2004-03-06 - 8:00 p.m. art coming outta my ears As of today, I am compelled to make the proclamation that if I didn't already live here, I'd be putting SF on my itinerary for a visit this Spring, based on the art exhibitions, of all things. Yes, I bitch and moan about the lack of exciting art events in this City all the time, and have bemoaned my perception that our two city museums seem to come up with better modern art shows than our strictly modern museum (which has had a tendency to import shows from the Whitney a little too regularly rather than cultivating in-house curatorial talents). But with the Pop! and Art Deco exhibits that have opened this week, plus the bounty of other smaller screen printing and design exhibits about to open at both the Legion and SFMOMA, I'm pretty darn pleased. Once the De Young reopens next year, I'm gonna be in heaven! Today was a perfect day for trekking out to the Legion: the sun was out in full force, allowing me to wear a light sweater over my rayon pink and black paisley dress and be perfectly comfortable both inside the museum and walking to and from the car. The visibility was amazing, showing off the Legion's Marin Headlands views, and making us feel as though we'd be able to see the Farallons when we drove out almost to the Ocean to pick up kitty food from the vet post-museum. There were several obvious Art Deco Society folks strolling around the grounds both for the opening of the exhibit and the Classic Car parade that was organized to celebrate the show's opening. As we maneuvered through the exhibit, I was struck by how it differed from the Art Deco design exhibit LACMA put on in the mid 90s. LACMA's exhibit had more of an integrated approach to the mix of the objects, and had the most amazing associated exhibition store, full of authentic art deco baubles for sale. My ex purchased my beloved hand blown, platinum rimmed tiny cocktail glasses from that store, as a birthday present for me. Those same glasses were filled with anemones, and hemmed in by my art deco cat bookends by a graphic designer friend of mine when he shot the photos for the wedding reception invitation he created as a wedding gift for us that April so many years ago...so, yes, as I wandered the exhibit, I felt the presence of that spent romance and friendship fairly heavily on my shoulders... I noticed right away, after we separated, that one of the things that made me most sad was losing that automatic frame of reference that came by virtue of my ex accompanying me on all my museum going and travel treks. There were so many one-word declarations of meaning, and an ease that comes from knowing the other person has your same frame of reference when looking at a piece of art. I must admit that the lack of that with the last boy I was seeing did bother me quite a bit. This is why the friend who accompanied me on this visit, and with whom I've visited at least a dozen exhibits at half a dozen museums over the past 3 years, is such a good fit for that activity with me. He's interestedin many of the same art movements, is better read than I am on them, and has the advantage of an extra 20 years of travel + museum-going in his realm of experience. Thus, I can happily free associate about what I am seeing. I can't believe I haven't seen N in a year and a half. any comments? (2 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09