Past Events

Launching with a free digital magazine and artist presentations on Thursday, October 1, 7:00–8:00pm, The Annual Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition surveys new work from the 13 recipients of the competitive Jack K and Gertrude Murphy Award and the Edwin Anthony and Adalaine Boudreaux Cadogan Scholarships. The awards are designed to further the development of Bay Area MFA students and foster the exploration of their artistic potential in hybrid practice, installation, mixed media, painting, photography and [...]

Now in its 21st year, SOMArts’ annual Día de Los Muertos exhibition is one of the most internationally diverse Day of the Dead celebrations in the United States. Living Legacies: Día de Los Muertos 2020 is a call to action for our responsibility to future generations. It is a call to invoke the strengths and lessons of our ancestors to survive the historic moment in which we’re currently living. This exhibition recognizes that the status [...]

Now, in its fourth iteration at SOMArts, The Black Woman is God highlights a community of Black women artists whose complex creative practices have influenced the world, but are often overlooked because of class, race, and gender discrimination. Join us in celebrating this year's exhibition with a free, virtual opening reception on Friday, November 13, 3–6pm. Yes, I want to register! Opening Remarks by Mayor London Breed, San Francisco Mayor Dr. Runoko Rashidi, Scholar, Historian, Author, [...]

LUSH: A SOMArts Series launches on Tuesday, January 19, 2021. The first of three virtual programs, this event features readings, a panel discussion, and Q&A with Juli Delgado Lopera, author of Fiebre Tropical, and Elaine Castillo, author of America is Not the Heart, two Bay Area novelists whose writing reflects diasporic and queer life in the US today, moderated by Claire Calderón. LUSH: A SOMArts Series draws inspiration from Solarpunk, a genre that imagines futures that [...]

¡Vení vos! Join curators Fátima Ramírez, Mauricio Ramírez, and Josué Rojas for the virtual opening reception of CARAVANA: Mobilizing Central American Art (1984–Present) on Thursday, March 11, 6:00–8:00 PM PST! This free, all-ages program features DJ Femme Papi, performance by Grupo Folklorico Maíz, poetry by Maya Chinchilla, an artist discussion with Kiara Machado, OZI, and Dr. Oriel Maria Siu, who will also be reading her recently published book “Rebeldita the Fearless in Ogreland.” RSVp [...]

LUSH: A SOMArts Series returns on Thursday, April 15, 7:00 PM PST with a Film Edition featuring clips and conversation centering the disruptive works of Brontez Purnell, Heather María Ács of FemmePower Productions, and Leo Herrera. Moderated by SOMArts’ Director of Events and Hard French producer Devon Nandagiri, LUSH Film Edition celebrates the multiplicity of queer histories and futures.LUSH: A SOMArts Series is a three-part series of conversations between socially-engaged artists across a variety of mediums. [...]

After over a year of isolation, SOMArts is ready to host our first in-person event of 2021! HERE 4 U: Pre-Pride Happening transforms SOMArts’ luscious garden patio for an intimate evening of music, drag, and community on Wednesday, June 23 6-8 PM PST. A celebration of queer joy and the power of chosen family, HERE 4 U features drag performances by some of the Bay’s best queens — Nicki Jizz, Dulce de Leche, and Yves [...]

Songs and tales have long been used as a tool to preserve cultural memory, reproduce cultural norms and social ethics across borders and time. Inspired by their own family lineage’s experience with migration from Greece to Turkey, Sounds like Home: Longing and Comfort through Lullabies curators Duygu and Bengü Gün uncover how lullabies can be a source of comfort when longing for home and place, challenges it's subliminal messaging that reproduces oppressive power structures and [...]

Due to ongoing COVID–19 safety concerns, this event is not open to the public. Please click here for gallery hours. The Annual Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards opens on Friday, September 10, 5:30–8:30 PM PST, awards ceremony at 7:00 PM PST. This exhibition surveys new work from 16 recipients of the competitive Jack K. and Gertrude Murphy Award and the Edwin Anthony and Adalaine Boudreaux Cadogan Scholarships. Presented in partnership with San Francisco Foundation, the [...]

Update: This event is sold out! Performances will be streamed for free on SOMArts' Facebook and Twitch on Friday, October 29, 7:30 PM PSTAs part of our Día de Los Muertos programming, beloved queen Per Sia has curated a special night of remembrance and celebration with Iluminaciones: Dia de Los Muertos Drag Show, Friday, October 22, 7:30–9:30 PM! TicketsThis event is sold out! Performances will be streamed for free on SOMArts' Facebook and Twitch on [...]

African deities have always existed, reflecting the spiritual practices of diverse ethnic societies in Africa. On Thursday, January 27, 4:00–6:00 PM PST, join Dr. Wade and Dr. Vera L. Nobles in conversation with The Black Woman is God curator and founder Karen Seneferu and contemporary fine artist and painter Malik Seneferu as they discuss what it means for Black men and women to view each other as God figures within the African Diaspora and African [...]

Join Tarika Lewis for this free, virtual event on Thursday, February 3, 4:00–6:00 PM PST. Workshop participants will explore divine protection and generational healing in our DNA. RSVP today! About Tarika Lewis Tarika Lewis has often been described as a Renaissance woman. Visual artist, jazz violinist, teacher and genealogist, Lewis graduated from Cal State East Bay and the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Her artwork focuses on African culture, musicians, [...]

On Friday, April 29, 6–9 PM PST, Grow Our Souls will be hosting a free opening reception followed by an in-person and virtual panel featuring Dr. Susette Min, Grow Our Souls curator Melissa Wang, and exhibiting artists. The panel will be live-streamed and recorded to APICC's YouTube channel and ASL interpretation will be available for both the in-person panel and stream. Capacity for this event is limited and guests are encouraged to RSVP in advance. [...]