Contemporary Jewish Museum : Media Walkthrough.

Comment by AB: San Francisco's Contemporary Jewish Museum is not open yet, but it's nearing completion, and tonight we get a first glimpse of great things to come. Past meets future as the museum is housed in an historic PG&E substation (a significant percentage of which as been preserved) conjoined with a striking postmodern blue cube on Yerba Buena Lane. The surprisingly large structure is sublimely inspiring, inside as well as out.

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Hedge Gallery : Paul Philp.

Comment by AB: Forty works by distinguished Welsh ceramist Paul Philp. Paul's not there but his brother is. He tells me all pieces are formed by hand from native Welsh clays, many fired twice. Philp combines the clays with certain impurities resulting in unique coarse earthy surface textures, notably organic, fundamental, and pure in appearance. Good show; go see. Hedge, by the way, is a beautiful gallery space on historic Gold Street in Jackson Square, right next to Bix.

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Rayko Photo Center : Whimsy - Group Show; Tatjana Loh - Family Circus.

Whimsy photographers: Tom De carlo, Adrienne Defendi, Alan George, Beth Kientzle, Eric Larson, Thomas Levin, Erin Malone, Charlotte Niel, Ari Salomon, Angelika Schilli, Kirk Thompson.

Review by Libby Nicholaou: As a preface to the exhibit, Rayko has multiple definitions of the word "whimsy" framed and hung at the beginning of the display of photographs. This leads you to reassess your understanding of the word, also the title of this show. ?Kirk Thompson's photographs best embody the term, with respect to the definition, "fanciful." ?He captures 3D objects set in camouflaged backgrounds, which makes it a challenge to decipher between the two. I identified the definition, "odd," with the photographs of folks sitting on park benches waiting for a geyser to erupt, and the definition, "capricious," with the photograph of a lone steel gate barrier sitting on the beach in front of the ocean. ?The exhibit unexpectedly encourages you to think of whimsy beyond its silly associations and in a more serious more thoughtful light. ?

Comment by AB: In the main gallery, members of the Bay Area Photographers Collective explore the lighter side of photography, hence the show title "Whimsy." In the side gallery, Tatjana Loh believes that the full range of life's qualities and emotions can be found in any family, and supports that hypothesis with a heartfelt series of photographs of her own family.

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VASF (RVCA) : Fairfax + Haight.

Artists: Cheryl Dunn, Cleon Peterson, David Ellis, Deanna Templeton, Faile, Jeff Soto, Jung Hong, Kelsey Brookes, Megan Whitmarsh, Sean Cassidy, Swoon, The Date Farmers.

Comments by AB: Marsea Goldberg, founder and director of New Image Art in Los Angeles, curates this cogent cull of urban talent. VASF (corner of Haight & Ashbury) is a flagship store of LA-based enterprise RVCA (pronounced Roo-kah), known for its unique blend of art, music, fashion, and culture. RVCA respects the arts bigtime, Darryl Smith of the Luggage Store tells me, so much so that each of their stores includes a gallery space for art shows and events. It doesn't get much better than that.

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