HORIZON/you hold my shape is the first iteration of a large-scale video installation, performance, and sculpture series, as conceived by yétúndé ọlágbajú. This exhibition includes family photographs and written words by the artist’s parents. ọlágbajú’s father is from Ilé-Ifẹ̀ where, according to Yoruba tradition, a Golden Chain was said to have dropped, leading to the creation of humans. Join us for a free, all ages reception on Saturday, July 30, 7–9 PM PST as we celebrate [...]

SOMArts is proud to partner with the San Francisco Foundation to present the 2022 Murphy and Cadogan Contemporary Art Awards Exhibition, a focused look at the future of the Bay Area visual arts. Join us for a free, all-ages opening reception and awards ceremony on Friday, September 9, 6–9 PM PST! Murphy Award Gericault De La Rose, University of California Berkeley Cadogan Award Irma Yuliana Barbosa, University of California Berkeley Carolina Cuevas, California College of the [...]

Curated by Rio Yañez and Anaís Azul, To Love and Be Loved in Return: Día de Los Muertos 2022 exemplifies how the love between us and our dead continue to help us to navigate the world. This year, artists to reflect on how those we have lost have taught us to love and be loved in return. As we navigate a world troubled with war and injustice, we are more connected to each other than we [...]

SOMArts' Día de Los Muertos drag show is back on Friday, October 21, 8–9:30 PM, $10 suggested donation! Join new and returning drag artists as they embody their experiences of queer resilience, love, and individuality through a night of tender, powerful performance. Amorcito Corazón features performances by Kochina Rude La Chucha Dulce de Leche Bonita Amoura Teesse Lulu Ramirez Per Sia   Health & Safety: We require all guests to present proof of full COVID–19 vaccination. [...]

Join us for the closing reception of this year’s Día de Los Muertos exhibition on Friday, November 4, 6–9 PM PST, $10 suggested donation! This can’t-miss event features musical performances by Anaís Azul and Joyous, and Day of the Dead vendor market. Curated by Rio Yañez and Anaís Azul, To Love and Be Loved in Return: Día de Los Muertos 2022 exemplifies how the love between us and our dead continue to help us to navigate [...]

As part of SOMArts' 12th Curatorial Residency season, The Indigo Project opens with a free, all-ages exhibition unveiling on December 9, 6–9 PM PST. Curated by Bushmama Africa and Isha Rosemond, this landmark multidisciplinary exhibition centers Black artists and their stories as means to combat the erasure of African American history, culture, and creativity. Informed by academic research, decades of traditional African spiritual initiation, and the ethics of communal collaboration, The Indigo Project unravel narratives that [...]

Led by Lucumi Priestess and Independent Curator Bushmama Africa, the Denim Camp invites participants to create unique denim pieces that will be placed in “The Indigo Project” archive.Participants are walked through contextual research and ancestral memory practices before learning and practicing the technical skills necessary to upcycle their textiles into new adornments. Isha Rosemond will be using the materials made from this workshop to create an online archive that serves as a public point of reference.This [...]

Hey Chica!! is a comedy variety show that aims to capture the feeling of the unlikely, beautiful friendship between you, an exceptional freak, and that girl in school who would greet everyone with a "HEY CHICA!!" every single day — weird, but fun. Hosted by the two first ever bipolar lesbians with IBS in history, Amanda-Faye Jimenez and Lauren White. Accessibility Reach out to gallery@somarts.org to inquire about specific accessibility needs Performances by Ta'vi, @tavitalkstrash Sophia [...]

As part of the Muni Raised Me exhibition programs, join us on Friday, March 17, 7–10 PM PST for Pop Culture was Black Culture First! This free, all ages event features SF-rooted rappers like Qing Qi, The Jealous Guys, and A-1, and an artist market. Pop Culture was Black Culture First is a practical and spiritual act of honoring Black people as the nucleus of so much of Frisco’s culture. About Muni Raised Me Curated by [...]

Water.Bodies.Land is a fiscally sponsored program with music by Amie Cota and choreography by Sarah Crowell with Nicole Klaymoon. This two-day performance event weaves together poetry, music, and dance in celebration of the Black female body and our place in the natural world. Performance dates Thursday, July 14, 7:30 PM Friday, July 15, 3:00 PM & 7:30 PM Get your ticket today! Featuring Amie Cota Sarah Crowell Clarissa Dyas Ny’Aja Roberson Makhissa Sano Nakachi Clark-Kasimu Water.Bodies.Land [...]

On Friday, February 9, 6–9 PM, join Palestinian artists Lara Aburamadan, Chris Gazaleh, and Roula Seikaly for a free, all ages film screening, conversation, and artwork presentation. Reclaiming Our Image through Muralism and Photography is presented by SOMArts in collaboration with Bay Area Palestinian artists. This program is intended to affirm the role of the arts in collective liberation. Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (Sut Jhally, 2006) serves as a starting point to [...]

Kick off 415 Day weekend with HOMIES & HOMOS: SOMArts Dance Party Fundraiser on Friday, April 12, 7–11 PM PST! This all-ages, intergenerational celebration raises crucial funds for SOMArts’ René Yañez Legacy Fund, which supports artist fees for emerging and mid-career artists as well as the renovation of the garden that René so lovingly tended. Yes, I'll be there! Hosted by Per Sia and curated by Muni Raised Me’s Meymey Lee, Sasha Vu, and Celi Tamayo-Lee, [...]