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 quo [...]

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, Lecturer [...]

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 today! CARAVANA: [...]

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 Saint [...]

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 affirms [...]

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 Friday, [...]

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 itself. [...]

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!https://somarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Tarika-Lewis.png 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, Black families, and her experiences [...]

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. -- [...]

A prediction, a prophecy, a promise, a threat. Move through this portal and bathe in divine visions for our collective queer, trans, and two-spirit post future now. Vaz A Ver/ You Will See’s opening night with a series of performances, dance, music and ceremony. Exhibiting Artists Val Campean Irina Contreras Alex De La Mareas Demian DinéYazhi´ Gaudmother Edgar Fabian Frias Tge. Galéon Avé-Ameenah Long Naima Lowe Frances Mead Astrid Mejia Victoria Montaña MXCT: Monical Canilao and [...]

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 [...]