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A Ballet About Homelessness Can a ballet make an audience more empathetic? San Francisco-based choreographer Marika Brussel hopes her new piece, "From Shadows," will do just that. Published Nov. 28, 2017 Directed by Peter Ruocco
For more: http://bit.ly/2CVki5P
American Dream Uncertain for Immigrant Artists What would our local arts communities look like without Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)? Just ask Johan, a standup comedian, and Lauren, an actress and musician, whose emerging careers are a direct result of the freedom and stability afforded by the program.
Ace of Cups, the Haight's (Almost) Forgotten All-G... Amidst the cultural revolution of late-'60s San Francisco, five women reimagined the “girl band” in drastic fashion — which might be why you haven't heard of them.
Veteran Art Model Bob Webb Strikes a Pose You might not think to look twice at Bob Webb on the street, but for nearly 50 years artists have been paying to look at him — naked. Art schools and creative industry professionals routinely hire the 67-year-old to pose fully nude.
How Kid Andersen Makes the Greasy Stuff A visit to San Jose blues guitarist and producer Kid Andersen's no-frills home studio, where he's recorded over 100 albums
Korean-born Artist Raises Immigrant Voices The 42-year-old native of South Korea’s Jeju Island, Dohee Lee, is a vital connector for struggling immigrant and refugee communities in the U.S. For more: goo.gl/4a8mMD
Bay Area Acrobats Shine at Cirque du Soleil Four Bay Area natives perform under the big top, as part of Cirque du Soleil’s latest touring extravaganza, 'Luzia.' Siblings Marta and Devin Henderson, as well as Maya Kesselman and Dominic Cruz, all trained at the Circus Center in San Francisco, and value circus as family.
Published Feb. 8, 2017
Directed by Claudia Escobar
For more: goo.gl/YqgguF
Brian Goggin: Gatekeeper of Your Impossible Dreams Sculptor Brian Goggin sometimes seems like a gift from another planet — a sort of Mork, who refreshingly doesn’t quite see the world like the rest of us. Peek inside the mind of Goggin, internationally-known for his iconic San Francisco works from "Defenestration," involving furniture crawling on the outside of a South of Market building to "Caruso's Dream," where the artist suspended 13 glass and steel pianos, pulsing with light, over a busy downtown street.
Published Nov. 19, 2016
Directed by Cynthia Stone
For more: goo.gl/wUYBHj
Tacos & Punk: Women of Color in the Scene What happens when two women of color from two generations who play punk rock come together? In the case of Michelle Gonzales, former drummer of ’90s anarcho punks Spitboy, and Christine Tupou of Try the Pie, the result was a revealing conversation over homemade tacos about the difficulties they face as Latinas in a white-male dominated scene.
Published Aug. 2, 2016
Directed by Claudia Escobar
For more: goo.gl/VKJynt
Bouncing from the Basketball Court to the Opera House Most opera singers start training seriously when they’re still in pigtails and knee socks. But one rising star in the classical singing world got a late start because she was headed for a career as a professional basketball player.
Published Sept. 29, 2016
Directed by Claudia Escobar
For more: goo.gl/xzDD6Y
Blowin’ the Blues Bollywood-Style Meet San Jose-based musician Aki Kumar remaking hit songs from Indian blockbuster films of his childhood in the Chicago-style blues tradition.
Published Aug. 25, 2016
Directed by Kelly Whalen
For more: goo.gl/X56uza
Oakland’s Black Spirituals The Oakland duo Black Spirituals exist in and out of time — tethered to the past yet rooted in the current day, building on the propulsion of civil rights-era avant-garde jazz and filtering it through modern experimental electronics.
Published July 27, 2016
Directed by Jessica Jones
For more: goo.gl/4jkGBo
How Poet Tassiana Willis Found her Art by Telling her Story Tassiana Willis’ journey as a spoken word artist began with a need to be more visible in a world where she felt marginalized. The 22-year-old's poetry touches on growing up without a father and challenges being the forgotten fat girl in the back of the classroom.
Published June 16, 2016
Directed by Manjula Varghese
For more: goo.gl/P6iPTL
Spirit of Fallen Artist Rises in Oakland Mural Project When 27-year-old artist Antonio Ramos was shot and killed last fall while painting a mural under a highway overpass in West Oakland, the story of his death captured national and international headlines. But very little was reported about Ramos, the self-taught artist whose passion for social justice and illustrating the stories of indigenous people was recognized by those who knew him best.
Published June 8, 2016
Directed by Kelly Whalen
For more: goo.gl/gqBrC1
Singing the Immigrant's Love and Loss For Mexican-born singer-songwriter Diana Gameros, music has always been a deeply personal endeavor, acting as both a lifeline and a retreat from the world’s complications. Her soulful, emotionally-charged music, recorded on her debut album Eterno Retorno, tells a journey of love, loss, and hope, rooted in her own coming-of-age story as an undocumented immigrant in America.
Published December 10, 2015
Directed by Kelly Whalen
For more: goo.gl/i7fL2Y
Singer Zena Carlota's Afro-Folk Sound When Oakland-based Zena Carlota first heard the kora, a traditional 21-string harp from West Africa, listening to records, she was instantly struck by its sound. After searching album liner notes and discovering the instrument's name, a voice in her head told her she was destined to play the kora. That moment launched her on a journey to Gambia, where she later studied with master players. Now Carlota is one of only a handful of women in the United States who play the instrument.
Published April 6, 2016
Directed by Manjula Varghese
For more: goo.gl/Fp4gAn
Brontez Purnell's Fearless Art Brontez Purnell is an utterly fearless indie zine maker, trained dancer and queer punk rocker who’s fronted Bay Area bands like Gravy Train!!! and the Younger Lovers. Inhibition, trepidation, self-suppression are concepts that simply aren't part of Purnell’s emotional lexicon. As a result, it’s hard to look away when he’s performing, and hard to stop reading what he pours out across the pages.
Published Oct. 23, 2015
Directed by Mike Seely
For more: goo.gl/pRWn6M
BRITTSENSE Reveals the Power of Melanin East Oakland Photographer Brittani "BRITTSENSE" Sensabaugh captures the struggle and love of forgotten communities of color in her striking street photography.
Published Feb. 9, 2016
Directed by Debora Silva
For more: goo.gl/SkzCHO
Joonbug’s Illustrated Journey With sketchbooks in tow, Jamaican-born Lenworth "Joonbug" McIntosh embarks on making it as an illustrator and designer in the Bay Area.
Published August 13, 2015
Directed by Alex Ghassan
For more: goo.gl/5J1Kgf
Andres Amador's Earthscapes With the beach as his canvas and rakes his brushes, Andres Amador creates large-scale artworks that explore nature's geometry -- and life's impermanence. Winner of a 2014 Northern California Regional Emmy for best Arts and Entertainment Feature.
Published April 17, 2014
Directed by Cynthia Stone
For more goo.gl/iZAH1w
A Ballerina Comes of Age Many of 18-year-old Miko Fogarty’s friends in Orinda, CA will be entering college in the fall. But not Miko. She is on her way to the United Kingdom to pursue a career as a professional ballerina for the prestigious Birmingham Royal Ballet. It’s the latest leg in an artistic journey that began 13 years ago when as a kindergartner she fell in love with classical dance, and, after years of study with prominent Bay Area ballet teachers, enrolled at the San Francisco Ballet school. Nominated for a 2015-2016 Webby Award.
Published July 16, 2015
Directed by Abhi Singh
For more: goo.gl/Jpv9b7
Bassist Marcus Shelby Finds Freedom's Message Marcus Shelby is a perennial Bay Area jazz favorite who's compositions explore the African American experience. Shelby finds deeper meaning for his work sharing the music he loves and its history with young people in schools and juvenile halls.
Published April 24, 2014
Directed by Cynthia Stone
For more: goo.gl/BrTbNC
Stepping Into the Light Cambodian Dancer Charya Burt trained in and taught classical Cambodian dance in Phnom Penh, where her family suffered oppression by the Khmer Rouge. Now in the Bay Area, she's passing on her art -- and pushing it in new directions. Published Feb. 20, 2014
Directed by Cynthia Stone
For more: goo.gl/VVba5K
Turning Trash into Treasures Crafted from recycled materials, Ma Li’s dream-like sculptures celebrate individual freedom, imagination and play. With references to Chinese history, ecological concerns, ritual and fantasy, the Bay Area-based visual and performance artist weaves unlikely materials into large-scale immersive environments, and brings them to life with choreographed movements.
Published June 18, 2015
Directed by Abhi Singh
For more: goo.gl/9wc1mL
The Art of Screaming in Color Graffiti artist Edward Martinez adopted the alter-ego "Scape," for Screaming Creative and Positive Energy. That positive charge is evident both in his vividly pulsating paintings and in his work with underserved youth in East Palo Alto.
Published Jan. 30, 2014
Directed by Cynthia Stone
For more: goo.gl/lB9AF5c

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