Limn Gallery : Sid Garrison; Ted Vasin - Paintings and Sound.

Comment by AB: In the right gallery, Sid Garrison effectively advances the abstract envelope with intricate colored pencil compositions. They give the impression that at points during the course of their conception, Garrison's not sure where he's going, but the happy ending is that no matter where the ultimate distination may be, he gets there with bells on. Colored pencil is not a medium you see every day, and not an easy one to convince with, but Garrison pulls it off beautifully-- from either up close and standing back-- take your pick.

In the left gallery, Ted Vasin presents a selection of dynamic energized abstracts, their impact tricked out by his use of metallic pigments. To enhance these atmospherics, Vasin's got the center of the gallery filled with electronic equipment where he proceeds to perform an innovative live sound concert. Vasin's paintings do it from a distance, but when you get in close, you see that his areas of gradation can use a little nuancing.

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Needles & Pens : 5 Years & 50 Shows.?

Artists: Alika Cooper, Allyson Mellberg, Amy Browne, Andrew McKinley, Andrew Schoultz, Andrew Scott, Brion Nuda Rosch, Claire Nereim, Canderson, Caroline Hwang, Chris Duncan, Chris Pew, Cynthia Connolly, Dave Schubert, David Benzler, David Franklin, Griffin McPartland, Heidi Anderson, Ivy McClelland, Jake Watling, Jay Howell, Jay Nelson, Jeffrey Brown, Jeff Canham, Jen Smith, Jenny Hart, Jeremy Fish, Jeremy Taylor, Jessica Cusik, John Dwyer, John Trippe, Jovi Schnell, Julianna Bright, Julia Wertz, Kari Byron, Kevin Scott Hailey, Kyle Ranson, Lena Wolf, Maria Forde, Mark Todd, Mary Joy Scott, Matt Furie, Maxwell Loren Holyoke Hirsch, Maya Hayuk, Michael Krueger, Miriam Stahl, Monica Canilao, Nigel Peake, Nikki McClure, Oliver Halsman Rosenberg, Orion Shepherd, Paul Schiek, Paul Urich, Paul Wackers, Peter Thompson, Rachell Sumpter/Jacob Magraw, Randy Lee Sutherland, Ray Potes, Rebecca Miller, Rich Jacobs, Ryan Jacob Smith, Sarah Smith, Stefan Simikich, Sy Loady, Tara Jane Oneil, Ginger Brooks Takahashi,? Tara Lisa Foley, Tauba Auerbach, Ted Pushinsky, Veronica De Jesus, Vic Blue, Will McCurtin, Yuri Shibuya, Zefrey Throwell, more.

Comment by AB: Needles & Pins celebrates their considerable and disginguished history of showing good art and good artists, often ahead of the rest. And they've got this here show to prove it.

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Jack Hanley Gallery : Alicia McCarthy.

Review by Isaac Amala: Rife with rainbow bursts, spaghetti knots, and other shy, colorful forms, Alicia McCarthy's paintings and drawings clearly tread through the folkloric causeways dear to our hearts-- chunky lines, repeating forms, cheerful palette. But McCarthy does in with tradition as her abstract protagonists are set against sparse, almost existentially angsty backdrops. Rainbowed arches butt heads, vibrant bursts barricade the picture plane. Meanwhile, one grim, oversized penguin fetish hangs suspended over the scene, hovering in impossible mid-flight above gallery goers.

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Femina Potens Gallery : Untold Stories - Visual and Performative Expressions of Transwomen.

Artists: Charlie Anders, Julia Serano, Marilynn Mitchell, Sheila Malone, Kiddy Drown, Anne Drew Potter, Annie Danger.

Comment by AB: Thoughtful perspectives on transgender realities. Three curiously grotesque plaster or ceramic figures by Anne Drew Potter are rather captivating.

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[ 2nd floor projects ] : Unlikely Arrivals.

Artists: Ishan Clemenco, Susan Martin, Nina Hubbs Zurier, Bill Berkson.

Review by Isaac Amala: The faint, colorful lines in Ishan Clemenco's spectral drawings and photograph offer a kind of synesthesia-- each color rings out from the dark void of a background like a clear tone. (This could easily reference the artist's experience in avant-garde, minimal composition.) Susan Martin's faux needlepoint swatches have a brighter, though equally economical, touch. Notable are Nina Hubbs Zurier's grids of dazzling, washed out chromatic fields-- all variants of a single landscape photograph.

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Receiver Gallery : Matt Furie & Jay Howell - Return to Innocence.

Comment by AB: It's your basic wayward upbeat eccentric funfest, the likes of which we've come to know, love, and expect from Matt Furie and Jay Howell. Highlighting the hoedown are special guest appearances by both artists' significant others's's's, Aiyan Udeson and Audrey Erickson, and notable with respect to those special guest appearances is a watercolor of a kitty hiding under a pizza by Audrey Erickson-- oh so darling and perfect for the baby's room.

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Million Fishes : Queerity.

Artists/designers: Jai Carrillo, Miles Conrad, Torreya Cummings, eddie gesso, Patrick Hillman, Gregory Kaplowitz, Ace Lehner, Jason Fritz Michael, Matt Momchilov, Job Piston, Emmett Ramstad, Jennifer Rarick, Hilary Schwartz, Maxx Sizeler, Taylor Ward.?Curated by Zee Boudreaux and?Tamara Loewenstein.

Comment by AB: "Diverse perspectives about queerness and what it means to identify as such," with emphasis on what may or may not distinguish the "queer body" from the other bodies out there.

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Sunnyside Hotel : Christopher Jernberg - Master of Any Situation.

Comment by AB: Justin Giarla of The Shooting Gallery and Gallery Three expands his domain of creative purveyance with the opening of a third gallery, just down Sixth Street from Gallery Three, at a street level corner space in the Sunnyside Hotel. Tonight's show features text works by Christopher Jernberg-- direct black and white words and phrases fonted in Olde English-- referencing his trials, tribulations, and most importantly, his triumphs in life. Need an uplift? Take one home. Priced to move at $200-$800.

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Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco : Dawn - Grand Opening Celebration.

Comment by AB: Tonight's all-night extravaganza officially opens the Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco to the public. The line to get in stretches clear around the building and beyond. And it's a momentous event as well as a splendid venue. But I gotta tell you-- whoever's curating this ship needs to go back to curator school. The exhibition areas are eminently airy and spacious (I saw them on a press tour before the museum opened), so what do they do? They dice 'em up into more oppressive claustrophic cubicles than you can shake a shtekn at. And there are so many different kinds of art and artists and everything and whatever coming at you from every direction, it's enough to dizzy even the most dedicated aficionados. Back to square one dudes and dudettes. You don't have to show everything all at once. Take your time; enjoy the journey. On the upside, the evening's amusements and diversions include film, performance, music, comedy, talks, ritual, dance, and my favorite-- "Stump the Rabbi."

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Addendum:

Sneak peek of Art Zone 461 Gallery , Grand Opening June 22 (see my calendar) with a benefit for Visual Aid .

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