As always, thank you for being here. Don’t be shy to hype your stuff in the comments. And if you make it to any of the featured events I’d love to hear about your experience below.

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Sacramento

LabRats Play "Illmatic"
VENUE: Harlow’s - 2708 J St, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Friday, September 4th, 7:00PM
COST: $25

By now most of you know I’m a huge fan of Sacramento’s jazz fusion band, LabRats. They’re taking on Nas's Illmatic at Harlow’s this weekend. I’m excited!

Five Lives in One: Opening Reception
VENUE: Timeless Thrills - 3714 J St, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 5th, 6:00PM - 9:00PM
COST: FREE

Timeless Thrills hosts Permanent Mark this month, featuring an exhibit that includes tufted rugs, furniture, and original artwork.

Mother Natives Grand Reopening
VENUE: 4421 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95822
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 12th, 9:00AM - 2:00PM
COST: FREE

Mother Natives is a nonprofit rooted in ecological restoration and making native gardening accessible to everyone. This is their biggest event of the year! Expect a free seed-bomb and card-making session, composting demonstrations, and more. Only Sunshine Sanctuary is hosting a vegan bake sale and bringing rescue rabbits for adoption! My favorite detail: two four-foot piñatas shaped like frying pans and poppies, made by Sac State Fine Arts alumni Allison Beck and Alejandra Ruiz will be on display.

Design Your Own Muñeca Cup
VENUE: ALMa Design Studio - 200 N 16th St, Sacramento, CA 95811
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 12th, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
COST: $65

I’ve been thinking a lot about rest lately and how to be more intentional about seeking out mindful rest for myself, rather than just crashing out in front of Netflix at the end of the day. Workshops like this are one of the avenues I’m exploring. Ale (a friend and a favorite Sacramento artist), describes this offering as “a time for folks to unwind and relax in a comfortable environment while learning about a new medium.”

Into the Woods: Opening Reception
VENUE: The Atelier - 2118 19th St, Sacramento, CA 95818
DATE/TIME: Sunday, September 12th, 5:30PM - 8:00PM
COST: FREE

This is McKinney's debut solo show, but if you've bought produce at the Midtown farmers market you've likely already seen his work without knowing it. He paints and draws directly onto redwood rounds and builds out these dense, surreal little worlds where people, animals, and plants merge.

The Atelier runs a no-commission gallery model, so your money goes straight to the artist.

The Great Create
VENUE: The Clara Auditorium - 2420 N Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 26th, 9:00AM - 4:00PM
COST: $65

If you've been meaning to start a creative practice instead of just thinking about one, this is your sign. And if you’re looking to get more plugged in to the Sacramento creative community, I’d highly recommend starting with Art Club.

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San Francisco

The Mom Dance Party
VENUE: The Regency Ballroom - 1300 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94109
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 12th, 7:00PM
COST: $57

This isn’t typically the type of event we include, but I just felt this one in my bones. Moms Feeling Themselves puts together events all over the country that are specifically designed to nurture maternal mental health. I love that this exists. Share it with a young mom in your life!

Before It Was Mine
VENUE: Rivian - 340 Fell Street, San Francisco CA, 94102
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, September 16th & Thursday, September 17th
COST: $30 - $95

I love the questions this immersive fashion show and exhibit asks. What do we inherit and what are we choosing to carry forward? The exhibit “brings together local makers and designers to transform textiles, heirloom fabrics, and reclaimed materials into wearable art.”

Bombay Beach: Edge of the Salton Sea: Closing Reception
VENUE: Wall Box Gallery - 2 Tower Pl, South San Francisco, CA 94080
DATE/TIME: Friday, September 25th, 4:00PM - 7:00PM
COST: FREE

I have a soft spot for art about California's forgotten and strange landscapes, and the Salton Sea is about as forgotten and strange as it gets. Friend of Meanderings, artist Xan Blood Walker, has been photographing Bombay Beach and its residents for over five years, exploring how people adapt and create meaning in challenging landscapes.

ART FWD 2026: In Other Words
VENUE: Marin Museum of Contemporary Art - 1210 Fifth Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 26th, 5:00PM - 8:30PM
COST: $150

This is Marin MOCA's big annual fundraiser. The ticket price reflects that, but with live music, karaoke, a Park Life pop-up, a community mural, special exhibit, and a family style dinner with drinks, I think it’ll be well worth the cost.

NEXUS
VENUE: multi-venued
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, September 30th - Sunday, October 4th
COST: FREE

NEXUS returns for a third year celebrating the impact of Black artists and culture throughout the Bay Area. Check the event listings for which programs need tickets, but most of the week is free to attend.

Behind the Curtain
VENUE: YBCA - 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
DATE/TIME: through January 3rd
COST: $10

This is my must-see of the month. GaHee Park's first solo museum show in the U.S. is up through January. I’m dying to see her paintings in person!

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East Bay

Exploring the Art of Collage: Workshop
VENUE: Dictee Gallery - 2117 11th Avenue, Oakland, CA 94606
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 5th, 10:00AM - 1:00PM or 2:00PM - 5:00PM
COST: $66

Grab a friend and spend a cozy Saturday together at Dictee Gallery.

Dishes Washed and Uncles Chosen: A photo essay
VENUE: Local Economy - 6028 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618, USA
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, September 8th, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
COST: $10 suggested donation

​”Justin Limoges shares a collection of snapshots of people washing dishes, taken over the last one hundred years. What sorts of patterns and variations can be gleaned from looking closely at these enigmatic images, fished out of the pre-digital river of detritus and lost loves? And how might this vernacular archive connect to questions around family (whether by blood or chosen), art history, and the performance of gender?

Come for a talk with slides, and stay for a discussion afterward.”

Art Against Brutality
VENUE: Clio’s Books - 353 Grand Avenue, Oakland, CA 94610
DATE/TIME: Thursday, September 10th, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
COST: $10

“Art Against Brutality explores how collective art projects in war zones and sites of devastation transform despair into solace.” This is my Oakland must of the month!

Glamour Moves
VENUE: NIAD Art Center - 551 23rd Street Richmond, CA 94801
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 12th, 2:30PM - 6:30PM
COST: $0-$25 sliding scale

NIAD calls this their answer to the Met Gala and honestly? I care way more about this than the Met’s out-of-touch technocrat party. Artists with developmental disabilities both design and walk their own garments down the runway. There will also be live performances, cocktails, food, an exhibition, and a community party on the NIAD courtyard sculpture garden.

Good Medicine: A Night of Live Native Stand-Up
VENUE: OMCA - 1000 Oak Street, Oakland CA 94607
DATE/TIME: Saturday, September 12th, 6:00PM - 10:00PM
COST: $25

This is Good Medicine's fourth year at OMCA, and it's grown into a big hit, selling out venues across the country. The show will be held outdoors in the OMCA Garden, so bring a picnic blanket or a chair, grab food from Oakland’s Wahpepah's Kitchen, and shop the Native artisan market before the show starts.

90th Anniversary Gala
VENUE: Richmond Art Center - 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
DATE/TIME: Friday, September 25th, 5:30PM - 9:30PM
COST: $175

Ninety years is no small thing for a community arts organization to hit, and this gala honors that milestone properly with live music, edible art, a cocktail reception, and a seated dinner. There will also be a live auction of works by established artists plus a small works sale of 90 original pieces from Richmond Art Center's artist community, and a silent auction of handcrafted items and experiences.

This guide was written in collaboration with my friend and editor, Mallory Taylor. To learn more about Mallory and her work, visit her Substack: This Could Be Embarrassing.

Are you an artist who’d like to be spotlighted in a future newsletter? Or perhaps you know of a fantastic, upcoming arts event? For press inquiries of all kinds, please shoot us a DM.

We started this companion to Meanderings after noticing a pattern: many of the independent art spaces and grassroots organizations announce events just weeks (sometimes days) before they happen. By then, our monthly Happenings newsletter has already gone out.

Rather than miss them, we made space for them. Because often the best of art (and of life) comes at you fast. Thank you for being here, for supporting our work, and for supporting the local arts!

Subscribe now

Read more

I’m back from my annual family trip to Tahoe, feeling refreshed and newly inspired. August is shaping up to be an exciting month for Meanderings, with a couple of new monthly series in the works, including regular artist interviews and profiles. Speaking of, if you’re a local artist who’d like to be featured, let me know.

As always, don't be shy to hype your stuff in the comments below. And if you make it to any of the featured events I'd love to hear about your experience!

Subscribe now

East Bay

Everyday Encounters in the American Southeast
VENUE: Gallery Da Vinci - 608 Main St, STE G, Pleasanton, CA 94566
DATE/TIME: through Friday, August 7th
COST: FREE

San Francisco-based photographer Jiawei Zhou spent time traveling through New Orleans, Savannah, and Charleston, and the resulting photographs read like one continuous journey rather than three separate cities. I love that his eye lands on windows, sidewalks, and reflections instead of the obvious landmarks, it’s the kind of quiet attentiveness I always want more of in travel photography.

I Watched Your Leaves Grow Silver in the Wind: Artist Reception
VENUE: Johansson Projects - 2300 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Friday, August 7th, 5:00PM - 8:00PM
COST: FREE

Andrew Catanese is a painter based in Palo Alto. I’ve just discovered their work, and am smitten, particularly with the colors, and with the way Catanese’s running practice informs their art. As an on-again, off-again running enthusiast, I’m inspired by the idea that running itself can be a kind of creative practice.

Don’t Look Under The Bed: Group Show & Open Studios
VENUE: Lucky Break Studios - 5209 E 8th St, Oakland, CA 94601
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 8th, 12:00PM - 5:00PM
COST: FREE

Lucky Break is a Fruitvale studio and gallery space I haven't featured before. I’m excited to see their space in person!

Orpheus Descending
VENUE: Oakland Theater Project - 1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way, Oakland CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Thu–Sat + Sunday August 9th @ 7:00PM, Sunday August 16th + 23rd @ 2:00PM
COST: $40 GA (PWYC $10 & $20 tickets also available)

Oakland Theater Project has a way of bringing older texts to life, revealing their continued relevancy and insight into the human condition and the American experiment. This summer, they’re taking on Tennessee William’s retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus Descending.

Oaklash Pride Block Party
VENUE: Calabash - 2300 Valdez Street Ste A, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Friday, August 14th, 5:00PM - 10:00PM
COST: $10

Celebrate the start of Oakland Pride weekend with my friends at . Expect DJs, drag, live music, art and local vendors.

Richmond Open Studios
VENUE: Richmond Art Center - 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 15th, 11:00AM - 5:00PM
COST: FREE

Richmond’s annual Open Studios takes place over two weekends this month. Start with the courtyard show at the Art Center, or use their guide to curate a tour of specific studios.

The Final Push: Opening Reception
VENUE: Mercury 20 Gallery - 475 25th Street, Oakland CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 15th, 3:00PM - 5:00PM
COST: FREE

Cade Salamanca’s second show at Mercury 20 is “a celebration of self-acceptance, courage, and transformation,” informed by the artists own journey towards greater self-definition and freedom. Also worth adding to your calendar? The Artist Talk on Saturday the 29th, from 3:00PM – 5:00PM.

(( CAMERA NOISE )) : Group Exhibition & Book Fair
VENUE: Warehouse 416 Gallery - 416 26th Street, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 29th, 5:00PM - 9:00PM
COST: FREE

This reader submission from quickly shot to the top of my must-see list! Daydream Darkroom supports QTBIPOC photographers. They’re popping up in Warehouse 416 for a one-night exhibition and independent photo book fair featuring ten Bay Area artists whose work spans analog, alternative printing, and experimental processes. There will also be local publishers and zine makers tabling all evening, along with a DJ, snacks, and a large-format, instant 4x5 Polaroid portrait station!

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San Francisco

Gray Area Cultural Incubator Showcase: Opening Night
VENUE: Gray Area / Grand Theater - 2665 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, August 5th, 7:00PM - 10:00PM
COST: $30 (sliding scale)

Eleven Bay Area artists close out Gray Area's 2026 Cultural Incubator with AI-driven pieces, immersive game-engine experiences and experimental platforms. The best part? Visitors are invited to play and test many of the platforms personally.

after Albers: Opening
VENUE: 120710 - 1207 Tenth St, Berkeley, CA 94710
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 22nd, 4:00PM - 7:00PM
COST: FREE

120710 is a new-to-me experimental gallery in Berkeley.

“AFTER ALBERS explores echoing motifs of abstraction, color theory, and modularity through the practices of 16 artists. Individually, each artist’s work creates a world of its own, asking viewers to slow down to experience the moments of play and perfection.”

Swimming!
VENUE: Chandler Gallery - 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA
DATE/TIME: through Thursday, August 27th
COST: FREE

Fifteen artists take on the strange, ordinary experience of being in water, as sport, ritual, transcendence, and everything in between.

State of Play: Opening Night Performances & After Party
VENUE: ODC Dance - B. Way Theater - 3153 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
DATE/TIME: Friday, August 28th, 7:00PM
COST: $60 GA

ODC’s annual dance festival returns with premieres and works-in-progress from the Bay Area and national choreographers. If you can’t make opening night, there are several other performances and workshops planned through Sunday the 30th.

Old Tricks
VENUE: Upper Market Gallery - 4690 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114
DATE/TIME: through Friday, August 28th, Saturdays 12:00PM - 3:00PM
COST: FREE

My pick for an SF must-see. The show brings together nine California-based animation artists to re-explore the centuries-old foundations of moving image technology. Go peek at the previews. I think you’ll be as delighted as me!

The Dome Show
VENUE: di Rosa SF - 1150 25th St, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, September 12th
COST: $10

This celebration of artist-led communities will take place in The Dome, a live-work community founded in 1976 by sculptor, Peter Voulkos. Once a food processing factory, Voulkos transformed the space into a communal site that is still active today. As the Bay continues to edge artists out and live-work spaces become increasingly scarce, this show feels especially timely.

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Sacramento

Coordinates: Dispatch
VENUE: 1616 28th Street Sacramento, CA, 95816
DATE/TIME: opens Saturday August 8th, 12:00PM –10:00 PM
COST: $26 GA

Stephen and I are proud sponsors of this one! Curated by my friend, , the show transforms Sacramento's long-vacant Fire Alarm Dispatch Station into a site-responsive group show, with newly commissioned work from over thirty Sacramento artists. If you see anything in SAC this month, make it Coordinates.

Art Pop Market
VENUE: Flower Fist - 1819 E St, Sacramento, CA 95811
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 8th, 4:00PM - 8:00PM
COST: FREE

With 40 Sacramento artists participating, there’s bound to be a piece for everyone at Flower Fist’s upcoming market.

15th Annual Banana Festival
VENUE: Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum - 3855 E. Park Road, Sacramento, CA 95822
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 15th, 10:00AM - 7:00PM & Sunday, August 16th, 10:00AM - 5:30PM
COST: $10

Support one of Sacramento’s treasures, the Sojourner Truth African Heritage Museum at their 15th Annual Banana Festival, celebrating the countries and cultures where bananas grow. There will be live reggae music, art, and diverse vendors.

𝘾𝙃𝙖𝙍𝙈𝙎 / Extra Sweet
VENUE: Prism Art Space - 2120 K St, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Saturday, August 15th, 6:00PM - 10:00PM
COST: $10-$20 donation

Benefitting Sacramento’s Trans & Queer Youth Collective, this Queer Dance Party will include a drag show, dj sets, and a riso-only art exhibit about trinkets, accessories, and self-expression.

Art Happening: Scrapbook Zine
VENUE: The Atelier - 2118 19th St, Sacramento, CA 95818
DATE/TIME: Friday, August 21st, 7:00PM - 10:00PM
COST: $65

The Atelier is one of the latest additions to the Sacramento art scene, and I’m eager to visit their space. This Scrapbook Zine class is perfect for a girls night or creative reset.

Together Again, 1960-2026: Perspectives from UC Davis’ Fine Arts Collection
VENUE: Manetti Shrem - 254 Old Davis Road, Davis, CA 95616
DATE/TIME: August - ongoing
COST: FREE

Together Again features new additions to the university’s Fine Arts Collection. Catch the Woody De Othello and Out of Line shows too when you make the trip!

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This guide was written in collaboration with my friend and editor, Mallory Taylor. To learn more about Mallory and her work, visit her Substack: This Could Be Embarrassing.

Are you an artist who’d like to be spotlighted in a future newsletter? Or perhaps you know of a fantastic, upcoming arts event? For press inquiries of all kinds, please shoot us a DM.

Coordinates: Dispatch

A new site-specific exhibition opens in Sacramento this August — and it’s the launch pad for something new here at Meanderings: a monthly series profiling the local artists and exhibits we’re most excited about.

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Each week, I post an Instagram story featuring a roundup of art events happening over the weekend in Northern California. Despite my nearly 13,000 followers, these stories get buried by the algorithm. I know why. They link back to Meanderings, which means that if a user clicks the link, they’ll exit Instagram’s platform and land here, reading and engaging with content that won’t make Meta any money. So the story (and so many others like it) gets suppressed, the shows go unattended, the artists struggle to make ends meet, and little by little, the creative economy shrinks.

I don’t say this to bemoan the struggle of starting a small business. But I can’t stop thinking about how Instagram is designed to keep users on Instagram. Most have us have heard by now that the app intentionally mimics the slot machines of Vegas—highly addictive but never satisfying—a bright and glowing nothingness, a void that keeps its player isolated, pulling lever after lever, alone. And why? Because the more time and attention we give to social media the more money and power it creates for its inside owners. The apps are meant to keep us on the apps, which keeps us isolated, at home more, and at the mercy of relentless advertising. So we buy. We buy from Amazon, and TikTok shop, and Target. We buy what we need, we buy what we don’t need. We never meet the maker. We never meet the seller. We never see the shop. We often don’t even see the delivery person, in a mad dash from one doorstep to the next. It’s designed this way. It’s designed to keep us disconnected and spending money to deal with that disconnection.

In community, sharing resources so often feels natural. Together, we find ourselves trading our time and goods effortlessly, offering to keep each other’s kids for a few hours, or dropping off the extra tomatoes from the garden without a second thought. We need to purchase a whole lot less when we live in the abundance that connection brings.

This brings me to a new series we’re launching. Each month, Meanderings will feature a local artist whose work has us excited, or an exhibit that’s especially captivating. Expect interviews, profiles, reviews, and studio visits. Mallory and I hope to bring in some guest writers too! (If this is something you’re interested in, let us know in the comments.)

This month, we’re spotlighting a show in Sacramento: Coordinates: Dispatch. Opening August 8th in the historic 1937 Art Deco Albert Winn Fire Alarm Dispatch Station, Coordinates: Dispatch will bring together more than thirty Sacramento artists in one of the city’s largest site-responsive contemporary art exhibitions. Newly commissioned works will include sculpture, installation, sound, video, and performance art.

Not only is the exhibit designed to turn vacant and overlooked city spaces into thriving sites of artistic intervention, participating artists will share in the net ticket revenue. This model is rarer than most realize. Instead, artists often pay a flat participation fee to join a ticketed art popup and make money only off their own sales (of which the organizer takes a commission). The goal here is to help make artists more money without having to rely only on the sale of their pieces, and I love it!

Please support this incredible show, running August through October. We have so much more collective power than we realize, and I’m sick of pouring that power into an app. Our time, attention, and money is precious, and I’m excited for an opportunity to put each of these resources into the creativity, grit, and magic of the makers in this town. See you there!

This guide was written in collaboration with my friend and editor, Mallory Taylor. To learn more about Mallory and her work, visit her Substack: This Could Be Embarrassing.

Are you an artist who’d like to be spotlighted in a future newsletter? Or perhaps you know of a fantastic, upcoming arts event? For press inquiries of all kinds, please shoot us a DM.

We started this companion to Meanderings after noticing a pattern: many of the independent art spaces and grassroots organizations announce events just weeks (sometimes days) before they happen. By then, our monthly Happenings newsletter has already gone out.

Rather than miss them, we made space for them. Because often the best of art (and of life) comes at you fast. Thank you for being here, for supporting our work, and for supporting the local arts!

Subscribe now

Read more

That phrase has been ringing through my mind for months now along with the appeal of slower days with more intentional spaces for community and curiosity. Perhaps the next step is expansion through simplicity.

I recently missed a couple local openings. I consider the artists friends and truly wanted to be there. As my family’s needs grow and my own individual desires fall down the ranks of priority, I find the balance between the two is trying and at times disappointing. However, saying no in one moment, opened space to say yes at a later date. We found ourselves at a much more intimate viewing time. Instead of draining our cups the art was given the opportunity to fill them.

It was a reminder that the show doesn’t start and end with the opening. A reminder that supporting the creative class doesn’t have to be at the expense of our own capacity. It was a reminder to be intentional about my no’s’ and yes’.

Pulling at the thread of joy and simplicity I meandered into a somatic feeling of a cup being filled. Energy like anything is cumulative and perhaps it’s the small moments over time that contribute to expansion and healing.

I hope you go into the rest of summer with the curiosity of a well rested traveller and meander through the paths the universe invites you along making space for the unknown and the yet to be discovered.

Yours Truly,

Melissa

As always, thank you for being here. Don’t be shy to hype your stuff in the comments below. And if you make it to any of the featured events I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

Subscribe now

San Francisco

Stern Grove Festival — Summer Sundays
VENUE: Sigmund Stern Grove - 19th Ave & Sloat Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94132
DATE/TIME: Sundays in July, gates ~9:30AM, shows ~2:00PM
COST: FREE

Eighty-nine summers in, Stern Grove is still putting on a free, world class music festival for San Francisco. Each Sunday concert is free, but the dates fill, so check entry ahead of time.

Queer Asian World Cinema Satellite Screening
VENUE: Chinese Culture Center at 41 Ross Alley, San Francisco, CA 94108
DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 4th, 2:00PM
COST: FREE (RSVP)

I love a little counter-programming on the Fourth. The Chinese Culture Center and the Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project will showcase four short films centering queer, trans, and nonbinary Asian and diasporic stories at 41 Ross, a community arts space in Chinatown.

Binocular Rivalry
VENUE: Jessica Silverman - 621 Grant Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94108
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, July 11th
COST: FREE

The preview images got me, as they so often do. Binocular Rivalry features new paintings, a wall-mounted sculpture, and a new video work presented with 3D glasses.

Disability Pride Festival
VENUE: San Francisco Disability Cultural Center - 165 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
DATE/TIME: Sunday, July 19, 1:00PM-5:00PM
COST: FREE

The DCC is the first publicly funded disability cultural center in the country! They’ll celebrate their 2 year anniversary and Disability Pride Month with a festival on Grove Street featuring a market of disabled makers, resource booths, a birthday cake, and quilt-making.

SF Art Book Fair
VENUE: Minnesota Street Project - 1275 Minnesota Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: Thursday, July 23rd – Sunday, July 26th
COST: FREE

SF Art Book Fair returns to Minnesota Street Project for its 10th year! I’ve been falling back in love with print media, and this celebration of art publishing and print culture is at the top of my must-see list.

The Moleskine Project XIII
VENUE: Harman Projects - 1275 Minnesota Street, Suite 106, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: through Sunday, July 26th
COST: FREE

I love the concept of this show SO much. Harman Projects brings together more than seventy artists from around the world, each working with the simple medium of the sketchbook. I’ve always loved drawing back the curtain on someone’s inner space and world, whether that’s a peak inside my best friend’s medicine cabinet, an open studios event, or an exhibit like this: one that makes you feel you’re seeing someone’s process, not just how and what they present.

Lucky Number Seven
VENUE: Rebecca Camacho Presents - 526 Washington St, San Francisco, CA 94111
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, August 15th
COST: FREE

For their seventh anniversary, Rebecca Camacho Presents has put together a group show featuring their entire gallery program of represented artists. The result is a who’s-who of artists I love, many of whom have been featured in Meanderings, from Maryam Yousif to Em Kettner. The gallery calls the show a joyous balm to troubling times, drawing on all the luck and mysticism we’ve placed collectively onto the number seven.

Video Craft
VENUE: Museum of Craft & Design - 2569 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: through Sunday, August 16th
COST: $10

Nearly twenty artists explore where video and film overlap with embodied crafts like weaving, ceramics, and glass. “Craft practices have long been cut out of new media discourse—a trend currently being reversed. Through themes of encoding, looping, and sampling, Video Craft takes terms usually associated with media art and expands them to examine practices by artists using a wider range of materials and techniques, many of which are rooted in craft history.”

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East Bay

The Distance Between: Traveling Beyond Count Time
VENUE: Empowerment Avenue at inStudio - 473 25th Street, Suite A, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Friday, July 3rd, 5:00PM-9:00PM
COST: FREE

For First Friday, Empowerment Avenue opens its inStudio space, featuring work by currently and formerly incarcerated artists. I’ve recently discovered EA and love the work they’re doing — using art, journalism, writing and film to create opportunities for people in prison.

Breaking the Starving Artist Myth: What Michelangelo Knew About Business
VENUE: Gold Palm - 1900 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94612 (presented by Big Brain Lectures)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, July 9th, 7:00PM-9:00PM
COST: $27 (21+)

Best-selling author and former TV writer Amy Suto digs into where the “starving artist” myth came from and why it stuck. Artists deserve to make money, and a huge barrier to that is our personal and collective buy-in to the story of the starving artist. Let’s dismantle that mindset together. This lecture is a great place to start.

Friday Nights at OMCA with MXKA
VENUE: Oakland Museum of California - 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, CA 94607
DATE/TIME: Friday, July 10th, 5:00PM-9:00PM
COST: FREE

Friday Nights at OMCA have become a summertime tradition for me. I’m especially excited for their July 10th event. July is Disability Pride Month and OMCA is celebrating with a NIAD Art Center activation, a cumbia dance lesson, food trucks, and live music from MXKA.

Nature Series: Opening Reception
VENUE: UNTITLED vol.2 - Temescal Alley, 482 49th Street, Oakland, CA 94609
DATE/TIME: Friday, July 10th, 6:00-9:00PM
COST: FREE

UNTITLED vol. 2 is quickly becoming one of my favorite new galleries. This month they open Jared Silbert’s Nature Series.

Everything Must Go (Juried Group Show)
VENUE: Manna Gallery - 473 25th Street, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 11th - Saturday, August 8th; First Friday sneak peek July 3rd, 5:00-8:00PM
COST: FREE

Manna is an artist-run gallery in Uptown, and their summer juried group show gathers a wide range of Northern California painters, printmakers, and collage artists under a cheeky everything-must-go banner. Bonus: Manna shares a building with the Empowerment Avenue show above, so you can see both in one stop.

Beneath a Canopy of Crystal Songs
VENUE: pt.2 Gallery - 1525 Webster St, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, July 18th
COST: FREE

Joe Roberts’ first focused show of oil paintings turns his own backyard into sprawling, kaleidoscopic night-forests. Roberts isn’t formally trained as a painter and makes much of his work alongside his kids. As a parent who also makes things in the margins, I find his approach really inspiring.

World Raw
VENUE: Transmission Gallery - ​770 West Grand Ave., Suite A, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, August 1st
COST: FREE

Time your visit for the July 11th artist’s talk if you can; hearing Cate White explore the twelve years worth of her paintings and sculptures gathered in this exhibit is bound to be compelling.

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Sacramento

SacMade Market — Oak Park First Friday
VENUE: MADE Studio - 3519 Broadway, Sacramento, CA 95817
DATE/TIME: Friday, July 3rd, 5:00PM
COST: FREE

First Fridays in Oak Park are some of my favorite low-key, kid-friendly community nights of the month.

Presence: Opening Reception
VENUE: Timeless Thrills - 3714 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 11th, 6:00-9:00PM
COST: FREE

Enchi Wang is a Sacramento painter and tattoo artist (and the founder of Demo Art & Books) and her first solo show here pairs new oil paintings with a large-scale immersive installation built for the space. She describes the work as moving between memory, dream states, and spiritual inquiry.

The Art of Renewal: DIY Clothing Workshop
VENUE: Vintage in Bloom - 922 8th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814
DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 18, 11:00AM-1:00PM
COST: $60

Bring that one beloved piece you can’t quite part with and turn it into wearable art. Friend of Meanderings, Haley Titus, leads Vintage in Bloom’s first DIY clothing workshop, with all the paints, tools, and inspiration provided.

The Wasteland Picture Show
VENUE: Flower Fist Art Market - 1819 E Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
DATE/TIME: Saturday, July 25th, vendor market 5:00PM, film viewings 7:00PM
COST: $15

Wasteland Expo is taking over Flower Fist for a night of short films by local and international makers, alongside artists, vendors, and a tiki bar. Come early to shop the market, then settle in for the screenings.

Surface Pattern Design with Nature
VENUE: Mother Natives - 4421 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95822
DATE/TIME: Sunday, July 26th, 10:00AM-11:30AM
COST: Sliding scale, $25-$35

A small adulting hack? Always having extra greeting cards on hand for last-minute birthday cards, thank you notes, etc.

This beginner-friendly workshop explores the basics of surface pattern design using leaf rubbings, nature books, and tracing paper. You’ll walk away with your own unique set of greeting cards. This is the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning, especially if you’re looking for a low-stakes, high-reward way to unwind and tap into your creativity.

Before Sunset
VENUE: The Dreamland Cinema at the Thistle Dew Dessert Theater - 1901 P Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
DATE/TIME: Friday, July 31st, 6:00PM
COST: $13

The Dreamland is Sacramento’s microcinema for cult, indie, and arthouse film, and they’re closing out July with Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset. I can’t be the only Millennial this series has had in a chokehold for 20+ years… see you there!

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This guide was written in collaboration with my friend and editor, Mallory Taylor. To learn more about Mallory and her work, visit her Substack: This Could Be Embarrassing.

Are you an artist who’d like to be spotlighted in a future newsletter? Or perhaps you know of a fantastic, upcoming arts event? For press inquiries of all kinds, please shoot us a DM.

Nevada City takes it music and its legacy so seriously that it recently declared Joanna Newson Day” an official holiday. It attracts musicians from all over the world: I cannot stress enough how many well known acts have played and smoked pot in this town. IYKYK.

Artists have always been drawn to it, and the older I get, the more and more I appreciate the small town I couldn’t wait to leave as young teenager.

While I typically anchor Meanderings in Sacramento & the Bay, the Nevada City Film Festival is too special, both to me personally and to Northern California, to miss a chance to feature. It’s only an hour drive from Sacramento, making it the perfect weekend or day-trip distance!

The festival runs Friday, June 26 through Sunday, June 28. Almost everything happens within a few blocks of downtown Nevada City, and individual film programs are insanely cheap at $12. This year marks NCFF’s 26th run, and will feature over 50 films.

If you’re looking for a place to stay, check out The Holbrook, The National or for more humble accommodations try the Inntown Campground (who doesn’t like glamping?). Although, in all honesty, it might be hard to get a room this late in the game. For brunch or breakfast, South Pine Cafe in Grass Valley has the best eggs benedict in all of Northern California; their jalapeno hollandaise sauce can rival any competition. They also have a small burger joint if you’re looking for something quick.

Three Forks and Heartwood are absolutely lovely, and the cafeteria style service will get you out in no time. Sopa Thai, Sushi Q, Sushi in the Raw (it’s unlikely you’ll get in) and Lola are great for sit-down options, but they will be busy, so call ahead for a reservation. The Golden Era has signature takes on classic cocktails (ask about their mezcal tasting menu), and if you’re out that late I’m sure you’ll stumble upon an accidental bar crawl.

As always, if you make it to any of the featured events, we’d love to hear about your experience in the comments. Say hi to my hometown for me!

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MEANDERINGS MUST-SEE

Bien Juntitos: Well Together
VENUE: Nevada Theatre - 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA
DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 27th, 5:00PM
COST: $13

Of everything screening this weekend, this is the one I most want you to see! Bien Juntitos is a bilingual short documentary by Sacramento photographer Janine Mapurunga, built around the Manitos, a group of Spanish-speaking elders right here in SAC. “At once deeply personal and universally relatable, the film explores grief, remembrance, and the simple, urgent joy of being alive. It is a tender reminder to honor our elders and to cherish time together while we still can.”

Bien Juntitos belongs to a larger oral history project that also includes a book of fifty of these elders’ stories, made with support from the California Arts Council and 18th Street Arts Center. Mapurunga is currently fundraising to carry the work forward. You can chip in here. Join me in rallying around a local artist telling local stories. I’m so honored to support her incredibly timely and important work.

OPENING NIGHT

Opening Night Films: The Hole Story / Fog Eaters / UNE FUGUE
VENUE: Nevada Theatre — 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA
DATE/TIME: Friday, June 26, 4:00PM
COST: $13

The festival opens with three films that all circle the same idea from wildly different angles: some questions don’t have answers, ask them anyway.

Opening Night Happy Hour
VENUE: National Exchange Hotel — 211 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA DATE/TIME: Friday, June 26th, 4:30PM – 6:30PM
COST: Festival pass required

If you spring for a festival pass (only $79), this is your chance to talk to visiting filmmakers. There will be drinks, food, and DJs.

Opening Night Afterparty
VENUE: Unit J Social Club — 124 Argall Way, Nevada City, CA
DATE/TIME: Friday, June 26, 9:00pm–Midnight
COST: Festival pass required

Another must for pass holders. Enjoy foosball, pinball, and a tiki bar while unwinding from viewings.

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FREE & OPEN TO ALL: THE CREATIVE COHORTS

This is the part I love most, and it’s completely free (though capped at 40 people per session, so reserve a spot). The festival’s Creative Cohorts are working conversations for artists and organizers.

Building Thriving Creative Communities
VENUE: NCFF HQ — 110 Union Street, Nevada City, CA
DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 27, 12:00PM–2:00PM
COST: FREE (reservation required)

Meanderings was born from a desire to build more creative community, and I’ve learned along the way how much time, effort, and dedication go into rallying folks to engage with the local arts. This panel is full of industry heavy-hitters with years of first-hand experience in creating lasting creative spaces and communities. If you make it, I’d love to hear your takeaways!

What Animation Teaches Us
VENUE: NCFF HQ — 110 Union Street, Nevada City, CA
DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 27, 3:00PM–5:00PM
COST: FREE (reservation required)

Noel Wells (Master of None), Ri Crawford (I’m a Virgo, Sorry to Bother You), and Emmy-winning creative director Michaela Olsen sit down with animator Geoff Marslett to talk about what animation teaches the rest of us: “how to hold a vision loosely, pivot without losing the thread, and find the solution hiding inside an impossible constraint.”

First Light: Indigenous Film & Animation
VENUE: ‘Uba Seo: Nisenan Arts & Culture — 225 Broad Street, then NCFF HQ DATE/TIME: Sunday, June 28, 2:00PM–4:00PM (meet at ‘Uba Seo at 2:00PM)
COST: FREE (reservation required)

Award-winning animator Joey Clift gathers four of the most exciting Native voices in animation right now: Morgan Thompson, the first Native animator to win an Annie Award; Quinne Larsen, fresh off a Sundance premiere; Molly of Denali writer Vera Starbard; and Spirit Rangers storyboard artist Nicolette Ray. That the group gathers first at ‘Uba Seo, the Nisenan arts and culture space, on land that was never ceded, makes this feel like exactly the kind of arts moment Meanderings exists to point you toward.

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FOR KIDS

Creature Mask-Making + Where the Wild Things Are
VENUE: Nevada Theatre — 401 Broad Street, Nevada City, CA
DATE/TIME: Saturday, June 27, Workshop 9:00AM–11:00AM; Screening at Noon
COST: FREE (limited to 40 spots)

As a parent, this is the event I’m putting on the top of my list. Fred Fraleigh, who worked at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop and on many films teams up with Nevada City artist Liz Winters to help kids build their own mask and crown. Stay afterward for a free screening of Where the Wild Things Are, a film Fred worked on!

BONUS

• CATCH (fundraising screening) — Nevada Theatre, Thursday, June 25, 7:00PM. A cinematic short filmed in Nevada County starring David Denman (The Office), with Emmy-nominated director Jared Callahan in person. Contribute $30+ and you’ll be credited on the finished film!

• The full Shorts programs — The festival packs its 50+ films into themed shorts blocks throughout the weekend. Browse the schedule and pick a block based on theme.

Welcome to June’s In the Interim, our curated shortlist of arts and community events across Northern California.

We started this companion to Meanderings after noticing a pattern: many of the independent art spaces and grassroots organizations announce events just weeks (sometimes days) before they happen. By then, our monthly Happenings newsletter has already gone out.

Rather than miss them, we made space for them. Because often the best of art (and of life) comes at you fast. Thank you for being here, for supporting our work, and for supporting the local arts!

Read more

As always, if you make it …

Read more

Somehow, it’s June. May was a blur. I’ve been traveling a lot for work, finishing up a home office reno, and attempting to find balance despite long days, …

Read more

Welcome to May’s In the Interim, our curated shortlist of arts and community events across Northern California.

We started this companion to Meanderings after noticing a pattern: many of the independent art spaces and grassroots organizations announce events just weeks (sometimes days) before they happen. By then, our monthly Happenings newsletter has already gone out.

Rather than miss them, we made space for them. Because often the best of art (and of life) comes at you fast. Thank you for being here, for supporting our work, and for supporting the local arts!

Read more

Read more

We started this companion to Meanderings after noticing a pattern: many of the independent art spaces and grassroots organizations announce events just weeks (sometimes days) before they happen. By then, our monthly Happenings newsletter has already gone out.

Rather than miss them, we made space for them. Because often the best of art (and of life) comes at you fast.

Thank you for being here, for supporting our work, and for supporting the local arts!

Read more

I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so glad you care about the arts, your community, and about y…

Read more

Welcome to the inaugural edition of In the Interim, our curated shortlist of arts and community events across Northern California.

We started this companion to Meanderings after noticing a pattern: many of the independent art spaces and grassroots organizations announce events just weeks (sometimes days) before they happen. By then, our monthly Happenings newsletter has already gone out.

Rather than miss them, we made space for them. Because often the best of art (and of life) comes at you fast.

Read more

With that, Mallory and I have decided to launch a supplementary newsletter for paid subscribers that will come out mid-month, shortlisting all the great events and exhibits we missed or didn’t have room for in the Happenings round-up!

Becoming a paid subscriber costs less than a Matcha latte each month, but supports our work in the arts advocacy space (and encourages us to keep going) more than you know. We’re so grateful for your support!

Subscribe now

Don’t be shy to hype your stuff in the comments below. And if you make it to any of the featured events I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!

San Francisco

Artful
VENUE: Minnesota Street Project, 1275 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 7th, 5:00-6:30PM, VIP Cocktail Hour, 6:30-9:00PM, Dinner + Live Auction
COST: $250-$300

Artful, NIAD’s annual gala and benefit auction, returns this spring. NIAD is a Richmond-based art center for developmentally disabled artists. If you can’t make it in person, you can still support their work by registering to bid remotely on their Silent Auction.

Peer Pressure
VENUE: Jonathan Carver Moore - 966 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, March 14th
COST: FREE

The artist-in-residency program at JCM has produced some incredible exhibits and introduced me to some of my favorite contemporary artists! I’m hoping to catch this solo show by the gallery’s fifth artist-in-residence, Alvin Armstrong, before it closes on the 14th.

Bad Art Club
VENUE: The Faight - 473A Haight St, San Francisco, CA 94117
DATE/TIME: Monday, March 16th, 6:00PM
COST: $17-$38

Bad Art Club meets regularly around San Francisco, facilitating group art hangs designed to take the pressure off creating something “good.” Instead, Bad Art Club attendees intentionally create “the worst art we can possibly make, together…
…Because making intentionally bad art transforms self-consciousness into connection.”

A Special Kind of Existence: Artist Talk
VENUE: Sanchez Art Center - 1220 Linda Mar Blvd # B, Pacifica, CA 94044
DATE/TIME: Sunday, March 22nd, 3:30PM
COST: FREE

Meanderings community member and figurative artist, Jeff Musser, has a solo exhibit at the Sanchez Art Center! Catch the show before it closes on the 22nd, or see it on Sunday before Jeff sits down for a conversation and audience Q&A with the Center’s Curatorial Director, Alida Bray.

Fiber & Light
VENUE: Themes + Projects - 1275 Minnesota Street, Suite 205, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, March 28th
COST: FREE

Sometimes all I need to know I want to see a show is a preview image or two. Patrick Carroll’s textile pieces are so cool. I’m imagining them all over my house…

American Indian Cultural District Sixth Anniversary & State Recognition Celebration
VENUE: Valencia Street (spanning 15th to 18th Streets) - San Francisco, CA 94103
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 28th, 10:00AM-3:00PM
COST: FREE

Celebrate the Sixth Anniversary of the American Indian Cultural District in SF at the AICD’s block party. There’ll be a ribbon-cutting ceremony, special guest speakers (including elected officials and tribal leaders) and a parade highlighting American Indian and Indigenous cultures. There will also be drag performances and live music!

Set Up Situations
VENUE: Marin Moca - 1210 Fifth Avenue, San Rafael, CA, 94901
DATE/TIME: through Sunday, April 26th
COST: FREE

My must-see of the month.

“Set Up Situations embraces photography as an evolving, performative act, where meaning unfolds in the moment of encounter. The exhibition’s title draws inspiration from a strategy coined by Japanese visual artist Koki Tanaka, who constructs open-ended situations without predetermined outcomes—emphasizing process, unpredictability, and collective experience.”

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East Bay

Oakland Lantern Festival
VENUE: Pacific Renaissance Plaza, 388 9th Street, Oakland, CA 94607
DATE/TIME: Sunday, March 1st, 3:00PM-8:00PM
COST: FREE

The Oakland Lantern Festival is back for a 4th year and will include performances, a DJ + dance party, family-friendly arts & crafts, community healing activities, artists, and a night market featuring a slew of amazing local vendors and makers.

Where Are You From: Opening Reception
VENUE: ARTogether - 1200 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Friday, March 6th, 6:00PM-9:00PM
COST: FREE

At Where Are You From? artists examine how identity “endures, evolves, and is reclaimed” through the lens of the immigrant experience.

ARTogether is a great organization to support right now—their work provides welcoming, creative spaces for local refugees and immigrants to connect with their community and build long-term prosperity.

A New Day: Gallery Grand Opening
VENUE: Slate Contemporary - 5510 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 7th, 11:00AM–5:00PM
COST: FREE

Slate Contemporary is opening a new gallery space! Celebrate their growth at their Grand Opening and catch their first exhibit: a group show exploring themes of “new beginnings, breaking light, dawn, and regeneration.”

A Breath of Life to Our Seeds of Resistance: Opening Reception
VENUE: EastSide Arts Alliance - 2277 International Blvd Oakland, CA 94606
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 7th, 1:00PM-4:00PM
COST: FREE

“A Breath of Life to Our Seeds of Resistance is a survey of the work of master muralist and multi-disciplinary artist, Xochitl Nevel Guerrero.”

Wellspring
VENUE: Mercury 20 Gallery - 475 25th Street, Oakland CA 94612
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, March 21st
COST: FREE

I’ve featured Christine Meuris’ work before and I’m excited to do it again with her new exhibit. I’m hoping to catch one of her weaving demonstrations in the gallery on the 7th, 14th, or 21st at 1:30PM.

The Whole Earth is Our Hospital — this is the waiting room
VENUE: Dream Farm Commons - 349 15th Street, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, April 4th
COST: FREE

Obsessed with the premise for this participatory installation at Dream Farm Commons. They have appointments available to experience the full two-hour event on Friday and Saturday afternoons, which is how I hope to attend.

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Sacramento

Liberation Open Mic x Hot Concrete
VENUE: Sol Collective - 2574 21st Street, Sacramento, CA 95818
DATE/TIME: Sunday, March 1st, 6:00PM-10:00PM
COST: Pay What You Can

I’m excited about this party at Sol Collective! There’ll be live music and comedy as well as vendors selling food, jewelry, pottery, thrift and more. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, and Center for Empowering Refugees and Immigrants.

Out the Way on J
VENUE: Sacramento Memorial Auditorium - 1515 J St, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 7th, 6:00PM-9:00PM
COST: $31

Out the Way on J is back with their first show of 2026 and in a new space!

Carve Your Own Sgraffito Mug Workshop
VENUE: Workshop Space - 4421 24th St, Sacramento, CA 95822
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 7th, 11:00AM-1:00PM
COST: $77

Akela Hudson is one of my favorite Sacramento ceramicists. Her workshops are a fun way to support her work and nurture your own creativity. The class is beginner friendly, too.

In the Cut: Opening Reception
VENUE: Prism Arts Space - 2120 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 14th, 6:00PM-9:00PM
COST: FREE

This group show from 3 Sacramento artists features “low-relief and sculptural works made from painted and cut wood.” If you can’t make it to the opening reception on the 14th, catch the Artist Talk on Wednesday the 25th.

Echoes of Nature: 2nd Saturday Reception
VENUE: Viewpoint Photographic Art Center - 2015 J. Street, Suite 101, Sacramento, CA, 95811-3124
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 14th, 4:00PM-7:00PM
COST: FREE

A new subscriber recently introduced me to Viewpoint Photographic Art Center! Along with their many exhibits they offer photography workshops every month.

They’ve also got an open call right now, so if you’re a photographer looking to exhibit, check it out.

Bloom Party
VENUE: Axis Gallery - 625 S St, Sacramento, CA 95811
DATE/TIME: Saturday, March 14th, 5:00PM-8:00PM
COST: FREE

Join Sacramento artists Cara Gregor and Elise Mahan for the perfect GNO! There’ll be a flower crown station, interactive moments, and the new exhibit, Dreamscapes in Bloom, on display.

Real Women Have Curves: Opening Night
VENUE: Fat Elephant Theatre - 9845 Horn Road, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95827
DATE/TIME: Friday, March 20th, 7:00PM
COST: $20

Dear friend of Meanderings, Nicole Limón, plays Carmen in this iconic and hilarious play. Limón typically works behind the scenes, producing and directing, but for the first time in two years, she’s back on the stage. I can’t wait to see her in action!

This guide was written in collaboration with my friend and editor, Mallory Taylor. To learn more about Mallory and her work, visit her Substack: This Could Be Embarrassing.

Are you an artist who’d like to be spotlighted in a future newsletter? Or perhaps you know of a fantastic, upcoming arts event? For press inquiries of all kinds, please shoot us a DM.

Subscribe now

East Bay

The Stories We Tell: Opening Night
VENUE: Creative Growth Art Center - 355 24th Street, Oakland, CA, 94612
DATE/TIME: Friday, February 13th, 6:00PM-8:00PM
COST: FREE

Creative Growth’s new exhibit features paintings, drawings, and collaborative short films from 7 developmentally disabled artists.

StorySlam
VENUE: The Sound Room - 3022 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, February 18th, 7:30PM-10:00PM
COST: $18

Hear short and true stories from the lives of other Bay Area residents, or… if you’re feeling brave, share one yourself!

Group Exhibition
VENUE: pt.2 Gallery - 1523b Webster Street Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, February 21st
COST: FREE

By now y’all know I love a group exhibition. They make for a great outing with friends. Everyone will resonate with a different piece.

Black Joy Parade
VENUE: Downtown Oakland - Broadway from 14th Street to West Grand Avenue
DATE/TIME: Sunday, February 22nd, 12:30PM
COST: FREE

Oakland’s Black Joy Parade returns for its 9th year this February. The parade and festival includes Black-owned businesses, artists, performers, and food vendors all in celebration of Black joy, creativity, and culture.

Topaz Toddlers: Children’s Art from an American Concentration Camp: Panel Discussion and Reception
VENUE: Oakland Asian Cultural Center - Pacific Renaissance Plaza, 388 Ninth Street, Suite 290, Oakland, California 94607
DATE/TIME: Sunday, February 22, 2-4 pm
COST: FREE

“This exhibit showcases the art, stories, and history of preschoolers incarcerated at Utah’s WWII Japanese American incarceration camp, Topaz.”

Topaz Toddlers is my must-see of the month. While this is a heartbreaking concept for a show, there’s a silver lining: “Over 20 of the Topaz preschoolers—who are now elders in their 80s—have been interviewed and reunited with their art pieces.”

The panel discussion will include speakers who discuss the preschoolers’ artwork and the project that located them as well as reflections and reactions from some of the artists who have been located.

Three Girls
VENUE: GearBox Gallery - 770 West Grand Ave., Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, February 28th
COST: FREE

As a young mother, I often find myself seeking out art from other mothers. I’m eager to see this exhibit of Ferrouge’s, a California artist who “makes paintings about the social and interpersonal complexities of girlhood,” and whose ongoing portraiture series features her daughter as she grows up.

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Sacramento

For my lover: Opening Reception
VENUE: Prism Art Space - 2120 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Friday, February 13th, 5:00PM-8:00PM
COST: FREE

“This show celebrates queer love, with emphasis on romance between women, and mutual subjectivity. The work explores the ways that lesbians nurture and protect one another; both in and beyond the context of romance.”

Second Saturday
VENUE: Axis Gallery
DATE/TIME: Saturday, February 14th, 5:00-8:00PM
COST: FREE

I’m eager to see both exhibits opening at Axis this month. In my opinion, Second Saturday is the best time to do it! You can meet the artists and see their work in an atmosphere that’s perfect for building connections with other local art-lovers.

A Galentines Clothing Swap & Mini Market
VENUE: Glow Studio - 1020 Front Street #100, Sacramento, CA 95814
DATE/TIME: Sunday, February 15th, 3:00PM-6:00PM
COST: $5

I’ve been in a rut with fashion. Anyone else? Maybe it’s the homogenization of style due to the Internet and fast fashion, maybe it’s that parenting two toddlers requires a utilitarian uniform that can withstand a lot of mess, maybe it’s leaving my corporate job and not needing to “get dressed,” anymore. Whatever it is, I’m ready to have fun with clothes again, and this event from Glow is where I plan to start.

Traditional Toltec Ceremonial Journey
VENUE: The Latino Center of Art & Culture - 2700 Front St, Sacramento, CA 95818
DATE/TIME: Monday, February 16th, 5:00PM-6:30PM
COST: FREE

In response to the turmoil, anxiety, and violence facing the Latino community under this administration, the Latino Center has created a series designed to bring accessible healing ceremonies and workshops to the center each month. Their inaugural event will explore a Traditional Toltec Ceremonial Journey focused on the theme of Limpias.

Amateur
VENUE: Pence Gallery - 212 D Street, Davis, CA 95616
DATE/TIME: through Wednesday, February 18th
COST: FREE

I get such a thrill out of finding Sacramento-based artists whose work I love! Does anyone else get that surge of pride when they find out an artist is from their hometown, or works down the street?

Maris Kaplan focuses on sustainability in her work, often incorporating secondhand materials. “Amateur features an ongoing series of smaller works that showcases experimentation with new techniques and materials.”

The Colored Museum
VENUE: Celebration Arts - 2727 B Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Friday, February 6th - Sunday, February 22nd
COST: $27

Celebration Arts opens their 40th season (!!!) with a “Satirical play set in a museum. Various characters from 11 "exhibits" come to life from vivid expressions of Wolfe’s mind, exploring black identity, cultural stereotypes, and history.”

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San Francisco

CODEX X: Book Art Fair
VENUE: Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607, West Ballroom
DATE/TIME: Saturday, February 7th - Tuesday, February 10th
COST: $15

2026 is being lauded as the year of the analog, and books are back, baby! What’s more analog than a book fair?

CODEX celebrates the art of the book, “bringing together the international community to exhibit the work and to educate the public about the rich traditions and contemporary practices surrounding artists’ books and fine press publications.”

Fiber & Form: Tactile Acts of Threading Space
VENUE: Surface Design Association - Online Symposium
DATE/TIME: Saturday, February 7th - Thursday, February 12th
COST: $130

Surface Design Association is hosting a weeklong symposium for fiber artists featuring some very cool artists, academics, and curators. Keynotes take place on Saturday, but the following days offer Zoom Studio Visits and small group sessions.

Even So
VENUE: Rebecca Camacho Presents - 526 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, February 28th
COST: FREE

I’m eager to see these woven pieces from Los Angeles artist, Christy Matson. I was particularly moved by the description of this show, and the process Matson employed in creating the work. Here’s a snippet: “Matson found that joy enters here not as escape or consolation, but as something practiced through attention. Even So names that position; joy is not deferred until conditions improve but generated through a continued engagement with uncertainty.”

Clouds from the Sea
VENUE: Scott Richards Contemporary - 501 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94133
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, February 28th
COST: FREE

I was first introduced to Woods Davy’s sculptures through his exhibit last summer at The Crocker here in Sacramento. His work is breathtaking.

Women in Abstraction
VENUE: Berggruen Gallery - 10 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
DATE/TIME: through Thursday, March 5th
COST: FREE

A special exhibit full of special work. I’m keen to see the Helen Frankenthaler.

Rebel Forms
VENUE: Romer Young Gallery - 1240 22nd Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: through Saturday, March 7th
COST: FREE

If you’re looking for tangible ways to show up for the Latino community right now, supporting artists is a great place to start. Rebel Forms is a group show featuring artists from across the Latine diaspora working in abstraction.

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San José

No Llegamos Aquí Solos: a love letter to the East Side San José community
VENUE: Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater - 1700 Alum Rock Ave., San José, CA 95116
DATE/TIME: Thursday, February 12 - Sunday, February 22
COST: $10-$40

We don’t normally cover San José, but this play is just so cool that I had to include it.

No Llegamos Aquí Solos is a production by Santa Clara County Poet Laureate, Yosimar Reyes. “This performance powerfully weaves music, poetry, and community input, with the overall effect being an inspiring play that is rooted in community power and civic engagement. This production is a love letter to the immigrant and undocumented communities of East Side San José.”

This guide was written in collaboration with my friend and editor, Mallory Taylor. To learn more about Mallory and her work, visit her Substack: This Could Be Embarrassing.

Are you an artist who’d like to be spotlighted in a future newsletter? Or perhaps you know of a fantastic, upcoming arts event? For press inquiries of all kinds, please shoot us a DM.

If I make it to FOG Design + Art Fair I’ll be rushing in on Sunday babies in hand to catch Jonathan Carver Moore’s moderate a FOG talk: Personal Histories, Public Narratives: Anoushka Mirchandani, Lava Thomas, and Arleene Correa Valencia in Conversation. It will have to be a gametime decision as I’m in New York City during the week sitting in on a class at NYU to meet my professors and this year’s TRIUM cohort.

My ambition and motherhood often are locking eyes these days, waiting to see who blinks first. Hence, the need for “efficiency,.”

This trip marks the longest stretch I’ve spent away from my kids especially the baby, who turns one this week. We are also weining. The Mom guilt is overwhelming but I keep telling myself, that business school is for them. And my daughter will need the generational capital I’m banking more than any of us.

In all the madness, I’m also applying for tech sales jobs mostly in SF. Applying for jobs, I found the Hopper App. They have yet to email me for an interview, despite me sending their founder a very poorly lit intro video on LinkedIn (Note: if you send videos through LinkedIn, record them inside the app. Uploading from your phone looks like shit).

Still, I loved Hopper’s interface, so I booked my New York stays through them. The app made it ridiculously easy: I picked a neighborhood and instantly saw hotels right where I wanted to be. It impressed me enough that I’m taking them up on sharing a referral link which will get you guys 10% off your first stay. (code: melissas5ob6)

Here’s are the San Francisco hotels that piqued my fancy using the Hopper map:

Hotel Bohème: Top 10 things to do in SF for me is to grab a cocktail at Vesuvio’s and then buzz around City Lights Books for shopping…once literary desires are filled, I love to snag a fabulous italian dinner up the street. If you are going for Beanik artist vibes, and the spirit Jack Kerouac. This is your spot, the hotel is on cheaper side of things as well which is nice.

Omni SF Hotel: An Omni is always a safe bet, I’ve stayed in a lot of them for business travel and I’ve never had any complaints. This one is really close to Chinatown and not too far from the Ferry Building Marketplace which has amazing wine, cheese & speciality goods. If you are feeling adventurous, you can take the ferry to Sausalito and float past the golden gate bridge. They serve drinks or you can bring your own for a small corkage fee.

Kimpton Alton Fisherman’s Wharf : This is one of the closest hotel to Fort Mason Art Center, which is where FOG is hosted every year. We have a Kimpton here in Sacramento and it’s on of the best hotel in the city. It’s reliable, the service is great, the rooms are clean and I’m assuming the hotel chain keeps it’s standards, if not more, in S.F.

Argonaut Hotel:

This looks like another great option. It’s in the same area as the Kimpton in between Fisherman’s Wharf and Fort Mason’s Art Center. The nautical aesthetic is a little much for me but both these hotels make things very walkable.

Beacon Grand and Staypinapple, A Union Square Hotels

The Pineapple Theme is hilarious. There are a ton of hotels in Union Square, these seemed a little bit more affordable. Union Square is where the shopping is to be had. It will land you right next to Museum of African Diaspora, SF MOMA, Yerba Buena Gardens and galleries; Berggruen Gallery is one of the closer ones.

I hope this is helpful. Please link any places to visit, hotel, motel or airbnb recs you might have in the comments. I’m hoping to do more of these travel posts in 2026 so let me know what areas interest you the most.

Also…..I’m excited to announce, in 2026, I start business school at TRIUM a collaboration between NYU, London School of Economic and HEC Paris! Because TRIUM is a global EMBA program, I’ll be traveling a lot in the next two years. It only inspires me to write more travel guides, art tourism itineraries and the many contemplations that will come my way.

I’m proud of Meanderings and the artists, creatives, collectors, and community builders that are utilizing the newsletter to get more involved in the region. I’m so grateful you’re here!

Like last year, my intention is to keep growing Meanderings (seriously, please text this month’s events to 6 of your friends). Everyone keeps saying that 2026 is the year of the analog, and there is nothing more analog then going to art events. The more people we get out there, the more artists are supported and the more creativity can flourish.

Don’t be shy to hype your stuff in the comments below. And if you make it to any of the featured events I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!

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Sacramento

Garden Journal Workshop
VENUE: Mother Natives - 4421 24th Street, Sacramento, CA 95822
DATE/TIME: Sunday, January 4th, 10:00AM-12:00PM
COST: $23

I love the idea of creating a beautiful journal to track my growing plans, planting and harvesting details, and all the small joys of gardening. Last spring, we started growing more, and it’s one of my goals for the new year to continue!

Curator’s Talk with Faith J. Mckinnie
VENUE: Online at www.faithjmckinnie.com/talks
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, January 6th at 7:00pm
COST: FREE

As one of Sacramento’s strongest curators and voices in the region, Faith’s work isn’t one to miss. The best part about this talk is you can view it from the privacy of your own home. Faith has curated a phenomenal show, Meet the Artists, at her new downtown location on 15th and Hst. The show will be open for Second Saturday on January 10th from 6-9pm.

Above the Valley
VENUE: ARTHOUSE on R - 1021 R Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
DATE/TIME: through Tuesday, January 6th
COST: FREE

Elaine Bowers’ photo-realistic watercolors are stunning. This may be the final opportunity to see her work in person, which makes it all the more special.

The Hearth Presents
VENUE: The Hearth (DM for address)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, January 8th, 7:00PM
COST: $10

Enjoy live music, flash tattoos, and pop-ups from local artists at The Hearth’s next house show.

Whiskers: Opening Reception
VENUE: Timeless Thrills - 3714 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 10th, 6:00PM-9:00PM
COST: FREE

This group exhibition of tattooers from across the country explores a “single, open-ended prompt: Cats.” The show reframes the tattoo within the discourse of contemporary art, and includes a wide variety of materials and approaches.

The Darling Clementines Queer Burlesque & Drag Show
VENUE: Harlow’s - 2708 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95816
DATE/TIME: Sunday, January 25th, 7:00PM
COST: $26-$39

The Darling Clementines, a queer POC run production company (and some of my favorite folks in Sacramento), host a monthly burlesque & drag show at Harlow’s. It’s SO fun.

Root Protection Zone
VENUE: Axis Gallery - 625 S Street, Sacramento, CA 95811
DATE/TIME: through Sunday, February 1st
COST: FREE

I’m excited to start the year visiting this collaboration from Kerry Cottle & Laura DeAngelis. The exhibition features multi-sensory, earth-centered artworks made with soil, minerals, and plants, as well as commercially produced art materials. It aims to examine the “systems that seek to uproot and disconnect us from belonging to the earth.” The opening reception is on Saturday, January 10th from 5:00-8:00PM.

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East Bay

Oakland Vintage Market
VENUE: 222 Jefferson Street Oakland, CA 94607
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 10th, 10:00AM-3:00PM
COST: FREE

The perfect way to spend a Saturday morning!

House/Hold: Artist’s Talk
VENUE: GearBox Gallery - 770 West Grand Ave., Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 10th, 2:00PM
COST: FREE

I’m a big Laura Van Duren fan, and can’t wait to see these new sculptures. I love hearing artist’s talk about their work, and the depth and context it brings to my experience as a viewer. Both Van Duren and Oakland-based painter, Mittie Cuetara, will share.

Somewhere, It Blinks: Opening Reception
VENUE: ARTogether Center – 1200 Harrison Street, Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 10th, 6:00PM Postponed, check with ARTogether Center for an update.
COST: FREE

One glance at Sunroop Kaur’s and Jessie Sohpaul’s Instagrams and this show shot to the top of my list.

“As two first generation Punjabi Sikh artists with practices deeply rooted in culture, community and storytelling, this exhibition is an act of myth-making that facilitates placemaking.”

Foundations: Viola Frey
VENUE: Bedford Gallery - Lesher Center for the Arts - 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 10th - April 5th, Opening Party 5 – 7 pm
COST: Pay What You Can

Viola Frey is a Bay Area legend! This show includes rarely exhibited paintings, drawings, photographs, and ceramics that trace her artistic development from two-dimensional pieces to the three-dimensional ceramic sculptures for which she’s best known.

Sin Contar Cincuenta
VENUE: Johansson Projects - 2300 Telegraph Ave. Oakland, CA 94612
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 17th - Saturday, March 21st
COST: FREE

Featuring new weavings from Oakland-based artist Miguel Arzabe, the artist utilizes “Andean weaving traditions and mid-century gestural abstraction, to unify his Bolivian heritage with modern and contemporary art.”

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San Francisco

Ian Michael Solo Show
VENUE: Maybaum Gallery - 49 Geary Street, Suite 416, San Francisco, CA 94108
DATE/TIME: January 1st - February 1st , Artist Reception | January 17th, 3 - 5 PM
COST: FREE

Maybaum Gallery is new to me. I’m excited to visit their space and see these beautiful paintings from Ian Michael.

A Measure of Uncertainty: Opening Reception
VENUE: Harvey Milk Photo Center - 50 Scott Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
DATE/TIME: Saturday, January 17th, 2:00PM-5:00PM
COST: FREE

I love a group show! This exhibit features the work of 22 Bay Area Photography Collective artists and “presents imaginative visions of extraordinary times, from the ecstatic to the existential.”

Everything You Have Is Yours
VENUE: ODC/Dance - B. Way Theater - 3153 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
DATE/TIME: Sunday, January 18th, 5:00PM
COST: $20+

“In Everything You Have Is Yours, NYC-based choreographer Hadar Ahuvia interrogates the roots of the Israeli folk dances she grew up dancing with her mother in the U.S. Confronting romanticized stories about her grandparents, settlers in 1930s Palestine, Ahuvia embarks on a personal journey to reckon with the founding mythologies and transgressions of Zionism.”

Ahuvia will be in attendance at the screening and facilitate conversation after the show. See the trailer here.

KARL: Esteban Samayoa
VENUE: Waterfront Plaza - 50 Francisco Street, San Francisco, CA 94122
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, January 20th, 5:00PM-8:00PM
COST: FREE

Celebrate KARL’s first Artist in Residence, Oakland based Esteban Samayoa, at this opening reception that features new paintings and works in progress.

FOG DESIGN + ART
VENUE: Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture, 2 Marina Boulevard #260 Suite, San Francisco, CA 94123
DATE/TIME: Thursday, January 21st - Sunday, January 25th
COST: $35-$100 depending of what type of pass you want

I’m cooking up a deeper dive for this one…. stay tuned. However, it’s important to note: Jonathan Carver Moore is moderating a talk on Sunday, January 25th at 3pm that I don’t want to miss.

ATRIUM Art Fair
VENUE: Minnesota Street Project - 1275 Minnesota Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: Thursday, January 22nd - Sunday, January 25th
COST: FREE

SF Art Week kicks off on the 17th, it’s exciting to see new events emerging in tandem, aiming to provide accessible and inclusive ways to engage. Enter ATRIUM, Minnesota Street Project’s alternative fair, which is free and open to the public, and includes small, emerging and contemporary works from 15+ Bay Area galleries.

Creativity Explored x Open Invitational
VENUE: East Cut Pop-Up - 215 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
DATE/TIME: Friday, January 23rd, 11:00AM - Sunday, January 25th, 5:00PM
COST: FREE

Creativity Explored is partnering with Open Invitational to create an art fair championing the works of artists with disabilities. The fair will bring together progressive studios from across the country.

Timelines
VENUE: Jack Fischer Gallery - 1275 Minnesota Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
DATE/TIME: through Friday, January 30th
COST: FREE

This show’s concept is so cool. Featuring watercolors that “record of every tear, stain, fold, and scratch found on the surface of a found book as it has passed through the hands of many readers.” The watercolors are shown within the same frame that holds each original book. Alongside these pieces are line drawings by Chris Whitefield.

This guide was written in collaboration with my friend and editor, Mallory Taylor. To learn more about Mallory and her work, visit her Substack: This Could Be Embarrassing.

Are you an artist who’d like to be spotlighted in a future newsletter? Or perhaps you know of a fantastic, upcoming arts event? For press inquiries of all kinds, please shoot us a DM.