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The best the Bay Area has to offer, from the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture.

Critics’ PicksCritics’ Picks
A man in wrap-around sunglasses, black gloves and a black and red T-shirt sings into a microphone against a blue background

La Onda 2026 Lineup: J Balvin, Christian Nodal, Maná, Ivan Cornejo, More in Napa

Lovers Lane Unites San Francisco’s Mission District with Art and Cultura

doorway with people chatting in red-painted building beside freeway

SOMArts to Gather SF Arts Community During ‘State of Emergency’

A white woman in a dress and large hat sits on a stone wall, looking to the right at a Black man in a blue suit, sitting on a swing

‘The Cherry Orchard’ Is a Captivating Portrait of Family Delusion

black and white image of woman squatting in white with eyes and mouth covered by 'voix' and 'aveugle'

At BAMPFA, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha’s Eloquent Art Lives On

A luxury hotel lobby is seen from above, filled almost entirely with people in red and white Santa suits. A large Christmas tree is also inside.

Learn the True History of SantaCon in an SF IndieFest Documentary

A painting of two women wearing masks, facing each other, mounted on a green background in an art gallery.

Time Traveling Through Cece Carpio’s New Exhibition at SOMArts

More than a half dozen football players kneel along the sidelines of a field while coaches and others stand behind them, seen in a watercolor illustration

Not That Into Football? Try These Super Bowl Alt-Events

A scruffy man with a beard in a short-sleeved shirt runs from right to left, screaming with a yellow brick wall blurred behind him.

Colombian Farce ‘A Poet’ Is a Brilliant Critique of Hypocritical Creatives

An animated still featuring a boy wearing a voluminous rainbow-colored cape. A small girl clings to his shoulders as they fly through the air.

‘Arco’ Is a Dystopian Tale Imbued With a Surprising Amount of Optimism

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