Contemporary Jewish Museum

Curators Heidi Rabben and Qianjin Montoya from the Contemporary Jewish Museum talk about how art and artists can inspire us in times of crisis, in terms of helping us process, criticize and reflect on world events.

How is it that Bill Graham, legendary Bay Area concert promoter, rates a major museum exhibit? Lorri Starr, executive director of the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) in San Francisco, where “Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution” is on display, says it’s quite simple: Graham deserves this show because he was “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll impresario that we will ever know.”

The music you’re hearing now is by Karina Denike. She was born in England, but has lived most of her life in Oakland. You might know her from the duo, Dance Hall Crashers.

In San Francisco, there’s a program that pairs aspiring young writers with professional mentors. It’s called WritersCorps and it’s sponsored by the San Francisco Arts Commission. One of the students is apprentice DeAsia Landrum.

At a Berkeley city farm called Urban Adamah, about 100 people are gathered under a large, white, open-air tent. It’s a cold, raining evening in early February – but nevermind the weather. This is a festive occasion. Pomegranates, olives and other fruits and wines fill the tables to celebrate a little-known Jewish holiday called Tu B’shevat.