best%20songs%20of%202025\">liked very much last year\u003c/a> — but the trajectory of Rabiah Kabir is far from over. Keep an eye on this one, folks. \u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "An Eclectic, Open-Call Art Show Returns to Works/San José",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.hadiaghaeefineart.com/\">Hadi Aghaee\u003c/a> paints former President Joe Biden with three heads: One as a demonic caricature, another as the Joker, and another as a figure frozen in rage. Biden orders soldiers as he stands atop the back of an American taxpayer whose money is being siphoned to fund wars and global conflicts. Yet the center of attention is on the painting’s namesakes: \u003cem>Baseball, Booze and Beyoncé\u003c/em>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this visually stimulating scene inspired by Biden’s final year in office, Aghaee critiques America’s fascination with sports and entertainment, and how spectacle distracts from social and political struggles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The government] keeps you busy with entertainment,” Aghaee tells KQED, “so you don’t have time to think about or question what they’re doing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His painting will appear in Works/San José’s open-call exhibition, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://workssanjose.org/2026/01/10/super-hunger-anti-valentine-bowl-games-returns-with-part-lx/\">Super Hunger Anti-Valentine Bowl Games Part LX\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, on view Jan. 24–Feb. 15, 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985762\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985762\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000.jpg\" alt=\"painting with central figure, soldiers, crowds, animals and flags emerging from fires\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hadi Aghaee, ‘Baseball, Booze and Beyoncé!’ 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A similar show was staged there 10 years ago, when the Denver Broncos faced off against the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium. Back then, the gallery created a deliberate hodgepodge exhibition as part of San José’s broader Super Bowl cultural programming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Works combined its biennial Anti-Valentine show; America’s obsession with sports; and excitement around \u003cem>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2\u003c/em> movie, released in late 2015. A decade later, these elements have aligned once again: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062767/nfl-unveils-super-bowl-lx-events-spanning-san-francisco-san-jose-and-east-bay\">Super Bowl returns to Levi’s Stadium\u003c/a>, anti-Valentine season is back at Works, and a new \u003cem>Hunger Games\u003c/em> film will hit theaters in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The mashup thing is just to have fun,” Works President Joe Miller says. “Works is always pushing the envelope a little bit, things that other art spaces say, ‘That’s a little too raw, or that makes me uncomfortable.’ … We’re not concerned about those things. We’re just concerned about: Is it something we haven’t done before? Is it somebody we haven’t shown before? And is their work worth seeing?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s open call features artwork that pertains to one, two or all three of the respective themes, like Aghaee’s painting, which captures the intersection between sports, love and violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985763\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985763\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man being taken away from a crying child within heart-shaped bouquet of flowers\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A painting by Mireya Villanueva in ‘Super Hunger Anti-Valentine Bowl Games Part LX’ at Works/San José. \u003ccite>(Joe Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A longtime San José resident, Aghaee moved from Shiraz, Iran as a 19-year-old to pursue an engineering degree at Southern Illinois University. Drawing was a hobby he maintained growing up, but immigrating to a new country while learning English and working three jobs to stay afloat put a 35-year halt to his artistic endeavors. It wasn’t until 2014, when a friend recommended he get back into art, that he learned a new medium altogether: painting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Painting not only became a therapeutic outlet, but a way to comment on the social and political issues going on around him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13985338']“I returned to art, and boy, it’s the best medicine for any problem,” Aghaee says. “Pick up art, whether it’s music or painting or whatever, it really heals. To make it heal even faster, if you think of other people who have problems bigger than yours, you forget about your own problem. It’s all solved, it’s all gone. That’s why I picked up social issues and politics, because when I look at what other people are going through, my problem is nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since returning to art making, Aghaee has shown at a variety of Bay Area institutions, including San Francisco’s de Young Museum, the Euphrat Museum of Art at De Anza College, and Santa Clara’s Triton Museum. A common theme in his works are people — a lot of them. Many of his paintings depict crowds in crisis; whether grappling with COVID-19 or experiencing the chaos of election season, his subjects are constantly in turmoil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aghaee’s \u003cem>Baseball, Booze and Beyoncé!\u003c/em> reflects a different year and different administration, but he finds that imbalance of power remains unresolved in 2026. Those same concerns extend beyond the U.S., as protests in Iran have surged against the Islamic Republic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aghaee has watched his home country’s unrest with both urgency and personal grief. These events will inform his next body of work, he says. They are another example of how political power repeatedly fails the people it governs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The message is the same,” Aghaee says. “The message even goes with other countries, it’s not just the U.S. A lot of countries put too much of their budget toward military and war. That’s why they don’t have enough money to use for social needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://workssanjose.org/2026/01/10/super-hunger-anti-valentine-bowl-games-returns-with-part-lx/\">Super Hunger Anti-Valentine Bowl Games Part LX\u003c/a>’ is on view at Works/San José (38 South Second St., San José) on weekends, Jan. 24–Feb. 15, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"http://www.hadiaghaeefineart.com/\">Hadi Aghaee\u003c/a> paints former President Joe Biden with three heads: One as a demonic caricature, another as the Joker, and another as a figure frozen in rage. Biden orders soldiers as he stands atop the back of an American taxpayer whose money is being siphoned to fund wars and global conflicts. Yet the center of attention is on the painting’s namesakes: \u003cem>Baseball, Booze and Beyoncé\u003c/em>!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In this visually stimulating scene inspired by Biden’s final year in office, Aghaee critiques America’s fascination with sports and entertainment, and how spectacle distracts from social and political struggles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[The government] keeps you busy with entertainment,” Aghaee tells KQED, “so you don’t have time to think about or question what they’re doing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>His painting will appear in Works/San José’s open-call exhibition, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://workssanjose.org/2026/01/10/super-hunger-anti-valentine-bowl-games-returns-with-part-lx/\">Super Hunger Anti-Valentine Bowl Games Part LX\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, on view Jan. 24–Feb. 15, 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985762\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985762\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000.jpg\" alt=\"painting with central figure, soldiers, crowds, animals and flags emerging from fires\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/HadiAghaee_Baseball-Booze-n-Beyonce_acrylic_48X48_2000-1536x1536.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hadi Aghaee, ‘Baseball, Booze and Beyoncé!’ 2025. \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the artist)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A similar show was staged there 10 years ago, when the Denver Broncos faced off against the Carolina Panthers at Levi’s Stadium. Back then, the gallery created a deliberate hodgepodge exhibition as part of San José’s broader Super Bowl cultural programming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Works combined its biennial Anti-Valentine show; America’s obsession with sports; and excitement around \u003cem>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2\u003c/em> movie, released in late 2015. A decade later, these elements have aligned once again: the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062767/nfl-unveils-super-bowl-lx-events-spanning-san-francisco-san-jose-and-east-bay\">Super Bowl returns to Levi’s Stadium\u003c/a>, anti-Valentine season is back at Works, and a new \u003cem>Hunger Games\u003c/em> film will hit theaters in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The mashup thing is just to have fun,” Works President Joe Miller says. “Works is always pushing the envelope a little bit, things that other art spaces say, ‘That’s a little too raw, or that makes me uncomfortable.’ … We’re not concerned about those things. We’re just concerned about: Is it something we haven’t done before? Is it somebody we haven’t shown before? And is their work worth seeing?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year’s open call features artwork that pertains to one, two or all three of the respective themes, like Aghaee’s painting, which captures the intersection between sports, love and violence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985763\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985763\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man being taken away from a crying child within heart-shaped bouquet of flowers\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/Mireya-Villanueva_2000-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A painting by Mireya Villanueva in ‘Super Hunger Anti-Valentine Bowl Games Part LX’ at Works/San José. \u003ccite>(Joe Miller)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A longtime San José resident, Aghaee moved from Shiraz, Iran as a 19-year-old to pursue an engineering degree at Southern Illinois University. Drawing was a hobby he maintained growing up, but immigrating to a new country while learning English and working three jobs to stay afloat put a 35-year halt to his artistic endeavors. It wasn’t until 2014, when a friend recommended he get back into art, that he learned a new medium altogether: painting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Painting not only became a therapeutic outlet, but a way to comment on the social and political issues going on around him.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I returned to art, and boy, it’s the best medicine for any problem,” Aghaee says. “Pick up art, whether it’s music or painting or whatever, it really heals. To make it heal even faster, if you think of other people who have problems bigger than yours, you forget about your own problem. It’s all solved, it’s all gone. That’s why I picked up social issues and politics, because when I look at what other people are going through, my problem is nothing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Since returning to art making, Aghaee has shown at a variety of Bay Area institutions, including San Francisco’s de Young Museum, the Euphrat Museum of Art at De Anza College, and Santa Clara’s Triton Museum. A common theme in his works are people — a lot of them. Many of his paintings depict crowds in crisis; whether grappling with COVID-19 or experiencing the chaos of election season, his subjects are constantly in turmoil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aghaee’s \u003cem>Baseball, Booze and Beyoncé!\u003c/em> reflects a different year and different administration, but he finds that imbalance of power remains unresolved in 2026. Those same concerns extend beyond the U.S., as protests in Iran have surged against the Islamic Republic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Aghaee has watched his home country’s unrest with both urgency and personal grief. These events will inform his next body of work, he says. They are another example of how political power repeatedly fails the people it governs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The message is the same,” Aghaee says. “The message even goes with other countries, it’s not just the U.S. A lot of countries put too much of their budget toward military and war. That’s why they don’t have enough money to use for social needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘\u003ca href=\"https://workssanjose.org/2026/01/10/super-hunger-anti-valentine-bowl-games-returns-with-part-lx/\">Super Hunger Anti-Valentine Bowl Games Part LX\u003c/a>’ is on view at Works/San José (38 South Second St., San José) on weekends, Jan. 24–Feb. 15, 2026.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A film about faith and other leaps, Mona Fastvold’s remarkable \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> does not ask us to endorse or embrace the tenets of the 18th-century English sect called United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Coming, aka Shaking Quakers, aka the Shakers. Given that an important principle of co-founder Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) was celibacy, many viewers would find that a bridge too far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13985705']Several of the Shakers’ other core values, like cooperation, collaboration, ecstasy and equality among genders resonate clearly, especially for anyone who can recall the Northern California communes of the 1960s and 70s. The pleasure and power of \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> (opening Jan. 23), though, is not to be found in the utopian speeches but in surrendering to the selfless exhibition of true believers believing. If you are willing to be entranced — to accede from time to time to a trance state — you will have a uniquely thrilling time at the movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story opens in the 1740s in Manchester, England, where the child Ann labors in a textile factory. As she grows up, her spiritual journey takes her to Jane and James Wardley (Stacy Martin and Scott Handy), through whose fervid Quaker prayer group she meets her husband Abraham Standerin (Christopher Abbott) and develops her specific philosophy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985686\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985686\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man and woman face each other in room of people\" width=\"2000\" height=\"827\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-1536x635.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christopher Abbott and Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marriage brings physical and psychic pain, and Ann’s crucible is further forged in the fire of family tragedy. Even as she is accepted by many of the Wardley circle and her stalwart brother William (Lewis Pullman) as the true leader, Mother Ann (as she is now called) captures the unwelcome attention of the powers-that-be and is incarcerated for a couple weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Shakers’ saga comes into focus as a familiar dynamic of nonconformity and determination, fueled by the certainty of religious faith, running into both official and street opposition, with blood being spilled. We judge for ourselves how much of the animosity is an overreaction to noisy praying and how much is fear and hatred of a powerful woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The departure of the Shakers by boat to America in 1774, trading the Old World for the New, is a hugely important development for the sect. The movie opens up as well, with Manchester’s drab, chilly confines replaced by America’s broad vistas and natural light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fastvold and Brady Corbet’s literate script, brought to pulsing life by a committed cast led by Seyfried, carries \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> a long way. But a wholly unexpected element puts the film over the top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985685\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985685\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman and man on deck of sailing ship\" width=\"2000\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-1536x636.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda Seyfried and Lewis Pullman journey to America in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Vincent Minnelli and Bob Fosse artfully demonstrated, music and movement — song and dance — are powerful vehicles for not only conveying deep emotions but enrolling audiences in leaps of joy and amazement and flights of mind. Daring to dare is the sentiment at the heart of a movie musical, and the quality that moviegoers respond to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> isn’t exactly a musical in the sense that the songs don’t tell the story. Fastvold and composer Daniel Blumberg (whose score for Fastvold and Corbet’s \u003cem>The Brutalist\u003c/em> won the Oscar last year) chose a dozen melodies from the Shaker hymnal archive, and Celia Rowlson-Hall choreographed a mix of individual and ensemble numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13985320']These dances don’t just prevent \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> from succumbing to the stuck-in-wax fate of a lot of standard biopics and period pieces. They bring the magic, and the entrancement, without feeling anachronistic and pulling us out of the 18th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> is set in a world very different from ours and also not so different, a world of mysteries and dangers where people fear new ideas and are made to fear newcomers. Where superstitions or religious dogma or conspiracy theories are cited to soothe our uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps every utopian endeavor is fated to come to an end, whether from internal dynamics or external forces. Maybe our task is to take inspiration from the faith and the effort. \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> asks us to consider whether we are on the side of the creators or the destroyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ opens Jan. 23, 2026 in Bay Area theaters.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A film about faith and other leaps, Mona Fastvold’s remarkable \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> does not ask us to endorse or embrace the tenets of the 18th-century English sect called United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Coming, aka Shaking Quakers, aka the Shakers. Given that an important principle of co-founder Ann Lee (Amanda Seyfried) was celibacy, many viewers would find that a bridge too far.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Several of the Shakers’ other core values, like cooperation, collaboration, ecstasy and equality among genders resonate clearly, especially for anyone who can recall the Northern California communes of the 1960s and 70s. The pleasure and power of \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> (opening Jan. 23), though, is not to be found in the utopian speeches but in surrendering to the selfless exhibition of true believers believing. If you are willing to be entranced — to accede from time to time to a trance state — you will have a uniquely thrilling time at the movies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The story opens in the 1740s in Manchester, England, where the child Ann labors in a textile factory. As she grows up, her spiritual journey takes her to Jane and James Wardley (Stacy Martin and Scott Handy), through whose fervid Quaker prayer group she meets her husband Abraham Standerin (Christopher Abbott) and develops her specific philosophy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985686\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985686\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"man and woman face each other in room of people\" width=\"2000\" height=\"827\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00144_v2_2000-1536x635.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Christopher Abbott and Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Marriage brings physical and psychic pain, and Ann’s crucible is further forged in the fire of family tragedy. Even as she is accepted by many of the Wardley circle and her stalwart brother William (Lewis Pullman) as the true leader, Mother Ann (as she is now called) captures the unwelcome attention of the powers-that-be and is incarcerated for a couple weeks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Shakers’ saga comes into focus as a familiar dynamic of nonconformity and determination, fueled by the certainty of religious faith, running into both official and street opposition, with blood being spilled. We judge for ourselves how much of the animosity is an overreaction to noisy praying and how much is fear and hatred of a powerful woman.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The departure of the Shakers by boat to America in 1774, trading the Old World for the New, is a hugely important development for the sect. The movie opens up as well, with Manchester’s drab, chilly confines replaced by America’s broad vistas and natural light.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fastvold and Brady Corbet’s literate script, brought to pulsing life by a committed cast led by Seyfried, carries \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> a long way. But a wholly unexpected element puts the film over the top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985685\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985685\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg\" alt=\"woman and man on deck of sailing ship\" width=\"2000\" height=\"828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-160x66.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-768x318.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/TTAL_SG_00063_v2_2000-1536x636.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda Seyfried and Lewis Pullman journey to America in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’ \u003ccite>(Searchlight Pictures)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>As Vincent Minnelli and Bob Fosse artfully demonstrated, music and movement — song and dance — are powerful vehicles for not only conveying deep emotions but enrolling audiences in leaps of joy and amazement and flights of mind. Daring to dare is the sentiment at the heart of a movie musical, and the quality that moviegoers respond to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> isn’t exactly a musical in the sense that the songs don’t tell the story. Fastvold and composer Daniel Blumberg (whose score for Fastvold and Corbet’s \u003cem>The Brutalist\u003c/em> won the Oscar last year) chose a dozen melodies from the Shaker hymnal archive, and Celia Rowlson-Hall choreographed a mix of individual and ensemble numbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>These dances don’t just prevent \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> from succumbing to the stuck-in-wax fate of a lot of standard biopics and period pieces. They bring the magic, and the entrancement, without feeling anachronistic and pulling us out of the 18th century.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> is set in a world very different from ours and also not so different, a world of mysteries and dangers where people fear new ideas and are made to fear newcomers. Where superstitions or religious dogma or conspiracy theories are cited to soothe our uncertainty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps every utopian endeavor is fated to come to an end, whether from internal dynamics or external forces. Maybe our task is to take inspiration from the faith and the effort. \u003cem>The Testament of Ann Lee\u003c/em> asks us to consider whether we are on the side of the creators or the destroyers.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ opens Jan. 23, 2026 in Bay Area theaters.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "In Carolina Ixta’s New Novel, Teens Fight Against Pollution for a ‘Few Blue Skies’",
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"content": "\u003cp>Fresh off the success of her Oakland-set debut novel, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/shut-up-this-is-serious-carolina-ixta?variant=43720492351522\">Shut Up, This is Serious\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Bay Area author Carolina Ixta returns with a sophomore offering inspired in part by the inequities she saw in the region. For Ixta — a public education advocate and alumna of the Oakland Unified School District who now teaches fourth and fifth grade in San Leandro — fiction writing is a megaphone for social consciousness. Writing for a young adult audience, in particular, allows her to entertain young readers and teach them about their own realities. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta initially wanted to write about Bay Area-specific issues, like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007326/lead-problems-in-oakland-schools-drinking-water-could-cost-over-50-million-to-fix\">lead-contaminated water in Oakland public schools\u003c/a>, or the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981762/major-richmond-refinery-accidents-settled-as-part-of-chevron-deal\">accidents at Richmond’s Chevron refinery\u003c/a>. But after spending quality time with her godmother in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Ixta learned firsthand about another pressing environmental issue: warehouses. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985643\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full.jpeg\" alt=\"young woman with long brown hair\" width=\"1300\" height=\"1804\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985643\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full.jpeg 1300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full-160x222.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full-768x1066.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full-1107x1536.jpeg 1107w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carolina Ixta. \u003ccite>(Noemi Tshinanga)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I saw all of these large, gray buildings next to homes and parks and schools … and I realized it was a very similar issue to what was happening in the Bay Area, except that it was highly affecting their air quality,” she explains. The region is home to thousands of warehouses that generate daily transport truck traffic, creating heavy fuel emissions and congestion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to write about environmental injustice, particularly the way that it affects Brown and Black people — but specifically in this region, Latinx people,” she says. In Fontana, a warehouse was proposed right next to Jurupa Hills High School. And even though community activists opposed its construction, citing air pollution and student safety, the city council approved its construction in the spring of 2022. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em>, Ixta invents the Southern California city of San Fermín, a stand-in for multiple places on the receiving end of environmental discrimination and racism. The book’s protagonist, Paloma Vistamontes, is a high schooler whose hometown is targeted for mass-scale warehouse construction by the fictional e-commerce conglomerate Selva. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta draws heavily from real-life situations to ground her novel. \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em> opens with an epigraph from Elizabeth Sena, a founding member of the South Fontana Concerned Citizens Coalition, a group opposing warehouse construction: “The children in the Inland Empire are like the canaries singing in coal mines, but no one is listening.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sena is one of several people Ixta interviewed to lend the book its bite of truth. Other interviewees include San Bernardino filmmaker Sofia Figueroa, director of the Emmy-nominated KVCR docuseries \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kvcr.org/warehouse-empire/\">The Warehouse Empire\u003c/a>\u003c/em>; local organizers; warehouse workers; and community members, including a couple whose children woke to nosebleeds due to poor air quality — a detail Ixta borrowed for her book.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also included a Breathmobile, a mobile asthma clinic, that she learned about from an episode of PBS’s \u003cem>Earth Focus\u003c/em> titled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/video/fighting-for-air-9d2yzn/\">Fighting for Air\u003c/a>.” San Fermín’s air quality is so poor Paloma and her schoolmates have mandated Breathmobile checkups, which feel as routine as seeing a dentist. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Putting labor issues front and center\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The core \u003ci>Few Blue Skies\u003c/i> problem isn’t just that Selva exists and has designs on the town, but that nearly every resident works for Selva — including the fathers of Paloma and her friends. When the workers begin a lengthy strike against the conglomerate due to poor pay and working conditions, tension spills over from the picket line into every home in town, sowing marital discord and family dysfunction. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta’s decision to set the novel during a strike period cleverly allows her to bypass the warehouse as a setting and focus on it as a symbol. The strike becomes a jumping-off point for Paloma and her friends to not only define their values, but also have them tested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has been mindful of labor justice since childhood. In addition to researching history like the United Farm Workers Movement, she was able to draw from her family’s past to inform Paloma’s story. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13985338']“My father was a delivery man for a bread company in San Francisco, so as a kid, I was very aware of how work was a way to make money, but [also] how work really affected my family and their health,” she says, noting that he sustained a number of injuries on the job. Ixta was also inspired by her grandfather’s time in the Bracero Program, a joint agreement between Mexico and the U.S. that offered millions of Mexican men short-term work in agriculture during a post-WWII labor shortage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[He] was technically a strike breaker,” she says, even though he “was just trying to send some money back to my mother and her siblings in Mexico.” Depending on one’s perspective, his actions could be seen as either noble or a betrayal. It’s the kind of nuanced conversation she likes to have with her students when she teaches them Pam Muñoz Ryan’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pammunozryan.com/esperanza-rising/\">Esperanza Rising\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, a children’s book about Mexican farm workers in California set during the Dust Bowl. In the book, a protagonist acts as a strike breaker during a unionization attempt. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000.jpg\" alt=\"men in workwear and cowboy hats in front of long table with people registering paperwork\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1238\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985648\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000-1536x951.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mexican farm workers who have been accepted for farm labor in the U.S. through the Braceros Program, circa 1942–1945. \u003ccite>(National Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They get into “vivacious debates,” she says. “We always come to the conclusion that no one is right and no one is wrong because everyone is just trying to survive in a world that is impossible to survive in.” It’s a piece of historical fiction she returns to each year, one that inspired her own work on \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really wanted to talk about how these historic issues are not over,” she says. “They have just shape-shifted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Memories of her father’s work life, testimonies from her interviews, and her research on generations of Latinx labor in America coalesce in the novel. The results are larger plots and small details that meaningfully build out the book’s world, but also connect it back to our own. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paloma’s dad, who incurs respiratory issues from work, regularly drives to Mexico to buy cheaper inhalers. “My pa is so grateful that he can legally cross the border that he often dismisses the sadness of why he needs to cross it to begin with,” Paloma muses. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em> is a story not just about what people need to do to make a dollar in America, but also how much a dollar truly costs. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Resisting hyperoptimism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ixta’s prudent decision to focus on the interpersonal fallout of the strike humanizes the fight and offers young readers an accessible framework for caring about labor issues. Paloma and her friends are teenagers who just want to go thrift-store shopping, experience the bruises of young love, prepare for college, work their first jobs at the local antojería, and celebrate holidays like Noche Buena with their families. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID='arts_13985414']But they are having those quintessential American and Latinx experiences under Selva’s dark shadow, which literally blots out their once-blue skies. Ixta’s novel wraps these issues in a juicy love story and a sympathetic familial drama. Her prose is expressive throughout. A school fistfight turns one teen’s mouth into “a grid of red clenched between his teeth” and Paloma’s life is soundtracked to “coughs cacophonous, harmonizing, echoing” all around her. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the most impactful choice Ixta makes is writing an ending to a young adult novel that resists the kind of hyperoptimism and neat resolution typical of the genre. This was done out of deference to the scale of Paloma’s fight, and the deep, lasting fissures it creates in communities. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the real world, that high school not only had that warehouse built, but they added three more,” Ixta says. “I didn’t want to disrespect that community and say that that’s not what happened because it really is. And I want people to pay attention to what’s happening there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Carolina Ixta’s ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/few-blue-skies-carolina-ixta?variant=43812578197538\">Few Blue Skies\u003c/a>’ is out Feb. 3, 2026 from Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Fresh off the success of her Oakland-set debut novel, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/shut-up-this-is-serious-carolina-ixta?variant=43720492351522\">Shut Up, This is Serious\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, Bay Area author Carolina Ixta returns with a sophomore offering inspired in part by the inequities she saw in the region. For Ixta — a public education advocate and alumna of the Oakland Unified School District who now teaches fourth and fifth grade in San Leandro — fiction writing is a megaphone for social consciousness. Writing for a young adult audience, in particular, allows her to entertain young readers and teach them about their own realities. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta initially wanted to write about Bay Area-specific issues, like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007326/lead-problems-in-oakland-schools-drinking-water-could-cost-over-50-million-to-fix\">lead-contaminated water in Oakland public schools\u003c/a>, or the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981762/major-richmond-refinery-accidents-settled-as-part-of-chevron-deal\">accidents at Richmond’s Chevron refinery\u003c/a>. But after spending quality time with her godmother in Southern California’s Inland Empire, Ixta learned firsthand about another pressing environmental issue: warehouses. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985643\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 1300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full.jpeg\" alt=\"young woman with long brown hair\" width=\"1300\" height=\"1804\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985643\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full.jpeg 1300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full-160x222.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full-768x1066.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/CarolinaIxta_full-1107x1536.jpeg 1107w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carolina Ixta. \u003ccite>(Noemi Tshinanga)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I saw all of these large, gray buildings next to homes and parks and schools … and I realized it was a very similar issue to what was happening in the Bay Area, except that it was highly affecting their air quality,” she explains. The region is home to thousands of warehouses that generate daily transport truck traffic, creating heavy fuel emissions and congestion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I wanted to write about environmental injustice, particularly the way that it affects Brown and Black people — but specifically in this region, Latinx people,” she says. In Fontana, a warehouse was proposed right next to Jurupa Hills High School. And even though community activists opposed its construction, citing air pollution and student safety, the city council approved its construction in the spring of 2022. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em>, Ixta invents the Southern California city of San Fermín, a stand-in for multiple places on the receiving end of environmental discrimination and racism. The book’s protagonist, Paloma Vistamontes, is a high schooler whose hometown is targeted for mass-scale warehouse construction by the fictional e-commerce conglomerate Selva. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta draws heavily from real-life situations to ground her novel. \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em> opens with an epigraph from Elizabeth Sena, a founding member of the South Fontana Concerned Citizens Coalition, a group opposing warehouse construction: “The children in the Inland Empire are like the canaries singing in coal mines, but no one is listening.” \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sena is one of several people Ixta interviewed to lend the book its bite of truth. Other interviewees include San Bernardino filmmaker Sofia Figueroa, director of the Emmy-nominated KVCR docuseries \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kvcr.org/warehouse-empire/\">The Warehouse Empire\u003c/a>\u003c/em>; local organizers; warehouse workers; and community members, including a couple whose children woke to nosebleeds due to poor air quality — a detail Ixta borrowed for her book.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also included a Breathmobile, a mobile asthma clinic, that she learned about from an episode of PBS’s \u003cem>Earth Focus\u003c/em> titled “\u003ca href=\"https://www.pbs.org/video/fighting-for-air-9d2yzn/\">Fighting for Air\u003c/a>.” San Fermín’s air quality is so poor Paloma and her schoolmates have mandated Breathmobile checkups, which feel as routine as seeing a dentist. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Putting labor issues front and center\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The core \u003ci>Few Blue Skies\u003c/i> problem isn’t just that Selva exists and has designs on the town, but that nearly every resident works for Selva — including the fathers of Paloma and her friends. When the workers begin a lengthy strike against the conglomerate due to poor pay and working conditions, tension spills over from the picket line into every home in town, sowing marital discord and family dysfunction. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta’s decision to set the novel during a strike period cleverly allows her to bypass the warehouse as a setting and focus on it as a symbol. The strike becomes a jumping-off point for Paloma and her friends to not only define their values, but also have them tested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ixta, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, has been mindful of labor justice since childhood. In addition to researching history like the United Farm Workers Movement, she was able to draw from her family’s past to inform Paloma’s story. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“My father was a delivery man for a bread company in San Francisco, so as a kid, I was very aware of how work was a way to make money, but [also] how work really affected my family and their health,” she says, noting that he sustained a number of injuries on the job. Ixta was also inspired by her grandfather’s time in the Bracero Program, a joint agreement between Mexico and the U.S. that offered millions of Mexican men short-term work in agriculture during a post-WWII labor shortage. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“[He] was technically a strike breaker,” she says, even though he “was just trying to send some money back to my mother and her siblings in Mexico.” Depending on one’s perspective, his actions could be seen as either noble or a betrayal. It’s the kind of nuanced conversation she likes to have with her students when she teaches them Pam Muñoz Ryan’s \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.pammunozryan.com/esperanza-rising/\">Esperanza Rising\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, a children’s book about Mexican farm workers in California set during the Dust Bowl. In the book, a protagonist acts as a strike breaker during a unionization attempt. \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985648\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000.jpg\" alt=\"men in workwear and cowboy hats in front of long table with people registering paperwork\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1238\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985648\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000-160x99.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000-768x475.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/BracerosProgram_2000-1536x951.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mexican farm workers who have been accepted for farm labor in the U.S. through the Braceros Program, circa 1942–1945. \u003ccite>(National Archives)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>They get into “vivacious debates,” she says. “We always come to the conclusion that no one is right and no one is wrong because everyone is just trying to survive in a world that is impossible to survive in.” It’s a piece of historical fiction she returns to each year, one that inspired her own work on \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I really wanted to talk about how these historic issues are not over,” she says. “They have just shape-shifted.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Memories of her father’s work life, testimonies from her interviews, and her research on generations of Latinx labor in America coalesce in the novel. The results are larger plots and small details that meaningfully build out the book’s world, but also connect it back to our own. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Paloma’s dad, who incurs respiratory issues from work, regularly drives to Mexico to buy cheaper inhalers. “My pa is so grateful that he can legally cross the border that he often dismisses the sadness of why he needs to cross it to begin with,” Paloma muses. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, \u003cem>Few Blue Skies\u003c/em> is a story not just about what people need to do to make a dollar in America, but also how much a dollar truly costs. \u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Resisting hyperoptimism\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Ixta’s prudent decision to focus on the interpersonal fallout of the strike humanizes the fight and offers young readers an accessible framework for caring about labor issues. Paloma and her friends are teenagers who just want to go thrift-store shopping, experience the bruises of young love, prepare for college, work their first jobs at the local antojería, and celebrate holidays like Noche Buena with their families. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>But they are having those quintessential American and Latinx experiences under Selva’s dark shadow, which literally blots out their once-blue skies. Ixta’s novel wraps these issues in a juicy love story and a sympathetic familial drama. Her prose is expressive throughout. A school fistfight turns one teen’s mouth into “a grid of red clenched between his teeth” and Paloma’s life is soundtracked to “coughs cacophonous, harmonizing, echoing” all around her. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perhaps the most impactful choice Ixta makes is writing an ending to a young adult novel that resists the kind of hyperoptimism and neat resolution typical of the genre. This was done out of deference to the scale of Paloma’s fight, and the deep, lasting fissures it creates in communities. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In the real world, that high school not only had that warehouse built, but they added three more,” Ixta says. “I didn’t want to disrespect that community and say that that’s not what happened because it really is. And I want people to pay attention to what’s happening there.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Carolina Ixta’s ‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.harpercollins.com/products/few-blue-skies-carolina-ixta?variant=43812578197538\">Few Blue Skies\u003c/a>’ is out Feb. 3, 2026 from Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. \u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>This year marks the United States’ bisesquicentennial, or semiquincentennial, or sestercentennial, depending on what you feel like calling America’s 250th birthday. Whichever word you choose, it’s zero fun to pronounce. Even less fun is thinking about how free the United States \u003cem>doesn’t\u003c/em> feel in this moment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13985145']God bless the San Francisco Center for the Book, then, for reflecting the anxieties of everyone in this fine land who’s despaired at — oh, I don’t know — tax dollars paying to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069211/after-maduros-capture-venezuela-faces-old-u-s-shadows-and-uncertain-future\">bomb other countries\u003c/a>, an ICE agent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069104/bay-area-immigrant-defense-groups-report-surge-in-support-after-minneapolis-ice-killing\">fatally shooting Renee Good in the face\u003c/a>, and the federal defunding of pretty much anything that helps the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">arts\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909572/how-president-trump-aims-to-dismantle-environmental-protections\">environment\u003c/a> and the most vulnerable people living on this soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFCB’s current exhibit, \u003cem>Who Is America at 250? Artists’ Books on the State of Democracy\u003c/em>, takes a long, uneasy look at the issues plaguing the nation two and a half centuries after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibit examines what it means to be an American, what rights citizens really have, and how — and where — law and order is wielded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985430\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985430\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01.jpg\" alt=\"An open magazine. The left page features a close up illustration of a human ear with the word FEARS. The right page features the text 'Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.'\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Whereas We Declare’ by KaKeART (Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner). \u003ccite>(Von Span, 2025)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Curated by \u003ca href=\"https://bettybrightbookart.com/\">Betty Bright\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dimunation/?hl=en\">Mark Dimunation\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://maymanahfarhat.com/\">Maymanah Farhat\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yukapetz.com/\">Yuka Petz\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wellesley.edu/people/ruth-rogers\">Ruth Rogers\u003c/a>, the exhibit is both an interrogation of where the U.S. is today and a look back at how we got here. Technically, the exhibit is broken up into four distinct sections: (1) Hope / Possibility / Transformation / Vision, (2) Truth / Awareness / Responsibility / Questioning, (3) Justice / Equality / Rights / Resistance, and (4) Belonging / Memory / Compassion / Voice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there’s a single overarching thread, however, it concerns white supremacy — how racial inequalities weaved their way into the fabric of the nation, how they continue to impact daily culture, and what bigotry has taken away from citizens. Many of \u003cem>Who Is America at 250?\u003c/em>’s most impactful pieces encompass these themes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The book formats on display vary wildly. Messages are conveyed via screenprints, building blocks, accordion books, wood engravings, hand-stitched pages, leather panels, formica boxes and more. Viewed together, the diversity of textures used to convey the artists’ perspectives only strengthens their individual points.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13984778']One standout is Beth Theilen’s \u003cem>The Tower Book\u003c/em>, appearing as screenprints constructed to look like a prison tower but with a base that flips open to reveal four handmade books. Thielen created the piece in collaboration with incarcerated women and men, some of them at San Quentin. Pages from one book in SFCB’s display case are left open to reveal the words of Shonna Larabee, describing her arrival at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Walking to the R and R department,” Larabee writes, “I remember seeing all new faces watching me and someone yelling from the window above, ‘Welcome to Hell and Satan is your coordinator.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985582\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1432px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985582\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book.png\" alt=\"An artist's rendition of a prison guard tower constructed out of screenprinted materials with four books unfolding from the central column.\" width=\"1432\" height=\"1394\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book.png 1432w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book-160x156.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book-768x748.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1432px) 100vw, 1432px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beth Theilen’s ‘The Tower Book.’ (2020) \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the San Francisco Center for the Book)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another memorable moment is provided by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kylegoen.net/#/black-panther-party-stamp-book-2021/\">Kyle Goen’s \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Stamp Book\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (2021). This blue clamshell box emblazoned with the Black Panthers’ logo contains sheets of postage stamps honoring Angela Davis, George Jackson, political prisoners, and 22 other designs. Goen created the piece inspired by a single line in Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”: “Most of my heroes still don’t appear on no stamp.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postid='arts_13985413']Uncomfortable though it may be to hold the United States under a microscope at the very moment we’re supposed to be celebrating it, \u003cem>Who Is America at 250?\u003c/em> reminds the viewer that independent, critical thinking is as American as stars and stripes. More than that, the exhibit constitutes an important reminder of something else: the healing power of the arts, and how art itself can guide us through turbulent times.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An opening reception for ‘Who is America at 250? Artists’ Books on the State of Democracy’ takes place on Jan. 23, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcb.org/events/calendar/who-is-america-opening-reception\">San Francisco Center for the Book\u003c/a> (375 Rhode Island St., San Francisco). The exhibition will be on view through March 8 before traveling to venues in Boston and Minnesota.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>God bless the San Francisco Center for the Book, then, for reflecting the anxieties of everyone in this fine land who’s despaired at — oh, I don’t know — tax dollars paying to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069211/after-maduros-capture-venezuela-faces-old-u-s-shadows-and-uncertain-future\">bomb other countries\u003c/a>, an ICE agent \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12069104/bay-area-immigrant-defense-groups-report-surge-in-support-after-minneapolis-ice-killing\">fatally shooting Renee Good in the face\u003c/a>, and the federal defunding of pretty much anything that helps the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13975661/national-endowment-for-the-arts-grants-canceled-nonprofits\">arts\u003c/a>, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101909572/how-president-trump-aims-to-dismantle-environmental-protections\">environment\u003c/a> and the most vulnerable people living on this soil.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SFCB’s current exhibit, \u003cem>Who Is America at 250? Artists’ Books on the State of Democracy\u003c/em>, takes a long, uneasy look at the issues plaguing the nation two and a half centuries after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The exhibit examines what it means to be an American, what rights citizens really have, and how — and where — law and order is wielded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985430\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985430\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01.jpg\" alt=\"An open magazine. The left page features a close up illustration of a human ear with the word FEARS. The right page features the text 'Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.'\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/kakeart-01-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">‘Whereas We Declare’ by KaKeART (Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner). \u003ccite>(Von Span, 2025)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Curated by \u003ca href=\"https://bettybrightbookart.com/\">Betty Bright\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/dimunation/?hl=en\">Mark Dimunation\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://maymanahfarhat.com/\">Maymanah Farhat\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.yukapetz.com/\">Yuka Petz\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.wellesley.edu/people/ruth-rogers\">Ruth Rogers\u003c/a>, the exhibit is both an interrogation of where the U.S. is today and a look back at how we got here. Technically, the exhibit is broken up into four distinct sections: (1) Hope / Possibility / Transformation / Vision, (2) Truth / Awareness / Responsibility / Questioning, (3) Justice / Equality / Rights / Resistance, and (4) Belonging / Memory / Compassion / Voice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If there’s a single overarching thread, however, it concerns white supremacy — how racial inequalities weaved their way into the fabric of the nation, how they continue to impact daily culture, and what bigotry has taken away from citizens. Many of \u003cem>Who Is America at 250?\u003c/em>’s most impactful pieces encompass these themes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>One standout is Beth Theilen’s \u003cem>The Tower Book\u003c/em>, appearing as screenprints constructed to look like a prison tower but with a base that flips open to reveal four handmade books. Thielen created the piece in collaboration with incarcerated women and men, some of them at San Quentin. Pages from one book in SFCB’s display case are left open to reveal the words of Shonna Larabee, describing her arrival at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Walking to the R and R department,” Larabee writes, “I remember seeing all new faces watching me and someone yelling from the window above, ‘Welcome to Hell and Satan is your coordinator.’”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_13985582\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1432px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-13985582\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book.png\" alt=\"An artist's rendition of a prison guard tower constructed out of screenprinted materials with four books unfolding from the central column.\" width=\"1432\" height=\"1394\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book.png 1432w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book-160x156.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/01/beth-tower-book-768x748.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1432px) 100vw, 1432px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beth Theilen’s ‘The Tower Book.’ (2020) \u003ccite>(Courtesy of the San Francisco Center for the Book)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Another memorable moment is provided by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kylegoen.net/#/black-panther-party-stamp-book-2021/\">Kyle Goen’s \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Stamp Book\u003c/em>\u003c/a> (2021). This blue clamshell box emblazoned with the Black Panthers’ logo contains sheets of postage stamps honoring Angela Davis, George Jackson, political prisoners, and 22 other designs. Goen created the piece inspired by a single line in Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”: “Most of my heroes still don’t appear on no stamp.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Uncomfortable though it may be to hold the United States under a microscope at the very moment we’re supposed to be celebrating it, \u003cem>Who Is America at 250?\u003c/em> reminds the viewer that independent, critical thinking is as American as stars and stripes. More than that, the exhibit constitutes an important reminder of something else: the healing power of the arts, and how art itself can guide us through turbulent times.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>An opening reception for ‘Who is America at 250? Artists’ Books on the State of Democracy’ takes place on Jan. 23, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfcb.org/events/calendar/who-is-america-opening-reception\">San Francisco Center for the Book\u003c/a> (375 Rhode Island St., San Francisco). The exhibition will be on view through March 8 before traveling to venues in Boston and Minnesota.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
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}
},
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"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
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"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
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"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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}
},
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"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
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},
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
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