While San Francisco revels in its reputation as an arts
mecca, locals know to head to the oft-overlooked East Bay for some
of the finest theaters, museums, and art districts in the country.
- Charles Runnette
Berkeley Art Museum
One of the largest university museums in the
United States, the BAM
is also one of the country's cutting-edge teaching institutions,
presenting thought-provoking conceptual and contemporary
exhibitions. This fall's lineup is no exception: Don't miss
Grapefruit (October 18 to March 28, 2007), a collection of
photographs from
Yoko Ono's 1966 book of instructional pieces,
which, incidentally, inspired
John Lennon to write
Imagine.
$5 to $8 admission. 2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, (510) 642-0808,
www.bampfa.berkeley.edu
Pacific Film Archive
With 500-plus screenings each year, the PFA presents a variety of
American and international films - from restored, rare Russian
constructivist shorts of the 1920s to the latest kung-fu epics from
Hong Kong to classic American films. This fall, the theater is
showing screenings of François Truffaut's
Jules and Jim,
Jean Renoir's
The Rules of the Game, and Federico Fellini's
La Strada, among many others. $5 to $8 admission. 2575
Bancroft Way, Berkeley, (510) 642-1124, www.bampfa.berkeley.edu
Emeryville Celebration of the Arts
The tiny town of Emeryville, a 1.2-square-mile enclave hugging the
eastern base of the
Bay Bridge, is home to hundreds of artists. And
while most of them have regular open-studio visits throughout the
year, every October (7 to 29 this year) they host their biggest
event, the annual Emeryville Art Exhibition, which includes works
from local painters, sculptors, photographers, ceramists,
glassblowers, and more. Free admission. 5630 Bay Street,
Emeryville, (510) 652-6122,
www.emeryarts.org