Sights & Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene. Photographer Matthew O'Brientold KALW’s Jen Chien about three fantastic arts events happening around the Bay this week.
- Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing at OMCA through 8/16
- 39th Annual SF Ethnic Dance Festival at War Memorial Opera House 7/8-16
- Alameda County Fair in Pleasanton through 7/9
Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeingpresents 130 photographs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the artist’s gift of her personal archive to the Oakland Museum of California. Drawing upon vintage prints, unedited proof sheets, personal memorabilia, and historic objects, this exhibition takes a unique approach to a beloved American photographer by reuniting photographs with comments and quotes by the people she photographed. See how Lange’s work continues to resonate with millions and inspire new generations of artist-activists, illustrating the power of photography as a form of social activism.
O'BRIEN: I've always admired that she recognized photography as a way to move people and to communicate something about the human condition.
The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festivalmakes its debut at the Opera House with two weekends of performances, July 8-16, featuring 24 extraordinary Bay Area dance and music ensembles that will thrill and inspire you.
Included are dance and music traditions and innovations from Brazil, Central Europe, China, Congo, Cuba, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, Spain, Tahiti, West Africa, and Zimbabwe.
O'BRIEN: They always have something interesting to see, and really excellent dancers ... the variety is wonderful.
The Alameda County Fairin Pleasanton takes place through July 9. Activities for the whole family, including carnival rides, art shows, concerts, tractor pulls, horse racing, Chinese acrobats, motocross, eating contests, frisbee dogs, square dancing, and much more.
O'BRIEN: Art doesn't have to be in super establishment places like museums and galleries! Art can be all over the place, and this is a wonderful example of that.
