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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even at 54, the \u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/\">Transamerica Pyramid\u003c/a> manages to look futuristic, probably because no other building in the San Francisco skyline has ever dared to be as weird. With its steep angles, pointy shoulders and graceful, leggy base, it remains wholly singular. What if the skyscrapers that grew up around it had dared to carve out their own silhouettes — or any sort of interesting shape at all?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alas, the present does not, in many ways, live up to past visions of the future. The 21st century was supposed to be sleeker, more harmonious and decidedly spacier. And for much of that expectation, we have one man to thank: designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.sydmead.com/\">Syd Mead\u003c/a>, who crafted some of the most indelible images of what was to come.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995010\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of ‘Syd Mead: Future Pastime’ at the Transamerica Pyramic Annex Gallery. (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a perfect merger of art and setting, 16 of Mead’s gouache paintings are now on view in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/pyramid-arts\">Future Pastime\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an exhibition in the glass-walled annex gallery at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid. Mead, who died in 2019, worked across industries, designing cars, catalogs and architectural interiors and exteriors, but he’s best known for the technology and worldbuilding he cooked up for films like the first \u003cem>Star Trek\u003c/em> movie, \u003cem>TRON\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Blade Runner\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In \u003cem>Future Pastime\u003c/em> we see none of Mead’s cinematic concept art, but plenty of ornate pageantry, speeding vehicles and future space settlements. His pieces are humble in scale but epic in conception. Mead didn’t just imagine how a personal gyroscope might look, but what sort of world would exist around it, down to how doorways might change to fit the shape of a beetle-like backpack. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549.jpg\" alt=\"two futuristic vehicles in blue space with plenty of reflections\" class=\"wp-image-13995012\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Syd Mead, ‘Mobilage,’ 1985; Gouache on board. (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead’s future is sexy and optimistic. Most of the pieces in \u003cem>Future Pastime\u003c/em> depict a society at leisure: people watch races (of horses, boats, cars and giant greyhound-like robots); they party; they travel through space alongside intergalactic whales. Industry has moved to the moon to give Earth time to recover.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Part of what makes Mead’s images so appealing is their realism; he had an incredible ability to render reflective surfaces. He deployed delicate brushstrokes with the technical precision of an industrial designer, but lit his scenes like Maxfield Parrish paintings, soft oranges matched with purples, or steely gray-blues punctuated by zings of intense crimson. His wispy fabrics, draped across lots of nude bodies, are just as convincing as the shiny cars, vans and motorcycles he dreamed up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Futuristic machines are nearly always at the center of his paintings — many of the works on view were commissions from companies or events in the automotive industry. But what’s refreshing is just how \u003cem>Syd Mead\u003c/em> in style and content the images all are, regardless of who was paying for them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390.jpg\" alt=\"three framed gouache paintings on gray wall under concrete structure\" class=\"wp-image-13995014\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of a commission for the Concours d’Elegance by Syd Mead, ‘Pebble Beach (Triptych),’ 2000; Gouache on board. (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the annex gallery, curators Elon Solo and William Corman present the show with care, giving plenty of room between Mead’s dense scenes to let ideas spread in the space between frames. Most of the show hangs on temporary walls that echo the zig-zag windows of the annex. The exhibition, designed by architecture firm MAD, is spare and orderly, the walls backed by silvery sheets of what looks like aluminum. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of the futuristic objects Mead depicted have come into being in the decades since: handheld computers, self-driving cars, personal unicycles. But to me, the most interesting parts of Mead’s futures are often the backgrounds — the large-scale, super-imaginative infrastructure that we haven’t yet realized. Mead’s work is a reminder that a better future isn’t just flashy gadgets; it’s a radical restructuring of the way we live, eat, work and play.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/pyramid-arts\">Syd Mead: Future Pastime\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Transamerica Pyramid Annex Gallery (535 Washington St., San Francisco) through Dec. 17, 2026.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even at 54, the \u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/\">Transamerica Pyramid\u003c/a> manages to look futuristic, probably because no other building in the San Francisco skyline has ever dared to be as weird. With its steep angles, pointy shoulders and graceful, leggy base, it remains wholly singular. What if the skyscrapers that grew up around it had dared to carve out their own silhouettes — or any sort of interesting shape at all?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Even at 54, the \u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/\">Transamerica Pyramid\u003c/a> manages to look futuristic, probably because no other building in the San Francisco skyline has ever dared to be as weird. With its steep angles, pointy shoulders and graceful, leggy base, it remains wholly singular. What if the skyscrapers that grew up around it had dared to carve out their own silhouettes — or any sort of interesting shape at all?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Alas, the present does not, in many ways, live up to past visions of the future. The 21st century was supposed to be sleeker, more harmonious and decidedly spacier. And for much of that expectation, we have one man to thank: designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.sydmead.com/\">Syd Mead\u003c/a>, who crafted some of the most indelible images of what was to come.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Alas, the present does not, in many ways, live up to past visions of the future. The 21st century was supposed to be sleeker, more harmonious and decidedly spacier. And for much of that expectation, we have one man to thank: designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.sydmead.com/\">Syd Mead\u003c/a>, who crafted some of the most indelible images of what was to come.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a perfect merger of art and setting, 16 of Mead’s gouache paintings are now on view in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/pyramid-arts\">Future Pastime\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an exhibition in the glass-walled annex gallery at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid. Mead, who died in 2019, worked across industries, designing cars, catalogs and architectural interiors and exteriors, but he’s best known for the technology and worldbuilding he cooked up for films like the first \u003cem>Star Trek\u003c/em> movie, \u003cem>TRON\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Blade Runner\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a perfect merger of art and setting, 16 of Mead’s gouache paintings are now on view in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/pyramid-arts\">Future Pastime\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an exhibition in the glass-walled annex gallery at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid. Mead, who died in 2019, worked across industries, designing cars, catalogs and architectural interiors and exteriors, but he’s best known for the technology and worldbuilding he cooked up for films like the first \u003cem>Star Trek\u003c/em> movie, \u003cem>TRON\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Blade Runner\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Future Pastime\u003c/em> we see none of Mead’s cinematic concept art, but plenty of ornate pageantry, speeding vehicles and future space settlements. His pieces are humble in scale but epic in conception. Mead didn’t just imagine how a personal gyroscope might look, but what sort of world would exist around it, down to how doorways might change to fit the shape of a beetle-like backpack. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Future Pastime\u003c/em> we see none of Mead’s cinematic concept art, but plenty of ornate pageantry, speeding vehicles and future space settlements. His pieces are humble in scale but epic in conception. Mead didn’t just imagine how a personal gyroscope might look, but what sort of world would exist around it, down to how doorways might change to fit the shape of a beetle-like backpack. \u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549.jpg\" alt=\"two futuristic vehicles in blue space with plenty of reflections\" class=\"wp-image-13995012\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Syd Mead, ‘Mobilage,’ 1985; Gouache on board.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mead’s future is sexy and optimistic. Most of the pieces in \u003cem>Future Pastime\u003c/em> depict a society at leisure: people watch races (of horses, boats, cars and giant greyhound-like robots); they party; they travel through space alongside intergalactic whales. Industry has moved to the moon to give Earth time to recover.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Part of what makes Mead’s images so appealing is their realism; he had an incredible ability to render reflective surfaces. He deployed delicate brushstrokes with the technical precision of an industrial designer, but lit his scenes like Maxfield Parrish paintings, soft oranges matched with purples, or steely gray-blues punctuated by zings of intense crimson. His wispy fabrics, draped across lots of nude bodies, are just as convincing as the shiny cars, vans and motorcycles he dreamed up.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Futuristic machines are nearly always at the center of his paintings — many of the works on view were commissions from companies or events in the automotive industry. But what’s refreshing is just how \u003cem>Syd Mead\u003c/em> in style and content the images all are, regardless of who was paying for them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Futuristic machines are nearly always at the center of his paintings — many of the works on view were commissions from companies or events in the automotive industry. But what’s refreshing is just how \u003cem>Syd Mead\u003c/em> in style and content the images all are, regardless of who was paying for them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390.jpg\" alt=\"three framed gouache paintings on gray wall under concrete structure\" class=\"wp-image-13995014\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of a commission for the Concours d’Elegance by Syd Mead, ‘Pebble Beach (Triptych),’ 2000; Gouache on board. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the annex gallery, curators Elon Solo and William Corman present the show with care, giving plenty of room between Mead’s dense scenes to let ideas spread in the space between frames. Most of the show hangs on temporary walls that echo the zig-zag windows of the annex. The exhibition, designed by architecture firm MAD, is spare and orderly, the walls backed by silvery sheets of what looks like aluminum. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Many of the futuristic objects Mead depicted have come into being in the decades since: handheld computers, self-driving cars, personal unicycles. But to me, the most interesting parts of Mead’s futures are often the backgrounds — the large-scale, super-imaginative infrastructure that we haven’t yet realized. Mead’s work is a reminder that a better future isn’t just flashy gadgets; it’s a radical restructuring of the way we live, eat, work and play.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/pyramid-arts\">Syd Mead: Future Pastime\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Transamerica Pyramid Annex Gallery (535 Washington St., San Francisco) through Dec. 17, 2026.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even at 54, the \u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/\">Transamerica Pyramid\u003c/a> manages to look futuristic, probably because no other building in the San Francisco skyline has ever dared to be as weird. With its steep angles, pointy shoulders and graceful, leggy base, it remains wholly singular. What if the skyscrapers that grew up around it had dared to carve out their own silhouettes — or any sort of interesting shape at all?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alas, the present does not, in many ways, live up to past visions of the future. The 21st century was supposed to be sleeker, more harmonious and decidedly spacier. And for much of that expectation, we have one man to thank: designer \u003ca href=\"https://www.sydmead.com/\">Syd Mead\u003c/a>, who crafted some of the most indelible images of what was to come.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13995010\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-3_2000-51b20257-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of ‘Syd Mead: Future Pastime’ at the Transamerica Pyramic Annex Gallery. (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a perfect merger of art and setting, 16 of Mead’s gouache paintings are now on view in \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/pyramid-arts\">Future Pastime\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, an exhibition in the glass-walled annex gallery at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid. Mead, who died in 2019, worked across industries, designing cars, catalogs and architectural interiors and exteriors, but he’s best known for the technology and worldbuilding he cooked up for films like the first \u003cem>Star Trek\u003c/em> movie, \u003cem>TRON\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Blade Runner\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In \u003cem>Future Pastime\u003c/em> we see none of Mead’s cinematic concept art, but plenty of ornate pageantry, speeding vehicles and future space settlements. His pieces are humble in scale but epic in conception. Mead didn’t just imagine how a personal gyroscope might look, but what sort of world would exist around it, down to how doorways might change to fit the shape of a beetle-like backpack. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549.jpg\" alt=\"two futuristic vehicles in blue space with plenty of reflections\" class=\"wp-image-13995012\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/6-Future-Pastime-Mobilage-dfca5549-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Syd Mead, ‘Mobilage,’ 1985; Gouache on board. (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mead’s future is sexy and optimistic. Most of the pieces in \u003cem>Future Pastime\u003c/em> depict a society at leisure: people watch races (of horses, boats, cars and giant greyhound-like robots); they party; they travel through space alongside intergalactic whales. Industry has moved to the moon to give Earth time to recover.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Part of what makes Mead’s images so appealing is their realism; he had an incredible ability to render reflective surfaces. He deployed delicate brushstrokes with the technical precision of an industrial designer, but lit his scenes like Maxfield Parrish paintings, soft oranges matched with purples, or steely gray-blues punctuated by zings of intense crimson. His wispy fabrics, draped across lots of nude bodies, are just as convincing as the shiny cars, vans and motorcycles he dreamed up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Futuristic machines are nearly always at the center of his paintings — many of the works on view were commissions from companies or events in the automotive industry. But what’s refreshing is just how \u003cem>Syd Mead\u003c/em> in style and content the images all are, regardless of who was paying for them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390.jpg\" alt=\"three framed gouache paintings on gray wall under concrete structure\" class=\"wp-image-13995014\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/SYD-MEAD-FUTURE-PASTIME-SF-9_2000-29d1d390-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Installation view of a commission for the Concours d’Elegance by Syd Mead, ‘Pebble Beach (Triptych),’ 2000; Gouache on board. (Courtesy of Vidoun)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the annex gallery, curators Elon Solo and William Corman present the show with care, giving plenty of room between Mead’s dense scenes to let ideas spread in the space between frames. Most of the show hangs on temporary walls that echo the zig-zag windows of the annex. The exhibition, designed by architecture firm MAD, is spare and orderly, the walls backed by silvery sheets of what looks like aluminum. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many of the futuristic objects Mead depicted have come into being in the decades since: handheld computers, self-driving cars, personal unicycles. But to me, the most interesting parts of Mead’s futures are often the backgrounds — the large-scale, super-imaginative infrastructure that we haven’t yet realized. Mead’s work is a reminder that a better future isn’t just flashy gadgets; it’s a radical restructuring of the way we live, eat, work and play.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://transamericapyramid.com/pyramid-arts\">Syd Mead: Future Pastime\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Transamerica Pyramid Annex Gallery (535 Washington St., San Francisco) through Dec. 17, 2026.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill No Longer Shutting Down",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://bottomofthehill.com/calendar.html\">Bottom of the Hill\u003c/a>, the legendary San Francisco music venue, won’t shut down at the end of the year after all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, owners Kathleen Owen, Ramona Downey and Lynn Schwarz announced that it was time to retire and close the club after 35 years. Then came an outpouring of support. Fans mourned one of the city’s last affordable, independent venues; bands bemoaned the loss of a stage that nurtured generations of up-and-coming acts. A couple of agents even said that if there’s no Bottom of the Hill, they’ll skip San Francisco on their tours altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We realized that we are but stewards of this place, and it got bigger than us,” Schwarz tells KQED. “And that we actually kind of don’t have a right to let it close, especially when so many people are reaching out to buy the business and just telling us how much it means to the ecosystem of music.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After months of negotiations, the owners announced that biotech entrepreneur and longtime Bottom of the Hill concertgoer Michele Bronson would take over the business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.coyotemedia.org/bottom-of-the-hill-sold/\">Coyote first reported\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schwarz tells KQED she feels “elated” to pass the torch to Bronson after a triumphant final year running the club. “Meeting with her, it just became really clear that we liked her brand of enthusiasm and smarts and business acumen combined with her extraordinary passion for music,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the New Year’s Eve show with Shannon Shaw, Bronson plans to close Bottom of the Hill for at least a month to make improvements. She also wants to retain the venue’s current staff. Owen and Downey will remain the owners of Bottom of the Hill’s building on 17th Street. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schwarz says she feels bad about causing panic about the club’s closure. Popular acts like Toro y Moi, Deerhoof and Bratmobile all sold out shows at the 246-capacity room this year to show their support. Some bands even reunited to play there. And fans have shown up in droves to attend concerts and buy merch. “I went from being overworked last year to taking on a year that is four times busier, but it has actually been just absolutely wonderful,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That leads Schwarz to an important point: She hopes fans will support their favorite cultural institutions \u003cem>before\u003c/em> they’re in danger of shutting down. “Show Michele the same love that you showed us this year,” she says. “Support the independents.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, owners Kathleen Owen, Ramona Downey and Lynn Schwarz announced that it was time to retire and close the club after 35 years. Then came an outpouring of support. Fans mourned one of the city’s last affordable, independent venues; bands bemoaned the loss of a stage that nurtured generations of up-and-coming acts. A couple of agents even said that if there’s no Bottom of the Hill, they’ll skip San Francisco on their tours altogether.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, owners Kathleen Owen, Ramona Downey and Lynn Schwarz announced that it was time to retire and close the club after 35 years. Then came an outpouring of support. Fans mourned one of the city’s last affordable, independent venues; bands bemoaned the loss of a stage that nurtured generations of up-and-coming acts. A couple of agents even said that if there’s no Bottom of the Hill, they’ll skip San Francisco on their tours altogether.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We realized that we are but stewards of this place, and it got bigger than us,” Schwarz tells KQED. “And that we actually kind of don’t have a right to let it close, especially when so many people are reaching out to buy the business and just telling us how much it means to the ecosystem of music.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We realized that we are but stewards of this place, and it got bigger than us,” Schwarz tells KQED. “And that we actually kind of don’t have a right to let it close, especially when so many people are reaching out to buy the business and just telling us how much it means to the ecosystem of music.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After months of negotiations, the owners announced that biotech entrepreneur and longtime Bottom of the Hill concertgoer Michele Bronson would take over the business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.coyotemedia.org/bottom-of-the-hill-sold/\">Coyote first reported\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schwarz tells KQED she feels “elated” to pass the torch to Bronson after a triumphant final year running the club. “Meeting with her, it just became really clear that we liked her brand of enthusiasm and smarts and business acumen combined with her extraordinary passion for music,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Schwarz tells KQED she feels “elated” to pass the torch to Bronson after a triumphant final year running the club. “Meeting with her, it just became really clear that we liked her brand of enthusiasm and smarts and business acumen combined with her extraordinary passion for music,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After the New Year’s Eve show with Shannon Shaw, Bronson plans to close Bottom of the Hill for at least a month to make improvements. She also wants to retain the venue’s current staff. Owen and Downey will remain the owners of Bottom of the Hill’s building on 17th Street. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After the New Year’s Eve show with Shannon Shaw, Bronson plans to close Bottom of the Hill for at least a month to make improvements. She also wants to retain the venue’s current staff. Owen and Downey will remain the owners of Bottom of the Hill’s building on 17th Street. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Schwarz says she feels bad about causing panic about the club’s closure. Popular acts like Toro y Moi, Deerhoof and Bratmobile all sold out shows at the 246-capacity room this year to show their support. Some bands even reunited to play there. And fans have shown up in droves to attend concerts and buy merch. “I went from being overworked last year to taking on a year that is four times busier, but it has actually been just absolutely wonderful,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Schwarz says she feels bad about causing panic about the club’s closure. Popular acts like Toro y Moi, Deerhoof and Bratmobile all sold out shows at the 246-capacity room this year to show their support. Some bands even reunited to play there. And fans have shown up in droves to attend concerts and buy merch. “I went from being overworked last year to taking on a year that is four times busier, but it has actually been just absolutely wonderful,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That leads Schwarz to an important point: She hopes fans will support their favorite cultural institutions \u003cem>before\u003c/em> they’re in danger of shutting down. “Show Michele the same love that you showed us this year,” she says. “Support the independents.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://bottomofthehill.com/calendar.html\">Bottom of the Hill\u003c/a>, the legendary San Francisco music venue, won’t shut down at the end of the year after all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this year, owners Kathleen Owen, Ramona Downey and Lynn Schwarz announced that it was time to retire and close the club after 35 years. Then came an outpouring of support. Fans mourned one of the city’s last affordable, independent venues; bands bemoaned the loss of a stage that nurtured generations of up-and-coming acts. A couple of agents even said that if there’s no Bottom of the Hill, they’ll skip San Francisco on their tours altogether.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We realized that we are but stewards of this place, and it got bigger than us,” Schwarz tells KQED. “And that we actually kind of don’t have a right to let it close, especially when so many people are reaching out to buy the business and just telling us how much it means to the ecosystem of music.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After months of negotiations, the owners announced that biotech entrepreneur and longtime Bottom of the Hill concertgoer Michele Bronson would take over the business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.coyotemedia.org/bottom-of-the-hill-sold/\">Coyote first reported\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schwarz tells KQED she feels “elated” to pass the torch to Bronson after a triumphant final year running the club. “Meeting with her, it just became really clear that we liked her brand of enthusiasm and smarts and business acumen combined with her extraordinary passion for music,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the New Year’s Eve show with Shannon Shaw, Bronson plans to close Bottom of the Hill for at least a month to make improvements. She also wants to retain the venue’s current staff. Owen and Downey will remain the owners of Bottom of the Hill’s building on 17th Street. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schwarz says she feels bad about causing panic about the club’s closure. Popular acts like Toro y Moi, Deerhoof and Bratmobile all sold out shows at the 246-capacity room this year to show their support. Some bands even reunited to play there. And fans have shown up in droves to attend concerts and buy merch. “I went from being overworked last year to taking on a year that is four times busier, but it has actually been just absolutely wonderful,” Schwarz says. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That leads Schwarz to an important point: She hopes fans will support their favorite cultural institutions \u003cem>before\u003c/em> they’re in danger of shutting down. “Show Michele the same love that you showed us this year,” she says. “Support the independents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/golden-state-valkyries\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a> faced off against the Atlanta Dream during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105116/valkyries-fall-to-dream-65-79-in-game-2-of-wnba-finals\">Game 2 of WNBA Finals\u003c/a> Monday night, the players set the tone with their tunnel fits. Gabby Williams arrived in a cool, casual 49ers jersey and sunglasses, and Angel Reese looked glamorous and polished in a black high-neck gown and kitten heels.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fans at Ballhalla showed out, too. Photographer Estefany Gonzalez captured their sparkliest and most creative looks as they filed into the Chase Center, where the Dream beat the Valks, tying the series at 1-1. The teams will meet again at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Oct. 21.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994884\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gioia Garner, 53, dresses in all purple outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Garner spent her Christmas fund on tickets for the game and said her friends can expect cards this year. “Our ladies are kicking ass and taking names so why wouldn’t we give them our money?” Garner said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994885\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Details from Gioia Garner’s look. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994898\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brittney Elena, 37, holds her dog, Diva, 16, outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Elena is originally from the Bay Area and travels from Los Angeles for home games as a season ticket holder. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994899\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Diva the dog shows off her Valkyries T-shirt. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994886\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elias Guting, 30, wears a custom outfit he designed at Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Guting’s clothing brand Nostalgic Attitude has been worn by players themselves. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994908\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sam Akpan, 43, poses for a portrait outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Akpan was one of the many people watching the game outside of the Chase Center. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994906\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jessica Foung, 43, holds a stack of purple bracelets outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994896\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb.JPG 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tina C., 46, wears a sequence purple suit outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. “I didn’t really think that myself was a sports fan, but I didn’t really have a women’s team that I could root for. So, you know, having a big women’s team in the Bay really converted me,” Tina C. said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994889\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tina C. spent more than a week hand gluing feathers to the back of their blazer for the special occasion. “This team, it sparkles. So I needed to have something that matched the team’s vibe, you know? I’m violet’s gay cousin with the black feathers,” they said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994887\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lianne Leong, who goes by “the golden Valkyrie,” wears a custom made golden outfit outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco. Leong has made Anime, Star Wars, KPop Demon Hunters, and various other cosplay costumes over the past ten years and decided to use her skills to make a Valkyrie costume after moving back to the Bay Area in January. “Valkyries were going crazy. So I just thought, well, duh, I should just make a costume. Obviously,” Leong said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994888\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132.JPG 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tiffany Mease, 40, wears purple fur in honor of the Golden State Valkyries outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. “It took four hours on a glue gun believe it or not,” Mease said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994897\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeph Lee, 53, wears a thrifted purple coat outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Monica Blakely, left, poses for a portrait with Angelique Muñoz, after bumping into each other and realizing they were both sporting the same headband outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994916\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fans watch Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/golden-state-valkyries\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a> faced off against the Atlanta Dream during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105116/valkyries-fall-to-dream-65-79-in-game-2-of-wnba-finals\">Game 2 of WNBA Finals\u003c/a> Monday night, the players set the tone with their tunnel fits. Gabby Williams arrived in a cool, casual 49ers jersey and sunglasses, and Angel Reese looked glamorous and polished in a black high-neck gown and kitten heels.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Before the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/golden-state-valkyries\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a> faced off against the Atlanta Dream during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105116/valkyries-fall-to-dream-65-79-in-game-2-of-wnba-finals\">Game 2 of WNBA Finals\u003c/a> Monday night, the players set the tone with their tunnel fits. Gabby Williams arrived in a cool, casual 49ers jersey and sunglasses, and Angel Reese looked glamorous and polished in a black high-neck gown and kitten heels.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The fans at Ballhalla showed out, too. Photographer Estefany Gonzalez captured their sparkliest and most creative looks as they filed into the Chase Center, where the Dream beat the Valks, tying the series at 1-1. The teams will meet again at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Oct. 21.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The fans at Ballhalla showed out, too. Photographer Estefany Gonzalez captured their sparkliest and most creative looks as they filed into the Chase Center, where the Dream beat the Valks, tying the series at 1-1. The teams will meet again at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Oct. 21.\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/golden-state-valkyries\">Golden State Valkyries\u003c/a> faced off against the Atlanta Dream during \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12105116/valkyries-fall-to-dream-65-79-in-game-2-of-wnba-finals\">Game 2 of WNBA Finals\u003c/a> Monday night, the players set the tone with their tunnel fits. Gabby Williams arrived in a cool, casual 49ers jersey and sunglasses, and Angel Reese looked glamorous and polished in a black high-neck gown and kitten heels.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fans at Ballhalla showed out, too. Photographer Estefany Gonzalez captured their sparkliest and most creative looks as they filed into the Chase Center, where the Dream beat the Valks, tying the series at 1-1. The teams will meet again at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Oct. 21.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994884\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_018_qed-d271061a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gioia Garner, 53, dresses in all purple outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Garner spent her Christmas fund on tickets for the game and said her friends can expect cards this year. “Our ladies are kicking ass and taking names so why wouldn’t we give them our money?” Garner said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994885\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_019_qed-52d7c0e8-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Details from Gioia Garner’s look. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994898\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_022_qed-7dee8ef6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brittney Elena, 37, holds her dog, Diva, 16, outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco during Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Elena is originally from the Bay Area and travels from Los Angeles for home games as a season ticket holder. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994899\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_023_qed-273a938f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Diva the dog shows off her Valkyries T-shirt. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994886\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_039_qed-e8517d83-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elias Guting, 30, wears a custom outfit he designed at Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Guting’s clothing brand Nostalgic Attitude has been worn by players themselves. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994908\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_035_qed-5eee009f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sam Akpan, 43, poses for a portrait outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Akpan was one of the many people watching the game outside of the Chase Center. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994906\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_030_qed-06696c63-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jessica Foung, 43, holds a stack of purple bracelets outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994896\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb.JPG 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_013_qed-c07c1ecb-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tina C., 46, wears a sequence purple suit outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. “I didn’t really think that myself was a sports fan, but I didn’t really have a women’s team that I could root for. So, you know, having a big women’s team in the Bay really converted me,” Tina C. said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994889\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_014_qed-17d4ab75-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tina C. spent more than a week hand gluing feathers to the back of their blazer for the special occasion. “This team, it sparkles. So I needed to have something that matched the team’s vibe, you know? I’m violet’s gay cousin with the black feathers,” they said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994887\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_003_qed-72b0d4b1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lianne Leong, who goes by “the golden Valkyrie,” wears a custom made golden outfit outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco. Leong has made Anime, Star Wars, KPop Demon Hunters, and various other cosplay costumes over the past ten years and decided to use her skills to make a Valkyrie costume after moving back to the Bay Area in January. “Valkyries were going crazy. So I just thought, well, duh, I should just make a costume. Obviously,” Leong said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994888\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132.JPG 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_012_qed-8bb9d132-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Tiffany Mease, 40, wears purple fur in honor of the Golden State Valkyries outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. “It took four hours on a glue gun believe it or not,” Mease said. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994897\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_021_qed-694d4742-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jeph Lee, 53, wears a thrifted purple coat outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994915\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_009_qed-ee26845e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Monica Blakely, left, poses for a portrait with Angelique Muñoz, after bumping into each other and realizing they were both sporting the same headband outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013.JPG\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994916\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013.JPG 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/20261019_ValksGame2_045_qed-0d7d5013-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fans watch Game 2 of the WNBA Finals between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream outside of the Chase Center in San Francisco on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "ha-chong-hyun-asian-art-museum-korean-modernist-painting",
"title": "At the Asian Art Museum, Paintings You’ll Want to Lick",
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"headTitle": "At the Asian Art Museum, Paintings You’ll Want to Lick | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t need a more exciting title because the exhibition is drop dead gorgeous. Though he’s called “the father of Korean modernism,” Ha isn’t yet a household name in the U.S. Nevertheless, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/asian-art-museum\">Asian Art Museum\u003c/a> clearly trusts the paintings themselves to entice people to visit this show. But there’s a surprise among the stunning aesthetic beauty. While Ha’s work supports an art-for-art’s-sake appreciation, it quickly becomes apparent that Ha’s paintings are witnesses to and documents of the tumultuous, consequential history of Korea over the country’s dizzying changes during the 20th and 21st centuries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of thick white and gray paint applied in textured blocks\" class=\"wp-image-13994873\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of Ha Chong-Hyun’s ‘Conjunction 22-121,’ 2022; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re kind of ice cream,” Asian Art Museum director Soyoung Lee told KQED of the paintings. “I feel like I can almost taste it. I feel like I can smell it. I feel like I want to touch it even though I have to be careful about saying that when I work in a museum!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha was born in 1935, in a Korea that was a colony of Japan. By the time Ha reached adulthood in the mid-20th century, Korea had experienced 35 years of Japanese rule, the U.S. and Soviet Union partitioning the country into two occupation zones, the Korean War and a devastated economy. The only material he could find for painting was the burlap of U.S. grain shipments and army sandbags.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2046\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg\" alt=\"grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994874\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Work 73,’ 1973; Barbed wire on panel. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In this retrospective, Ha’s back-pressure method paintings start out relatively quiet in the 1970s quietly. Rows of white paint circles push through the loose burlap weave in \u003cem>Conjunction 74-26\u003c/em>. The oil in the paint, absorbed into the burlap around it, creates halo-like stains around the white paint. I started to think about Korea’s push towards modernity; the irrepressible drive towards a developed economy, the uncontrolled drips flowing like the unexpected human consequences of those huge social changes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg\" alt=\"wide abstract painting with white dripping dots in grid across brown canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-1536x757.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 74-26,’ 1974. (Jonathan Muzikar)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1618\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994877\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg 1618w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-768x949.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-1243x1536.jpg 1243w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 26-14,’ 2026; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" data-id=\"13994876\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, Detail of ‘Post-Conjunction 10-2,’ 2010; Oil and collage on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Sangtae Kim)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“His art definitely speaks to what it means for things to go through human hands,” said Lee. “It’s something that requires a little commitment from you … to slow down to look and think about what it is to make things with your hands, with your body — and to feel it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St., San Francisco) through Jan. 25, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t need a more exciting title because the exhibition is drop dead gorgeous. Though he’s called “the father of Korean modernism,” Ha isn’t yet a household name in the U.S. Nevertheless, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/asian-art-museum\">Asian Art Museum\u003c/a> clearly trusts the paintings themselves to entice people to visit this show. But there’s a surprise among the stunning aesthetic beauty. While Ha’s work supports an art-for-art’s-sake appreciation, it quickly becomes apparent that Ha’s paintings are witnesses to and documents of the tumultuous, consequential history of Korea over the country’s dizzying changes during the 20th and 21st centuries.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’re kind of ice cream,” Asian Art Museum director Soyoung Lee told KQED of the paintings. “I feel like I can almost taste it. I feel like I can smell it. I feel like I want to touch it even though I have to be careful about saying that when I work in a museum!”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ha was born in 1935, in a Korea that was a colony of Japan. By the time Ha reached adulthood in the mid-20th century, Korea had experienced 35 years of Japanese rule, the U.S. and Soviet Union partitioning the country into two occupation zones, the Korean War and a devastated economy. The only material he could find for painting was the burlap of U.S. grain shipments and army sandbags.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg\" alt=\"grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994874\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Work 73,’ 1973; Barbed wire on panel.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In this retrospective, Ha’s back-pressure method paintings start out relatively quiet in the 1970s quietly. Rows of white paint circles push through the loose burlap weave in \u003cem>Conjunction 74-26\u003c/em>. The oil in the paint, absorbed into the burlap around it, creates halo-like stains around the white paint. I started to think about Korea’s push towards modernity; the irrepressible drive towards a developed economy, the uncontrolled drips flowing like the unexpected human consequences of those huge social changes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994877\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 26-14,’ 2026; Oil on hemp cloth.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“His art definitely speaks to what it means for things to go through human hands,” said Lee. “It’s something that requires a little commitment from you … to slow down to look and think about what it is to make things with your hands, with your body — and to feel it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St., San Francisco) through Jan. 25, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Ha Chong-Hyun’s retrospective luxuriates in thick applications of paint.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t need a more exciting title because the exhibition is drop dead gorgeous. Though he’s called “the father of Korean modernism,” Ha isn’t yet a household name in the U.S. Nevertheless, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/asian-art-museum\">Asian Art Museum\u003c/a> clearly trusts the paintings themselves to entice people to visit this show. But there’s a surprise among the stunning aesthetic beauty. While Ha’s work supports an art-for-art’s-sake appreciation, it quickly becomes apparent that Ha’s paintings are witnesses to and documents of the tumultuous, consequential history of Korea over the country’s dizzying changes during the 20th and 21st centuries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of thick white and gray paint applied in textured blocks\" class=\"wp-image-13994873\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of Ha Chong-Hyun’s ‘Conjunction 22-121,’ 2022; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re kind of ice cream,” Asian Art Museum director Soyoung Lee told KQED of the paintings. “I feel like I can almost taste it. I feel like I can smell it. I feel like I want to touch it even though I have to be careful about saying that when I work in a museum!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha was born in 1935, in a Korea that was a colony of Japan. By the time Ha reached adulthood in the mid-20th century, Korea had experienced 35 years of Japanese rule, the U.S. and Soviet Union partitioning the country into two occupation zones, the Korean War and a devastated economy. The only material he could find for painting was the burlap of U.S. grain shipments and army sandbags.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2046\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg\" alt=\"grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994874\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Work 73,’ 1973; Barbed wire on panel. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In this retrospective, Ha’s back-pressure method paintings start out relatively quiet in the 1970s quietly. Rows of white paint circles push through the loose burlap weave in \u003cem>Conjunction 74-26\u003c/em>. The oil in the paint, absorbed into the burlap around it, creates halo-like stains around the white paint. I started to think about Korea’s push towards modernity; the irrepressible drive towards a developed economy, the uncontrolled drips flowing like the unexpected human consequences of those huge social changes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg\" alt=\"wide abstract painting with white dripping dots in grid across brown canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-1536x757.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 74-26,’ 1974. (Jonathan Muzikar)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1618\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994877\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg 1618w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-768x949.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-1243x1536.jpg 1243w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 26-14,’ 2026; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" data-id=\"13994876\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, Detail of ‘Post-Conjunction 10-2,’ 2010; Oil and collage on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Sangtae Kim)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“His art definitely speaks to what it means for things to go through human hands,” said Lee. “It’s something that requires a little commitment from you … to slow down to look and think about what it is to make things with your hands, with your body — and to feel it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St., San Francisco) through Jan. 25, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "in-oh-mary-a-closeted-presidents-unhinged-wife-draws-cackles",
"title": "In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles",
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"headTitle": "In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>What’s more interesting, the Civil War or singing in a cabaret club?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the lovely and limber Mary Todd Lincoln, it’s no contest, considering the war with the South prompts her to ask an important question: the South of what?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While at least 620,000 soldiers died in a conflict that still carries ramifications for the United States today, Mary isn’t thinking about that history and legacy mumbo jumbo. On her mind is much more critical business at hand, mostly involving her dream of climbing all over a piano crooning classic cabaret hits, tickling the ivories \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Lepore and John-Andrew Morrison in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alaska Thunderfuck and Wesley Taylor in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Lepore and John-Andrew Morrison in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The Pulitzer-nominated musical has opened in San Francisco, with drag star Alaska as Mary Todd Lincoln.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>What’s more interesting, the Civil War or singing in a cabaret club?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the lovely and limber Mary Todd Lincoln, it’s no contest, considering the war with the South prompts her to ask an important question: the South of what?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While at least 620,000 soldiers died in a conflict that still carries ramifications for the United States today, Mary isn’t thinking about that history and legacy mumbo jumbo. On her mind is much more critical business at hand, mostly involving her dream of climbing all over a piano crooning classic cabaret hits, tickling the ivories \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Lepore and John-Andrew Morrison in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alaska Thunderfuck and Wesley Taylor in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "every-saturday-night-fillmore-district-sfbatco-review",
"title": "‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul",
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"headTitle": "‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, a world-premiere musical that opened Thursday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a single mother living in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fillmore\">Fillmore District\u003c/a> opens her old Victorian home to the Black community each week to keep the party going well after the clubs close. It’s the story of a time when the Fillmore was filled with jazz music, prosperous businesses and community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, after so-called urban renewal in the 1970s decimated the cultural fabric of the neighborhood, and various attempts to recapture its “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957757/why-san-franciscos-fillmore-district-is-no-longer-the-harlem-of-the-west\">Harlem of the West\u003c/a>” vibrancy, that same area tells a very different story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donte (Darryl V. Jones), left, tells Adarè (Trevor Miller) about growing up in the Fillmore in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cowritten by Michael Gene Sullivan and Danny Duncan and produced by SFBATCO, \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em> casts the Fillmore itself as the show’s main character. Donte Coleman (Darryl V. Jones), tells stories of his childhood in the Fillmore to the teenage son of a new family looking to buy his home and move in. Having learned the history of the neighborhood, the family is shocked to see that it’s not what they expected. Samuel (Jon-David Randle), the new homebuyer, puts it plainly: “There aren’t as many Black people as I thought there would be.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across its 70-year timeline, from the 1950s to present day, the script is constant in its message, if a little hard to follow at times. The production comes alive when it reenacts the different parties hosted by Donte’s mother Ardella (Cathleen Riddley), providing a “nice place where colored folks can rest” at the end of a busy work week. Between these lively parties with loud jazz and busy dance numbers (with music by Othello Jefferson and choreography by the director, AeJay Antonis Marquis), there’s also a fight to save the district from encroaching redevelopment, and to protect Black residents from the removal that its Japanese residents had faced a few years earlier. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doris (Imri Tate) speaks out against urban renewal and the displacement of the Fillmore’s Black community in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Doris (Imri M. Tate) is crusader for this cause, and convinces Ardella to join her. (“I don’t want to be moved out of my home because somebody wants to bleach the Fillmoe like a damn shirt,” Doris says.) In the original song “For the Greater Good of the Neighborhood,” Doris pleads for Ardella to keep her home, and the audience gets immersed into an anti-redevelopment protest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back to the present day, as Donte bonds with the new family’s teenage son, Adarè (Trevor Miller), similar efforts are underway. A “Western Addition Heritage Association” knocks on the door trying to purchase and flip the house, under the guise of keeping it in the community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Young Donte (Jacob Henrie-Naffaa), center, and others dance the night away at Ardella’s after-hours joint in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donte (Darryl V. Jones), left, tells Adarè (Trevor Miller) about growing up in the Fillmore in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cowritten by Michael Gene Sullivan and Danny Duncan and produced by SFBATCO, \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em> casts the Fillmore itself as the show’s main character. Donte Coleman (Darryl V. Jones), tells stories of his childhood in the Fillmore to the teenage son of a new family looking to buy his home and move in. Having learned the history of the neighborhood, the family is shocked to see that it’s not what they expected. Samuel (Jon-David Randle), the new homebuyer, puts it plainly: “There aren’t as many Black people as I thought there would be.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Across its 70-year timeline, from the 1950s to present day, the script is constant in its message, if a little hard to follow at times. The production comes alive when it reenacts the different parties hosted by Donte’s mother Ardella (Cathleen Riddley), providing a “nice place where colored folks can rest” at the end of a busy work week. Between these lively parties with loud jazz and busy dance numbers (with music by Othello Jefferson and choreography by the director, AeJay Antonis Marquis), there’s also a fight to save the district from encroaching redevelopment, and to protect Black residents from the removal that its Japanese residents had faced a few years earlier. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Doris (Imri M. Tate) is crusader for this cause, and convinces Ardella to join her. (“I don’t want to be moved out of my home because somebody wants to bleach the Fillmoe like a damn shirt,” Doris says.) In the original song “For the Greater Good of the Neighborhood,” Doris pleads for Ardella to keep her home, and the audience gets immersed into an anti-redevelopment protest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Back to the present day, as Donte bonds with the new family’s teenage son, Adarè (Trevor Miller), similar efforts are underway. A “Western Addition Heritage Association” knocks on the door trying to purchase and flip the house, under the guise of keeping it in the community. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"title": "Review: ‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, a world-premiere musical that opened Thursday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a single mother living in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fillmore\">Fillmore District\u003c/a> opens her old Victorian home to the Black community each week to keep the party going well after the clubs close. It’s the story of a time when the Fillmore was filled with jazz music, prosperous businesses and community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, after so-called urban renewal in the 1970s decimated the cultural fabric of the neighborhood, and various attempts to recapture its “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957757/why-san-franciscos-fillmore-district-is-no-longer-the-harlem-of-the-west\">Harlem of the West\u003c/a>” vibrancy, that same area tells a very different story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donte (Darryl V. Jones), left, tells Adarè (Trevor Miller) about growing up in the Fillmore in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cowritten by Michael Gene Sullivan and Danny Duncan and produced by SFBATCO, \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em> casts the Fillmore itself as the show’s main character. Donte Coleman (Darryl V. Jones), tells stories of his childhood in the Fillmore to the teenage son of a new family looking to buy his home and move in. Having learned the history of the neighborhood, the family is shocked to see that it’s not what they expected. Samuel (Jon-David Randle), the new homebuyer, puts it plainly: “There aren’t as many Black people as I thought there would be.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across its 70-year timeline, from the 1950s to present day, the script is constant in its message, if a little hard to follow at times. The production comes alive when it reenacts the different parties hosted by Donte’s mother Ardella (Cathleen Riddley), providing a “nice place where colored folks can rest” at the end of a busy work week. Between these lively parties with loud jazz and busy dance numbers (with music by Othello Jefferson and choreography by the director, AeJay Antonis Marquis), there’s also a fight to save the district from encroaching redevelopment, and to protect Black residents from the removal that its Japanese residents had faced a few years earlier. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doris (Imri Tate) speaks out against urban renewal and the displacement of the Fillmore’s Black community in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Doris (Imri M. Tate) is crusader for this cause, and convinces Ardella to join her. (“I don’t want to be moved out of my home because somebody wants to bleach the Fillmoe like a damn shirt,” Doris says.) In the original song “For the Greater Good of the Neighborhood,” Doris pleads for Ardella to keep her home, and the audience gets immersed into an anti-redevelopment protest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back to the present day, as Donte bonds with the new family’s teenage son, Adarè (Trevor Miller), similar efforts are underway. A “Western Addition Heritage Association” knocks on the door trying to purchase and flip the house, under the guise of keeping it in the community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Young Donte (Jacob Henrie-Naffaa), center, and others dance the night away at Ardella’s after-hours joint in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>How much does it cost to be an artist in San Francisco? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It isn’t too hard to calculate. First, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">normal expenses\u003c/a> we all rack up: food, housing, healthcare, transportation. Then there’s renting a practice space or studio, purchasing equipment and materials, hiring collaborators and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The stark reality of this math has shaped the relaunch of a much-needed initiative: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-lab\">The Lab\u003c/a>’s Living Wage Residency program, which will provide three artists with $17,530 each to develop new work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As recipients of the residency, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ammaateria.com/\">Amma Ateria\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.zacharyepcar.com/\">Zachary Epcar\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.alexachristineburrell.com/about/\">Alexa Burrell\u003c/a> will also receive curatorial and technical support, plus three months of regular access to The Lab and two weeks of exclusive use of the space for final presentations of their projects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re intending it to be something that really allows the artists to dedicate a full three months of time to their artwork,” Andrew Smith, The Lab’s executive director, told KQED. “And then we also have a very flexible $5,000 stipend for materials, or collaborators, or other expenses that we see as augmenting that base living wage amount.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That rather funny amount of $17,530 comes directly from MIT’s \u003ca href=\"https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/06075\">living wage calculator\u003c/a>, which estimates that a single adult without children needs to make $32.44/hour (and work full-time) to meet minimum basic needs in San Francisco. (As a point of reference, the current minimum wage in the city is just $19.61/hour.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keeping those calculations visible is intentional. “Our goal is to actually demonstrate that this is in response to a crisis that’s happening in the Bay Area,” Smith said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Living Wage Residency program first launched in 2014 under former Lab director Dena Beard, providing nontraditional artists with rare institutional support, along with significant funding, time and space. With this “relaunch” of the program, The Lab held an open call for the first time, and received over 400 applications. Funding for the residencies comes from the San Francisco Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The three residents represent the range of experimental practices The Lab supports, including some truly ambitious-sounding projects. Ateria, a composer, will premiere an expansion of her \u003cem>Entropic Arias\u003c/em> at The Lab on a newly installed Meyer Sound spatial audio system in January 2027. Epcar, a filmmaker, will present an expanded cinema project for June 2027 about the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/1151421770/the-curious-case-of-havana-syndrome\">Havana Syndrome\u003c/a>” experienced by U.S. intelligence agents in Cuba. And Burrell, a visual artist, will create an immersive installation scheduled for October 2027 that uses sheets of falling water as screens for projected video work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1082\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83.jpg\" alt=\"wide empty interior space with wood floors\" class=\"wp-image-13994737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83-768x415.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83-1536x831.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The recently expanded space of The Lab, which includes the former ballroom of the San Francisco Labor Temple. (Robert Divers Herrick)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Key to each of these projects is an expansion of scale and scope that necessitates bringing others into the mix. In that way, the residency fees are designed to ripple outward. “Each of these artists has an established and very high-level practice in a particular discipline,” Smith said, “and they’ve put forward these projects that expand that through a network of collaborators.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Growth is a new watchword at The Lab. The nonprofit recently extended its lease in the historic Redstone Building, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937804/the-lab-new-lease-redstone-building-sf-labor-temple\">renovating the neighboring ballroom\u003c/a> has added to the footprint of the venue by about 70%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I felt like we had to,” Smith said. “Once you lose square footage in the Bay Area, you just never get it back.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As recipients of the residency, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ammaateria.com/\">Amma Ateria\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.zacharyepcar.com/\">Zachary Epcar\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.alexachristineburrell.com/about/\">Alexa Burrell\u003c/a> will also receive curatorial and technical support, plus three months of regular access to The Lab and two weeks of exclusive use of the space for final presentations of their projects.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re intending it to be something that really allows the artists to dedicate a full three months of time to their artwork,” Andrew Smith, The Lab’s executive director, told KQED. “And then we also have a very flexible $5,000 stipend for materials, or collaborators, or other expenses that we see as augmenting that base living wage amount.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That rather funny amount of $17,530 comes directly from MIT’s \u003ca href=\"https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/06075\">living wage calculator\u003c/a>, which estimates that a single adult without children needs to make $32.44/hour (and work full-time) to meet minimum basic needs in San Francisco. (As a point of reference, the current minimum wage in the city is just $19.61/hour.) \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Keeping those calculations visible is intentional. “Our goal is to actually demonstrate that this is in response to a crisis that’s happening in the Bay Area,” Smith said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Living Wage Residency program first launched in 2014 under former Lab director Dena Beard, providing nontraditional artists with rare institutional support, along with significant funding, time and space. With this “relaunch” of the program, The Lab held an open call for the first time, and received over 400 applications. Funding for the residencies comes from the San Francisco Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The three residents represent the range of experimental practices The Lab supports, including some truly ambitious-sounding projects. Ateria, a composer, will premiere an expansion of her \u003cem>Entropic Arias\u003c/em> at The Lab on a newly installed Meyer Sound spatial audio system in January 2027. Epcar, a filmmaker, will present an expanded cinema project for June 2027 about the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/1151421770/the-curious-case-of-havana-syndrome\">Havana Syndrome\u003c/a>” experienced by U.S. intelligence agents in Cuba. And Burrell, a visual artist, will create an immersive installation scheduled for October 2027 that uses sheets of falling water as screens for projected video work. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>How much does it cost to be an artist in San Francisco? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It isn’t too hard to calculate. First, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">normal expenses\u003c/a> we all rack up: food, housing, healthcare, transportation. Then there’s renting a practice space or studio, purchasing equipment and materials, hiring collaborators and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The stark reality of this math has shaped the relaunch of a much-needed initiative: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/the-lab\">The Lab\u003c/a>’s Living Wage Residency program, which will provide three artists with $17,530 each to develop new work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As recipients of the residency, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ammaateria.com/\">Amma Ateria\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.zacharyepcar.com/\">Zachary Epcar\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.alexachristineburrell.com/about/\">Alexa Burrell\u003c/a> will also receive curatorial and technical support, plus three months of regular access to The Lab and two weeks of exclusive use of the space for final presentations of their projects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re intending it to be something that really allows the artists to dedicate a full three months of time to their artwork,” Andrew Smith, The Lab’s executive director, told KQED. “And then we also have a very flexible $5,000 stipend for materials, or collaborators, or other expenses that we see as augmenting that base living wage amount.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That rather funny amount of $17,530 comes directly from MIT’s \u003ca href=\"https://livingwage.mit.edu/counties/06075\">living wage calculator\u003c/a>, which estimates that a single adult without children needs to make $32.44/hour (and work full-time) to meet minimum basic needs in San Francisco. (As a point of reference, the current minimum wage in the city is just $19.61/hour.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Keeping those calculations visible is intentional. “Our goal is to actually demonstrate that this is in response to a crisis that’s happening in the Bay Area,” Smith said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Living Wage Residency program first launched in 2014 under former Lab director Dena Beard, providing nontraditional artists with rare institutional support, along with significant funding, time and space. With this “relaunch” of the program, The Lab held an open call for the first time, and received over 400 applications. Funding for the residencies comes from the San Francisco Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The three residents represent the range of experimental practices The Lab supports, including some truly ambitious-sounding projects. Ateria, a composer, will premiere an expansion of her \u003cem>Entropic Arias\u003c/em> at The Lab on a newly installed Meyer Sound spatial audio system in January 2027. Epcar, a filmmaker, will present an expanded cinema project for June 2027 about the “\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/01/25/1151421770/the-curious-case-of-havana-syndrome\">Havana Syndrome\u003c/a>” experienced by U.S. intelligence agents in Cuba. And Burrell, a visual artist, will create an immersive installation scheduled for October 2027 that uses sheets of falling water as screens for projected video work. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1082\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83.jpg\" alt=\"wide empty interior space with wood floors\" class=\"wp-image-13994737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83-768x415.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/250802_TheLab_Renovation_RDH_031_2000.jpg--cffaed83-1536x831.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The recently expanded space of The Lab, which includes the former ballroom of the San Francisco Labor Temple. (Robert Divers Herrick)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Key to each of these projects is an expansion of scale and scope that necessitates bringing others into the mix. In that way, the residency fees are designed to ripple outward. “Each of these artists has an established and very high-level practice in a particular discipline,” Smith said, “and they’ve put forward these projects that expand that through a network of collaborators.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Growth is a new watchword at The Lab. The nonprofit recently extended its lease in the historic Redstone Building, where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13937804/the-lab-new-lease-redstone-building-sf-labor-temple\">renovating the neighboring ballroom\u003c/a> has added to the footprint of the venue by about 70%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I felt like we had to,” Smith said. “Once you lose square footage in the Bay Area, you just never get it back.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mc-abdul-palestinian-rapper-empire-bay-area-gaza-day-by-day-shway-shway",
"title": "How Palestinian Rapper MC Abdul Rose from Gaza’s Refugee Camps to the World Stage",
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"headTitle": "How Palestinian Rapper MC Abdul Rose from Gaza’s Refugee Camps to the World Stage | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>“Is it real?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s the question MC Abdul kept asking himself when he arrived in San Francisco three years ago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His journey began when he was 11 years old, after he uploaded a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/mcabdulofficial/videos/mc-abdul-his-friends-at-school/675927073361010/\">video of himself rapping at his school in Gaza\u003c/a>. His verse, in self-taught English and full of hope that even the most dangerous environment couldn’t extinguish, went viral. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The baby-faced kid with determination in his eyes soon caught the attention of Ghazi, the Palestinian American founder of powerhouse San Francisco record label EMPIRE. MC Abdul signed a record deal in 2020, and EMPIRE began the process of bringing him to the U.S., where the young prodigy could devote himself to his art — and, more importantly, live somewhere safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now 18, MC Abdul has lived one of the wildest tales imaginable of a hip-hop come-up, and he’s ready to share it with the world. Those three words from his first thoughts on U.S. soil — “Is it real?” — open his debut album, \u003cem>Day by Day, Shway Shway\u003c/em>, out Oct. 16.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Abdul spent his childhood in a refugee camp on the Mediterranean coast, where Israeli bombs turned neighborhoods into rubble and military drones hovered constantly overhead. In the three years he’s been in California, he’s performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, and received cosigns from hip-hop royalty. Even as he’s reached goals he once could only dream of, at times he’s felt helpless, separated from his family and watching the destruction of his people from thousands of miles away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amid the pain, MC Abdul has steeled himself with a strong sense of purpose: to tell his story for the more than two million people still living in Gaza. With \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway,\u003c/em> he continues a Palestinian legacy of using hip-hop to call for peace and build solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Since the moment I left Gaza, I was like, ‘This has to be an album,’” MC Abdul tells KQED. “This is an insane story, and I want people to know what happened.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/yvvMB_2EQ4I?si=GAH9MjG7_fpQ5s7x\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>A journey out of Gaza\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These days, it’s difficult to come to the States \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65451/international-musicians-tours-visa-issues-border-patrol\">as an international artist\u003c/a> no matter where you’re from. But when you’re from Gaza, there’s an enormous amount of additional hurdles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even before Israel’s increased bombardment of Gaza over the past three years, a land, sea and air blockade made it nearly impossible for Palestinians to leave for any reason, even to seek medical care. Abdul waited for three years to get the proper permits to board a bus for Jerusalem to apply for his U.S. visa. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During those years of waiting, Abdul perfected his English by rapping along to songs by Eminem, Tupac and Nas. He kept filming music videos that showed his life as a regular kid, living among war and destruction. “I’ve always shot these videos [in] neighborhoods around me that were getting bombed. AndI would just take my speaker — sometimes I would risk my life. I would go outside and just film it and post it,” MC Abdul says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/l8qay1Al7Dc?si=t6qFlhlseD_e3onG\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His clips caught the attention of hip-hop legends like DJ Premier, Fat Joe and Kool G Rap, and eventually he amassed more than a million followers on Instagram. “And a lot of people liked what I posted,” he says. “That’s when it kind of felt more of a responsibility, basically.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When he was 14, he and his father finally secured the paperwork needed to cross the border into Egypt and board a plane to the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MC Abdul thought he’d be here for a month to work on his album and play his first-ever U.S. show: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934383/palestine-cultural-day-foster-city\">Palestine Day in Foster City\u003c/a>, where he performed in front of tens of thousands of fans from the diaspora. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But on Oct. 7 of that year, Hamas militants broke through the border wall into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis, prompting Israel to unleash a full-scale war on Gaza that has since left an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/7/three-years-of-israels-genocide-in-gaza-in-numbers\">74,000 Palestinians dead and 175,000 wounded, with 94% of hospitals and clinics destroyed or damaged\u003c/a>. An \u003ca href=\"https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167790\">independent United Nations commission\u003c/a>, the human rights organization \u003ca href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/\">Amnesty International\u003c/a> and even some \u003ca href=\"https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20250728_our_genocide\">Israeli human rights groups\u003c/a> have characterized Israel’s actions as genocide, a charge its government denies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For five months, MC Abdul was separated from his mother and siblings, not knowing if they were alive. After he located them, it was only because of his talent, and his record deal, that he was able to bring his immediate family to the U.S. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so many sleepless nights that I had during the process of trying to get [my mom and siblings] out, trying to reach out to them to make sure that they’re still alive,” he says. Dozens of his relatives didn’t survive. “During the process, … I lost 81 people all in one day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The studios in Gaza where MC Abdul recorded his earliest music, and the friends who filmed his first videos, are also gone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul (left) and Suhel Nafar pose for a photo at EMPIRE’s recording studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. Nafar, who heads EMPIRE’s West Asia and North Africa division, served as executive producer of the 18-year-old Palestinian rapper’s debut album, Day By Day, Shway Shway. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Turning pain into purpose\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a recent afternoon at EMPIRE’s sleek San Francisco studio, it’s all eyes on MC Abdul. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A busload of singers has just arrived from Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) to record choral versions of “Shway Shway,” the optimistic title track from his new album, and the more reflective, melancholy “Missing Home.” Abdul is in a good mood, geeking out about seeing Playboy Carti bring out Ye at ComplexCon — “I was like, ‘I’m fine if I leave this earth now.’ … Nah, not yet, we still gotta drop the album” — and excitedly telling the OSA students about the selection of 2K games in the studio upstairs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then it’s time to lock in. OSA teacher Cava Menzies strikes the opening piano chords of “Missing Home,” and the students’ voices swell, buoying MC Abdul as he rides the beat to deliver melodic bars about the pain of being separated from his family: “Moving with some urgency / Like it’s an emergency / It’s cuttin’ deep like surgery / Hurts like burns to the third degree.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994695\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul prepares to record with the Oakland School for the Arts choir at EMPIRE’s recording studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>When we sit down in the studio’s control room, MC Abdul opens up about the emotional toll of coming to the U.S. with his dad while his mom and four younger siblings stayed behind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My last memory of being there was saying goodbye to my grandma, who gave me a couple prayer beads that I still have to this day,” he says. “I always keep it on me to keep going, and use it as motivation to never stop.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As he saw report after report of Israeli bombings, he’d sometimes go days without hearing from his family. He’d also lock himself in his hotel room for long periods of time. Survivor’s guilt plagued him. Sometimes he felt like he didn’t deserve to eat, because people back home didn’t have food. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He even wondered if he should go back to Gaza.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had people around me telling me, like, ‘Bro, you came out here a month before [Oct. 7] happened, and it took three years for you to get your visa,’” he remembers. “‘Like, that must be like a sign from God that you’re out here to continue to chase your dreams.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While he couldn’t focus on writing music, he kept journals that later became the basis for his lyrics on the album. “Shway Shway,” an Arabic saying of patience that means “day by day” or “step by step,” became a mantra. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the album’s title track, he addresses kids in violent circumstances around the world — whether in Gaza or America’s inner cities — who’ve been forced to skip childhood and grow up too fast. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know it’s easier said than done, but I was just trying to give hope to anybody that’s listening to it, to take things day by day,” MC Abdul reflects. “If you’re stressing about something, try to be as calm as possible. Remember that everything happens for a reason.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a sense of optimism in Abdul’s voice and the Afrobeats-inspired production by Illmind, a legendary beatmaker who’s worked with J. Cole, Drake, KRS-One and other musical greats. He calls Abdul a “rapper’s rapper,” but it’s not just his technical skills Illmind finds impressive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/tP21mhmpQOQ?si=Y7cNfHebgZzGYG0K\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I love that he approaches music from an emotional place,” Illmind says. “There aren’t too many rappers that actually do that, or actually care.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And it is very important. It’s very heavy, you know? On top of the responsibility that he has, he’s also still a kid,” Illmind adds. “So I think the best is yet to come.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Continuing a legacy in Palestinian hip-hop\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across \u003cem>Day by Day, Shway Shway\u003c/em>’s nine tracks, MC Abdul undertakes a hero’s journey from the rubble of Gaza to the upper echelons of the music industry, including performing with his heroes at Rolling Loud and taking the stage at the United Nations headquarters in New York. (“Roll in Uncle Fred’s Range / He took me to see Uncle Snoop,” he raps on “Is It Real? (Part 2).”) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s a story born from some of the most difficult conditions in the world. The track “Zanana” takes its name from the term Gazans use for the buzzing sound of Israeli drones, hovering above at all hours. Over the somber strum of an oud and tension-filled violins, MC Abdul turns that buzz into a metaphor for the flashbacks and nightmares that still haunt him. He turns that pain into defiance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This for the ones that never made it / Tunnel vision while we dream chasin’,” he raps. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s not the first time Palestinian artists have used hip-hop to convey what it’s like to be a young person living under military siege and occupation, and to portray Palestinian people with dignity amid dehumanizing narratives and stereotypes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The executive producer of \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway\u003c/em>, Suhel Nafar, is in many ways Abdul’s hip-hop predecessor. Before being appointed as the head of the West Asia and North Africa division at EMPIRE, Nafar was a member of DAM, an early Palestinian hip-hop group. In the early 2000s, DAM’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/fR1jCY-i5fc?si=cNief72sx4d1a-dD\">Meen Imhabi?\u003c/a>” (“Who’s the Terrorist?”) became a rallying cry against the Israeli government’s treatment of his people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the dawn of the social media era, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2008/04/10/89521675/rapping-about-land-and-identity\">DAM and other Palestinian groups\u003c/a> used Arabic lyrics to unite Palestinian youth from the occupied territories and the diaspora. Rapping in English, MC Abdul now carries the torch and shares what it’s like to grow up in Gaza with an international audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994691\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul (left) and Suhel Nafar chat before Abdul records at EMPIRE’s studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Naive me, young me, believed my music and art can change the world, but it hasn’t,” Nafar says. “To keep it realistic, music won’t stand in front of apartheid or in front of a weapon, but it \u003cem>will\u003c/em> create a new generation that will stand against the oppressor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nafar, who was the music supervisor on the hit Palestinian American Netflix series \u003cem>Mo\u003c/em>, overcame enormous challenges himself to get to his position. “When I started, Palestine was only in the news. It wasn’t in the streets like it is right now,” he says. “And we had a lot of shows getting canceled. In my touring days, we had people attacking us. We had Israeli police coming and stopping the sound.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He’s taken wisdom from those hardships and channeled it into MC Abdul’s flourishment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Palestinian artists face barriers to the rest of the world, American artists who’ve expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza have also faced censorship. Just recently, Macklemore — who featured MC Abdul on his song “Hind’s Hall” — was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after saying “Free Palestine” on stage because billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c64gvqg0k27po\">took issue with his message\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Does this scare MC Abdul? He says no. He doesn’t see what he’s doing as political; he’s a talented young man sharing his experience of a childhood in the shadow of a highly polarizing war, siege and occupation. \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway \u003c/em>is his story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Music to me is all about staying true to yourself,” MC Abdul says. “I’m all about authenticity. If I’m afraid to speak about something, I shouldn’t be doing this in the first place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>MC Abdul’s ‘Day by Day, Shway Shway’ is out on all platforms on Oct. 16. MC Abdul performs at \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/47th-palestine-culture-day-tickets-2002313750328\">Palestine Culture Day\u003c/a> in Redwood City on Oct. 17. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>UPDATE:\u003c/em> \u003cem>This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the military restrictions on Gaza during Abdul’s childhood.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The baby-faced kid with determination in his eyes soon caught the attention of Ghazi, the Palestinian American founder of powerhouse San Francisco record label EMPIRE. MC Abdul signed a record deal in 2020, and EMPIRE began the process of bringing him to the U.S., where the young prodigy could devote himself to his art — and, more importantly, live somewhere safe. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now 18, MC Abdul has lived one of the wildest tales imaginable of a hip-hop come-up, and he’s ready to share it with the world. Those three words from his first thoughts on U.S. soil — “Is it real?” — open his debut album, \u003cem>Day by Day, Shway Shway\u003c/em>, out Oct. 16.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Abdul spent his childhood in a refugee camp on the Mediterranean coast, where Israeli bombs turned neighborhoods into rubble and military drones hovered constantly overhead. In the three years he’s been in California, he’s performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, and received cosigns from hip-hop royalty. Even as he’s reached goals he once could only dream of, at times he’s felt helpless, separated from his family and watching the destruction of his people from thousands of miles away.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Abdul spent his childhood in a refugee camp on the Mediterranean coast, where Israeli bombs turned neighborhoods into rubble and military drones hovered constantly overhead. In the three years he’s been in California, he’s performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, and received cosigns from hip-hop royalty. Even as he’s reached goals he once could only dream of, at times he’s felt helpless, separated from his family and watching the destruction of his people from thousands of miles away.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Amid the pain, MC Abdul has steeled himself with a strong sense of purpose: to tell his story for the more than two million people still living in Gaza. With \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway,\u003c/em> he continues a Palestinian legacy of using hip-hop to call for peace and build solidarity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Amid the pain, MC Abdul has steeled himself with a strong sense of purpose: to tell his story for the more than two million people still living in Gaza. With \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway,\u003c/em> he continues a Palestinian legacy of using hip-hop to call for peace and build solidarity.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Since the moment I left Gaza, I was like, ‘This has to be an album,’” MC Abdul tells KQED. “This is an insane story, and I want people to know what happened.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Since the moment I left Gaza, I was like, ‘This has to be an album,’” MC Abdul tells KQED. “This is an insane story, and I want people to know what happened.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These days, it’s difficult to come to the States \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65451/international-musicians-tours-visa-issues-border-patrol\">as an international artist\u003c/a> no matter where you’re from. But when you’re from Gaza, there’s an enormous amount of additional hurdles. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>These days, it’s difficult to come to the States \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65451/international-musicians-tours-visa-issues-border-patrol\">as an international artist\u003c/a> no matter where you’re from. But when you’re from Gaza, there’s an enormous amount of additional hurdles. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Even before Israel’s increased bombardment of Gaza over the past three years, a land, sea and air blockade made it nearly impossible for Palestinians to leave for any reason, even to seek medical care. Abdul waited for three years to get the proper permits to board a bus for Jerusalem to apply for his U.S. visa. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Even before Israel’s increased bombardment of Gaza over the past three years, a land, sea and air blockade made it nearly impossible for Palestinians to leave for any reason, even to seek medical care. Abdul waited for three years to get the proper permits to board a bus for Jerusalem to apply for his U.S. visa. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During those years of waiting, Abdul perfected his English by rapping along to songs by Eminem, Tupac and Nas. He kept filming music videos that showed his life as a regular kid, living among war and destruction. “I’ve always shot these videos [in] neighborhoods around me that were getting bombed. AndI would just take my speaker — sometimes I would risk my life. I would go outside and just film it and post it,” MC Abdul says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During those years of waiting, Abdul perfected his English by rapping along to songs by Eminem, Tupac and Nas. He kept filming music videos that showed his life as a regular kid, living among war and destruction. “I’ve always shot these videos [in] neighborhoods around me that were getting bombed. AndI would just take my speaker — sometimes I would risk my life. I would go outside and just film it and post it,” MC Abdul says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/l8qay1Al7Dc?si=t6qFlhlseD_e3onG\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://youtu.be/l8qay1Al7Dc?si=t6qFlhlseD_e3onG\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His clips caught the attention of hip-hop legends like DJ Premier, Fat Joe and Kool G Rap, and eventually he amassed more than a million followers on Instagram. “And a lot of people liked what I posted,” he says. “That’s when it kind of felt more of a responsibility, basically.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>His clips caught the attention of hip-hop legends like DJ Premier, Fat Joe and Kool G Rap, and eventually he amassed more than a million followers on Instagram. “And a lot of people liked what I posted,” he says. “That’s when it kind of felt more of a responsibility, basically.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When he was 14, he and his father finally secured the paperwork needed to cross the border into Egypt and board a plane to the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>MC Abdul thought he’d be here for a month to work on his album and play his first-ever U.S. show: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934383/palestine-cultural-day-foster-city\">Palestine Day in Foster City\u003c/a>, where he performed in front of tens of thousands of fans from the diaspora. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But on Oct. 7 of that year, Hamas militants broke through the border wall into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis, prompting Israel to unleash a full-scale war on Gaza that has since left an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/7/three-years-of-israels-genocide-in-gaza-in-numbers\">74,000 Palestinians dead and 175,000 wounded, with 94% of hospitals and clinics destroyed or damaged\u003c/a>. An \u003ca href=\"https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167790\">independent United Nations commission\u003c/a>, the human rights organization \u003ca href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/\">Amnesty International\u003c/a> and even some \u003ca href=\"https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20250728_our_genocide\">Israeli human rights groups\u003c/a> have characterized Israel’s actions as genocide, a charge its government denies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But on Oct. 7 of that year, Hamas militants broke through the border wall into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis, prompting Israel to unleash a full-scale war on Gaza that has since left an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/7/three-years-of-israels-genocide-in-gaza-in-numbers\">74,000 Palestinians dead and 175,000 wounded, with 94% of hospitals and clinics destroyed or damaged\u003c/a>. An \u003ca href=\"https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167790\">independent United Nations commission\u003c/a>, the human rights organization \u003ca href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/\">Amnesty International\u003c/a> and even some \u003ca href=\"https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20250728_our_genocide\">Israeli human rights groups\u003c/a> have characterized Israel’s actions as genocide, a charge its government denies. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For five months, MC Abdul was separated from his mother and siblings, not knowing if they were alive. After he located them, it was only because of his talent, and his record deal, that he was able to bring his immediate family to the U.S. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was so many sleepless nights that I had during the process of trying to get [my mom and siblings] out, trying to reach out to them to make sure that they’re still alive,” he says. Dozens of his relatives didn’t survive. “During the process, … I lost 81 people all in one day.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was so many sleepless nights that I had during the process of trying to get [my mom and siblings] out, trying to reach out to them to make sure that they’re still alive,” he says. Dozens of his relatives didn’t survive. “During the process, … I lost 81 people all in one day.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The studios in Gaza where MC Abdul recorded his earliest music, and the friends who filmed his first videos, are also gone. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul (left) and Suhel Nafar pose for a photo at EMPIRE’s recording studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. Nafar, who heads EMPIRE’s West Asia and North Africa division, served as executive producer of the 18-year-old Palestinian rapper’s debut album, Day By Day, Shway Shway.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On a recent afternoon at EMPIRE’s sleek San Francisco studio, it’s all eyes on MC Abdul. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A busload of singers has just arrived from Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) to record choral versions of “Shway Shway,” the optimistic title track from his new album, and the more reflective, melancholy “Missing Home.” Abdul is in a good mood, geeking out about seeing Playboy Carti bring out Ye at ComplexCon — “I was like, ‘I’m fine if I leave this earth now.’ … Nah, not yet, we still gotta drop the album” — and excitedly telling the OSA students about the selection of 2K games in the studio upstairs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A busload of singers has just arrived from Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) to record choral versions of “Shway Shway,” the optimistic title track from his new album, and the more reflective, melancholy “Missing Home.” Abdul is in a good mood, geeking out about seeing Playboy Carti bring out Ye at ComplexCon — “I was like, ‘I’m fine if I leave this earth now.’ … Nah, not yet, we still gotta drop the album” — and excitedly telling the OSA students about the selection of 2K games in the studio upstairs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then it’s time to lock in. OSA teacher Cava Menzies strikes the opening piano chords of “Missing Home,” and the students’ voices swell, buoying MC Abdul as he rides the beat to deliver melodic bars about the pain of being separated from his family: “Moving with some urgency / Like it’s an emergency / It’s cuttin’ deep like surgery / Hurts like burns to the third degree.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Then it’s time to lock in. OSA teacher Cava Menzies strikes the opening piano chords of “Missing Home,” and the students’ voices swell, buoying MC Abdul as he rides the beat to deliver melodic bars about the pain of being separated from his family: “Moving with some urgency / Like it’s an emergency / It’s cuttin’ deep like surgery / Hurts like burns to the third degree.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994695\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul prepares to record with the Oakland School for the Arts choir at EMPIRE’s recording studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994695\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul prepares to record with the Oakland School for the Arts choir at EMPIRE’s recording studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My last memory of being there was saying goodbye to my grandma, who gave me a couple prayer beads that I still have to this day,” he says. “I always keep it on me to keep going, and use it as motivation to never stop.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I had people around me telling me, like, ‘Bro, you came out here a month before [Oct. 7] happened, and it took three years for you to get your visa,’” he remembers. “‘Like, that must be like a sign from God that you’re out here to continue to chase your dreams.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While he couldn’t focus on writing music, he kept journals that later became the basis for his lyrics on the album. “Shway Shway,” an Arabic saying of patience that means “day by day” or “step by step,” became a mantra. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the album’s title track, he addresses kids in violent circumstances around the world — whether in Gaza or America’s inner cities — who’ve been forced to skip childhood and grow up too fast. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I know it’s easier said than done, but I was just trying to give hope to anybody that’s listening to it, to take things day by day,” MC Abdul reflects. “If you’re stressing about something, try to be as calm as possible. Remember that everything happens for a reason.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s a sense of optimism in Abdul’s voice and the Afrobeats-inspired production by Illmind, a legendary beatmaker who’s worked with J. Cole, Drake, KRS-One and other musical greats. He calls Abdul a “rapper’s rapper,” but it’s not just his technical skills Illmind finds impressive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I love that he approaches music from an emotional place,” Illmind says. “There aren’t too many rappers that actually do that, or actually care.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Across \u003cem>Day by Day, Shway Shway\u003c/em>’s nine tracks, MC Abdul undertakes a hero’s journey from the rubble of Gaza to the upper echelons of the music industry, including performing with his heroes at Rolling Loud and taking the stage at the United Nations headquarters in New York. (“Roll in Uncle Fred’s Range / He took me to see Uncle Snoop,” he raps on “Is It Real? (Part 2).”) \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Across \u003cem>Day by Day, Shway Shway\u003c/em>’s nine tracks, MC Abdul undertakes a hero’s journey from the rubble of Gaza to the upper echelons of the music industry, including performing with his heroes at Rolling Loud and taking the stage at the United Nations headquarters in New York. (“Roll in Uncle Fred’s Range / He took me to see Uncle Snoop,” he raps on “Is It Real? (Part 2).”) \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s a story born from some of the most difficult conditions in the world. The track “Zanana” takes its name from the term Gazans use for the buzzing sound of Israeli drones, hovering above at all hours. Over the somber strum of an oud and tension-filled violins, MC Abdul turns that buzz into a metaphor for the flashbacks and nightmares that still haunt him. He turns that pain into defiance. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s a story born from some of the most difficult conditions in the world. The track “Zanana” takes its name from the term Gazans use for the buzzing sound of Israeli drones, hovering above at all hours. Over the somber strum of an oud and tension-filled violins, MC Abdul turns that buzz into a metaphor for the flashbacks and nightmares that still haunt him. He turns that pain into defiance. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This for the ones that never made it / Tunnel vision while we dream chasin’,” he raps. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s not the first time Palestinian artists have used hip-hop to convey what it’s like to be a young person living under military siege and occupation, and to portray Palestinian people with dignity amid dehumanizing narratives and stereotypes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The executive producer of \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway\u003c/em>, Suhel Nafar, is in many ways Abdul’s hip-hop predecessor. Before being appointed as the head of the West Asia and North Africa division at EMPIRE, Nafar was a member of DAM, an early Palestinian hip-hop group. In the early 2000s, DAM’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/fR1jCY-i5fc?si=cNief72sx4d1a-dD\">Meen Imhabi?\u003c/a>” (“Who’s the Terrorist?”) became a rallying cry against the Israeli government’s treatment of his people. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The executive producer of \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway\u003c/em>, Suhel Nafar, is in many ways Abdul’s hip-hop predecessor. Before being appointed as the head of the West Asia and North Africa division at EMPIRE, Nafar was a member of DAM, an early Palestinian hip-hop group. In the early 2000s, DAM’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/fR1jCY-i5fc?si=cNief72sx4d1a-dD\">Meen Imhabi?\u003c/a>” (“Who’s the Terrorist?”) became a rallying cry against the Israeli government’s treatment of his people. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At the dawn of the social media era, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2008/04/10/89521675/rapping-about-land-and-identity\">DAM and other Palestinian groups\u003c/a> used Arabic lyrics to unite Palestinian youth from the occupied territories and the diaspora. Rapping in English, MC Abdul now carries the torch and shares what it’s like to grow up in Gaza with an international audience.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At the dawn of the social media era, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2008/04/10/89521675/rapping-about-land-and-identity\">DAM and other Palestinian groups\u003c/a> used Arabic lyrics to unite Palestinian youth from the occupied territories and the diaspora. Rapping in English, MC Abdul now carries the torch and shares what it’s like to grow up in Gaza with an international audience.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994691\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul (left) and Suhel Nafar chat before Abdul records at EMPIRE’s studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Naive me, young me, believed my music and art can change the world, but it hasn’t,” Nafar says. “To keep it realistic, music won’t stand in front of apartheid or in front of a weapon, but it \u003cem>will\u003c/em> create a new generation that will stand against the oppressor.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nafar, who was the music supervisor on the hit Palestinian American Netflix series \u003cem>Mo\u003c/em>, overcame enormous challenges himself to get to his position. “When I started, Palestine was only in the news. It wasn’t in the streets like it is right now,” he says. “And we had a lot of shows getting canceled. In my touring days, we had people attacking us. We had Israeli police coming and stopping the sound.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Nafar, who was the music supervisor on the hit Palestinian American Netflix series \u003cem>Mo\u003c/em>, overcame enormous challenges himself to get to his position. “When I started, Palestine was only in the news. It wasn’t in the streets like it is right now,” he says. “And we had a lot of shows getting canceled. In my touring days, we had people attacking us. We had Israeli police coming and stopping the sound.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As Palestinian artists face barriers to the rest of the world, American artists who’ve expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza have also faced censorship. Just recently, Macklemore — who featured MC Abdul on his song “Hind’s Hall” — was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after saying “Free Palestine” on stage because billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c64gvqg0k27po\">took issue with his message\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Does this scare MC Abdul? He says no. He doesn’t see what he’s doing as political; he’s a talented young man sharing his experience of a childhood in the shadow of a highly polarizing war, siege and occupation. \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway \u003c/em>is his story. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Does this scare MC Abdul? He says no. He doesn’t see what he’s doing as political; he’s a talented young man sharing his experience of a childhood in the shadow of a highly polarizing war, siege and occupation. \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway \u003c/em>is his story. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Music to me is all about staying true to yourself,” MC Abdul says. “I’m all about authenticity. If I’m afraid to speak about something, I shouldn’t be doing this in the first place.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>MC Abdul’s ‘Day by Day, Shway Shway’ is out on all platforms on Oct. 16. MC Abdul performs at \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/47th-palestine-culture-day-tickets-2002313750328\">Palestine Culture Day\u003c/a> in Redwood City on Oct. 17. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>UPDATE:\u003c/em> \u003cem>This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the military restrictions on Gaza during Abdul’s childhood.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>“Is it real?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s the question MC Abdul kept asking himself when he arrived in San Francisco three years ago. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His journey began when he was 11 years old, after he uploaded a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/mcabdulofficial/videos/mc-abdul-his-friends-at-school/675927073361010/\">video of himself rapping at his school in Gaza\u003c/a>. His verse, in self-taught English and full of hope that even the most dangerous environment couldn’t extinguish, went viral. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The baby-faced kid with determination in his eyes soon caught the attention of Ghazi, the Palestinian American founder of powerhouse San Francisco record label EMPIRE. MC Abdul signed a record deal in 2020, and EMPIRE began the process of bringing him to the U.S., where the young prodigy could devote himself to his art — and, more importantly, live somewhere safe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now 18, MC Abdul has lived one of the wildest tales imaginable of a hip-hop come-up, and he’s ready to share it with the world. Those three words from his first thoughts on U.S. soil — “Is it real?” — open his debut album, \u003cem>Day by Day, Shway Shway\u003c/em>, out Oct. 16.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Abdul spent his childhood in a refugee camp on the Mediterranean coast, where Israeli bombs turned neighborhoods into rubble and military drones hovered constantly overhead. In the three years he’s been in California, he’s performed on some of the world’s biggest stages, and received cosigns from hip-hop royalty. Even as he’s reached goals he once could only dream of, at times he’s felt helpless, separated from his family and watching the destruction of his people from thousands of miles away.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Amid the pain, MC Abdul has steeled himself with a strong sense of purpose: to tell his story for the more than two million people still living in Gaza. With \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway,\u003c/em> he continues a Palestinian legacy of using hip-hop to call for peace and build solidarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Since the moment I left Gaza, I was like, ‘This has to be an album,’” MC Abdul tells KQED. “This is an insane story, and I want people to know what happened.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\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/yvvMB_2EQ4I'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/yvvMB_2EQ4I'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>A journey out of Gaza\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These days, it’s difficult to come to the States \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/05/12/g-s1-65451/international-musicians-tours-visa-issues-border-patrol\">as an international artist\u003c/a> no matter where you’re from. But when you’re from Gaza, there’s an enormous amount of additional hurdles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Even before Israel’s increased bombardment of Gaza over the past three years, a land, sea and air blockade made it nearly impossible for Palestinians to leave for any reason, even to seek medical care. Abdul waited for three years to get the proper permits to board a bus for Jerusalem to apply for his U.S. visa. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During those years of waiting, Abdul perfected his English by rapping along to songs by Eminem, Tupac and Nas. He kept filming music videos that showed his life as a regular kid, living among war and destruction. “I’ve always shot these videos [in] neighborhoods around me that were getting bombed. AndI would just take my speaker — sometimes I would risk my life. I would go outside and just film it and post it,” MC Abdul says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\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/l8qay1Al7Dc'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/l8qay1Al7Dc'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His clips caught the attention of hip-hop legends like DJ Premier, Fat Joe and Kool G Rap, and eventually he amassed more than a million followers on Instagram. “And a lot of people liked what I posted,” he says. “That’s when it kind of felt more of a responsibility, basically.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When he was 14, he and his father finally secured the paperwork needed to cross the border into Egypt and board a plane to the Bay Area. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>MC Abdul thought he’d be here for a month to work on his album and play his first-ever U.S. show: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13934383/palestine-cultural-day-foster-city\">Palestine Day in Foster City\u003c/a>, where he performed in front of tens of thousands of fans from the diaspora. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But on Oct. 7 of that year, Hamas militants broke through the border wall into Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis, prompting Israel to unleash a full-scale war on Gaza that has since left an estimated \u003ca href=\"https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/7/three-years-of-israels-genocide-in-gaza-in-numbers\">74,000 Palestinians dead and 175,000 wounded, with 94% of hospitals and clinics destroyed or damaged\u003c/a>. An \u003ca href=\"https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/06/1167790\">independent United Nations commission\u003c/a>, the human rights organization \u003ca href=\"https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/12/amnesty-international-concludes-israel-is-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza/\">Amnesty International\u003c/a> and even some \u003ca href=\"https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20250728_our_genocide\">Israeli human rights groups\u003c/a> have characterized Israel’s actions as genocide, a charge its government denies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For five months, MC Abdul was separated from his mother and siblings, not knowing if they were alive. After he located them, it was only because of his talent, and his record deal, that he was able to bring his immediate family to the U.S. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was so many sleepless nights that I had during the process of trying to get [my mom and siblings] out, trying to reach out to them to make sure that they’re still alive,” he says. Dozens of his relatives didn’t survive. “During the process, … I lost 81 people all in one day.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The studios in Gaza where MC Abdul recorded his earliest music, and the friends who filmed his first videos, are also gone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994693\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-12-BL-KQED-500638b4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul (left) and Suhel Nafar pose for a photo at EMPIRE’s recording studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. Nafar, who heads EMPIRE’s West Asia and North Africa division, served as executive producer of the 18-year-old Palestinian rapper’s debut album, Day By Day, Shway Shway. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Turning pain into purpose\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a recent afternoon at EMPIRE’s sleek San Francisco studio, it’s all eyes on MC Abdul. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A busload of singers has just arrived from Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) to record choral versions of “Shway Shway,” the optimistic title track from his new album, and the more reflective, melancholy “Missing Home.” Abdul is in a good mood, geeking out about seeing Playboy Carti bring out Ye at ComplexCon — “I was like, ‘I’m fine if I leave this earth now.’ … Nah, not yet, we still gotta drop the album” — and excitedly telling the OSA students about the selection of 2K games in the studio upstairs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then it’s time to lock in. OSA teacher Cava Menzies strikes the opening piano chords of “Missing Home,” and the students’ voices swell, buoying MC Abdul as he rides the beat to deliver melodic bars about the pain of being separated from his family: “Moving with some urgency / Like it’s an emergency / It’s cuttin’ deep like surgery / Hurts like burns to the third degree.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994695\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-16-BL-KQED-5ccd2aea-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul prepares to record with the Oakland School for the Arts choir at EMPIRE’s recording studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>When we sit down in the studio’s control room, MC Abdul opens up about the emotional toll of coming to the U.S. with his dad while his mom and four younger siblings stayed behind.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My last memory of being there was saying goodbye to my grandma, who gave me a couple prayer beads that I still have to this day,” he says. “I always keep it on me to keep going, and use it as motivation to never stop.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As he saw report after report of Israeli bombings, he’d sometimes go days without hearing from his family. He’d also lock himself in his hotel room for long periods of time. Survivor’s guilt plagued him. Sometimes he felt like he didn’t deserve to eat, because people back home didn’t have food. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He even wondered if he should go back to Gaza.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I had people around me telling me, like, ‘Bro, you came out here a month before [Oct. 7] happened, and it took three years for you to get your visa,’” he remembers. “‘Like, that must be like a sign from God that you’re out here to continue to chase your dreams.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While he couldn’t focus on writing music, he kept journals that later became the basis for his lyrics on the album. “Shway Shway,” an Arabic saying of patience that means “day by day” or “step by step,” became a mantra. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the album’s title track, he addresses kids in violent circumstances around the world — whether in Gaza or America’s inner cities — who’ve been forced to skip childhood and grow up too fast. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know it’s easier said than done, but I was just trying to give hope to anybody that’s listening to it, to take things day by day,” MC Abdul reflects. “If you’re stressing about something, try to be as calm as possible. Remember that everything happens for a reason.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s a sense of optimism in Abdul’s voice and the Afrobeats-inspired production by Illmind, a legendary beatmaker who’s worked with J. Cole, Drake, KRS-One and other musical greats. He calls Abdul a “rapper’s rapper,” but it’s not just his technical skills Illmind finds impressive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\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/tP21mhmpQOQ'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/tP21mhmpQOQ'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I love that he approaches music from an emotional place,” Illmind says. “There aren’t too many rappers that actually do that, or actually care.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And it is very important. It’s very heavy, you know? On top of the responsibility that he has, he’s also still a kid,” Illmind adds. “So I think the best is yet to come.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Continuing a legacy in Palestinian hip-hop\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across \u003cem>Day by Day, Shway Shway\u003c/em>’s nine tracks, MC Abdul undertakes a hero’s journey from the rubble of Gaza to the upper echelons of the music industry, including performing with his heroes at Rolling Loud and taking the stage at the United Nations headquarters in New York. (“Roll in Uncle Fred’s Range / He took me to see Uncle Snoop,” he raps on “Is It Real? (Part 2).”) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s a story born from some of the most difficult conditions in the world. The track “Zanana” takes its name from the term Gazans use for the buzzing sound of Israeli drones, hovering above at all hours. Over the somber strum of an oud and tension-filled violins, MC Abdul turns that buzz into a metaphor for the flashbacks and nightmares that still haunt him. He turns that pain into defiance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This for the ones that never made it / Tunnel vision while we dream chasin’,” he raps. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s not the first time Palestinian artists have used hip-hop to convey what it’s like to be a young person living under military siege and occupation, and to portray Palestinian people with dignity amid dehumanizing narratives and stereotypes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The executive producer of \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway\u003c/em>, Suhel Nafar, is in many ways Abdul’s hip-hop predecessor. Before being appointed as the head of the West Asia and North Africa division at EMPIRE, Nafar was a member of DAM, an early Palestinian hip-hop group. In the early 2000s, DAM’s song “\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/fR1jCY-i5fc?si=cNief72sx4d1a-dD\">Meen Imhabi?\u003c/a>” (“Who’s the Terrorist?”) became a rallying cry against the Israeli government’s treatment of his people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At the dawn of the social media era, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2008/04/10/89521675/rapping-about-land-and-identity\">DAM and other Palestinian groups\u003c/a> used Arabic lyrics to unite Palestinian youth from the occupied territories and the diaspora. Rapping in English, MC Abdul now carries the torch and shares what it’s like to grow up in Gaza with an international audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994691\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/261012-MCAbdul-05-BL-KQED-c29f15f6-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">MC Abdul (left) and Suhel Nafar chat before Abdul records at EMPIRE’s studio in San Francisco on Oct. 6, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Naive me, young me, believed my music and art can change the world, but it hasn’t,” Nafar says. “To keep it realistic, music won’t stand in front of apartheid or in front of a weapon, but it \u003cem>will\u003c/em> create a new generation that will stand against the oppressor.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nafar, who was the music supervisor on the hit Palestinian American Netflix series \u003cem>Mo\u003c/em>, overcame enormous challenges himself to get to his position. “When I started, Palestine was only in the news. It wasn’t in the streets like it is right now,” he says. “And we had a lot of shows getting canceled. In my touring days, we had people attacking us. We had Israeli police coming and stopping the sound.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He’s taken wisdom from those hardships and channeled it into MC Abdul’s flourishment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As Palestinian artists face barriers to the rest of the world, American artists who’ve expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza have also faced censorship. Just recently, Macklemore — who featured MC Abdul on his song “Hind’s Hall” — was removed from Ed Sheeran’s tour after saying “Free Palestine” on stage because billionaire stadium owner Robert Kraft \u003ca href=\"https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c64gvqg0k27po\">took issue with his message\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Does this scare MC Abdul? He says no. He doesn’t see what he’s doing as political; he’s a talented young man sharing his experience of a childhood in the shadow of a highly polarizing war, siege and occupation. \u003cem>Day by Day\u003c/em>, \u003cem>Shway Shway \u003c/em>is his story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Music to me is all about staying true to yourself,” MC Abdul says. “I’m all about authenticity. If I’m afraid to speak about something, I shouldn’t be doing this in the first place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>MC Abdul’s ‘Day by Day, Shway Shway’ is out on all platforms on Oct. 16. MC Abdul performs at \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/47th-palestine-culture-day-tickets-2002313750328\">Palestine Culture Day\u003c/a> in Redwood City on Oct. 17. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>UPDATE:\u003c/em> \u003cem>This story has been updated to more accurately reflect the military restrictions on Gaza during Abdul’s childhood.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "dread-scott-the-body-politic-ybca-review",
"title": "Dread Scott Imagines a World Without America",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>When I stepped inside Brooklyn-based artist Dread Scott’s latest exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ybca\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a>, I was terrified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Defending the Flag\u003c/em> is a new commission for the YBCA show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">The Body Politic\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, and it’s in direct dialogue with the artwork that put Scott on the map nearly 40 years ago, while he was still a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, Installation view of ‘The Body Politic’ with ‘Defending the Flag’ at right. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Imagine a World Without America (Green Land),’ 2025; Screen print on canvas. (Courtesy the artist and YBCA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“America is becoming fascist and nationalist,” Scott says, “and who is and who is not an American can determine if you live or die. Those who can’t claim citizenship basically have no rights whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Life/Death/America’ at YBCA. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>‘\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">Dread Scott: The Body Politic\u003c/a>’ is on view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) through Jan. 31, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When I stepped inside Brooklyn-based artist Dread Scott’s latest exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ybca\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a>, I was terrified.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Defending the Flag\u003c/em> is a new commission for the YBCA show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">The Body Politic\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, and it’s in direct dialogue with the artwork that put Scott on the map nearly 40 years ago, while he was still a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“America is becoming fascist and nationalist,” Scott says, “and who is and who is not an American can determine if you live or die. Those who can’t claim citizenship basically have no rights whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>‘\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">Dread Scott: The Body Politic\u003c/a>’ is on view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) through Jan. 31, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>When I stepped inside Brooklyn-based artist Dread Scott’s latest exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ybca\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a>, I was terrified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Defending the Flag\u003c/em> is a new commission for the YBCA show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">The Body Politic\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, and it’s in direct dialogue with the artwork that put Scott on the map nearly 40 years ago, while he was still a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, Installation view of ‘The Body Politic’ with ‘Defending the Flag’ at right. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Imagine a World Without America (Green Land),’ 2025; Screen print on canvas. (Courtesy the artist and YBCA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“America is becoming fascist and nationalist,” Scott says, “and who is and who is not an American can determine if you live or die. Those who can’t claim citizenship basically have no rights whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Life/Death/America’ at YBCA. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>‘\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">Dread Scott: The Body Politic\u003c/a>’ is on view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) through Jan. 31, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages-moad-review",
"title": "Dewey Crumpler Paints ‘Portals to Absolute Autonomy’",
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"headTitle": "Dewey Crumpler Paints ‘Portals to Absolute Autonomy’ | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/museum-of-the-african-diaspora\">Museum of the African Diaspora\u003c/a> were presenting only the single painting \u003cem>Breach\u003c/em>, I would still tell you to go see \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. It’s that compelling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, this is the man who taught \u003ca href=\"https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/\">Deborah Roberts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Rozeal_Brown\">Rozeal\u003c/a> and Kehinde Wiley at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfai\">San Francisco Art Institute\u003c/a>, but somehow we’ve had to wait two decades since his last major solo museum show. Since there are three floors of artworks covering five decades of the 77-year-old Bay Area legend’s practice, you won’t want to further delay your visit to this show.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1767\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-160x141.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-768x679.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-1536x1357.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Green Bananas,’ 2017; Charcoal, graphite, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Crumpler never tells his viewer what they should perceive, but he may have left us a clue in \u003cem>Breach’\u003c/em>s upper left corner, where a historic ship tilts precariously in an obvious reference to J.M.W. Turner’s 19th-century painting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slave_Ship\">The Slave Ship\u003c/a>, \u003c/em>which recounts a notorious episode from the transatlantic slave trade in which a ship captain threw enslaved people overboard to their deaths in order to collect insurance on the ship’s “goods.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1955\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg 1955w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1955px) 100vw, 1955px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Quantum #12 (Entanglement series),’ 1998–2026; Spray paint, acrylic, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is not quite a retrospective proper, but with works spanning from 1968 to just last year, the exhibit reveals persistent engagement with recurring themes. Beyond the shipping containers lie images of voids and hoodies, each replete with meaning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early in Crumpler’s practice, he encountered a photograph of a metal slave collar, with a void at the center where a person’s neck was locked. Instead of “that void, which was meant to completely foreclose Black futures or foreclose our imagination, foreclose our agency,” explained Lee, “what he shows is that that void is actually the portal to absolute autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voids appear as three-dimensional forms on paintings, on discs that rotate at different speeds, and in the empty spaces of hoodies that dance like a 2000s iPod ad or open to reveal a futuristic cosmos within. Crumpler began the series after noticing his son’s hoodie thrown over the back of a chair. For me, it’s hard to see a hoodie without thinking of Trayvon Martin and all the potential of his life that his assailant removed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1653\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994591\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994591\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg 1653w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-1270x1536.jpg 1270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1653px) 100vw, 1653px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘In the Moment,’ 2023; Acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1464\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994592\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994592\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg 1464w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-160x219.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-768x1049.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-1124x1536.jpg 1124w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1464px) 100vw, 1464px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Die For The People,’ 1968–69; Acrylic, gold metal leaf on canvas; gold spray paint on frame. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Growing up, Crumpler frequented San Francisco’s de Young, mesmerized by the paintings, but the only time he remembers seeing a Black person at the museum was in the bookstore. “I didn’t see any representations of me anywhere in that environment,” he said. “And I was becoming very conscious of the fact that my identity as an African American had something to do with why there was no possibility of seeing myself echoed back at me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years of activism followed: Civil Rights marches, protests outside the Sheridan Palace Hotel against labor discrimination, demands for Black studies courses. When teachers at Crumpler’s college dismissed Black artists as lacking quality or originality, Crumpler brought in Cedric Dover’s book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/americannegroart0000dove/page/n213/mode/2up\">American Negro Art\u003c/a> \u003c/em>— its illustrations, “a blast from heaven.” Crumpler cited storied Black jazz musicians and challenged his teachers on the idea, as he summarized their position, that “creative genius only lived in one part of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though Lee proposed mounting this exhibition several years ago, Crumpler insisted they wait until MoAD could produce a book to accompany it. It’s a requirement from an artist who understands how much the present owes the past and who feels a great responsibility to the future. (It’s easy to imagine this written testament will serve another young artist just as Dover’s book did for Crumpler.) For the present — happily — \u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is on view for many months to come.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St., San Francisco) through May 30, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes, this is the man who taught \u003ca href=\"https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/\">Deborah Roberts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Rozeal_Brown\">Rozeal\u003c/a> and Kehinde Wiley at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfai\">San Francisco Art Institute\u003c/a>, but somehow we’ve had to wait two decades since his last major solo museum show. Since there are three floors of artworks covering five decades of the 77-year-old Bay Area legend’s practice, you won’t want to further delay your visit to this show.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Crumpler never tells his viewer what they should perceive, but he may have left us a clue in \u003cem>Breach’\u003c/em>s upper left corner, where a historic ship tilts precariously in an obvious reference to J.M.W. Turner’s 19th-century painting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slave_Ship\">The Slave Ship\u003c/a>, \u003c/em>which recounts a notorious episode from the transatlantic slave trade in which a ship captain threw enslaved people overboard to their deaths in order to collect insurance on the ship’s “goods.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is not quite a retrospective proper, but with works spanning from 1968 to just last year, the exhibit reveals persistent engagement with recurring themes. Beyond the shipping containers lie images of voids and hoodies, each replete with meaning.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though Lee proposed mounting this exhibition several years ago, Crumpler insisted they wait until MoAD could produce a book to accompany it. It’s a requirement from an artist who understands how much the present owes the past and who feels a great responsibility to the future. (It’s easy to imagine this written testament will serve another young artist just as Dover’s book did for Crumpler.) For the present — happily — \u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is on view for many months to come.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St., San Francisco) through May 30, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/museum-of-the-african-diaspora\">Museum of the African Diaspora\u003c/a> were presenting only the single painting \u003cem>Breach\u003c/em>, I would still tell you to go see \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. It’s that compelling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, this is the man who taught \u003ca href=\"https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/\">Deborah Roberts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Rozeal_Brown\">Rozeal\u003c/a> and Kehinde Wiley at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfai\">San Francisco Art Institute\u003c/a>, but somehow we’ve had to wait two decades since his last major solo museum show. Since there are three floors of artworks covering five decades of the 77-year-old Bay Area legend’s practice, you won’t want to further delay your visit to this show.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1767\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-160x141.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-768x679.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-1536x1357.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Green Bananas,’ 2017; Charcoal, graphite, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Crumpler never tells his viewer what they should perceive, but he may have left us a clue in \u003cem>Breach’\u003c/em>s upper left corner, where a historic ship tilts precariously in an obvious reference to J.M.W. Turner’s 19th-century painting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slave_Ship\">The Slave Ship\u003c/a>, \u003c/em>which recounts a notorious episode from the transatlantic slave trade in which a ship captain threw enslaved people overboard to their deaths in order to collect insurance on the ship’s “goods.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1955\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg 1955w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1955px) 100vw, 1955px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Quantum #12 (Entanglement series),’ 1998–2026; Spray paint, acrylic, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is not quite a retrospective proper, but with works spanning from 1968 to just last year, the exhibit reveals persistent engagement with recurring themes. Beyond the shipping containers lie images of voids and hoodies, each replete with meaning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early in Crumpler’s practice, he encountered a photograph of a metal slave collar, with a void at the center where a person’s neck was locked. Instead of “that void, which was meant to completely foreclose Black futures or foreclose our imagination, foreclose our agency,” explained Lee, “what he shows is that that void is actually the portal to absolute autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voids appear as three-dimensional forms on paintings, on discs that rotate at different speeds, and in the empty spaces of hoodies that dance like a 2000s iPod ad or open to reveal a futuristic cosmos within. Crumpler began the series after noticing his son’s hoodie thrown over the back of a chair. For me, it’s hard to see a hoodie without thinking of Trayvon Martin and all the potential of his life that his assailant removed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1653\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994591\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994591\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg 1653w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-1270x1536.jpg 1270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1653px) 100vw, 1653px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘In the Moment,’ 2023; Acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1464\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994592\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994592\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg 1464w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-160x219.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-768x1049.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-1124x1536.jpg 1124w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1464px) 100vw, 1464px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Die For The People,’ 1968–69; Acrylic, gold metal leaf on canvas; gold spray paint on frame. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Growing up, Crumpler frequented San Francisco’s de Young, mesmerized by the paintings, but the only time he remembers seeing a Black person at the museum was in the bookstore. “I didn’t see any representations of me anywhere in that environment,” he said. “And I was becoming very conscious of the fact that my identity as an African American had something to do with why there was no possibility of seeing myself echoed back at me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years of activism followed: Civil Rights marches, protests outside the Sheridan Palace Hotel against labor discrimination, demands for Black studies courses. When teachers at Crumpler’s college dismissed Black artists as lacking quality or originality, Crumpler brought in Cedric Dover’s book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/americannegroart0000dove/page/n213/mode/2up\">American Negro Art\u003c/a> \u003c/em>— its illustrations, “a blast from heaven.” Crumpler cited storied Black jazz musicians and challenged his teachers on the idea, as he summarized their position, that “creative genius only lived in one part of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though Lee proposed mounting this exhibition several years ago, Crumpler insisted they wait until MoAD could produce a book to accompany it. It’s a requirement from an artist who understands how much the present owes the past and who feels a great responsibility to the future. (It’s easy to imagine this written testament will serve another young artist just as Dover’s book did for Crumpler.) For the present — happily — \u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is on view for many months to come.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St., San Francisco) through May 30, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "novelist-natalie-baszile-captures-how-racism-can-tear-friends-and-family-apart",
"title": "Novelist Natalie Baszile Captures How Racism Can Tear ‘Friends and Family’ Apart",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Natalie Baszile’s new novel, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709316/friends-and-family-by-natalie-baszile/\">Friends and Family\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, examines America’s deepest fault line: race. Two progressive \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Franciscan\u003c/a> mothers, one Black and one white, face the end of a twelve-year, seemingly ironclad friendship after their children have a shocking encounter with the police at one of their homes that inflames one family and causes the other to retreat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignright size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994496\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family.jpg 994w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family-768x1159.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘Friends and Family’ by Natalie Baszile. (Penguin Random House)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The plot was inspired by a real-life incident at the \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em> author and filmmaker’s Bay Area home in 2016. With her permission, her daughter had invited friends over ahead of a volunteering stint at their high school the next day. To the family’s shock, a neighbor they didn’t know well called the police on the young people without warning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We went off on a trip for the weekend only to get a call saying that the police were at our house, squad cars out in the street, and they were questioning the only other Black kid who was at our home,” Baszile recalls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The police, who claimed to be seeking an armed suspect, left after realizing the teenager wasn’t who they were looking for. But the traumatic situation created a connection between Baszile and the boy’s white adoptive parents that mirrors the one the book’s Black protagonist Babbette (Babs) has with her white friend Nora. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the wake of that police encounter … the dynamics that unfolded between our family and his family were fascinating,” Baszile shares. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baszile had been working on a completely different novel idea after \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em>, her 2014 book that filmmaker Ava DuVernay adapted into a television series that ran for seven seasons on Oprah’s OWN network. “Then this incident happened to my family,” she explains, “and it felt so urgent and so timely that I put the other novel idea aside just to focus on this book because it really captured the zeitgeist.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2016 and ’17, when the idea first germinated, “people were talking about police violence,” she says. “We’d had the Tamir Rices and the Philando Castiles. So it’s not like it was new, but I was not sure how they would resonate with the culture.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then came 2020. “In the wake of George Floyd, I was still writing the book,” she says, which presented “a whole new opportunity to speak to the moment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident in the book is a flashpoint for both mothers of Black children because it promptly exposes default settings that people who believe they have “done the work” thought they had overridden. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baszile, like the book’s protagonist Babs, is part of what she calls the “integration generation,” or the first wave of Black adults who grew up in predominantly white spaces. Her experience is a stark contrast, she explains, to that of her parents in the segregated South. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wanted to write from the point of view of a character who was accustomed to moving in and out of these different spaces, some Black, some white, some integrated, some not,” Baszile says. “[She] still confronts her own expectations, and the assumptions that she has made, about what her relative privilege will allow her to be protected from.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We see the world through Babs’ eyes, her biases, insecurities and pride. She is an artist who has taken on various creative careers — set design, freelance styling, publicity — and is perennially self-conscious about being the only Black family on her well-to-do block. Baszile relays this anxiety in small domestic details, such as Babs worrying about neighbors judging her for not taking the trash bins in quickly enough and validating their beliefs “about how Black folks behaved.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Babs lives a life of ease that has insulated her for so long that the police incident feels like being struck by lightning, a freak occurrence that forever changes her. Her friendship with Nora is facilely written: solid, companionable, but with a hairline crack. Babs, while expressing gratitude for how much she has, can’t help but think of it in relation to how much more Nora has. Nora lives in a “sprawling Queen Anne Victorian” in the ultra-wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood, while Babs describes her place in the upper-middle-class Inner Richmond as “modest.” There was always an unbreachable gap that subtly colored their relationship, and the police encounter arrives like a bomb thrown into that crevice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nora is the kind of white woman who went to workshops (plural) on transracial adoption before taking in her son. She identifies as an ally, seeks out advice on how to cut his hair properly and shows him movies with “positive” Black characters. She has read W. E. B. Du Bois’ \u003cem>The Souls of Black Folk\u003c/em>, and engages in prison reform advocacy. Yet she is also old money, with a great-grandfather who made a fortune in the railroad industry, a housekeeper who prepares her meals and an inherited membership in an elitist white book club made up of women from the city’s “best” families. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nora’s contradictions feel small and bearable to Babs — who proudly thinks of her not as a “White Girl” but a “Girl Who Is White” — until their disparate responses to the police incident make the friction unbearable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Babs describes an “invisible suitcase” of emotional baggage and hurt that every Black person compulsorily carries but Nora never sees. It is a metaphor that prods a question the book explores throughout: Can we ever really know each other? It is painful to be forced to reevaluate a friendship you believed would last a lifetime. “Maybe there was a limit,” she remarks to herself about Nora’s earlier championing of Black issues, “and maybe that limit was anger.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Much of Baszile’s previous work has been set in the South, including \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Harvest\u003c/em>, her 2026 documentary about fourth-generation farmers in rural Louisiana. This novel represents a regional shift with personalized meaning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was excited to write about the Bay Area because it’s my backyard,” Baszile shares. “[It] is flush with wealth, and all of the disparities are playing out right here. Especially in this age of technology and AI, it’s only going to get worse. So to have this conversation, not just about race, but about class and privilege and money and wealth, now seems to be even more important than it was back in 2016 or 2020.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay, she contends, feels “like it’s ground zero.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friends and Family\u003c/em> is a strong character study that mines the scary realization that deep intimacy can be undone not just by large betrayals but by small ones: a single word choice, a glance down instead of forward. It is enriched by its penetrating examination of the sinuous emotional arcs of long-term relationships of all stripes: Babs and Nora’s twelve-year interracial friendship; Babs and her husband Galen’s 25-year marriage, which is reeling from the fallout of infidelity; and the teenagers Nathan and Reese’s childhood friendship, which must survive their hormones and a shared trauma. The novel also digs into the children’s relationships with their parents as they mature and have their ideals tested by the realities of the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baszile would love for \u003cem>Friends and Family\u003c/em> to receive the screen adaptation treatment \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em> did. “There’s a lot of potential here to take this book and the conversation that I’m having and expand on it, and for this to reach an even broader audience, just like \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em>.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Television offers a different kind of flexibility for storytelling, and, she confesses, it would just be nice to see the Bay Area she knows on screen. “My fingers are crossed,” she says hopefully. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>We see the world through Babs’ eyes, her biases, insecurities and pride. She is an artist who has taken on various creative careers — set design, freelance styling, publicity — and is perennially self-conscious about being the only Black family on her well-to-do block. Baszile relays this anxiety in small domestic details, such as Babs worrying about neighbors judging her for not taking the trash bins in quickly enough and validating their beliefs “about how Black folks behaved.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Babs lives a life of ease that has insulated her for so long that the police incident feels like being struck by lightning, a freak occurrence that forever changes her. Her friendship with Nora is facilely written: solid, companionable, but with a hairline crack. Babs, while expressing gratitude for how much she has, can’t help but think of it in relation to how much more Nora has. Nora lives in a “sprawling Queen Anne Victorian” in the ultra-wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood, while Babs describes her place in the upper-middle-class Inner Richmond as “modest.” There was always an unbreachable gap that subtly colored their relationship, and the police encounter arrives like a bomb thrown into that crevice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nora is the kind of white woman who went to workshops (plural) on transracial adoption before taking in her son. She identifies as an ally, seeks out advice on how to cut his hair properly and shows him movies with “positive” Black characters. She has read W. E. B. Du Bois’ \u003cem>The Souls of Black Folk\u003c/em>, and engages in prison reform advocacy. Yet she is also old money, with a great-grandfather who made a fortune in the railroad industry, a housekeeper who prepares her meals and an inherited membership in an elitist white book club made up of women from the city’s “best” families. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Babs describes an “invisible suitcase” of emotional baggage and hurt that every Black person compulsorily carries but Nora never sees. It is a metaphor that prods a question the book explores throughout: Can we ever really know each other? It is painful to be forced to reevaluate a friendship you believed would last a lifetime. “Maybe there was a limit,” she remarks to herself about Nora’s earlier championing of Black issues, “and maybe that limit was anger.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was excited to write about the Bay Area because it’s my backyard,” Baszile shares. “[It] is flush with wealth, and all of the disparities are playing out right here. Especially in this age of technology and AI, it’s only going to get worse. So to have this conversation, not just about race, but about class and privilege and money and wealth, now seems to be even more important than it was back in 2016 or 2020.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friends and Family\u003c/em> is a strong character study that mines the scary realization that deep intimacy can be undone not just by large betrayals but by small ones: a single word choice, a glance down instead of forward. It is enriched by its penetrating examination of the sinuous emotional arcs of long-term relationships of all stripes: Babs and Nora’s twelve-year interracial friendship; Babs and her husband Galen’s 25-year marriage, which is reeling from the fallout of infidelity; and the teenagers Nathan and Reese’s childhood friendship, which must survive their hormones and a shared trauma. The novel also digs into the children’s relationships with their parents as they mature and have their ideals tested by the realities of the world.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friends and Family\u003c/em> is a strong character study that mines the scary realization that deep intimacy can be undone not just by large betrayals but by small ones: a single word choice, a glance down instead of forward. It is enriched by its penetrating examination of the sinuous emotional arcs of long-term relationships of all stripes: Babs and Nora’s twelve-year interracial friendship; Babs and her husband Galen’s 25-year marriage, which is reeling from the fallout of infidelity; and the teenagers Nathan and Reese’s childhood friendship, which must survive their hormones and a shared trauma. The novel also digs into the children’s relationships with their parents as they mature and have their ideals tested by the realities of the world.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Baszile would love for \u003cem>Friends and Family\u003c/em> to receive the screen adaptation treatment \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em> did. “There’s a lot of potential here to take this book and the conversation that I’m having and expand on it, and for this to reach an even broader audience, just like \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em>.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Television offers a different kind of flexibility for storytelling, and, she confesses, it would just be nice to see the Bay Area she knows on screen. “My fingers are crossed,” she says hopefully. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Natalie Baszile’s new novel, \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709316/friends-and-family-by-natalie-baszile/\">Friends and Family\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, examines America’s deepest fault line: race. Two progressive \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Franciscan\u003c/a> mothers, one Black and one white, face the end of a twelve-year, seemingly ironclad friendship after their children have a shocking encounter with the police at one of their homes that inflames one family and causes the other to retreat. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignright size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994496\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family.jpg 994w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family-160x241.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Friends-and-Family-768x1159.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">‘Friends and Family’ by Natalie Baszile. (Penguin Random House)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The plot was inspired by a real-life incident at the \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em> author and filmmaker’s Bay Area home in 2016. With her permission, her daughter had invited friends over ahead of a volunteering stint at their high school the next day. To the family’s shock, a neighbor they didn’t know well called the police on the young people without warning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We went off on a trip for the weekend only to get a call saying that the police were at our house, squad cars out in the street, and they were questioning the only other Black kid who was at our home,” Baszile recalls. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The police, who claimed to be seeking an armed suspect, left after realizing the teenager wasn’t who they were looking for. But the traumatic situation created a connection between Baszile and the boy’s white adoptive parents that mirrors the one the book’s Black protagonist Babbette (Babs) has with her white friend Nora. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In the wake of that police encounter … the dynamics that unfolded between our family and his family were fascinating,” Baszile shares. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baszile had been working on a completely different novel idea after \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em>, her 2014 book that filmmaker Ava DuVernay adapted into a television series that ran for seven seasons on Oprah’s OWN network. “Then this incident happened to my family,” she explains, “and it felt so urgent and so timely that I put the other novel idea aside just to focus on this book because it really captured the zeitgeist.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2016 and ’17, when the idea first germinated, “people were talking about police violence,” she says. “We’d had the Tamir Rices and the Philando Castiles. So it’s not like it was new, but I was not sure how they would resonate with the culture.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then came 2020. “In the wake of George Floyd, I was still writing the book,” she says, which presented “a whole new opportunity to speak to the moment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident in the book is a flashpoint for both mothers of Black children because it promptly exposes default settings that people who believe they have “done the work” thought they had overridden. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baszile, like the book’s protagonist Babs, is part of what she calls the “integration generation,” or the first wave of Black adults who grew up in predominantly white spaces. Her experience is a stark contrast, she explains, to that of her parents in the segregated South. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wanted to write from the point of view of a character who was accustomed to moving in and out of these different spaces, some Black, some white, some integrated, some not,” Baszile says. “[She] still confronts her own expectations, and the assumptions that she has made, about what her relative privilege will allow her to be protected from.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>We see the world through Babs’ eyes, her biases, insecurities and pride. She is an artist who has taken on various creative careers — set design, freelance styling, publicity — and is perennially self-conscious about being the only Black family on her well-to-do block. Baszile relays this anxiety in small domestic details, such as Babs worrying about neighbors judging her for not taking the trash bins in quickly enough and validating their beliefs “about how Black folks behaved.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Babs lives a life of ease that has insulated her for so long that the police incident feels like being struck by lightning, a freak occurrence that forever changes her. Her friendship with Nora is facilely written: solid, companionable, but with a hairline crack. Babs, while expressing gratitude for how much she has, can’t help but think of it in relation to how much more Nora has. Nora lives in a “sprawling Queen Anne Victorian” in the ultra-wealthy Pacific Heights neighborhood, while Babs describes her place in the upper-middle-class Inner Richmond as “modest.” There was always an unbreachable gap that subtly colored their relationship, and the police encounter arrives like a bomb thrown into that crevice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nora is the kind of white woman who went to workshops (plural) on transracial adoption before taking in her son. She identifies as an ally, seeks out advice on how to cut his hair properly and shows him movies with “positive” Black characters. She has read W. E. B. Du Bois’ \u003cem>The Souls of Black Folk\u003c/em>, and engages in prison reform advocacy. Yet she is also old money, with a great-grandfather who made a fortune in the railroad industry, a housekeeper who prepares her meals and an inherited membership in an elitist white book club made up of women from the city’s “best” families. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nora’s contradictions feel small and bearable to Babs — who proudly thinks of her not as a “White Girl” but a “Girl Who Is White” — until their disparate responses to the police incident make the friction unbearable.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Babs describes an “invisible suitcase” of emotional baggage and hurt that every Black person compulsorily carries but Nora never sees. It is a metaphor that prods a question the book explores throughout: Can we ever really know each other? It is painful to be forced to reevaluate a friendship you believed would last a lifetime. “Maybe there was a limit,” she remarks to herself about Nora’s earlier championing of Black issues, “and maybe that limit was anger.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Much of Baszile’s previous work has been set in the South, including \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Harvest\u003c/em>, her 2026 documentary about fourth-generation farmers in rural Louisiana. This novel represents a regional shift with personalized meaning. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was excited to write about the Bay Area because it’s my backyard,” Baszile shares. “[It] is flush with wealth, and all of the disparities are playing out right here. Especially in this age of technology and AI, it’s only going to get worse. So to have this conversation, not just about race, but about class and privilege and money and wealth, now seems to be even more important than it was back in 2016 or 2020.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Bay, she contends, feels “like it’s ground zero.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Friends and Family\u003c/em> is a strong character study that mines the scary realization that deep intimacy can be undone not just by large betrayals but by small ones: a single word choice, a glance down instead of forward. It is enriched by its penetrating examination of the sinuous emotional arcs of long-term relationships of all stripes: Babs and Nora’s twelve-year interracial friendship; Babs and her husband Galen’s 25-year marriage, which is reeling from the fallout of infidelity; and the teenagers Nathan and Reese’s childhood friendship, which must survive their hormones and a shared trauma. The novel also digs into the children’s relationships with their parents as they mature and have their ideals tested by the realities of the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Baszile would love for \u003cem>Friends and Family\u003c/em> to receive the screen adaptation treatment \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em> did. “There’s a lot of potential here to take this book and the conversation that I’m having and expand on it, and for this to reach an even broader audience, just like \u003cem>Queen Sugar\u003c/em>.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Television offers a different kind of flexibility for storytelling, and, she confesses, it would just be nice to see the Bay Area she knows on screen. “My fingers are crossed,” she says hopefully. \u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "In Hunters Point, Black History Comes Alive in Malik Seneferu’s Paintings",
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"headTitle": "In Hunters Point, Black History Comes Alive in Malik Seneferu’s Paintings | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Inside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/maliksart/\">Malik Seneferu’s\u003c/a> arts studio, cultural movements take the form of paintings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Situated on the hallowed grounds of the Hunters Point Shipyard, the eggshell-colored room holds brightly painted canvases that illustrate the artist’s appreciation of history, connection to the soil and love for the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu paints portraits that pair elements of the African Diaspora with Bay Area culture under one common philosophy: “Remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man faces a colorful canvas as he paints in a studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13994120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, ‘Juneteenth to Black August,’ 2025. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But no matter where his work goes, he tells me, it never strays too far from where he started, or why.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu first worked in this studio 30 years ago. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship and commissioned to do a piece for the film \u003cem>The Panther\u003c/em>, which he debuted at the film’s premiere. Before that, he was just a kid creating at the crib. “I was still doing my work out of my mother’s house when I lived on Harbor Road,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu pushed his mother to pursue her art, but she was clear: Creating was \u003cem>his\u003c/em> thing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I really started out on a mission to prove to my mom that [art] could be something valuable to get into,” Seneferu tells me. As his work grew, so did his goals. “I wanted to use my art to show that I can defy gravity,” he says — metaphorically referencing economic disparities, food deserts, traumatic experiences and “white supremacy across the board.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Self-taught as an artist, the young Seneferu bounced between a dozen elementary schools and a handful of middle schools before graduating high school from McAteer School of the Arts. As a young adult, Seneferu worked with the organizer Ms. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julia-Middleton-leader-of-youth-in-Hunters-2650605.php\">Julia “Aunt Bea” Middleton\u003c/a> and taught art to kids at tenant association meetings around the city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around that time, he saw a mural that changed his artistic trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"An African American man in a brown outfit panting a giant colorful mural.\" class=\"wp-image-13994148\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist at work: a glimpse inside of Malik Seneferu’s studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He starts with 1933, when Marcus Garvey stopped publishing his newspaper, \u003cem>The Negro World\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting of a stoic looking Black young woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13994288\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, Latasha Harlins, 2022. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The series encompasses many Seneferu trademarks; it encapsulates key aspects of 20th century Black history while illustrating instances that’ve informed his worldview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Having grown up with an artistic mother and a stepfather who was a gunnery sergeant in the Marines during the Vietnam War, he’s learned to speak through painting as a second artistic language. His first artistic language was hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A table full of small painted art pieces.\" class=\"wp-image-13994289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A table full of Malike Seneferu’s work. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things I do are strictly from my imagination, because it’s really defiance,” Seneferu tells me. “To be creative is to defy annihilation. That’s why I’ll always remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Malik Seneferu will also participate in the Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios open studios event on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Hunters Point Shipyard (451 Galvez Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124).\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipyard-open-studios-fall-2026-registration-1992234233221?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=6ebd4af823122ca2a076762936f3f5be642a0fc6087d942b690ea23370a12f69b0e61ce80cef0a8b67b1b3aba3869b58a11565fb11670033e88d4aa2a62d9df530fbd95445996d453ac082a7\">Check here for tickets and more information\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Inside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/maliksart/\">Malik Seneferu’s\u003c/a> arts studio, cultural movements take the form of paintings.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Situated on the hallowed grounds of the Hunters Point Shipyard, the eggshell-colored room holds brightly painted canvases that illustrate the artist’s appreciation of history, connection to the soil and love for the people.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu paints portraits that pair elements of the African Diaspora with Bay Area culture under one common philosophy: “Remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man faces a colorful canvas as he paints in a studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13994120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, ‘Juneteenth to Black August,’ 2025.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seneferu first worked in this studio 30 years ago. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship and commissioned to do a piece for the film \u003cem>The Panther\u003c/em>, which he debuted at the film’s premiere. Before that, he was just a kid creating at the crib. “I was still doing my work out of my mother’s house when I lived on Harbor Road,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I really started out on a mission to prove to my mom that [art] could be something valuable to get into,” Seneferu tells me. As his work grew, so did his goals. “I wanted to use my art to show that I can defy gravity,” he says — metaphorically referencing economic disparities, food deserts, traumatic experiences and “white supremacy across the board.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Self-taught as an artist, the young Seneferu bounced between a dozen elementary schools and a handful of middle schools before graduating high school from McAteer School of the Arts. As a young adult, Seneferu worked with the organizer Ms. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julia-Middleton-leader-of-youth-in-Hunters-2650605.php\">Julia “Aunt Bea” Middleton\u003c/a> and taught art to kids at tenant association meetings around the city.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Around that time, he saw a mural that changed his artistic trajectory.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"An African American man in a brown outfit panting a giant colorful mural.\" class=\"wp-image-13994148\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist at work: a glimpse inside of Malik Seneferu’s studio.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"An African American man in a brown outfit panting a giant colorful mural.\" class=\"wp-image-13994148\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist at work: a glimpse inside of Malik Seneferu’s studio.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He starts with 1933, when Marcus Garvey stopped publishing his newspaper, \u003cem>The Negro World\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting of a stoic looking Black young woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13994288\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, Latasha Harlins, 2022. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting of a stoic looking Black young woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13994288\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, Latasha Harlins, 2022. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The series encompasses many Seneferu trademarks; it encapsulates key aspects of 20th century Black history while illustrating instances that’ve informed his worldview.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Having grown up with an artistic mother and a stepfather who was a gunnery sergeant in the Marines during the Vietnam War, he’s learned to speak through painting as a second artistic language. His first artistic language was hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A table full of small painted art pieces.\" class=\"wp-image-13994289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A table full of Malike Seneferu’s work. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A table full of small painted art pieces.\" class=\"wp-image-13994289\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A table full of Malike Seneferu’s work. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things I do are strictly from my imagination, because it’s really defiance,” Seneferu tells me. “To be creative is to defy annihilation. That’s why I’ll always remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Malik Seneferu will also participate in the Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios open studios event on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Hunters Point Shipyard (451 Galvez Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124).\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipyard-open-studios-fall-2026-registration-1992234233221?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=6ebd4af823122ca2a076762936f3f5be642a0fc6087d942b690ea23370a12f69b0e61ce80cef0a8b67b1b3aba3869b58a11565fb11670033e88d4aa2a62d9df530fbd95445996d453ac082a7\">Check here for tickets and more information\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Not far from where he grew up, Seneferu’s studio is a cultural lab guided by one motto: ‘Remain creative.’",
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"headline": "In Hunters Point, Black History Comes Alive in Malik Seneferu’s Paintings",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Inside \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/maliksart/\">Malik Seneferu’s\u003c/a> arts studio, cultural movements take the form of paintings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Situated on the hallowed grounds of the Hunters Point Shipyard, the eggshell-colored room holds brightly painted canvases that illustrate the artist’s appreciation of history, connection to the soil and love for the people.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu paints portraits that pair elements of the African Diaspora with Bay Area culture under one common philosophy: “Remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A man faces a colorful canvas as he paints in a studio.\" class=\"wp-image-13994120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9989-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, ‘Juneteenth to Black August,’ 2025. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu’s art has been in galleries and museums, but it’s also been out in the community. He worked with \u003ca href=\"https://www.markdoox.com/\">Mark Dukes\u003c/a> on \u003cem>Dancing Saints\u003c/em>, a piece that adorns the walls of St. Gregory’s Church in San Francisco. In 2020, he partnered with community members to paint the words “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11832947/housing-black-tenderloin-mural-spotlights-black-san-franciscos-housing-crisis\">HOUSING BLACK\u003c/a>” on the streets of the Tenderloin to shed light on the housing crisis. A year later, he worked with young artists to create a series of pieces on \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpuc.gov/about-us/news/malik-seneferus-mural-installation-evans-avenue\">Evans Avenue\u003c/a> in Hunters Point to amplify calls for environmental justice.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu is no stranger to working on multiple projects at a time. Currently, that includes a series of paved symbols to be laid as part of the new \u003ca href=\"https://sfrecpark.org/m/newsflash/Home/Detail/3050\">Buchanan Street Mall\u003c/a>’s “memory walk” in the Fillmore District. This week, for \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Bay Area Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, he’ll lead \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScoxuNSR-RTUu9BXTciOj1gJWmxt7wNzVsU-_YNDLTA10BLDQ/viewform\">a workshop touring the Third Street area of Bayview-Hunters Point\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But no matter where his work goes, he tells me, it never strays too far from where he started, or why.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I was the youngest [artist], and first artist from Bayview-Hunters Point, to be given the opportunity to have a studio down here in terms of a residency,” Seneferu tells me as we stand at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.thepointart.com/hunters-point-shipyard\">Hunters Point Shipyard studios\u003c/a>. The building is a remnant of the U.S. Navy shipyard and laboratory that was housed at the southeasternmost point of San Francisco for most of the 20th century. The crane off the coast and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088662/toxic-land-protest-targets-sf-housing-plans-at-contaminated-hunters-point-naval-shipyard\">constant reports of toxins in the soil\u003c/a> are lingering ghosts of that history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu first worked in this studio 30 years ago. In 1996, he was awarded a fellowship and commissioned to do a piece for the film \u003cem>The Panther\u003c/em>, which he debuted at the film’s premiere. Before that, he was just a kid creating at the crib. “I was still doing my work out of my mother’s house when I lived on Harbor Road,” he recalls.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994124\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_9977-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard, Malik Seneferu’s art fills a room with stories of the past and visions of the future. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Born and raised in Hunters Point, Seneferu grew up with a mother who was a clandestine artist. But the glimmers of her work that he did see stayed with him. “I saw a doodling on a matchbook,” he recalls, “which inspired a lot of my miniature work that I do.” Similarly, her depictions of the local landscape influence his work to this day, particularly his 2014 \u003ca href=\"https://www.artsy.net/artwork/malik-senefreru-from-the-hill-and-beyond\">\u003cem>From the Hill and Beyond\u003c/em> \u003c/a>series.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Seneferu pushed his mother to pursue her art, but she was clear: Creating was \u003cem>his\u003c/em> thing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I really started out on a mission to prove to my mom that [art] could be something valuable to get into,” Seneferu tells me. As his work grew, so did his goals. “I wanted to use my art to show that I can defy gravity,” he says — metaphorically referencing economic disparities, food deserts, traumatic experiences and “white supremacy across the board.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Self-taught as an artist, the young Seneferu bounced between a dozen elementary schools and a handful of middle schools before graduating high school from McAteer School of the Arts. As a young adult, Seneferu worked with the organizer Ms. \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Julia-Middleton-leader-of-youth-in-Hunters-2650605.php\">Julia “Aunt Bea” Middleton\u003c/a> and taught art to kids at tenant association meetings around the city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Around that time, he saw a mural that changed his artistic trajectory.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“\u003ca href=\"https://deweycrumpler.com/\">Dewey Crumpler\u003c/a> was working on this mural called \u003ca href=\"http://www.sfmuralarts.com/mural/270.html#\">\u003cem>The Fire Next Time\u003c/em>,\u003c/a>” recalls Seneferu. It was based on James Baldwin’s book of the same name, as well as Baldwin’s San Francisco-based documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4sjoomxSa8\">Take This Hammer\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, “When the youngsters were saying ‘Man, you know the issues in San Francisco are even worse than the south,’” says Seneferu.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It opened Seneferu’s eyes to what art could achieve. Crumpler, along with the late painter and community pillar \u003ca href=\"https://www.shipyardartists.com/artist/joesam/\">JoeSam\u003c/a>, became a mentor to Seneferu. (For this year’s \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/\">Black Arts Week\u003c/a>, Crumpler will open his first major solo museum exhibition in nearly two decades, \u003ca href=\"https://nexus2026a.sched.com/event/2QyY2/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages?iframe=no\">\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em>\u003c/a> at the Museum of the African Diaspora.) \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"An African American man in a brown outfit panting a giant colorful mural.\" class=\"wp-image-13994148\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-2000x2667.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6634-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Artist at work: a glimpse inside of Malik Seneferu’s studio. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his studio, Seneferu walks around the many supplies, splotches of paint and canvases to show me a series in progress called \u003cem>Forever Fourteen\u003c/em>. In his long locs and brown monotone outfit, he explains that the series traces tragic instances, at 11-year intervals, from African-American history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He starts with 1933, when Marcus Garvey stopped publishing his newspaper, \u003cem>The Negro World\u003c/em>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And in 1944, we got \u003ca href=\"https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/remembering-the-execution-of-14-year-old-george-stinney-80-years-later\">George Stinney\u003c/a>,” Seneferu tells me, referring to the 14 year-old African American boy who was executed after being wrongfully convicted of killing two white girls in South Carolina. “It was really a big deal,” says Seneferu. “They tried to sweep it under the rug. We didn’t allow it to happen.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A painting of a stoic looking Black young woman.\" class=\"wp-image-13994288\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/Latasha-Harlins-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Malik Seneferu, Latasha Harlins, 2022. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1955, the murder of \u003ca href=\"https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/articles-and-essays/murder-of-emmett-till/\">Emmett Till\u003c/a>, a 14 year-old African American boy who was killed by two white men after he allegedly whistled at a white girl, shocked the nation. “And that kicked off the civil rights movement,” says Seneferu. Eleven years later, in 1966, teenaged \u003ca href=\"https://www.foundsf.org/Hunters_Point_Uprising\">Matthew Johnson, Jr\u003c/a>. was killed by San Francisco Police in Hunters Point, inspiring an uprising.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1977, hip-hop started growing out of inner-city neighborhoods, and 11 years later the crack cocaine epidemic devastated those same Black communities. The series ends with a piece dedicated to 15 year-old \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/04/29/1095444468/storycorps-remembering-15-year-old-latasha-harlins\">Latasha Harlins\u003c/a>, who was shot and killed by a storeowner in 1991.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The series encompasses many Seneferu trademarks; it encapsulates key aspects of 20th century Black history while illustrating instances that’ve informed his worldview.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Having grown up with an artistic mother and a stepfather who was a gunnery sergeant in the Marines during the Vietnam War, he’s learned to speak through painting as a second artistic language. His first artistic language was hip-hop.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"A table full of small painted art pieces.\" class=\"wp-image-13994289\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-160x213.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/IMG_6621-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A table full of Malike Seneferu’s work. (Pendarvis Harshaw)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In 1988,” he says, “I was about a couple of blocks away from here, I was rapping at the time.” He started as a beatboxer, and soon learned to use his deep voice to deliver his lyrics. “I really had something I wanted to say, and I wanted it to be heard,” Seneferu tells me. “I found that the best way I could do that is in my painting,” he says, and in a way, “I’m still rapping.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece in the \u003cem>Forever Fourteen \u003c/em>series, an image dedicated to George Stinney, is on permanent display at the \u003ca href=\"https://thehubinsf.org/\">Sunnydale Hub\u003c/a>. Seneferu plans on completing the series with a portrait in the spirit of Matthew Johnson, Jr. next year. In the meantime, he’s juggling multiple projects as usual, ranging from environmental advocacy to economic education, all done through the visual arts and an innovative mindset.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of the things I do are strictly from my imagination, because it’s really defiance,” Seneferu tells me. “To be creative is to defy annihilation. That’s why I’ll always remain creative.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Malik Seneferu will also participate in the Hunters Point Shipyard & Islais Creek Studios open studios event on Oct. 17 and 18 at the Hunters Point Shipyard (451 Galvez Avenue San Francisco, CA 94124).\u003c/em> \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipyard-open-studios-fall-2026-registration-1992234233221?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=6ebd4af823122ca2a076762936f3f5be642a0fc6087d942b690ea23370a12f69b0e61ce80cef0a8b67b1b3aba3869b58a11565fb11670033e88d4aa2a62d9df530fbd95445996d453ac082a7\">Check here for tickets and more information\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"id": "city-arts",
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"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",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"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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"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.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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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",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
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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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"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": {
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"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.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"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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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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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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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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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": {
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"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": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"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": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"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",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"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",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
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"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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