The best the Bay Area has to offer, from the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture.
Critics’ Picks
At the Asian Art Museum, Paintings You’ll Want to Lick
A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pops Up at San José’s Most Nostalgic Strip Mall
In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles
‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul
This Oakland Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices
For 20 Years, Threads of Black American Music Have Converged Here
Dread Scott Imagines a World Without America
Dewey Crumpler Paints ‘Portals to Absolute Autonomy’
In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms
Honoring the Black Panther Party on Its 60th Anniversary
Player sponsored by
window.__IS_SSR__=true
window.__INITIAL_STATE__={
"attachmentsReducer": {
"audio_0": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_0",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background0.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_1": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_1",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background1.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_2": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_2",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background2.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_3": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_3",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background3.jpg"
}
}
},
"audio_4": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "audio_4",
"imgSizes": {
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/themes/KQED-unified/img/audio_bgs/background4.jpg"
}
}
},
"placeholder": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "placeholder",
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-lrg": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-med": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"fd-sm": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-800x533.jpg",
"width": 800,
"height": 533,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xxsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xsmall": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"small": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"xlarge": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1020x680.jpg",
"width": 1020,
"height": 680,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1-1920x1280.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1280,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-32": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 32,
"height": 32,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-50": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 50,
"height": 50,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-64": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 64,
"height": 64,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-96": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 96,
"height": 96,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"guest-author-128": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 128,
"height": 128,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"detail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-1333x1333-1-160x160.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 160,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/KQED-Default-Image-816638274-2000x1333-1.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
}
},
"arts_13994872": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994872",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994872",
"found": true
},
"title": "Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000",
"publishDate": 1792444435,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13994714,
"modified": 1792444494,
"caption": "Ha Chong-Hyun in his studio.",
"credit": "Chunho An",
"altTag": "older Korean man in denim overalls next to abstract painting",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Ha-Chong-Hyun-in-his-studio.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-ad8f7204.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994837": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994837",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994837",
"found": true
},
"title": "droo the baker customer",
"publishDate": 1792185463,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13994793,
"modified": 1792187447,
"caption": "Andrew Hong, aka Droo the Baker, talks to a customer during a pop-up event at Nisei in San Francisco. Hong's pop-up bakery, Gong Dessert Shop, is one of several up-and-coming Vietnamese American pop-ups that will be featured at Lion Plaza's first ever Ca Phe & Banh event.",
"credit": "Courtesy of Andrew Hong",
"altTag": "Asian man in a chef's apron hands baked goods to a customer.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-customer-40327193.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1333
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994804": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994804",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994804",
"found": true
},
"title": "Alaska+Thunderfuck+in+OH,+MARY!+First+National+Tour_photo+by+Evan+Zimmerman+for+MurphyMade",
"publishDate": 1792168519,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792181106,
"caption": "Alaska Thunderfuck stars in ‘Oh, Mary!’ at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre. ",
"credit": "Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5-1536x1025.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1025,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a9e081b5.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994798": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994798",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994798",
"found": true
},
"title": "Every+Saturday+Night+(c)+Alexa+LexMex+Treviño-7",
"publishDate": 1792166530,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792172069,
"caption": "Ardella (Cathleen Ridley), center, and the cast of SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’",
"credit": "Alexa LexMex Treviño",
"altTag": "A Black woman in a bright red dress smiles and dances in a dimly lit room with several others",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"medium": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-160x107.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 107,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-768x512.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 512,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-1536x1024.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1024,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"2048x2048": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-2048x1366.jpg",
"width": 2048,
"height": 1366,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-2000x1334.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1334,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-7-dea95d9c.jpg",
"width": 2500,
"height": 1667
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994758": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994758",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994758",
"found": true
},
"title": "John Beaver (2011)_2",
"publishDate": 1792002386,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13994754,
"modified": 1792002573,
"caption": "Oaktown Spice Shop co-owner John Beaver pictured inside his original Oakland storefront on Grand Avenue in 2011. The spice shop is celebrating its 15th anniversary in October 2026.",
"credit": "Courtesy of Oaktown Spice Shop",
"altTag": "Bearded an in an old-timey apron poses for a portrait inside a well-stocked spice shop.",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c-160x106.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 106,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c-768x511.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 511,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c-1536x1022.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1022,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/John-Beaver-2011_2-1af7618c.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1331
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994407": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994407",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994407",
"found": true
},
"title": "Steve Turre",
"publishDate": 1790864503,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1791990921,
"caption": "(L–R) Steve Turre, Sylvia Cuenca and Marcus Shelby perform at an Oakland Public Conservatory event in 2025. ",
"credit": "Courtesy OPC",
"altTag": "A jazz combo performs against a wall with portraits hanging on it",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre-160x106.jpeg",
"width": 160,
"height": 106,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre-768x511.jpeg",
"width": 768,
"height": 511,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre-1536x1022.jpeg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1022,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre-672x372.jpeg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre-1038x576.jpeg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre-1200x675.jpeg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre-600x600.jpeg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Steve-Turre.jpeg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1331
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994668": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994668",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994668",
"found": true
},
"title": "Obliterated Power (Pentagon)",
"publishDate": 1791579691,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13994663,
"modified": 1791588883,
"caption": "Dread Scott, 'Obliterated Power (Pentagon),' 2022; Screen print, archival inkjet print.",
"credit": "Courtesy the artist and YBCAurtesy the artist and YBCA",
"altTag": "photo of pentagon with building masked out in black",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341-160x106.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 106,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341-768x509.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 509,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341-1536x1018.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1018,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Obliterated-Power-Pentagon-no-wall-1920px-e2950341.jpg",
"width": 1920,
"height": 1273
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13993121": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13993121",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13993121",
"found": true
},
"title": "web-Crumpler-07-26-125",
"publishDate": 1787334047,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13993086,
"modified": 1787334263,
"caption": "Dewey Crumpler, 'Breach,' 2023; Acrylic and metal leaf on canvas.",
"credit": "Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco",
"altTag": "dynamic painting of containers falling into ocean from cargo ship",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125-160x140.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 140,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125-768x671.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 671,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125-1536x1342.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1342,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/web-Crumpler-07-26-125.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1747
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994606": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994606",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994606",
"found": true
},
"title": "Still 2026-04-25 142149 Tone Mapped (100-nit, BT.709, BT.1886)_1.21.2",
"publishDate": 1791483622,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1791483756,
"caption": "A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.",
"credit": "Neon",
"altTag": null,
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-160x67.png",
"width": 160,
"height": 67,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-768x322.png",
"width": 768,
"height": 322,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-1536x644.png",
"width": 1536,
"height": 644,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-672x372.png",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-1038x576.png",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-1200x675.png",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92-600x600.png",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/png"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Still-2026-04-25-142149-Tone-Mapped-100-nit-BT.709-BT.1886_1.21.2-688f3a92.png",
"width": 2000,
"height": 838
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
},
"arts_13994533": {
"type": "attachments",
"id": "arts_13994533",
"meta": {
"index": "attachments_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994533",
"found": true
},
"title": "GettyImages-576843010",
"publishDate": 1791304611,
"status": "inherit",
"parent": 13994388,
"modified": 1791305081,
"caption": "(L–R) Bobby Seale and Dr. Huey P. Newton, founding members of the Black Panther Party, at the party's headquarters in San Francisco. ",
"credit": "Ted Streshinsky/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images",
"altTag": "Two young Black men sit side-by-side in a room with white walls and a portrait of Malcolm X in the background",
"description": null,
"imgSizes": {
"thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010-160x106.jpg",
"width": 160,
"height": 106,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"medium_large": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010-768x507.jpg",
"width": 768,
"height": 507,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"1536x1536": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010-1536x1014.jpg",
"width": 1536,
"height": 1014,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"post-thumbnail": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010-672x372.jpg",
"width": 672,
"height": 372,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"twentyfourteen-full-width": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010-1038x576.jpg",
"width": 1038,
"height": 576,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-wide": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010-1200x675.jpg",
"width": 1200,
"height": 675,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"npr-cds-square": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010-600x600.jpg",
"width": 600,
"height": 600,
"mimeType": "image/jpeg"
},
"kqedFullSize": {
"file": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-576843010.jpg",
"width": 2000,
"height": 1320
}
},
"isLoading": false,
"fetchFailed": false
}
},
"audioPlayerReducer": {
"postId": "stream_live",
"isPaused": true,
"isPlaying": false,
"pfsActive": false,
"pledgeModalIsOpen": true,
"playerDrawerIsOpen": false,
"liveAudioPlayStartedAt": 0,
"liveAudioPlayContext": ""
},
"authorsReducer": {
"mfox": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "22",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "22",
"found": true
},
"name": "Michael Fox",
"firstName": "Michael",
"lastName": "Fox",
"slug": "mfox",
"email": "foxonfilm@yahoo.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Michael Fox has written about film for dozens of publications since 1987. He is a founding member of the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"Contributor",
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Michael Fox | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/d9849d6c659c41414795c471d907bb97b396e2a32b88e20e6ff66f65fbdd6dcd?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/mfox"
},
"ogpenn": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11491",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11491",
"found": true
},
"name": "Pendarvis Harshaw",
"firstName": "Pendarvis",
"lastName": "Harshaw",
"slug": "ogpenn",
"email": "ogpenn@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [
"arts"
],
"title": "Community Engagement Reporter",
"bio": "Pendarvis Harshaw is an educator, host and writer with KQED Arts.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/972b77ee8e3f346ae2b00622661187fbfabd059b5693bbdc1475ea7a722fd4cd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": "ogpenn",
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"author"
]
},
{
"site": "hiphop",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Pendarvis Harshaw | KQED",
"description": "Community Engagement Reporter",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/972b77ee8e3f346ae2b00622661187fbfabd059b5693bbdc1475ea7a722fd4cd?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/972b77ee8e3f346ae2b00622661187fbfabd059b5693bbdc1475ea7a722fd4cd?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ogpenn"
},
"ltsai": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11743",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11743",
"found": true
},
"name": "Luke Tsai",
"firstName": "Luke",
"lastName": "Tsai",
"slug": "ltsai",
"email": "ltsai@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": true,
"staff_mastheads": [
"arts"
],
"title": "Food Editor",
"bio": "Luke Tsai is KQED's food editor and resident stinky tofu connoisseur. Prior to KQED, he was an editor at Eater SF, \u003cem>San Francisco \u003c/em>magazine, and the \u003cem>East Bay Express\u003c/em>, and his work has also appeared in TASTE, the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>, and the \u003cem>Best Food Writing\u003c/em> anthology. When he isn't writing or editing, you'll find him eating most everything he can get his hands on.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e59b45bf191526e7339d6ba46e33a57b2030d25c27660ecc64ea3cb863e34f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": "theluketsai",
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"administrator"
]
},
{
"site": "news",
"roles": [
"editor",
"contributor"
]
},
{
"site": "bayareabites",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
},
{
"site": "food",
"roles": [
"editor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Luke Tsai | KQED",
"description": "Food Editor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e59b45bf191526e7339d6ba46e33a57b2030d25c27660ecc64ea3cb863e34f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1e59b45bf191526e7339d6ba46e33a57b2030d25c27660ecc64ea3cb863e34f7?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ltsai"
},
"djchavez": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11905",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11905",
"found": true
},
"name": "David John Chávez",
"firstName": "David John",
"lastName": "Chávez",
"slug": "djchavez",
"email": "theatrechavez@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Based in San José, David is a theater critic and reporter who who served as Executive Chair of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association (’22-’25), as well as a regular theater contributor to The Mercury News, San Francisco Chronicle, American Theatre Magazine and KQED, among other publications. He is a two-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (’22-’23) and a 2020 fellow of the Eugene O'Neill National Critics Institute.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5eaa3ce994228213820907c390795c28f7b97165c2b575f46d15fc9273a132b7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": "https://www.facebook.com/bydavidjchavez",
"instagram": "https://www.instagram.com/davidjchavez/",
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "David John Chávez | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5eaa3ce994228213820907c390795c28f7b97165c2b575f46d15fc9273a132b7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5eaa3ce994228213820907c390795c28f7b97165c2b575f46d15fc9273a132b7?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/djchavez"
},
"mblue": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11917",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11917",
"found": true
},
"name": "Max Blue",
"firstName": "Max",
"lastName": "Blue",
"slug": "mblue",
"email": "maxbluewriter@gmail.com",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Max Blue has contributed art criticism and reporting to Artsy, Cultured and Hyperallergic, among others. His short fiction has appeared in The MacGuffin and North Dakota Quarterly, among others. He lives in San Francisco.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/cf3bc08316ae54aaf34b606edc5721301b3306703234df5bee49a54e69d29843?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": "maxblueofficial",
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Max Blue | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/cf3bc08316ae54aaf34b606edc5721301b3306703234df5bee49a54e69d29843?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/cf3bc08316ae54aaf34b606edc5721301b3306703234df5bee49a54e69d29843?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/mblue"
},
"lchien": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "11987",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "11987",
"found": true
},
"name": "Letha Ch’ien",
"firstName": "Letha",
"lastName": "Ch’ien",
"slug": "lchien",
"email": "lethachien@proton.me",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "KQED Contributor",
"bio": "Letha Ch'ien is the Samuel H. Kress senior fellow at Smarthistory: The Center for Public Art History. Before joining Smarthistory, Letha was an associate professor of art history at Sonoma State University. She writes art criticism for a variety of publications.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/507cde9403bbe1e0193a924218e5d8861471cbc65dc52574c74093fd65bba6d7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/letha-ch-ien-4b603b229/",
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Letha Ch’ien | KQED",
"description": "KQED Contributor",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/507cde9403bbe1e0193a924218e5d8861471cbc65dc52574c74093fd65bba6d7?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/507cde9403bbe1e0193a924218e5d8861471cbc65dc52574c74093fd65bba6d7?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/lchien"
},
"ncoats": {
"type": "authors",
"id": "12013",
"meta": {
"index": "authors_1716337520",
"id": "12013",
"found": true
},
"name": "Nia Coats",
"firstName": "Nia",
"lastName": "Coats",
"slug": "ncoats",
"email": "ncoats@kqed.org",
"display_author_email": false,
"staff_mastheads": [],
"title": "Intern, KQED Arts & Culture",
"bio": "Nia Coats is KQED Arts & Culture's editorial intern. As a recent Berkeley School of Journalism graduate, she has covered arts and culture in the Bay Area and nationwide since 2021. She has a great love for music and the ways it soundtracks our lives. When she isn't reporting or writing, Nia is going to concerts, watching movies and working on her magazine, \u003cem>Lucky 7\u003c/em>.",
"avatar": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5603dfcf7b25a681fd9fcc1f691ee510bd6a2fdbb37b425d337245b9e330e449?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twitter": null,
"bluesky": null,
"facebook": null,
"instagram": null,
"linkedin": null,
"sites": [
{
"site": "arts",
"roles": [
"contributor"
]
}
],
"headData": {
"title": "Nia Coats | KQED",
"description": "Intern, KQED Arts & Culture",
"ogImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5603dfcf7b25a681fd9fcc1f691ee510bd6a2fdbb37b425d337245b9e330e449?s=600&d=blank&r=g",
"twImgSrc": "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/5603dfcf7b25a681fd9fcc1f691ee510bd6a2fdbb37b425d337245b9e330e449?s=600&d=blank&r=g"
},
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/author/ncoats"
}
},
"pagesReducer": {
"root-site_thedolist": {
"type": "pages",
"id": "root-site_25895",
"meta": {
"index": "pages_1716337520",
"site": "root-site",
"id": "25895",
"score": 0
},
"slug": "thedolist",
"title": "The Do List",
"headTitle": "The Do List | KQED",
"pagePath": "thedolist",
"pageMeta": {
"sticky": false,
"adSlotOverride": "300x250_arts",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include"
},
"headData": {
"title": "The Do List | KQED",
"description": "The best the Bay Area has to offer, from the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"canonicalUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist"
},
"labelTerm": {
"site": ""
},
"publishDate": 1738100298,
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-kqed-blocksetter\">\u003c/div>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"has-text-align-center thedolist\">The best the Bay Area has to offer, from the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "kqed/blocksetter",
"attrs": {
"blockName": "kqed/thedolist-header"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-kqed-blocksetter\">\u003c/div>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-kqed-blocksetter\">\u003c/div>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"align": "center",
"className": "thedolist"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp class=\"has-text-align-center thedolist\">The best the Bay Area has to offer, from the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp class=\"has-text-align-center thedolist\">The best the Bay Area has to offer, from the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed/post-list",
"attrs": {
"query": "posts/?program=the-do-list&queryId=c2aae4d7fe",
"title": "Critics’ Picks",
"seeMore": true,
"sizeBase": 12,
"sizeSeeMore": 12
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1755117016,
"format": "standard",
"path": "/thedolist",
"redirect": {
"type": "internal",
"url": "/thedolist"
},
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-kqed-blocksetter\">\u003c/div>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"has-text-align-center thedolist\">The best the Bay Area has to offer, from the writers and editors of KQED Arts & Culture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
},
{
"type": "component",
"content": "",
"name": "ad",
"attributes": {
"named": {
"label": "fullwidth"
},
"numeric": [
"fullwidth"
]
}
},
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"label": "root-site",
"isLoading": false
}
},
"pfsSessionReducer": {},
"postsReducer": {
"stream_live": {
"type": "live",
"id": "stream_live",
"audioUrl": "https://streams.kqed.org/kqedradio",
"title": "Live Stream",
"excerpt": "Live Stream information currently unavailable.",
"link": "/radio",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "KQED Live",
"link": "/"
}
},
"stream_kqedNewscast": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "stream_kqedNewscast",
"audioUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/.stream/anon/radio/RDnews/newscast.mp3?_=1",
"title": "KQED Newscast",
"featImg": "",
"label": {
"name": "88.5 FM",
"link": "/"
}
},
"arts_13994714": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994714",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994714",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1792446051000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "ha-chong-hyun-asian-art-museum-korean-modernist-painting",
"title": "At the Asian Art Museum, Paintings You’ll Want to Lick",
"publishDate": 1792446051,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "At the Asian Art Museum, Paintings You’ll Want to Lick | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t need a more exciting title because the exhibition is drop dead gorgeous. Though he’s called “the father of Korean modernism,” Ha isn’t yet a household name in the U.S. Nevertheless, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/asian-art-museum\">Asian Art Museum\u003c/a> clearly trusts the paintings themselves to entice people to visit this show. But there’s a surprise among the stunning aesthetic beauty. While Ha’s work supports an art-for-art’s-sake appreciation, it quickly becomes apparent that Ha’s paintings are witnesses to and documents of the tumultuous, consequential history of Korea over the country’s dizzying changes during the 20th and 21st centuries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of thick white and gray paint applied in textured blocks\" class=\"wp-image-13994873\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of Ha Chong-Hyun’s ‘Conjunction 22-121,’ 2022; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re kind of ice cream,” Asian Art Museum director Soyoung Lee told KQED of the paintings. “I feel like I can almost taste it. I feel like I can smell it. I feel like I want to touch it even though I have to be careful about saying that when I work in a museum!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha was born in 1935, in a Korea that was a colony of Japan. By the time Ha reached adulthood in the mid-20th century, Korea had experienced 35 years of Japanese rule, the U.S. and Soviet Union partitioning the country into two occupation zones, the Korean War and a devastated economy. The only material he could find for painting was the burlap of U.S. grain shipments and army sandbags.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2046\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg\" alt=\"grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994874\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Work 73,’ 1973; Barbed wire on panel. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In this retrospective, Ha’s back-pressure method paintings start out relatively quiet in the 1970s quietly. Rows of white paint circles push through the loose burlap weave in \u003cem>Conjunction 74-26\u003c/em>. The oil in the paint, absorbed into the burlap around it, creates halo-like stains around the white paint. I started to think about Korea’s push towards modernity; the irrepressible drive towards a developed economy, the uncontrolled drips flowing like the unexpected human consequences of those huge social changes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg\" alt=\"wide abstract painting with white dripping dots in grid across brown canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-1536x757.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 74-26,’ 1974. (Jonathan Muzikar)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1618\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994877\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg 1618w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-768x949.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-1243x1536.jpg 1243w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 26-14,’ 2026; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" data-id=\"13994876\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, Detail of ‘Post-Conjunction 10-2,’ 2010; Oil and collage on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Sangtae Kim)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“His art definitely speaks to what it means for things to go through human hands,” said Lee. “It’s something that requires a little commitment from you … to slow down to look and think about what it is to make things with your hands, with your body — and to feel it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St., San Francisco) through Jan. 25, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t need a more exciting title because the exhibition is drop dead gorgeous. Though he’s called “the father of Korean modernism,” Ha isn’t yet a household name in the U.S. Nevertheless, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/asian-art-museum\">Asian Art Museum\u003c/a> clearly trusts the paintings themselves to entice people to visit this show. But there’s a surprise among the stunning aesthetic beauty. While Ha’s work supports an art-for-art’s-sake appreciation, it quickly becomes apparent that Ha’s paintings are witnesses to and documents of the tumultuous, consequential history of Korea over the country’s dizzying changes during the 20th and 21st centuries.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t need a more exciting title because the exhibition is drop dead gorgeous. Though he’s called “the father of Korean modernism,” Ha isn’t yet a household name in the U.S. Nevertheless, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/asian-art-museum\">Asian Art Museum\u003c/a> clearly trusts the paintings themselves to entice people to visit this show. But there’s a surprise among the stunning aesthetic beauty. While Ha’s work supports an art-for-art’s-sake appreciation, it quickly becomes apparent that Ha’s paintings are witnesses to and documents of the tumultuous, consequential history of Korea over the country’s dizzying changes during the 20th and 21st centuries.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"arts_13994588"
],
"labelWasCleared": true,
"query": "",
"label": "",
"maxPosts": 3,
"showImages": true,
"heroImage": "",
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994873,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "close-up of thick white and gray paint applied in textured blocks",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of thick white and gray paint applied in textured blocks\" class=\"wp-image-13994873\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of Ha Chong-Hyun’s ‘Conjunction 22-121,’ 2022; Oil on hemp cloth.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of thick white and gray paint applied in textured blocks\" class=\"wp-image-13994873\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of Ha Chong-Hyun’s ‘Conjunction 22-121,’ 2022; Oil on hemp cloth.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’re kind of ice cream,” Asian Art Museum director Soyoung Lee told KQED of the paintings. “I feel like I can almost taste it. I feel like I can smell it. I feel like I want to touch it even though I have to be careful about saying that when I work in a museum!”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“They’re kind of ice cream,” Asian Art Museum director Soyoung Lee told KQED of the paintings. “I feel like I can almost taste it. I feel like I can smell it. I feel like I want to touch it even though I have to be careful about saying that when I work in a museum!”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ha was born in 1935, in a Korea that was a colony of Japan. By the time Ha reached adulthood in the mid-20th century, Korea had experienced 35 years of Japanese rule, the U.S. and Soviet Union partitioning the country into two occupation zones, the Korean War and a devastated economy. The only material he could find for painting was the burlap of U.S. grain shipments and army sandbags.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ha was born in 1935, in a Korea that was a colony of Japan. By the time Ha reached adulthood in the mid-20th century, Korea had experienced 35 years of Japanese rule, the U.S. and Soviet Union partitioning the country into two occupation zones, the Korean War and a devastated economy. The only material he could find for painting was the burlap of U.S. grain shipments and army sandbags.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994874,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-1501x1536.jpg 1501w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg\" alt=\"grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994874\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Work 73,’ 1973; Barbed wire on panel.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg\" alt=\"grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994874\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Work 73,’ 1973; Barbed wire on panel.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In this retrospective, Ha’s back-pressure method paintings start out relatively quiet in the 1970s quietly. Rows of white paint circles push through the loose burlap weave in \u003cem>Conjunction 74-26\u003c/em>. The oil in the paint, absorbed into the burlap around it, creates halo-like stains around the white paint. I started to think about Korea’s push towards modernity; the irrepressible drive towards a developed economy, the uncontrolled drips flowing like the unexpected human consequences of those huge social changes.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In this retrospective, Ha’s back-pressure method paintings start out relatively quiet in the 1970s quietly. Rows of white paint circles push through the loose burlap weave in \u003cem>Conjunction 74-26\u003c/em>. The oil in the paint, absorbed into the burlap around it, creates halo-like stains around the white paint. I started to think about Korea’s push towards modernity; the irrepressible drive towards a developed economy, the uncontrolled drips flowing like the unexpected human consequences of those huge social changes.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994875,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "wide abstract painting with white dripping dots in grid across brown canvas",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-1536x757.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg\" alt=\"wide abstract painting with white dripping dots in grid across brown canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-1536x757.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 74-26,’ 1974.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jonathan Muzikar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg\" alt=\"wide abstract painting with white dripping dots in grid across brown canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994875\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 74-26,’ 1974.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jonathan Muzikar)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/gallery",
"attrs": {
"linkTo": "none",
"images": [],
"ids": [],
"shortCodeTransforms": [],
"imageCrop": true,
"randomOrder": false,
"fixedHeight": true,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"allowResize": false,
"aspectRatio": "auto"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994877,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994877\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 26-14,’ 2026; Oil on hemp cloth.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994877\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 26-14,’ 2026; Oil on hemp cloth.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994876,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994876\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, Detail of ‘Post-Conjunction 10-2,’ 2010; Oil and collage on canvas.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994876\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, Detail of ‘Post-Conjunction 10-2,’ 2010; Oil and collage on canvas.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“His art definitely speaks to what it means for things to go through human hands,” said Lee. “It’s something that requires a little commitment from you … to slow down to look and think about what it is to make things with your hands, with your body — and to feel it.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“His art definitely speaks to what it means for things to go through human hands,” said Lee. “It’s something that requires a little commitment from you … to slow down to look and think about what it is to make things with your hands, with your body — and to feel it.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St., San Francisco) through Jan. 25, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St., San Francisco) through Jan. 25, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Ha Chong-Hyun’s retrospective luxuriates in thick applications of paint.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792446064,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 12,
"wordCount": 1009
},
"headData": {
"title": "At the Asian Art Museum, Paintings You’ll Want to Lick | KQED",
"description": "Ha Chong-Hyun’s retrospective luxuriates in thick applications of paint.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "At the Asian Art Museum, Paintings You’ll Want to Lick",
"datePublished": "2026-10-19T14:40:51-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-19T14:41:04-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994714",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994714/ha-chong-hyun-asian-art-museum-korean-modernist-painting",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>\u003c/em> doesn’t need a more exciting title because the exhibition is drop dead gorgeous. Though he’s called “the father of Korean modernism,” Ha isn’t yet a household name in the U.S. Nevertheless, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/asian-art-museum\">Asian Art Museum\u003c/a> clearly trusts the paintings themselves to entice people to visit this show. But there’s a surprise among the stunning aesthetic beauty. While Ha’s work supports an art-for-art’s-sake appreciation, it quickly becomes apparent that Ha’s paintings are witnesses to and documents of the tumultuous, consequential history of Korea over the country’s dizzying changes during the 20th and 21st centuries.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I thought I wasn’t going to make it through \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun: A Retrospective \u003c/em>without touching the art. Only the prospect of getting kicked out of the museum kept my hands to themselves. The more than 50 paintings in the show, made over six decades, luxuriate in paint. Early experiments in thickly applied impasto texture led to Ha’s invention of what he calls the “back-pressure method,” in which he presses wet paint through a coarsely woven support. The result is a painting surface covered in glistening beads of color suspended in the grid matrix of the fabric. Between these beads, scraped rectangles take the place of brushstrokes to push and smear pigment across the surface. You can’t help but want to join Ha in smudging the paint with your fingers or even other appendages.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg\" alt=\"close-up of thick white and gray paint applied in textured blocks\" class=\"wp-image-13994873\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/54_Detail-of-Conjunction-22-121-2022-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Chunho-An_2000-f12c296e-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Detail of Ha Chong-Hyun’s ‘Conjunction 22-121,’ 2022; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re kind of ice cream,” Asian Art Museum director Soyoung Lee told KQED of the paintings. “I feel like I can almost taste it. I feel like I can smell it. I feel like I want to touch it even though I have to be careful about saying that when I work in a museum!”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s sensual blobs, blots and gestures instilled longing in me too — the kind of desire a 5 year old has for the entire contents of the ice cream case at the shop. I didn’t only want to touch the paint, I wanted to lick it too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha was born in 1935, in a Korea that was a colony of Japan. By the time Ha reached adulthood in the mid-20th century, Korea had experienced 35 years of Japanese rule, the U.S. and Soviet Union partitioning the country into two occupation zones, the Korean War and a devastated economy. The only material he could find for painting was the burlap of U.S. grain shipments and army sandbags.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2046\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg\" alt=\"grid of barbed wire wrapped around square canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994874\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/19_Work-73-1973-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Barbed-wire-on-panel.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_200-80d91a21-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Work 73,’ 1973; Barbed wire on panel. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early works in the galleries show Ha reaching for whatever materials were available: burlap and hemp, metal springs, even barbed wire. Like arte povera, the post-WWII Italian art movement characterized by cheap materials, Ha’s work speaks to the historical reality of pre-urbanized Korea. Though their formal characteristics are interesting on a purely visual level, Lee notes that the materials carry unmissable connotations. Barbed wire, for instance, also marks the demilitarized zone dividing North and South Korea.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In this retrospective, Ha’s back-pressure method paintings start out relatively quiet in the 1970s quietly. Rows of white paint circles push through the loose burlap weave in \u003cem>Conjunction 74-26\u003c/em>. The oil in the paint, absorbed into the burlap around it, creates halo-like stains around the white paint. I started to think about Korea’s push towards modernity; the irrepressible drive towards a developed economy, the uncontrolled drips flowing like the unexpected human consequences of those huge social changes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"986\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg\" alt=\"wide abstract painting with white dripping dots in grid across brown canvas\" class=\"wp-image-13994875\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/22_Conjunction-74-26-1974-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Collection-of-Museum-of-Modern-Art-photo-by-Jonathan-Muzikar_200-59a3d90b-1536x757.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 74-26,’ 1974. (Jonathan Muzikar)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ever experimenting, Ha began filling nearly the whole surface of his large works with paint and working with the pigment both on the back as well as the front sides of the support in the 1980s. In the ’90s, Ha incorporated color with brilliant effects. By the 2010s, Ha started to tamp thin wooden boards onto a bed of paint that then spurted through the slats, as in \u003cem>Post-Conjunction 10–2\u003c/em>. There’s even one slat painting that uses mirrors instead of wooden boards, allowing visitors to see their reflection spliced among the paint splatters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The magnificent 2020s paintings — 91-year-old Ha is still very much active — take one’s breath away. The glistening paint appears still wet, alive on the hemp surfaces. A new freedom with color adds a detailed level of variety within each paint mark.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1618\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994877\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994877\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174.jpg 1618w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-160x198.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-768x949.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/59_Conjunction-26-14-2026-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-on-hemp-cloth.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-An-Chunho_2000-ac6f6174-1243x1536.jpg 1243w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1618px) 100vw, 1618px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, ‘Conjunction 26-14,’ 2026; Oil on hemp cloth. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Chunho An)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" data-id=\"13994876\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994876\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/37_Detail-of-Post-Conjunction-10-2-2010-by-Ha-Chong-Hyun.-Oil-and-collage-on-caanvas.-Courtesy-of-the-artist.-Photo-by-Sangtae-Kim-2000-9080cb21-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ha Chong-Hyun, Detail of ‘Post-Conjunction 10-2,’ 2010; Oil and collage on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist; photo by Sangtae Kim)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“His art definitely speaks to what it means for things to go through human hands,” said Lee. “It’s something that requires a little commitment from you … to slow down to look and think about what it is to make things with your hands, with your body — and to feel it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ha’s paintings, irrepressibly visceral, do seem like an antidote to the disembodiment of San Francisco’s AI era. A display of Ha’s many paint-encrusted tools near the exhibition entrance and accompanying videos of him at work hammer home how bodily the artist’s practice is. Indeed, Ha has always called himself a “laborer,” which both speaks to the physicality of his art and his origins as the middle child of a large farming family. I left \u003cem>Ha Chong-Hyun \u003c/em>with the thought that instead of going to touch grass, I could pick up some paint at the art store and give them a squeeze through my fingers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://exhibitions.asianart.org/exhibitions/ha-chong-hyun-retrospective/\">Ha Chong-Hyun: Retrospective\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Asian Art Museum (200 Larkin St., San Francisco) through Jan. 25, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994714/ha-chong-hyun-asian-art-museum-korean-modernist-painting",
"authors": [
"11987"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_22313",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2250",
"arts_10278",
"arts_1146",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994872",
"label": "source_arts_13994714"
},
"arts_13994793": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994793",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994793",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1792186310000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "lion-plaza-san-jose-vietnamese-cafe-pop-up-tully-road-droo-the-baker",
"title": "A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pops Up at San José’s Most Nostalgic Strip Mall",
"publishDate": 1792186310,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pops Up at San José’s Most Nostalgic Strip Mall | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>These days, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Plaza\">Lion Plaza\u003c/a> doesn’t get nearly as much hype as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-jose\">San José’s\u003c/a> newer, splashier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13961537/san-jose-night-market-vietnamese-grand-century-mall\">Vietnamese malls\u003c/a> like Vietnam Town and Grand Century. But OGs know the Tully Road strip mall as the heart of the South Bay’s \u003cem>original \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJoVPdRljYw\">Little Saigon\u003c/a>, and the plaza has never lost that grassroots community vibe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Case in point is this Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeCupp_vw-0/\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> pop-up, which aims to recreate the feel of a Vietnamese open-air sidewalk cafe right out in the strip mall’s parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Organized by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/treba_sj/\">Tully Road Eastridge Business Association\u003c/a>, the morning cafe pop-up plans to deck out the parking lot with the iconic \u003ca href=\"https://vietcetera.com/en/a-brief-history-of-the-vietnamese-plastic-stool\">plastic red stools\u003c/a> and tables found at coffee shops and street-side restaurants all over Vietnam — a point of nostalgia for so many Vietnamese Americans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to bring a little bit of Vietnam here,” Andrew Hong, one of the food vendors, tells KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg\" alt=\"A matcha drink and a coffee drink, both mixed with creamy foam.\" class=\"wp-image-13994841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of several drinks vendors to be featured at the event, Caffeine Depot will be selling both matcha drinks and Vietnamese coffee drinks. (Courtesy of Caffeine Depot)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hong, aka \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/droothebaker/\">Droo the Baker\u003c/a>, has curated a lineup of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeKNHNWm4qM/?img_index=1\">seven up-and-coming Vietnamese American beverage vendors and pastry chefs\u003c/a> to headline the event. South Bay crowd favorites include \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nhathecafe/\">Nha the Cafe\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/caffeine.depot/\">Caffeine Depot\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fromem.co/\">From Em\u003c/a>. Caffeine hounds will have their pick of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13993389/best-matcha-bay-area-oakland-berkeley-sf-san-jose\">matcha\u003c/a> Einspänners, pandan milk tea and probably a dozen different twists on a classic phin-style Vietnamese coffee. Food-wise, there will be uber-trendy salt bread sandwiches, coffee-flavored Biscoff cookies and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The one pop-up I’m personally most excited to try is Hong’s own pop-up venture, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gong.dessertshop/\">Gong Dessert Shop\u003c/a>, which will be selling pork-floss croissants (one of Hong’s signature dishes), pâté-stuffed puff pastry and what looks like a Vietnamese American take on a McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish sandwich (!).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e.jpg\" alt=\"A fried fish sandwich on a soft bun.\" class=\"wp-image-13994839\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gong Dessert Shop’s fish sandwich is like a cross between a Filet-o-Fish and Vietnamese Chả cá Lã Vọng. (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513.jpg\" alt=\"Croissant topped with pork floss and scallions\" class=\"wp-image-13994840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This flaky pork-floss croissant is one of Hong’s signature items. (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hong says the original inspiration for that particular stroke of genius came when he had the recently viral $3.50 fried fish sandwich at San Leandro’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/viral-sandwich-san-leandro-21322422.php\">Chinese Bakery & Deli\u003c/a>. He loved it, but his first thought afterward was, “This would be \u003cem>so\u003c/em> great if it was the [Vietnamese] dill-and-turmeric fish,” aka Chả cá Lã Vọng, which is often made with grilled catfish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweaking the original by frying the fish with panko breading, adding his own signature umami mayo and putting it all on a homemade milk bread bun is exactly the type of next-gen twist that makes San José’s Vietnamese pop-up ecosystem so exciting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Hong, however, the Cà Phê & Bánh is about more than just the food itself. Over the past couple of decades, he explains, Lion Plaza’s slowly lost a little bit of its luster, as the South Bay’s Vietnamese community has been drawn to newer, shinier malls on Story Road.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My cousins told me stories,” says Hong, who grew up in Southern California but had lots of family in San José. During the plaza’s 1990s–early 2000s heyday, he says, “The parking lot during Lunar New Year was insane. It was definitely the original Vietnamese plaza mecca.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg\" alt=\"Main facade of a shopping plaza with two lion statues in front.\" class=\"wp-image-13994838\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lion Plaza was at the center of San José’s first Vietnamese shopping district. A new wave of food entrepreneurs are hoping to bring back the crowds. (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No one knows better than Hong that business in the plaza is slower these days, despite the fact that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13983625/bot-chien-san-jose-vietnamese-rice-cake-omelettes-lion-plaza\">food court\u003c/a> remains one of the best in town. About 12 years ago, he and his sister moved to the Bay to take over the Lion Plaza location of \u003ca href=\"https://vansbakerysanjose.com/\">Van’s Bakery\u003c/a>, one the South Bay’s most famous and longstanding traditional Vietnamese bakeries, from their aunt and uncle. Hong says everyone he talks to about his day job tells him, “Oh, I know Van’s! My parents used to get my birthday cakes there all the time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But what about now?” Hong says. “Our goal is to have them come back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than anything, then, he hopes Cà Phê & Bánh is the first “baby step” in that process. He doesn’t necessarily want to reinvent Lion Plaza, he says. Lion Plaza has always been great. But now, he says, “We got a fresh coat of paint” — literally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s the same but also better,” Hong says about the strip mall. “It’s not stuck in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/ca-phe-and-banh\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> will pop up in the Lion Plaza parking lot (1816 Tully Rd., San José) on Saturday, Oct. 17 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Free admission; all food and drink will be sold a la carte. The event will also feature DJs and family-friendly craft activities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These days, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Plaza\">Lion Plaza\u003c/a> doesn’t get nearly as much hype as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-jose\">San José’s\u003c/a> newer, splashier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13961537/san-jose-night-market-vietnamese-grand-century-mall\">Vietnamese malls\u003c/a> like Vietnam Town and Grand Century. But OGs know the Tully Road strip mall as the heart of the South Bay’s \u003cem>original \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJoVPdRljYw\">Little Saigon\u003c/a>, and the plaza has never lost that grassroots community vibe. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>These days, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Plaza\">Lion Plaza\u003c/a> doesn’t get nearly as much hype as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-jose\">San José’s\u003c/a> newer, splashier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13961537/san-jose-night-market-vietnamese-grand-century-mall\">Vietnamese malls\u003c/a> like Vietnam Town and Grand Century. But OGs know the Tully Road strip mall as the heart of the South Bay’s \u003cem>original \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJoVPdRljYw\">Little Saigon\u003c/a>, and the plaza has never lost that grassroots community vibe. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Case in point is this Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeCupp_vw-0/\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> pop-up, which aims to recreate the feel of a Vietnamese open-air sidewalk cafe right out in the strip mall’s parking lot.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Case in point is this Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeCupp_vw-0/\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> pop-up, which aims to recreate the feel of a Vietnamese open-air sidewalk cafe right out in the strip mall’s parking lot.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Organized by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/treba_sj/\">Tully Road Eastridge Business Association\u003c/a>, the morning cafe pop-up plans to deck out the parking lot with the iconic \u003ca href=\"https://vietcetera.com/en/a-brief-history-of-the-vietnamese-plastic-stool\">plastic red stools\u003c/a> and tables found at coffee shops and street-side restaurants all over Vietnam — a point of nostalgia for so many Vietnamese Americans.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Organized by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/treba_sj/\">Tully Road Eastridge Business Association\u003c/a>, the morning cafe pop-up plans to deck out the parking lot with the iconic \u003ca href=\"https://vietcetera.com/en/a-brief-history-of-the-vietnamese-plastic-stool\">plastic red stools\u003c/a> and tables found at coffee shops and street-side restaurants all over Vietnam — a point of nostalgia for so many Vietnamese Americans.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to bring a little bit of Vietnam here,” Andrew Hong, one of the food vendors, tells KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to bring a little bit of Vietnam here,” Andrew Hong, one of the food vendors, tells KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994841,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "A matcha drink and a coffee drink, both mixed with creamy foam.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-600x600.jpg 600w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg\" alt=\"A matcha drink and a coffee drink, both mixed with creamy foam.\" class=\"wp-image-13994841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of several drinks vendors to be featured at the event, Caffeine Depot will be selling both matcha drinks and Vietnamese coffee drinks.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Caffeine Depot)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg\" alt=\"A matcha drink and a coffee drink, both mixed with creamy foam.\" class=\"wp-image-13994841\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of several drinks vendors to be featured at the event, Caffeine Depot will be selling both matcha drinks and Vietnamese coffee drinks.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Caffeine Depot)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hong, aka \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/droothebaker/\">Droo the Baker\u003c/a>, has curated a lineup of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeKNHNWm4qM/?img_index=1\">seven up-and-coming Vietnamese American beverage vendors and pastry chefs\u003c/a> to headline the event. South Bay crowd favorites include \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nhathecafe/\">Nha the Cafe\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/caffeine.depot/\">Caffeine Depot\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fromem.co/\">From Em\u003c/a>. Caffeine hounds will have their pick of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13993389/best-matcha-bay-area-oakland-berkeley-sf-san-jose\">matcha\u003c/a> Einspänners, pandan milk tea and probably a dozen different twists on a classic phin-style Vietnamese coffee. Food-wise, there will be uber-trendy salt bread sandwiches, coffee-flavored Biscoff cookies and more.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hong, aka \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/droothebaker/\">Droo the Baker\u003c/a>, has curated a lineup of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeKNHNWm4qM/?img_index=1\">seven up-and-coming Vietnamese American beverage vendors and pastry chefs\u003c/a> to headline the event. South Bay crowd favorites include \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nhathecafe/\">Nha the Cafe\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/caffeine.depot/\">Caffeine Depot\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fromem.co/\">From Em\u003c/a>. Caffeine hounds will have their pick of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13993389/best-matcha-bay-area-oakland-berkeley-sf-san-jose\">matcha\u003c/a> Einspänners, pandan milk tea and probably a dozen different twists on a classic phin-style Vietnamese coffee. Food-wise, there will be uber-trendy salt bread sandwiches, coffee-flavored Biscoff cookies and more.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The one pop-up I’m personally most excited to try is Hong’s own pop-up venture, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gong.dessertshop/\">Gong Dessert Shop\u003c/a>, which will be selling pork-floss croissants (one of Hong’s signature dishes), pâté-stuffed puff pastry and what looks like a Vietnamese American take on a McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish sandwich (!).\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The one pop-up I’m personally most excited to try is Hong’s own pop-up venture, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gong.dessertshop/\">Gong Dessert Shop\u003c/a>, which will be selling pork-floss croissants (one of Hong’s signature dishes), pâté-stuffed puff pastry and what looks like a Vietnamese American take on a McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish sandwich (!).\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/gallery",
"attrs": {
"linkTo": "none",
"images": [],
"ids": [],
"shortCodeTransforms": [],
"imageCrop": true,
"randomOrder": false,
"fixedHeight": true,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"allowResize": false,
"aspectRatio": "auto"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994839,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e.jpg\" alt=\"A fried fish sandwich on a soft bun.\" class=\"wp-image-13994839\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gong Dessert Shop’s fish sandwich is like a cross between a Filet-o-Fish and Vietnamese Chả cá Lã Vọng.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e.jpg\" alt=\"A fried fish sandwich on a soft bun.\" class=\"wp-image-13994839\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gong Dessert Shop’s fish sandwich is like a cross between a Filet-o-Fish and Vietnamese Chả cá Lã Vọng.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994840,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513.jpg\" alt=\"Croissant topped with pork floss and scallions\" class=\"wp-image-13994840\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This flaky pork-floss croissant is one of Hong’s signature items.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513.jpg\" alt=\"Croissant topped with pork floss and scallions\" class=\"wp-image-13994840\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This flaky pork-floss croissant is one of Hong’s signature items.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hong says the original inspiration for that particular stroke of genius came when he had the recently viral $3.50 fried fish sandwich at San Leandro’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/viral-sandwich-san-leandro-21322422.php\">Chinese Bakery & Deli\u003c/a>. He loved it, but his first thought afterward was, “This would be \u003cem>so\u003c/em> great if it was the [Vietnamese] dill-and-turmeric fish,” aka Chả cá Lã Vọng, which is often made with grilled catfish.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Hong says the original inspiration for that particular stroke of genius came when he had the recently viral $3.50 fried fish sandwich at San Leandro’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/viral-sandwich-san-leandro-21322422.php\">Chinese Bakery & Deli\u003c/a>. He loved it, but his first thought afterward was, “This would be \u003cem>so\u003c/em> great if it was the [Vietnamese] dill-and-turmeric fish,” aka Chả cá Lã Vọng, which is often made with grilled catfish.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tweaking the original by frying the fish with panko breading, adding his own signature umami mayo and putting it all on a homemade milk bread bun is exactly the type of next-gen twist that makes San José’s Vietnamese pop-up ecosystem so exciting.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Tweaking the original by frying the fish with panko breading, adding his own signature umami mayo and putting it all on a homemade milk bread bun is exactly the type of next-gen twist that makes San José’s Vietnamese pop-up ecosystem so exciting.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"arts_13983625",
"arts_13905293",
"arts_13904913"
],
"labelWasCleared": true,
"query": "",
"label": "",
"maxPosts": 3,
"showImages": true,
"heroImage": "",
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Hong, however, the Cà Phê & Bánh is about more than just the food itself. Over the past couple of decades, he explains, Lion Plaza’s slowly lost a little bit of its luster, as the South Bay’s Vietnamese community has been drawn to newer, shinier malls on Story Road.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For Hong, however, the Cà Phê & Bánh is about more than just the food itself. Over the past couple of decades, he explains, Lion Plaza’s slowly lost a little bit of its luster, as the South Bay’s Vietnamese community has been drawn to newer, shinier malls on Story Road.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My cousins told me stories,” says Hong, who grew up in Southern California but had lots of family in San José. During the plaza’s 1990s–early 2000s heyday, he says, “The parking lot during Lunar New Year was insane. It was definitely the original Vietnamese plaza mecca.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“My cousins told me stories,” says Hong, who grew up in Southern California but had lots of family in San José. During the plaza’s 1990s–early 2000s heyday, he says, “The parking lot during Lunar New Year was insane. It was definitely the original Vietnamese plaza mecca.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994838,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "Main facade of a shopping plaza with two lion statues in front.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg\" alt=\"Main facade of a shopping plaza with two lion statues in front.\" class=\"wp-image-13994838\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lion Plaza was at the center of San José’s first Vietnamese shopping district. A new wave of food entrepreneurs are hoping to bring back the crowds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg\" alt=\"Main facade of a shopping plaza with two lion statues in front.\" class=\"wp-image-13994838\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lion Plaza was at the center of San José’s first Vietnamese shopping district. A new wave of food entrepreneurs are hoping to bring back the crowds.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>No one knows better than Hong that business in the plaza is slower these days, despite the fact that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13983625/bot-chien-san-jose-vietnamese-rice-cake-omelettes-lion-plaza\">food court\u003c/a> remains one of the best in town. About 12 years ago, he and his sister moved to the Bay to take over the Lion Plaza location of \u003ca href=\"https://vansbakerysanjose.com/\">Van’s Bakery\u003c/a>, one the South Bay’s most famous and longstanding traditional Vietnamese bakeries, from their aunt and uncle. Hong says everyone he talks to about his day job tells him, “Oh, I know Van’s! My parents used to get my birthday cakes there all the time.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>No one knows better than Hong that business in the plaza is slower these days, despite the fact that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13983625/bot-chien-san-jose-vietnamese-rice-cake-omelettes-lion-plaza\">food court\u003c/a> remains one of the best in town. About 12 years ago, he and his sister moved to the Bay to take over the Lion Plaza location of \u003ca href=\"https://vansbakerysanjose.com/\">Van’s Bakery\u003c/a>, one the South Bay’s most famous and longstanding traditional Vietnamese bakeries, from their aunt and uncle. Hong says everyone he talks to about his day job tells him, “Oh, I know Van’s! My parents used to get my birthday cakes there all the time.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“But what about now?” Hong says. “Our goal is to have them come back.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“But what about now?” Hong says. “Our goal is to have them come back.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More than anything, then, he hopes Cà Phê & Bánh is the first “baby step” in that process. He doesn’t necessarily want to reinvent Lion Plaza, he says. Lion Plaza has always been great. But now, he says, “We got a fresh coat of paint” — literally.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>More than anything, then, he hopes Cà Phê & Bánh is the first “baby step” in that process. He doesn’t necessarily want to reinvent Lion Plaza, he says. Lion Plaza has always been great. But now, he says, “We got a fresh coat of paint” — literally.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s the same but also better,” Hong says about the strip mall. “It’s not stuck in the past.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“It’s the same but also better,” Hong says about the strip mall. “It’s not stuck in the past.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/ca-phe-and-banh\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> will pop up in the Lion Plaza parking lot (1816 Tully Rd., San José) on Saturday, Oct. 17 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Free admission; all food and drink will be sold a la carte. The event will also feature DJs and family-friendly craft activities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/ca-phe-and-banh\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> will pop up in the Lion Plaza parking lot (1816 Tully Rd., San José) on Saturday, Oct. 17 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Free admission; all food and drink will be sold a la carte. The event will also feature DJs and family-friendly craft activities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Cà Phê & Bánh brings Vietnamese coffee, matcha and pork floss croissants to Lion Plaza.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792207520,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 16,
"wordCount": 877
},
"headData": {
"title": "San José’s Lion Plaza Hosts A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pop-Up | KQED",
"description": "Cà Phê & Bánh brings Vietnamese coffee, matcha and pork floss croissants to Lion Plaza.",
"ogTitle": "A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pops Up at San José’s Most Nostalgic Strip Mall",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pops Up at San José’s Most Nostalgic Strip Mall",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "San José’s Lion Plaza Hosts A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pop-Up %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "A Rollicking Vietnamese Sidewalk Cafe Pops Up at San José’s Most Nostalgic Strip Mall",
"datePublished": "2026-10-16T14:31:50-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-16T20:25:20-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "Food",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994793",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994793/lion-plaza-san-jose-vietnamese-cafe-pop-up-tully-road-droo-the-baker",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>These days, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Plaza\">Lion Plaza\u003c/a> doesn’t get nearly as much hype as \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-jose\">San José’s\u003c/a> newer, splashier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13961537/san-jose-night-market-vietnamese-grand-century-mall\">Vietnamese malls\u003c/a> like Vietnam Town and Grand Century. But OGs know the Tully Road strip mall as the heart of the South Bay’s \u003cem>original \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJoVPdRljYw\">Little Saigon\u003c/a>, and the plaza has never lost that grassroots community vibe. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Case in point is this Saturday’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeCupp_vw-0/\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> pop-up, which aims to recreate the feel of a Vietnamese open-air sidewalk cafe right out in the strip mall’s parking lot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Organized by the \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/treba_sj/\">Tully Road Eastridge Business Association\u003c/a>, the morning cafe pop-up plans to deck out the parking lot with the iconic \u003ca href=\"https://vietcetera.com/en/a-brief-history-of-the-vietnamese-plastic-stool\">plastic red stools\u003c/a> and tables found at coffee shops and street-side restaurants all over Vietnam — a point of nostalgia for so many Vietnamese Americans.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re just trying to bring a little bit of Vietnam here,” Andrew Hong, one of the food vendors, tells KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg\" alt=\"A matcha drink and a coffee drink, both mixed with creamy foam.\" class=\"wp-image-13994841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/caffeine-depot-drinks-97e4b8ae-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of several drinks vendors to be featured at the event, Caffeine Depot will be selling both matcha drinks and Vietnamese coffee drinks. (Courtesy of Caffeine Depot)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hong, aka \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/droothebaker/\">Droo the Baker\u003c/a>, has curated a lineup of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeKNHNWm4qM/?img_index=1\">seven up-and-coming Vietnamese American beverage vendors and pastry chefs\u003c/a> to headline the event. South Bay crowd favorites include \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/nhathecafe/\">Nha the Cafe\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/caffeine.depot/\">Caffeine Depot\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fromem.co/\">From Em\u003c/a>. Caffeine hounds will have their pick of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13993389/best-matcha-bay-area-oakland-berkeley-sf-san-jose\">matcha\u003c/a> Einspänners, pandan milk tea and probably a dozen different twists on a classic phin-style Vietnamese coffee. Food-wise, there will be uber-trendy salt bread sandwiches, coffee-flavored Biscoff cookies and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The one pop-up I’m personally most excited to try is Hong’s own pop-up venture, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/gong.dessertshop/\">Gong Dessert Shop\u003c/a>, which will be selling pork-floss croissants (one of Hong’s signature dishes), pâté-stuffed puff pastry and what looks like a Vietnamese American take on a McDonald’s Filet-o-Fish sandwich (!).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994839\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e.jpg\" alt=\"A fried fish sandwich on a soft bun.\" class=\"wp-image-13994839\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/gong-fish-sandwich-f095944e-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Gong Dessert Shop’s fish sandwich is like a cross between a Filet-o-Fish and Vietnamese Chả cá Lã Vọng. (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513.jpg\" alt=\"Croissant topped with pork floss and scallions\" class=\"wp-image-13994840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/droo-the-baker-croissant-69661513-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This flaky pork-floss croissant is one of Hong’s signature items. (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Hong says the original inspiration for that particular stroke of genius came when he had the recently viral $3.50 fried fish sandwich at San Leandro’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/viral-sandwich-san-leandro-21322422.php\">Chinese Bakery & Deli\u003c/a>. He loved it, but his first thought afterward was, “This would be \u003cem>so\u003c/em> great if it was the [Vietnamese] dill-and-turmeric fish,” aka Chả cá Lã Vọng, which is often made with grilled catfish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tweaking the original by frying the fish with panko breading, adding his own signature umami mayo and putting it all on a homemade milk bread bun is exactly the type of next-gen twist that makes San José’s Vietnamese pop-up ecosystem so exciting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Hong, however, the Cà Phê & Bánh is about more than just the food itself. Over the past couple of decades, he explains, Lion Plaza’s slowly lost a little bit of its luster, as the South Bay’s Vietnamese community has been drawn to newer, shinier malls on Story Road.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My cousins told me stories,” says Hong, who grew up in Southern California but had lots of family in San José. During the plaza’s 1990s–early 2000s heyday, he says, “The parking lot during Lunar New Year was insane. It was definitely the original Vietnamese plaza mecca.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg\" alt=\"Main facade of a shopping plaza with two lion statues in front.\" class=\"wp-image-13994838\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/lion-plaza-5afec80f-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lion Plaza was at the center of San José’s first Vietnamese shopping district. A new wave of food entrepreneurs are hoping to bring back the crowds. (Courtesy of Andrew Hong)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No one knows better than Hong that business in the plaza is slower these days, despite the fact that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13983625/bot-chien-san-jose-vietnamese-rice-cake-omelettes-lion-plaza\">food court\u003c/a> remains one of the best in town. About 12 years ago, he and his sister moved to the Bay to take over the Lion Plaza location of \u003ca href=\"https://vansbakerysanjose.com/\">Van’s Bakery\u003c/a>, one the South Bay’s most famous and longstanding traditional Vietnamese bakeries, from their aunt and uncle. Hong says everyone he talks to about his day job tells him, “Oh, I know Van’s! My parents used to get my birthday cakes there all the time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But what about now?” Hong says. “Our goal is to have them come back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than anything, then, he hopes Cà Phê & Bánh is the first “baby step” in that process. He doesn’t necessarily want to reinvent Lion Plaza, he says. Lion Plaza has always been great. But now, he says, “We got a fresh coat of paint” — literally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s the same but also better,” Hong says about the strip mall. “It’s not stuck in the past.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://events.humanitix.com/ca-phe-and-banh\">Cà Phê & Bánh\u003c/a> will pop up in the Lion Plaza parking lot (1816 Tully Rd., San José) on Saturday, Oct. 17 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Free admission; all food and drink will be sold a la carte. The event will also feature DJs and family-friendly craft activities.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994793/lion-plaza-san-jose-vietnamese-cafe-pop-up-tully-road-droo-the-baker",
"authors": [
"11743"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1297",
"arts_9773",
"arts_14089",
"arts_1084",
"arts_585",
"arts_4385",
"arts_15126"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994837",
"label": "source_arts_13994793"
},
"arts_13994824": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994824",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994824",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1792181739000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "in-oh-mary-a-closeted-presidents-unhinged-wife-draws-cackles",
"title": "In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles",
"publishDate": 1792181739,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>What’s more interesting, the Civil War or singing in a cabaret club?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the lovely and limber Mary Todd Lincoln, it’s no contest, considering the war with the South prompts her to ask an important question: the South of what?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While at least 620,000 soldiers died in a conflict that still carries ramifications for the United States today, Mary isn’t thinking about that history and legacy mumbo jumbo. On her mind is much more critical business at hand, mostly involving her dream of climbing all over a piano crooning classic cabaret hits, tickling the ivories \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Lepore and John-Andrew Morrison in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alaska Thunderfuck and Wesley Taylor in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What’s more interesting, the Civil War or singing in a cabaret club?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>What’s more interesting, the Civil War or singing in a cabaret club?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For the lovely and limber Mary Todd Lincoln, it’s no contest, considering the war with the South prompts her to ask an important question: the South of what?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>For the lovely and limber Mary Todd Lincoln, it’s no contest, considering the war with the South prompts her to ask an important question: the South of what?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While at least 620,000 soldiers died in a conflict that still carries ramifications for the United States today, Mary isn’t thinking about that history and legacy mumbo jumbo. On her mind is much more critical business at hand, mostly involving her dream of climbing all over a piano crooning classic cabaret hits, tickling the ivories \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the audience.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>While at least 620,000 soldiers died in a conflict that still carries ramifications for the United States today, Mary isn’t thinking about that history and legacy mumbo jumbo. On her mind is much more critical business at hand, mostly involving her dream of climbing all over a piano crooning classic cabaret hits, tickling the ivories \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the audience.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994803,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Lepore and John-Andrew Morrison in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994803\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Lepore and John-Andrew Morrison in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994802,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994802\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"arts_13994153",
"arts_13994807"
],
"label": "More Theater Coverage",
"query": "",
"labelWasCleared": false,
"maxPosts": 3,
"showImages": true,
"heroImage": "",
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994805,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-1536x1025.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alaska Thunderfuck and Wesley Taylor in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994805\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alaska Thunderfuck and Wesley Taylor in ‘Oh, Mary!’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "The Pulitzer-nominated musical has opened in San Francisco, with drag star Alaska as Mary Todd Lincoln.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792182754,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 14,
"wordCount": 805
},
"headData": {
"title": "In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles | KQED",
"description": "The Pulitzer-nominated musical has opened in San Francisco, with drag star Alaska as Mary Todd Lincoln.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "In ‘Oh, Mary!,’ A Closeted President’s Unhinged Wife Draws Cackles",
"datePublished": "2026-10-16T13:15:39-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-16T13:32:34-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994824",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994824/in-oh-mary-a-closeted-presidents-unhinged-wife-draws-cackles",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>What’s more interesting, the Civil War or singing in a cabaret club?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the lovely and limber Mary Todd Lincoln, it’s no contest, considering the war with the South prompts her to ask an important question: the South of what?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While at least 620,000 soldiers died in a conflict that still carries ramifications for the United States today, Mary isn’t thinking about that history and legacy mumbo jumbo. On her mind is much more critical business at hand, mostly involving her dream of climbing all over a piano crooning classic cabaret hits, tickling the ivories \u003cem>and\u003c/em> the audience.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994803\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/MichaelLeporeandJohn-AndrewMorrisoninOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-cb3fd56c-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Lepore and John-Andrew Morrison in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In ATG San Francisco’s production of Cole Escola’s \u003cem>Oh, Mary! \u003c/em>at the Curran Theatre, chaos and conflict rule the day, and secrets are revealed in wild, wacky ways. It’s a show clearly not for everyone, with some seriously low-hanging fruit that the audience can snatch up immediately. Yet the play, a 2025 Pulitzer Prize in Drama finalist, is mighty bold and wonderfully irreverent, following a fictional, highly inaccurate version of the first lady in the weeks leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mary (Alaska Thunderfuck) is more than bored. She’s living a suffocating and banal life while spending way too much time with some guy named Jack Daniels, prancing all over the house in a gargantuan black hoop dress and curls that scream bratty (and a strange, perfectly coiffed bun that’s the centerpiece of her hair game). Her frustration with her top-hat hubby (John-Andrew Morrison) is that he just can’t lay off this Civil War stuff for an evening to ravage her with steamy passion. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Turns out the Civil War is kind of important, and since Mary yearns for a stage, her husband decides to pay for acting lessons with a wonderful but maybe not-so-talented teacher (Wesley Taylor). While Mary is distracted, things get steamy in secret between her husband and his assistant (Michael Lepore).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994802\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/PooyaMohseniandAlaskaThunderfuckinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-9d644c33-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pooya Mohseni and Alaska Thunderfuck in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Does the husband want Mary to become the next Dame Ellen Terry? That would be a hard no, considering he could care less about what she does, as long as it’s far away from him. Acting lessons, though, are a dissatisfying consolation prize for what Mary truly wants: a return as a singular sensation in cabaret, the greatest art form known to civilization. After all, theater is where cabaret stars go to die. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are a few others who catch strays from Mary’s razor-sharp tongue. Her chaperone Louise (Pooya Mohseni) has one job and even fails at that. The play’s pace is outstanding within its tight run time of 75 minutes. Sam Pinkleton’s direction lands each closing scene with sharpness, providing the audience ample opportunities to cackle in the dark. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These opportunities are built around Thunderfuck’s scintillating set of skills, a star vehicle that Escola himself crushed in my 2024 Broadway viewing. The role hinges on the performer’s nuance. For Thunderfuck, it’s the pensive teeth-sucking and dropping perfectly timed one-liners as Mary processes her new reality in each discovered moment. Notice the quick thinking when Mary realizes she doesn’t have her handy Shakespeare script and hilariously improvises the nurse in \u003cem>Romeo and Juliet\u003c/em> at a critical audition. This new nurse is less Shakespearean and more like a Dickensian villain. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck possesses an uncanny ability to move through space with sleek sheen and maximum slitherance. Her physical prowess as a highly regarded drag star, in complete control of her body and its every gesture, is a constant delight.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Thunderfuck’s co-stars tee her up early and often, while being superb in their own right. Mary’s husband and his rough-and-tumble bouts with her are all about his never-ending frustration. Morrison marvels with his chaotic, closeted inner monologue. As Louise, Mohseni delivers balcony-reaching reactions that hit perfect notes within this irreverent and campy style. And Taylor’s turn as the tempestuous teacher is all riot, bounding all over the stage while leading with his booty. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994805\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/AlaskaThunderfuckandWesleyTaylorinOHMARYFirstNationalTour_photobyEvanZimmermanforMurphyMade-a1ef18fa-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Alaska Thunderfuck and Wesley Taylor in ‘Oh, Mary!’ (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>There are strict regulations about spoiling the ending, which shall not be done here. However, what does come in the play’s final scene is a real hoot. The denouement is not just a commitment to camp, but a love letter to the art of drag and all its magic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To borrow from Gen Z, this play and that ending are just \u003cem>stupid\u003c/em>, which is one heckuva compliment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Oh, Mary!’ runs through Nov. 1 at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://us.atgtickets.com/events/oh-mary/curran-theater/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23938240759&gbraid=0AAAAA9-vlNTk2Ub91rE6b0iTSiPscugu3&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlsfWBhD4ARIsACL7p1FrrhFP7_pPKMTlAKAJ-8Os5rV_vXUF8QIHvCt9AO7UdGfVULDlPCsaAj9ZEALw_wcB\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994824/in-oh-mary-a-closeted-presidents-unhinged-wife-draws-cackles",
"authors": [
"11905"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_22313",
"arts_967"
],
"tags": [
"arts_2347",
"arts_2372",
"arts_1556",
"arts_10278",
"arts_1146"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994804",
"label": "source_arts_13994824"
},
"arts_13994807": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994807",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994807",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1792172199000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "every-saturday-night-fillmore-district-sfbatco-review",
"title": "‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul",
"publishDate": 1792172199,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, a world-premiere musical that opened Thursday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a single mother living in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fillmore\">Fillmore District\u003c/a> opens her old Victorian home to the Black community each week to keep the party going well after the clubs close. It’s the story of a time when the Fillmore was filled with jazz music, prosperous businesses and community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, after so-called urban renewal in the 1970s decimated the cultural fabric of the neighborhood, and various attempts to recapture its “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957757/why-san-franciscos-fillmore-district-is-no-longer-the-harlem-of-the-west\">Harlem of the West\u003c/a>” vibrancy, that same area tells a very different story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donte (Darryl V. Jones), left, tells Adarè (Trevor Miller) about growing up in the Fillmore in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cowritten by Michael Gene Sullivan and Danny Duncan and produced by SFBATCO, \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em> casts the Fillmore itself as the show’s main character. Donte Coleman (Darryl V. Jones), tells stories of his childhood in the Fillmore to the teenage son of a new family looking to buy his home and move in. Having learned the history of the neighborhood, the family is shocked to see that it’s not what they expected. Samuel (Jon-David Randle), the new homebuyer, puts it plainly: “There aren’t as many Black people as I thought there would be.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across its 70-year timeline, from the 1950s to present day, the script is constant in its message, if a little hard to follow at times. The production comes alive when it reenacts the different parties hosted by Donte’s mother Ardella (Cathleen Riddley), providing a “nice place where colored folks can rest” at the end of a busy work week. Between these lively parties with loud jazz and busy dance numbers (with music by Othello Jefferson and choreography by the director, AeJay Antonis Marquis), there’s also a fight to save the district from encroaching redevelopment, and to protect Black residents from the removal that its Japanese residents had faced a few years earlier. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doris (Imri Tate) speaks out against urban renewal and the displacement of the Fillmore’s Black community in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Doris (Imri M. Tate) is crusader for this cause, and convinces Ardella to join her. (“I don’t want to be moved out of my home because somebody wants to bleach the Fillmoe like a damn shirt,” Doris says.) In the original song “For the Greater Good of the Neighborhood,” Doris pleads for Ardella to keep her home, and the audience gets immersed into an anti-redevelopment protest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back to the present day, as Donte bonds with the new family’s teenage son, Adarè (Trevor Miller), similar efforts are underway. A “Western Addition Heritage Association” knocks on the door trying to purchase and flip the house, under the guise of keeping it in the community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Young Donte (Jacob Henrie-Naffaa), center, and others dance the night away at Ardella’s after-hours joint in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, a world-premiere musical that opened Thursday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a single mother living in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fillmore\">Fillmore District\u003c/a> opens her old Victorian home to the Black community each week to keep the party going well after the clubs close. It’s the story of a time when the Fillmore was filled with jazz music, prosperous businesses and community.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, a world-premiere musical that opened Thursday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a single mother living in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fillmore\">Fillmore District\u003c/a> opens her old Victorian home to the Black community each week to keep the party going well after the clubs close. It’s the story of a time when the Fillmore was filled with jazz music, prosperous businesses and community.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Today, after so-called urban renewal in the 1970s decimated the cultural fabric of the neighborhood, and various attempts to recapture its “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957757/why-san-franciscos-fillmore-district-is-no-longer-the-harlem-of-the-west\">Harlem of the West\u003c/a>” vibrancy, that same area tells a very different story. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Today, after so-called urban renewal in the 1970s decimated the cultural fabric of the neighborhood, and various attempts to recapture its “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957757/why-san-franciscos-fillmore-district-is-no-longer-the-harlem-of-the-west\">Harlem of the West\u003c/a>” vibrancy, that same area tells a very different story. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994799,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2048x1366.jpg 2048w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donte (Darryl V. Jones), left, tells Adarè (Trevor Miller) about growing up in the Fillmore in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994799\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donte (Darryl V. Jones), left, tells Adarè (Trevor Miller) about growing up in the Fillmore in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cowritten by Michael Gene Sullivan and Danny Duncan and produced by SFBATCO, \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em> casts the Fillmore itself as the show’s main character. Donte Coleman (Darryl V. Jones), tells stories of his childhood in the Fillmore to the teenage son of a new family looking to buy his home and move in. Having learned the history of the neighborhood, the family is shocked to see that it’s not what they expected. Samuel (Jon-David Randle), the new homebuyer, puts it plainly: “There aren’t as many Black people as I thought there would be.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Cowritten by Michael Gene Sullivan and Danny Duncan and produced by SFBATCO, \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em> casts the Fillmore itself as the show’s main character. Donte Coleman (Darryl V. Jones), tells stories of his childhood in the Fillmore to the teenage son of a new family looking to buy his home and move in. Having learned the history of the neighborhood, the family is shocked to see that it’s not what they expected. Samuel (Jon-David Randle), the new homebuyer, puts it plainly: “There aren’t as many Black people as I thought there would be.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Across its 70-year timeline, from the 1950s to present day, the script is constant in its message, if a little hard to follow at times. The production comes alive when it reenacts the different parties hosted by Donte’s mother Ardella (Cathleen Riddley), providing a “nice place where colored folks can rest” at the end of a busy work week. Between these lively parties with loud jazz and busy dance numbers (with music by Othello Jefferson and choreography by the director, AeJay Antonis Marquis), there’s also a fight to save the district from encroaching redevelopment, and to protect Black residents from the removal that its Japanese residents had faced a few years earlier. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Across its 70-year timeline, from the 1950s to present day, the script is constant in its message, if a little hard to follow at times. The production comes alive when it reenacts the different parties hosted by Donte’s mother Ardella (Cathleen Riddley), providing a “nice place where colored folks can rest” at the end of a busy work week. Between these lively parties with loud jazz and busy dance numbers (with music by Othello Jefferson and choreography by the director, AeJay Antonis Marquis), there’s also a fight to save the district from encroaching redevelopment, and to protect Black residents from the removal that its Japanese residents had faced a few years earlier. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994800,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2048x1366.jpg 2048w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doris (Imri Tate) speaks out against urban renewal and the displacement of the Fillmore’s Black community in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994800\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doris (Imri Tate) speaks out against urban renewal and the displacement of the Fillmore’s Black community in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Doris (Imri M. Tate) is crusader for this cause, and convinces Ardella to join her. (“I don’t want to be moved out of my home because somebody wants to bleach the Fillmoe like a damn shirt,” Doris says.) In the original song “For the Greater Good of the Neighborhood,” Doris pleads for Ardella to keep her home, and the audience gets immersed into an anti-redevelopment protest. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Doris (Imri M. Tate) is crusader for this cause, and convinces Ardella to join her. (“I don’t want to be moved out of my home because somebody wants to bleach the Fillmoe like a damn shirt,” Doris says.) In the original song “For the Greater Good of the Neighborhood,” Doris pleads for Ardella to keep her home, and the audience gets immersed into an anti-redevelopment protest. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Back to the present day, as Donte bonds with the new family’s teenage son, Adarè (Trevor Miller), similar efforts are underway. A “Western Addition Heritage Association” knocks on the door trying to purchase and flip the house, under the guise of keeping it in the community. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Back to the present day, as Donte bonds with the new family’s teenage son, Adarè (Trevor Miller), similar efforts are underway. A “Western Addition Heritage Association” knocks on the door trying to purchase and flip the house, under the guise of keeping it in the community. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994801,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2048x1366.jpg 2048w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Young Donte (Jacob Henrie-Naffaa), center, and others dance the night away at Ardella’s after-hours joint in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994801\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Young Donte (Jacob Henrie-Naffaa), center, and others dance the night away at Ardella’s after-hours joint in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Full of vibrant jazz and activist camaraderie, this new musical brings the neighborhood’s history to life.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792172407,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 8,
"wordCount": 583
},
"headData": {
"title": "Review: ‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul | KQED",
"description": "Full of vibrant jazz and activist camaraderie, this new musical brings the neighborhood’s history to life.",
"ogTitle": "‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul",
"ogDescription": "Full of vibrant jazz and activist camaraderie, this new musical brings the neighborhood’s history to life.",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul",
"twDescription": "Full of vibrant jazz and activist camaraderie, this new musical brings the neighborhood’s history to life.",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Review: ‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"socialDescription": "Full of vibrant jazz and activist camaraderie, this new musical brings the neighborhood’s history to life.",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "‘Every Saturday Night’ Captures a Fight for the Fillmore’s Soul",
"datePublished": "2026-10-16T10:36:39-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-16T10:40:07-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994807",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994807/every-saturday-night-fillmore-district-sfbatco-review",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, a world-premiere musical that opened Thursday in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>, a single mother living in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fillmore\">Fillmore District\u003c/a> opens her old Victorian home to the Black community each week to keep the party going well after the clubs close. It’s the story of a time when the Fillmore was filled with jazz music, prosperous businesses and community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, after so-called urban renewal in the 1970s decimated the cultural fabric of the neighborhood, and various attempts to recapture its “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11957757/why-san-franciscos-fillmore-district-is-no-longer-the-harlem-of-the-west\">Harlem of the West\u003c/a>” vibrancy, that same area tells a very different story. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994799\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-29-1e9387ec-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donte (Darryl V. Jones), left, tells Adarè (Trevor Miller) about growing up in the Fillmore in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cowritten by Michael Gene Sullivan and Danny Duncan and produced by SFBATCO, \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em> casts the Fillmore itself as the show’s main character. Donte Coleman (Darryl V. Jones), tells stories of his childhood in the Fillmore to the teenage son of a new family looking to buy his home and move in. Having learned the history of the neighborhood, the family is shocked to see that it’s not what they expected. Samuel (Jon-David Randle), the new homebuyer, puts it plainly: “There aren’t as many Black people as I thought there would be.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Across its 70-year timeline, from the 1950s to present day, the script is constant in its message, if a little hard to follow at times. The production comes alive when it reenacts the different parties hosted by Donte’s mother Ardella (Cathleen Riddley), providing a “nice place where colored folks can rest” at the end of a busy work week. Between these lively parties with loud jazz and busy dance numbers (with music by Othello Jefferson and choreography by the director, AeJay Antonis Marquis), there’s also a fight to save the district from encroaching redevelopment, and to protect Black residents from the removal that its Japanese residents had faced a few years earlier. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-82-d59f5932-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Doris (Imri Tate) speaks out against urban renewal and the displacement of the Fillmore’s Black community in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Doris (Imri M. Tate) is crusader for this cause, and convinces Ardella to join her. (“I don’t want to be moved out of my home because somebody wants to bleach the Fillmoe like a damn shirt,” Doris says.) In the original song “For the Greater Good of the Neighborhood,” Doris pleads for Ardella to keep her home, and the audience gets immersed into an anti-redevelopment protest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back to the present day, as Donte bonds with the new family’s teenage son, Adarè (Trevor Miller), similar efforts are underway. A “Western Addition Heritage Association” knocks on the door trying to purchase and flip the house, under the guise of keeping it in the community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2500\" height=\"1667\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994801\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2000x1334.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/EverySaturdayNightcAlexaLexMexTreviño-51-44c859bd-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Young Donte (Jacob Henrie-Naffaa), center, and others dance the night away at Ardella’s after-hours joint in SFBATCO’s ‘Every Saturday Night.’ (Alexa LexMex Treviño)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco is an ever-changing city, for better or for worse. In \u003cem>Every Saturday Night\u003c/em>, emotional and comedic performances bring the city’s history into the present day. “There’s still efforts to disappear and erase the Fillmoe,” Marquis said during a pre-show discussion on opening night. “We are trying to keep it alive.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Every Saturday Night’ runs through Nov. 1 at The Strand (1127 Market St., San Francisco). \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.act-sf.org/whats-on/activate/every-saturday-night\">\u003cem>Tickets and more information here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994807/every-saturday-night-fillmore-district-sfbatco-review",
"authors": [
"12013"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_69",
"arts_235",
"arts_22313",
"arts_967"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1806",
"arts_1332",
"arts_1420",
"arts_769",
"arts_1146",
"arts_22052",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994798",
"label": "source_arts_13994807"
},
"arts_13994754": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994754",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994754",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1792003728000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "oaktown-spice-shop-oakland-where-to-buy-spices-restaurant-collaborations",
"title": "This Oakland Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices",
"publishDate": 1792003728,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "This Oakland Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>John Beaver recalls trying to find a local spice shop when he first moved to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> in the late 2000s. A quick Google search yielded only one result: “Spice Bazaar,” a fictional storefront from the 2006 romantic drama \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mistress_of_Spices_(film)\">\u003cem>Mistress of Spices\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which had been filmed in Old Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the real world, Bay Area home cooks mostly had to settle for the supermarket spice aisle. At the time, Beaver recalls, the handful of spice businesses in the Bay Area mostly only sold very large quantities, or had a more medicinal focus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As far as a place that would grind and blend the spices in-house, as far as I know, there wasn’t anyone doing it,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, Beaver and his wife Erica Perez decided to open their own spice shop in Oakland. That business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownspice/\">Oaktown Spice Shop\u003c/a>, quickly emerged as an East Bay staple for both restaurants and ambitious home cooks. Now boasting three Bay Area locations, plus a fourth in Los Angeles, Oaktown Spice celebrates its 15th anniversary this month with a series of local collaborations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DePg2HGmgSy/?img_index=1\">Twenty-three Bay Area restaurants and bars\u003c/a> have created limited-time menu items meant to show off the vast inventory of spice blends the shop grinds in-house — say, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeSM1BHj7LH/?img_index=1\">martini\u003c/a> rimmed with shichimi togarashi at Umami Mart or \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeM5qX2GFly/?img_index=1\">vadouvan-dusted fried tofu\u003c/a> at Joodooboo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg\" alt=\"Large block of fried tofu, the top half of which is dusted with spice.\" class=\"wp-image-13994759\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crispy tofu with vadouvan at Joodooboo in Oakland. (Courtesy of Joodooboo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back in 2011, when he opened his first store, Beaver didn’t have experience running a business, but he did have a background in spices. As a high schooler in Wisconsin, and on and off during his twenties, Beaver worked for The Spice House, a family-run spice shop in Milwaukee. Beaver enjoyed talking with customers about what they were cooking and which flavor profiles they liked, and then introducing them to a dried chile, say, or a specific varietal of peppercorn they might not have otherwise considered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s helped for Oaktown Spice Shop’s success, of course, that the market for fresh, high-quality spices has exploded over the past decade. When the shop first opened, few home cooks who weren’t of Arabic or North African descent were likely to keep sumac in their pantries. Now, it’s commonplace. (“You can kind of pinpoint it to Ottolenghi,” Beaver says, referencing the British-Israeli chef whose cookbooks became wildly popular over the course of the 2010s.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As spice-forward, non-European cuisines became trendier and more mainstream, customers increasingly began seeking out things like berbere and Sichuan peppercorns. They began to understand the world of difference between a freshly ground spice blend and a jar of McCormick’s that had been sitting on the supermarket shelf for God knows how many months or years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg\" alt=\"A soft-boiled egg topped with dried chilies and sesame seeds.\" class=\"wp-image-13994761\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A twist on a deviled egg, topped with Oaktown Spice Shop’s Eastern Mediterranean Spice Blend, at Octavia in San Francisco. (Courtesy of Octavia)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Where Beaver once had a hard time finding even a single dedicated spice shop, there’s now a whole landscape of boutique operations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13920057/diaspora-co-jaggery-decolonizing-oakland-spice-company\">Diaspora Co.\u003c/a>, also founded in Oakland, specializes in sourcing spices from small farmers in India. And the Ethiopian restaurant Cafe Colucci now sells East African spices through the importing arm of its business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.brundo.com/pages/about-us\">Brundo Spice Company\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, dozens of Bay Area restaurants regularly turn to Oaktown Spice Shop for help sourcing particularly interesting and hard-to-find spice varietals. The idea behind the “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” anniversary promotion is for the shop to highlight some of the small local businesses that have been buying spices from Oaktown Spice for years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We wanted to show them some love,” says accounts manager Hannah Tobin-Bloch.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1979\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg\" alt=\"Fried chicken wings topped the black peppercorns, with pickled radishes and a lime wedge on the side.\" class=\"wp-image-13994763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-160x158.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-768x760.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-1536x1520.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Khmer fried chicken wings at Lunette in San Francisco. (Courtesy of Lunette)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s also an opportunity for diners to experience the power and potency of a spice or spice blend that’s been deployed in an interesting way. Take the simple peppercorn, for instance. This month, diners might head to Lunette, chef Nite Yun’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927259/cambodian-restaurant-khmer-food-sithas-khmerkitchen-oakland-sf\">Cambodian\u003c/a> spot in the SF Ferry Building, to taste the famously intense Kampot peppercorns the restaurant uses for its Khmer salt-and-pepper chicken wings. Or they can try Oakland pasta standout Sfizio’s miso cacio e pepe, which instead highlights the fruity flavors of late-harvest peppercorns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Popular spice blends like Oaktown Spice Shop’s shichimi togarashi appear in multiple special dishes: as a topping for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeQfmoeEkuD/?img_index=2\">cheesy focaccia\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990903/as-kneaded-cafe-san-leandro-library-baguette-quiche\">As Kneaded Bakery\u003c/a> and in a sake-and-gin “Shichimitini” at Umami Mart.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All told, it’s something of a golden age for spice connoisseurs in the Bay Area. As Beaver sees it, the spices themselves have always been appealing. It’s just that these days, people have a wealth of opportunities to experience those spices in a more appealing way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nobody was probably \u003cem>that\u003c/em> excited about the spice aisle of the supermarket,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the name of the Milwaukee spice shop where John Beaver had worked.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” limited-time dishes will be available at select Bay Area restaurants through Oct. 25. See the link on Oaktown Spice Shop’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://oaktownspiceshop.com/pages/events\">\u003cem>events page\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for a full list of participating bars and restaurants and the specific dishes they’ll be selling. The store will also host an \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Deeuy4Km1r9/?img_index=1\">anniversary party\u003c/a> at each of its locations on Sunday, Oct. 25.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>John Beaver recalls trying to find a local spice shop when he first moved to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> in the late 2000s. A quick Google search yielded only one result: “Spice Bazaar,” a fictional storefront from the 2006 romantic drama \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mistress_of_Spices_(film)\">\u003cem>Mistress of Spices\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which had been filmed in Old Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>John Beaver recalls trying to find a local spice shop when he first moved to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> in the late 2000s. A quick Google search yielded only one result: “Spice Bazaar,” a fictional storefront from the 2006 romantic drama \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mistress_of_Spices_(film)\">\u003cem>Mistress of Spices\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which had been filmed in Old Oakland.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the real world, Bay Area home cooks mostly had to settle for the supermarket spice aisle. At the time, Beaver recalls, the handful of spice businesses in the Bay Area mostly only sold very large quantities, or had a more medicinal focus. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In the real world, Bay Area home cooks mostly had to settle for the supermarket spice aisle. At the time, Beaver recalls, the handful of spice businesses in the Bay Area mostly only sold very large quantities, or had a more medicinal focus. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“As far as a place that would grind and blend the spices in-house, as far as I know, there wasn’t anyone doing it,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“As far as a place that would grind and blend the spices in-house, as far as I know, there wasn’t anyone doing it,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So, Beaver and his wife Erica Perez decided to open their own spice shop in Oakland. That business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownspice/\">Oaktown Spice Shop\u003c/a>, quickly emerged as an East Bay staple for both restaurants and ambitious home cooks. Now boasting three Bay Area locations, plus a fourth in Los Angeles, Oaktown Spice celebrates its 15th anniversary this month with a series of local collaborations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DePg2HGmgSy/?img_index=1\">Twenty-three Bay Area restaurants and bars\u003c/a> have created limited-time menu items meant to show off the vast inventory of spice blends the shop grinds in-house — say, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeSM1BHj7LH/?img_index=1\">martini\u003c/a> rimmed with shichimi togarashi at Umami Mart or \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeM5qX2GFly/?img_index=1\">vadouvan-dusted fried tofu\u003c/a> at Joodooboo.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>So, Beaver and his wife Erica Perez decided to open their own spice shop in Oakland. That business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownspice/\">Oaktown Spice Shop\u003c/a>, quickly emerged as an East Bay staple for both restaurants and ambitious home cooks. Now boasting three Bay Area locations, plus a fourth in Los Angeles, Oaktown Spice celebrates its 15th anniversary this month with a series of local collaborations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DePg2HGmgSy/?img_index=1\">Twenty-three Bay Area restaurants and bars\u003c/a> have created limited-time menu items meant to show off the vast inventory of spice blends the shop grinds in-house — say, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeSM1BHj7LH/?img_index=1\">martini\u003c/a> rimmed with shichimi togarashi at Umami Mart or \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeM5qX2GFly/?img_index=1\">vadouvan-dusted fried tofu\u003c/a> at Joodooboo.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994759,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "Large block of fried tofu, the top half of which is dusted with spice.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg\" alt=\"Large block of fried tofu, the top half of which is dusted with spice.\" class=\"wp-image-13994759\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crispy tofu with vadouvan at Joodooboo in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Joodooboo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg\" alt=\"Large block of fried tofu, the top half of which is dusted with spice.\" class=\"wp-image-13994759\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crispy tofu with vadouvan at Joodooboo in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Joodooboo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Back in 2011, when he opened his first store, Beaver didn’t have experience running a business, but he did have a background in spices. As a high schooler in Wisconsin, and on and off during his twenties, Beaver worked for The Spice House, a family-run spice shop in Milwaukee. Beaver enjoyed talking with customers about what they were cooking and which flavor profiles they liked, and then introducing them to a dried chile, say, or a specific varietal of peppercorn they might not have otherwise considered. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Back in 2011, when he opened his first store, Beaver didn’t have experience running a business, but he did have a background in spices. As a high schooler in Wisconsin, and on and off during his twenties, Beaver worked for The Spice House, a family-run spice shop in Milwaukee. Beaver enjoyed talking with customers about what they were cooking and which flavor profiles they liked, and then introducing them to a dried chile, say, or a specific varietal of peppercorn they might not have otherwise considered. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"arts_13924997",
"forum_2010101891293"
],
"labelWasCleared": true,
"query": "",
"label": "",
"maxPosts": 3,
"showImages": true,
"heroImage": "",
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s helped for Oaktown Spice Shop’s success, of course, that the market for fresh, high-quality spices has exploded over the past decade. When the shop first opened, few home cooks who weren’t of Arabic or North African descent were likely to keep sumac in their pantries. Now, it’s commonplace. (“You can kind of pinpoint it to Ottolenghi,” Beaver says, referencing the British-Israeli chef whose cookbooks became wildly popular over the course of the 2010s.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s helped for Oaktown Spice Shop’s success, of course, that the market for fresh, high-quality spices has exploded over the past decade. When the shop first opened, few home cooks who weren’t of Arabic or North African descent were likely to keep sumac in their pantries. Now, it’s commonplace. (“You can kind of pinpoint it to Ottolenghi,” Beaver says, referencing the British-Israeli chef whose cookbooks became wildly popular over the course of the 2010s.)\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As spice-forward, non-European cuisines became trendier and more mainstream, customers increasingly began seeking out things like berbere and Sichuan peppercorns. They began to understand the world of difference between a freshly ground spice blend and a jar of McCormick’s that had been sitting on the supermarket shelf for God knows how many months or years.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>As spice-forward, non-European cuisines became trendier and more mainstream, customers increasingly began seeking out things like berbere and Sichuan peppercorns. They began to understand the world of difference between a freshly ground spice blend and a jar of McCormick’s that had been sitting on the supermarket shelf for God knows how many months or years.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994761,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "A soft-boiled egg topped with dried chilies and sesame seeds.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg\" alt=\"A soft-boiled egg topped with dried chilies and sesame seeds.\" class=\"wp-image-13994761\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A twist on a deviled egg, topped with Oaktown Spice Shop’s Eastern Mediterranean Spice Blend, at Octavia in San Francisco.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Octavia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg\" alt=\"A soft-boiled egg topped with dried chilies and sesame seeds.\" class=\"wp-image-13994761\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A twist on a deviled egg, topped with Oaktown Spice Shop’s Eastern Mediterranean Spice Blend, at Octavia in San Francisco.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Octavia)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Where Beaver once had a hard time finding even a single dedicated spice shop, there’s now a whole landscape of boutique operations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13920057/diaspora-co-jaggery-decolonizing-oakland-spice-company\">Diaspora Co.\u003c/a>, also founded in Oakland, specializes in sourcing spices from small farmers in India. And the Ethiopian restaurant Cafe Colucci now sells East African spices through the importing arm of its business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.brundo.com/pages/about-us\">Brundo Spice Company\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Where Beaver once had a hard time finding even a single dedicated spice shop, there’s now a whole landscape of boutique operations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13920057/diaspora-co-jaggery-decolonizing-oakland-spice-company\">Diaspora Co.\u003c/a>, also founded in Oakland, specializes in sourcing spices from small farmers in India. And the Ethiopian restaurant Cafe Colucci now sells East African spices through the importing arm of its business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.brundo.com/pages/about-us\">Brundo Spice Company\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, dozens of Bay Area restaurants regularly turn to Oaktown Spice Shop for help sourcing particularly interesting and hard-to-find spice varietals. The idea behind the “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” anniversary promotion is for the shop to highlight some of the small local businesses that have been buying spices from Oaktown Spice for years.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, dozens of Bay Area restaurants regularly turn to Oaktown Spice Shop for help sourcing particularly interesting and hard-to-find spice varietals. The idea behind the “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” anniversary promotion is for the shop to highlight some of the small local businesses that have been buying spices from Oaktown Spice for years.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We wanted to show them some love,” says accounts manager Hannah Tobin-Bloch.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We wanted to show them some love,” says accounts manager Hannah Tobin-Bloch.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994763,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "Fried chicken wings topped the black peppercorns, with pickled radishes and a lime wedge on the side.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-160x158.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-768x760.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-1536x1520.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg\" alt=\"Fried chicken wings topped the black peppercorns, with pickled radishes and a lime wedge on the side.\" class=\"wp-image-13994763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-160x158.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-768x760.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-1536x1520.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Khmer fried chicken wings at Lunette in San Francisco.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Lunette)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg\" alt=\"Fried chicken wings topped the black peppercorns, with pickled radishes and a lime wedge on the side.\" class=\"wp-image-13994763\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Khmer fried chicken wings at Lunette in San Francisco.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of Lunette)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s also an opportunity for diners to experience the power and potency of a spice or spice blend that’s been deployed in an interesting way. Take the simple peppercorn, for instance. This month, diners might head to Lunette, chef Nite Yun’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927259/cambodian-restaurant-khmer-food-sithas-khmerkitchen-oakland-sf\">Cambodian\u003c/a> spot in the SF Ferry Building, to taste the famously intense Kampot peppercorns the restaurant uses for its Khmer salt-and-pepper chicken wings. Or they can try Oakland pasta standout Sfizio’s miso cacio e pepe, which instead highlights the fruity flavors of late-harvest peppercorns.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s also an opportunity for diners to experience the power and potency of a spice or spice blend that’s been deployed in an interesting way. Take the simple peppercorn, for instance. This month, diners might head to Lunette, chef Nite Yun’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927259/cambodian-restaurant-khmer-food-sithas-khmerkitchen-oakland-sf\">Cambodian\u003c/a> spot in the SF Ferry Building, to taste the famously intense Kampot peppercorns the restaurant uses for its Khmer salt-and-pepper chicken wings. Or they can try Oakland pasta standout Sfizio’s miso cacio e pepe, which instead highlights the fruity flavors of late-harvest peppercorns.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Popular spice blends like Oaktown Spice Shop’s shichimi togarashi appear in multiple special dishes: as a topping for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeQfmoeEkuD/?img_index=2\">cheesy focaccia\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990903/as-kneaded-cafe-san-leandro-library-baguette-quiche\">As Kneaded Bakery\u003c/a> and in a sake-and-gin “Shichimitini” at Umami Mart.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Popular spice blends like Oaktown Spice Shop’s shichimi togarashi appear in multiple special dishes: as a topping for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeQfmoeEkuD/?img_index=2\">cheesy focaccia\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990903/as-kneaded-cafe-san-leandro-library-baguette-quiche\">As Kneaded Bakery\u003c/a> and in a sake-and-gin “Shichimitini” at Umami Mart.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>All told, it’s something of a golden age for spice connoisseurs in the Bay Area. As Beaver sees it, the spices themselves have always been appealing. It’s just that these days, people have a wealth of opportunities to experience those spices in a more appealing way.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>All told, it’s something of a golden age for spice connoisseurs in the Bay Area. As Beaver sees it, the spices themselves have always been appealing. It’s just that these days, people have a wealth of opportunities to experience those spices in a more appealing way.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Nobody was probably \u003cem>that\u003c/em> excited about the spice aisle of the supermarket,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Nobody was probably \u003cem>that\u003c/em> excited about the spice aisle of the supermarket,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the name of the Milwaukee spice shop where John Beaver had worked.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the name of the Milwaukee spice shop where John Beaver had worked.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” limited-time dishes will be available at select Bay Area restaurants through Oct. 25. See the link on Oaktown Spice Shop’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://oaktownspiceshop.com/pages/events\">\u003cem>events page\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for a full list of participating bars and restaurants and the specific dishes they’ll be selling. The store will also host an \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Deeuy4Km1r9/?img_index=1\">anniversary party\u003c/a> at each of its locations on Sunday, Oct. 25.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” limited-time dishes will be available at select Bay Area restaurants through Oct. 25. See the link on Oaktown Spice Shop’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://oaktownspiceshop.com/pages/events\">\u003cem>events page\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for a full list of participating bars and restaurants and the specific dishes they’ll be selling. The store will also host an \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Deeuy4Km1r9/?img_index=1\">anniversary party\u003c/a> at each of its locations on Sunday, Oct. 25.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Oaktown Spice Shop is collaborating with restaurants on a series of limited-edition dishes.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792019894,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 17,
"wordCount": 905
},
"headData": {
"title": "Oaktown Spice Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices | KQED",
"description": "To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Oaktown Spice Shop is collaborating with restaurants on a series of limited-edition dishes.",
"ogTitle": "This Oakland Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "This Oakland Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Oaktown Spice Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "This Oakland Shop Changed the Way Home Cooks Think About Spices",
"datePublished": "2026-10-14T11:48:48-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-14T16:18:14-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 12276,
"slug": "food",
"name": "Food"
},
"source": "Food",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994754",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994754/oaktown-spice-shop-oakland-where-to-buy-spices-restaurant-collaborations",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>John Beaver recalls trying to find a local spice shop when he first moved to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> in the late 2000s. A quick Google search yielded only one result: “Spice Bazaar,” a fictional storefront from the 2006 romantic drama \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mistress_of_Spices_(film)\">\u003cem>Mistress of Spices\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which had been filmed in Old Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the real world, Bay Area home cooks mostly had to settle for the supermarket spice aisle. At the time, Beaver recalls, the handful of spice businesses in the Bay Area mostly only sold very large quantities, or had a more medicinal focus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“As far as a place that would grind and blend the spices in-house, as far as I know, there wasn’t anyone doing it,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, Beaver and his wife Erica Perez decided to open their own spice shop in Oakland. That business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownspice/\">Oaktown Spice Shop\u003c/a>, quickly emerged as an East Bay staple for both restaurants and ambitious home cooks. Now boasting three Bay Area locations, plus a fourth in Los Angeles, Oaktown Spice celebrates its 15th anniversary this month with a series of local collaborations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DePg2HGmgSy/?img_index=1\">Twenty-three Bay Area restaurants and bars\u003c/a> have created limited-time menu items meant to show off the vast inventory of spice blends the shop grinds in-house — say, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeSM1BHj7LH/?img_index=1\">martini\u003c/a> rimmed with shichimi togarashi at Umami Mart or \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeM5qX2GFly/?img_index=1\">vadouvan-dusted fried tofu\u003c/a> at Joodooboo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg\" alt=\"Large block of fried tofu, the top half of which is dusted with spice.\" class=\"wp-image-13994759\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Joodooboo-Crispy-Tofu-with-Vadouvan-96521c93-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Crispy tofu with vadouvan at Joodooboo in Oakland. (Courtesy of Joodooboo)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Back in 2011, when he opened his first store, Beaver didn’t have experience running a business, but he did have a background in spices. As a high schooler in Wisconsin, and on and off during his twenties, Beaver worked for The Spice House, a family-run spice shop in Milwaukee. Beaver enjoyed talking with customers about what they were cooking and which flavor profiles they liked, and then introducing them to a dried chile, say, or a specific varietal of peppercorn they might not have otherwise considered. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s helped for Oaktown Spice Shop’s success, of course, that the market for fresh, high-quality spices has exploded over the past decade. When the shop first opened, few home cooks who weren’t of Arabic or North African descent were likely to keep sumac in their pantries. Now, it’s commonplace. (“You can kind of pinpoint it to Ottolenghi,” Beaver says, referencing the British-Israeli chef whose cookbooks became wildly popular over the course of the 2010s.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As spice-forward, non-European cuisines became trendier and more mainstream, customers increasingly began seeking out things like berbere and Sichuan peppercorns. They began to understand the world of difference between a freshly ground spice blend and a jar of McCormick’s that had been sitting on the supermarket shelf for God knows how many months or years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg\" alt=\"A soft-boiled egg topped with dried chilies and sesame seeds.\" class=\"wp-image-13994761\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Octavia-_Devil_s-Egg_-with-Eastern-Mediterranean-Spice_2-1a997d7a-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A twist on a deviled egg, topped with Oaktown Spice Shop’s Eastern Mediterranean Spice Blend, at Octavia in San Francisco. (Courtesy of Octavia)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Where Beaver once had a hard time finding even a single dedicated spice shop, there’s now a whole landscape of boutique operations. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13920057/diaspora-co-jaggery-decolonizing-oakland-spice-company\">Diaspora Co.\u003c/a>, also founded in Oakland, specializes in sourcing spices from small farmers in India. And the Ethiopian restaurant Cafe Colucci now sells East African spices through the importing arm of its business, \u003ca href=\"https://www.brundo.com/pages/about-us\">Brundo Spice Company\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, dozens of Bay Area restaurants regularly turn to Oaktown Spice Shop for help sourcing particularly interesting and hard-to-find spice varietals. The idea behind the “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” anniversary promotion is for the shop to highlight some of the small local businesses that have been buying spices from Oaktown Spice for years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We wanted to show them some love,” says accounts manager Hannah Tobin-Bloch.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1979\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg\" alt=\"Fried chicken wings topped the black peppercorns, with pickled radishes and a lime wedge on the side.\" class=\"wp-image-13994763\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-160x158.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-768x760.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Lunette-Khmer-Fried-Chicken-with-Kampot-Peppercorns-77367029-1536x1520.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Khmer fried chicken wings at Lunette in San Francisco. (Courtesy of Lunette)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s also an opportunity for diners to experience the power and potency of a spice or spice blend that’s been deployed in an interesting way. Take the simple peppercorn, for instance. This month, diners might head to Lunette, chef Nite Yun’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13927259/cambodian-restaurant-khmer-food-sithas-khmerkitchen-oakland-sf\">Cambodian\u003c/a> spot in the SF Ferry Building, to taste the famously intense Kampot peppercorns the restaurant uses for its Khmer salt-and-pepper chicken wings. Or they can try Oakland pasta standout Sfizio’s miso cacio e pepe, which instead highlights the fruity flavors of late-harvest peppercorns.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Popular spice blends like Oaktown Spice Shop’s shichimi togarashi appear in multiple special dishes: as a topping for a \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/DeQfmoeEkuD/?img_index=2\">cheesy focaccia\u003c/a> at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13990903/as-kneaded-cafe-san-leandro-library-baguette-quiche\">As Kneaded Bakery\u003c/a> and in a sake-and-gin “Shichimitini” at Umami Mart.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All told, it’s something of a golden age for spice connoisseurs in the Bay Area. As Beaver sees it, the spices themselves have always been appealing. It’s just that these days, people have a wealth of opportunities to experience those spices in a more appealing way.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Nobody was probably \u003cem>that\u003c/em> excited about the spice aisle of the supermarket,” Beaver says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the name of the Milwaukee spice shop where John Beaver had worked.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The “Oaktown Spice Shop x Your Favorite Restaurant” limited-time dishes will be available at select Bay Area restaurants through Oct. 25. See the link on Oaktown Spice Shop’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://oaktownspiceshop.com/pages/events\">\u003cem>events page\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> for a full list of participating bars and restaurants and the specific dishes they’ll be selling. The store will also host an \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Deeuy4Km1r9/?img_index=1\">anniversary party\u003c/a> at each of its locations on Sunday, Oct. 25.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994754/oaktown-spice-shop-oakland-where-to-buy-spices-restaurant-collaborations",
"authors": [
"11743"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_12276"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1297",
"arts_1143",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994758",
"label": "source_arts_13994754"
},
"arts_13994336": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994336",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994336",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1791929592000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "oakland-public-conservatory-music-20-year-anniversary",
"title": "For 20 Years, Threads of Black American Music Have Converged Here",
"publishDate": 1791929592,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "For 20 Years, Threads of Black American Music Have Converged Here | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>It’s Halloween season, when some people dress up like skeletons, ghosts or witches. But when picking her costume, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930747/liner-notes-dr-angela-wellman-and-music-of-the-highest-order\">Dr. Angela Wellman\u003c/a> isn’t like most people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I could be Angélique Kidjo,” says the founder and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/\">Oakland Public Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (OPC). “Or I could be Abbey Lincoln.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She knows one thing, though: while fun, the costume invitation is also an extension of OPC’s ethos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1706\" height=\"2560\" data-id=\"13994406\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994406\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman, founder and CEO of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. (Courtesy Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"809\" height=\"794\" data-id=\"13930819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Angela Wellman looks directly into the camera as she plays her trombone.\" class=\"wp-image-13930819\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg 809w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-800x785.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-160x157.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-768x754.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 809px) 100vw, 809px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman plays her trombone. (Via Dr. Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s really about lifting up the legacy of our music,” says Wellman, “particularly Black music that was created post-Atlantic slave trade.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dressing as an artist who influenced you, Wellman tells me, is an opportunity to reflect on how “the people that make the music really matter in our lives.” That includes those in the ancestral realm as well as “somebody who you’re rocking with right now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving proper respect to “the now” is a core tenet for the OPC, which offers workshops and classes for growing musicians. The organization regularly invites established artists passing through the Bay Area to perform at their facility and speak to the students. Those interactions provide the students with an “understanding of whose shoulders they’re standing on,” says Wellman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994717\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman and Steve Turre, center, pose with students at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 10th’s anniversary gala. (Courtesy OPC)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Past guests include jazz vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.melaniecharles.com/\">Melanie Charles\u003c/a>, Afro-Peruvian artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cotitomedrano/?hl=en\">Juan Medrano Cotito\u003c/a>, Golden State Warriors DJ and hip-hop producer \u003ca href=\"https://djdsharp.co/\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Special guests for the 20th anniversary include trombonist \u003ca href=\"http://steveturre.com\">Steve Turre\u003c/a>, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band, and classical composer \u003ca href=\"https://marydwatkins.com/\">Mary Watkins\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Watkins, 87, is an unsung hero, Wellman attests. Watkins has composed three operas, four solo albums and scores for over 20 films and TV shows (including KQED’s \u003cem>Different Colors\u003c/em>). The former music director for San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Watkins’ work has been presented locally at the Oakland Opera Theater, and nationally at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’s a prolific composer and pianist,” Wellman says of Watkins, “so we’re giving her a lifetime achievement award.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Steve Turre will also be honored at OPC’s event.\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FYSVmrzOY\"> A sacred seashell instrumentalist\u003c/a> in addition to being a renowned trombonist, Turre will perform alongside some star alums of OPC, including trombonist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jasimperales/?hl=en\">Jasim Perales\u003c/a>, bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.aminascott.com/\">Amina Scott\u003c/a> and drummer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ayindewebb/\">Ayinde Webb\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Now they’re out there in the world,” Wellman says of the graduates, “doing what we supply the space to train young people to do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The anniversary event will also be a chance to ruminate on the larger context of Black music in this country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I think about the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music,” says Wellman, “I think of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/nx-s1-5779591/how-enslaved-traditions-in-new-orleans-congo-square-shaped-american-music-global-sound\">Congo Square\u003c/a>.” The site in New Orleans where the music that most people call “jazz” originated was a place for people of the African diaspora to commune, enjoy music and tap into the spirit, says Wellman. “As each group practiced, there was this cacophony of rich sounds and polyrhythms.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Expect OPC’s 20th anniversary event to tap into that same spirit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 20th Anniversary and Gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Oakland Science Academy (1515 Webster St., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/c/opc20th\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s Halloween season, when some people dress up like skeletons, ghosts or witches. But when picking her costume, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930747/liner-notes-dr-angela-wellman-and-music-of-the-highest-order\">Dr. Angela Wellman\u003c/a> isn’t like most people. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s Halloween season, when some people dress up like skeletons, ghosts or witches. But when picking her costume, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930747/liner-notes-dr-angela-wellman-and-music-of-the-highest-order\">Dr. Angela Wellman\u003c/a> isn’t like most people. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I could be Angélique Kidjo,” says the founder and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/\">Oakland Public Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (OPC). “Or I could be Abbey Lincoln.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“I could be Angélique Kidjo,” says the founder and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/\">Oakland Public Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (OPC). “Or I could be Abbey Lincoln.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She knows one thing, though: while fun, the costume invitation is also an extension of OPC’s ethos.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>She knows one thing, though: while fun, the costume invitation is also an extension of OPC’s ethos.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/gallery",
"attrs": {
"linkTo": "none",
"images": [],
"ids": [],
"shortCodeTransforms": [],
"imageCrop": true,
"randomOrder": false,
"fixedHeight": true,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"allowResize": false,
"aspectRatio": "auto"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994406,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994406\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman, founder and CEO of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994406\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman, founder and CEO of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13930819,
"sizeSlug": "large",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Angela Wellman looks directly into the camera as she plays her trombone.\" class=\"wp-image-13930819\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman plays her trombone.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Angela Wellman looks directly into the camera as she plays her trombone.\" class=\"wp-image-13930819\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman plays her trombone.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s really about lifting up the legacy of our music,” says Wellman, “particularly Black music that was created post-Atlantic slave trade.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“It’s really about lifting up the legacy of our music,” says Wellman, “particularly Black music that was created post-Atlantic slave trade.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dressing as an artist who influenced you, Wellman tells me, is an opportunity to reflect on how “the people that make the music really matter in our lives.” That includes those in the ancestral realm as well as “somebody who you’re rocking with right now.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Dressing as an artist who influenced you, Wellman tells me, is an opportunity to reflect on how “the people that make the music really matter in our lives.” That includes those in the ancestral realm as well as “somebody who you’re rocking with right now.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Giving proper respect to “the now” is a core tenet for the OPC, which offers workshops and classes for growing musicians. The organization regularly invites established artists passing through the Bay Area to perform at their facility and speak to the students. Those interactions provide the students with an “understanding of whose shoulders they’re standing on,” says Wellman.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Giving proper respect to “the now” is a core tenet for the OPC, which offers workshops and classes for growing musicians. The organization regularly invites established artists passing through the Bay Area to perform at their facility and speak to the students. Those interactions provide the students with an “understanding of whose shoulders they’re standing on,” says Wellman.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994717,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994717\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman and Steve Turre, center, pose with students at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 10th’s anniversary gala.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy OPC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994717\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman and Steve Turre, center, pose with students at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 10th’s anniversary gala.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy OPC)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Past guests include jazz vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.melaniecharles.com/\">Melanie Charles\u003c/a>, Afro-Peruvian artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cotitomedrano/?hl=en\">Juan Medrano Cotito\u003c/a>, Golden State Warriors DJ and hip-hop producer \u003ca href=\"https://djdsharp.co/\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Past guests include jazz vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.melaniecharles.com/\">Melanie Charles\u003c/a>, Afro-Peruvian artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cotitomedrano/?hl=en\">Juan Medrano Cotito\u003c/a>, Golden State Warriors DJ and hip-hop producer \u003ca href=\"https://djdsharp.co/\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Special guests for the 20th anniversary include trombonist \u003ca href=\"http://steveturre.com\">Steve Turre\u003c/a>, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band, and classical composer \u003ca href=\"https://marydwatkins.com/\">Mary Watkins\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Special guests for the 20th anniversary include trombonist \u003ca href=\"http://steveturre.com\">Steve Turre\u003c/a>, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band, and classical composer \u003ca href=\"https://marydwatkins.com/\">Mary Watkins\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Watkins, 87, is an unsung hero, Wellman attests. Watkins has composed three operas, four solo albums and scores for over 20 films and TV shows (including KQED’s \u003cem>Different Colors\u003c/em>). The former music director for San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Watkins’ work has been presented locally at the Oakland Opera Theater, and nationally at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Watkins, 87, is an unsung hero, Wellman attests. Watkins has composed three operas, four solo albums and scores for over 20 films and TV shows (including KQED’s \u003cem>Different Colors\u003c/em>). The former music director for San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Watkins’ work has been presented locally at the Oakland Opera Theater, and nationally at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She’s a prolific composer and pianist,” Wellman says of Watkins, “so we’re giving her a lifetime achievement award.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“She’s a prolific composer and pianist,” Wellman says of Watkins, “so we’re giving her a lifetime achievement award.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "kqed-v2/related-articles",
"attrs": {
"postIds": [
"arts_13993543"
],
"labelWasCleared": true,
"query": "",
"label": "",
"maxPosts": 3,
"showImages": true,
"heroImage": "",
"heroImageAlt": "",
"heroImageLink": "",
"labelLink": "",
"alignment": "right",
"target": "_self",
"manualLinks": [],
"posts": []
},
"innerHTML": "",
"innerContent": [],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Steve Turre will also be honored at OPC’s event.\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FYSVmrzOY\"> A sacred seashell instrumentalist\u003c/a> in addition to being a renowned trombonist, Turre will perform alongside some star alums of OPC, including trombonist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jasimperales/?hl=en\">Jasim Perales\u003c/a>, bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.aminascott.com/\">Amina Scott\u003c/a> and drummer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ayindewebb/\">Ayinde Webb\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Steve Turre will also be honored at OPC’s event.\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FYSVmrzOY\"> A sacred seashell instrumentalist\u003c/a> in addition to being a renowned trombonist, Turre will perform alongside some star alums of OPC, including trombonist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jasimperales/?hl=en\">Jasim Perales\u003c/a>, bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.aminascott.com/\">Amina Scott\u003c/a> and drummer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ayindewebb/\">Ayinde Webb\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Now they’re out there in the world,” Wellman says of the graduates, “doing what we supply the space to train young people to do.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Now they’re out there in the world,” Wellman says of the graduates, “doing what we supply the space to train young people to do.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The anniversary event will also be a chance to ruminate on the larger context of Black music in this country.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The anniversary event will also be a chance to ruminate on the larger context of Black music in this country.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When I think about the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music,” says Wellman, “I think of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/nx-s1-5779591/how-enslaved-traditions-in-new-orleans-congo-square-shaped-american-music-global-sound\">Congo Square\u003c/a>.” The site in New Orleans where the music that most people call “jazz” originated was a place for people of the African diaspora to commune, enjoy music and tap into the spirit, says Wellman. “As each group practiced, there was this cacophony of rich sounds and polyrhythms.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“When I think about the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music,” says Wellman, “I think of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/nx-s1-5779591/how-enslaved-traditions-in-new-orleans-congo-square-shaped-american-music-global-sound\">Congo Square\u003c/a>.” The site in New Orleans where the music that most people call “jazz” originated was a place for people of the African diaspora to commune, enjoy music and tap into the spirit, says Wellman. “As each group practiced, there was this cacophony of rich sounds and polyrhythms.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Expect OPC’s 20th anniversary event to tap into that same spirit.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Expect OPC’s 20th anniversary event to tap into that same spirit.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 20th Anniversary and Gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Oakland Science Academy (1515 Webster St., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/c/opc20th\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 20th Anniversary and Gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Oakland Science Academy (1515 Webster St., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/c/opc20th\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music trains new generations of musicians in downtown Oakland.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1791990995,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 18,
"wordCount": 737
},
"headData": {
"title": "For 20 Years, Threads of Black American Music Have Converged Here | KQED",
"description": "The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music trains new generations of musicians in downtown Oakland.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "For 20 Years, Threads of Black American Music Have Converged Here",
"datePublished": "2026-10-13T15:13:12-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-14T08:16:35-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994336",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994336/oakland-public-conservatory-music-20-year-anniversary",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>It’s Halloween season, when some people dress up like skeletons, ghosts or witches. But when picking her costume, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13930747/liner-notes-dr-angela-wellman-and-music-of-the-highest-order\">Dr. Angela Wellman\u003c/a> isn’t like most people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I could be Angélique Kidjo,” says the founder and CEO of the \u003ca href=\"https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/\">Oakland Public Conservatory of Music\u003c/a> (OPC). “Or I could be Abbey Lincoln.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wellman’s music center in downtown \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> is gearing up for for a 20th anniversary gala on Oct. 24, with awards, multiple floors of entertainment, rooms in full decor and sounds from around the world. Attendees have been asked to dress up as their favorite musicians, and Wellman’s still deciding what to wear. (Tracking down an “\u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?q=abbey+lincoln+hats&sca_esv=074237d04407bddc&udm=2&biw=1405&bih=717&sxsrf=APpeQnsdo3k2M5ubMKQz8MU8iZQaITZwng%3A1791916550740&ei=BnrOatjSLMqNm9cP3OaWyAM&ved=2ahUKEwjY7eSr0beXAxXKxuYEHVyzBTkQ4dUDegQIBhAN&uact=5&oq=abbey+lincoln+hats&gs_lp=Egtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZyISYWJiZXkgbGluY29sbiBoYXRzSLcEUABYAHABeACQAQCYAQCgAQCqAQC4AQPIAQCYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgBwCyBwC4BwDCBwDIBwCACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-img\">Abbey Lincoln hat\u003c/a>” could be the deciding factor).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She knows one thing, though: while fun, the costume invitation is also an extension of OPC’s ethos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1706\" height=\"2560\" data-id=\"13994406\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994406\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-scaled.jpeg 1706w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-160x240.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-768x1152.jpeg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1024x1536.jpeg 1024w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Dr.-Angela-1365x2048.jpeg 1365w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1706px) 100vw, 1706px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman, founder and CEO of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. (Courtesy Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"809\" height=\"794\" data-id=\"13930819\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Angela Wellman looks directly into the camera as she plays her trombone.\" class=\"wp-image-13930819\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down.jpg 809w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-800x785.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-160x157.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/AMW-bone-down-768x754.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 809px) 100vw, 809px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman plays her trombone. (Via Dr. Angela Wellman)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s really about lifting up the legacy of our music,” says Wellman, “particularly Black music that was created post-Atlantic slave trade.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dressing as an artist who influenced you, Wellman tells me, is an opportunity to reflect on how “the people that make the music really matter in our lives.” That includes those in the ancestral realm as well as “somebody who you’re rocking with right now.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Giving proper respect to “the now” is a core tenet for the OPC, which offers workshops and classes for growing musicians. The organization regularly invites established artists passing through the Bay Area to perform at their facility and speak to the students. Those interactions provide the students with an “understanding of whose shoulders they’re standing on,” says Wellman.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Often these visits are interactive. Acclaimed trumpeter \u003ca href=\"https://www.etiennecharles.com/home\">Etienne Charles\u003c/a>’ visit started with a workshop in the main studio, and then spilled out into the street as the students joined Charles in a New Orleans-style parade, with everyone playing. “We did a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13830289/jubilation-fills-the-streets-on-new-orleans-second-line\">second line\u003c/a> down the street,” Wellman says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1632\" height=\"1224\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994717\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee.jpg 1632w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Turre.Wellman-244716ee-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1632px) 100vw, 1632px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Angela Wellman and Steve Turre, center, pose with students at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 10th’s anniversary gala. (Courtesy OPC)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Past guests include jazz vocalist \u003ca href=\"https://www.melaniecharles.com/\">Melanie Charles\u003c/a>, Afro-Peruvian artist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/cotitomedrano/?hl=en\">Juan Medrano Cotito\u003c/a>, Golden State Warriors DJ and hip-hop producer \u003ca href=\"https://djdsharp.co/\">DJ D Sharp\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Special guests for the 20th anniversary include trombonist \u003ca href=\"http://steveturre.com\">Steve Turre\u003c/a>, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live Band, and classical composer \u003ca href=\"https://marydwatkins.com/\">Mary Watkins\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Watkins, 87, is an unsung hero, Wellman attests. Watkins has composed three operas, four solo albums and scores for over 20 films and TV shows (including KQED’s \u003cem>Different Colors\u003c/em>). The former music director for San Francisco’s Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, Watkins’ work has been presented locally at the Oakland Opera Theater, and nationally at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’s a prolific composer and pianist,” Wellman says of Watkins, “so we’re giving her a lifetime achievement award.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Steve Turre will also be honored at OPC’s event.\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7FYSVmrzOY\"> A sacred seashell instrumentalist\u003c/a> in addition to being a renowned trombonist, Turre will perform alongside some star alums of OPC, including trombonist \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/jasimperales/?hl=en\">Jasim Perales\u003c/a>, bassist \u003ca href=\"https://www.aminascott.com/\">Amina Scott\u003c/a> and drummer \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/ayindewebb/\">Ayinde Webb\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Now they’re out there in the world,” Wellman says of the graduates, “doing what we supply the space to train young people to do.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The anniversary event will also be a chance to ruminate on the larger context of Black music in this country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“When I think about the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music,” says Wellman, “I think of \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2026/07/04/nx-s1-5779591/how-enslaved-traditions-in-new-orleans-congo-square-shaped-american-music-global-sound\">Congo Square\u003c/a>.” The site in New Orleans where the music that most people call “jazz” originated was a place for people of the African diaspora to commune, enjoy music and tap into the spirit, says Wellman. “As each group practiced, there was this cacophony of rich sounds and polyrhythms.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Expect OPC’s 20th anniversary event to tap into that same spirit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music’s 20th Anniversary and Gala takes place Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Oakland Science Academy (1515 Webster St., Oakland). \u003ca href=\"https://givebutter.com/c/opc20th\">Tickets and more information here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994336/oakland-public-conservatory-music-20-year-anniversary",
"authors": [
"11491"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_69",
"arts_235",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1420",
"arts_1143",
"arts_9159",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994407",
"label": "source_arts_13994336"
},
"arts_13994663": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994663",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994663",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1791589381000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "dread-scott-the-body-politic-ybca-review",
"title": "Dread Scott Imagines a World Without America",
"publishDate": 1791589381,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Dread Scott Imagines a World Without America | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>When I stepped inside Brooklyn-based artist Dread Scott’s latest exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ybca\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a>, I was terrified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Defending the Flag\u003c/em> is a new commission for the YBCA show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">The Body Politic\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, and it’s in direct dialogue with the artwork that put Scott on the map nearly 40 years ago, while he was still a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, Installation view of ‘The Body Politic’ with ‘Defending the Flag’ at right. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Imagine a World Without America (Green Land),’ 2025; Screen print on canvas. (Courtesy the artist and YBCA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“America is becoming fascist and nationalist,” Scott says, “and who is and who is not an American can determine if you live or die. Those who can’t claim citizenship basically have no rights whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Life/Death/America’ at YBCA. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>‘\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">Dread Scott: The Body Politic\u003c/a>’ is on view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) through Jan. 31, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When I stepped inside Brooklyn-based artist Dread Scott’s latest exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ybca\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a>, I was terrified.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>When I stepped inside Brooklyn-based artist Dread Scott’s latest exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ybca\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a>, I was terrified.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Defending the Flag\u003c/em> is a new commission for the YBCA show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">The Body Politic\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, and it’s in direct dialogue with the artwork that put Scott on the map nearly 40 years ago, while he was still a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Defending the Flag\u003c/em> is a new commission for the YBCA show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">The Body Politic\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, and it’s in direct dialogue with the artwork that put Scott on the map nearly 40 years ago, while he was still a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994671,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, Installation view of ‘The Body Politic’ with ‘Defending the Flag’ at right.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994671\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, Installation view of ‘The Body Politic’ with ‘Defending the Flag’ at right.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994667,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-600x600.jpg 600w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Imagine a World Without America (Green Land),’ 2025; Screen print on canvas.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy the artist and YBCA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994667\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Imagine a World Without America (Green Land),’ 2025; Screen print on canvas.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy the artist and YBCA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“America is becoming fascist and nationalist,” Scott says, “and who is and who is not an American can determine if you live or die. Those who can’t claim citizenship basically have no rights whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“America is becoming fascist and nationalist,” Scott says, “and who is and who is not an American can determine if you live or die. Those who can’t claim citizenship basically have no rights whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994670,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994670\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994669,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Life/Death/America’ at YBCA.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994669\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Life/Death/America’ at YBCA.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>‘\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">Dread Scott: The Body Politic\u003c/a>’ is on view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) through Jan. 31, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>‘\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">Dread Scott: The Body Politic\u003c/a>’ is on view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) through Jan. 31, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "At Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, ‘The Body Politic’ demonstrates the inherent power of art.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792094041,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 14,
"wordCount": 994
},
"headData": {
"title": "Dread Scott Imagines a World Without America | KQED",
"description": "At Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, ‘The Body Politic’ demonstrates the inherent power of art.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Dread Scott Imagines a World Without America",
"datePublished": "2026-10-09T16:43:01-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-15T12:54:01-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994663",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994663/dread-scott-the-body-politic-ybca-review",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>When I stepped inside Brooklyn-based artist Dread Scott’s latest exhibition at \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/ybca\">Yerba Buena Center for the Arts\u003c/a>, I was terrified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A man in military fatigues armed with an M4 carbine loomed in the corner, guarding an American flag hanging from a short flagpole. When I approached the man, he jerked to life and admonished me, “Halt, stand back from the perimeter. I’m defending the flag. The flag of the U.S. must be respected at all times.” It wasn’t clear when or how I had crossed some invisible boundary, only that he had the power to decide. Artists push back against state power all the time — but it isn’t every day that that role is reversed inside an art gallery.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Defending the Flag\u003c/em> is a new commission for the YBCA show \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">The Body Politic\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, and it’s in direct dialogue with the artwork that put Scott on the map nearly 40 years ago, while he was still a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0421-e502d895-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, Installation view of ‘The Body Politic’ with ‘Defending the Flag’ at right. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 1988 installation \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.dreadscott.net/portfolio_page/what-is-the-proper-way-to-display-a-us-flag/\">What Is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?\u003c/a>\u003c/em> consisted of a flag that viewers could step on while writing their reflections of the experience in a guestbook, below a photomontage of the flag desecration. Vietnam veterans, calling themselves “defenders of the flag,” called for Scott’s death. President George Bush Sr. called the piece “disgraceful” and Congress outlawed the work. Then, in 1989, Scott was arrested for burning a U.S. flag on the steps of the Capitol for a photography project, which led to \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/496/310/\">a landmark decision\u003c/a>, confirming citizens’ rights to desecrate the flag under the First Amendment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a 2018 \u003ca href=\"https://www.ted.com/talks/dread_scott_how_art_can_shape_america_s_conversation_about_freedom\">TED Talk\u003c/a> detailing the experience, Scott stated that he does not “accept the economic foundation, the social relations or the governing ideas of America.” That holds true today, he tells KQED, but adds that, “Long-term, I look forward to a day when people have gotten beyond America — including the foundation of capitalism America rests on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first piece visitors to \u003cem>The Body Politic \u003c/em>encounter hangs both outside YBCA as a vinyl banner and outside the exhibition’s main gallery. It visualizes this fantasy of a decentered United States. The 2025 screen print shows a black and green world map with America moved to the margins, overlaid with the phrase “imagine a world without America,” which also serves as the work’s title.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994667\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Scott_Imagine-a-world_2000-5345d37e-600x600.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Imagine a World Without America (Green Land),’ 2025; Screen print on canvas. (Courtesy the artist and YBCA)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A similarly straightforward 2022 triptych of altered photographs titled \u003cem>Obliterated Power\u003c/em> shows the Capitol, Pentagon and Supreme Court buildings — three major sites of governmental power in the United States — erased by black ink, manifesting, on a national level, Scott’s ideal of a vanquished America. For now, we can only imagine such erasure. As long as America persists, the power of the state is enacted on the bodies of its citizens — and non-citizens.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“America is becoming fascist and nationalist,” Scott says, “and who is and who is not an American can determine if you live or die. Those who can’t claim citizenship basically have no rights whatsoever.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Bodies take center stage in the rest of the show, which consists of several of Scott’s ghostly sepia body prints, at once detailed and abstract, but no less direct in their messaging. In \u003cem>Fight the Power\u003c/em> and \u003cem>Hands Up\u003c/em>, both 2023, clusters of hands take on different meanings: fists clench in gestures of revolution, fingers spread in pleading. The diptych \u003cem>Mugshot\u003c/em> (2023) features Scott posed in profile and face-forward, holding an identification card typical of an arrest photo.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994670\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0153-cfbe7a3f-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The method of body printing Scott uses was pioneered, along with Yves Klein and Jasper Johns, by \u003ca href=\"https://drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/david-hammons\">David Hammons\u003c/a> in the 1960s and 70s, who used it to make similarly politically charged work around issues of the Civil Rights movement. By repeating the motif today, Scott draws a clear parallel between the urgencies of that era and current American political pressures, reminding viewers that the struggle for liberation continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The largest work on view, another commission for the show, is \u003cem>Life/Death/America\u003c/em>, a roughly 14-by-35-foot piece. In it, 32 body prints scatter across four canvas panels as though in free fall. The individuals, friends and friends of friends of the artist, range in age, race, gender and class, highlighting the social range of a democratic society. The way in which they are depicted varies too, and was determined by each participant, some wearing business suits, others keffiyehs. In emphasizing representation and diversity, the piece reminds us of the freedom of identity and expression Scott and many others are fighting for.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994669\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/YBCA-Dread_Scott-Body_Politic-0069-d129b5e3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dread Scott, ‘Life/Death/America’ at YBCA. (Matthew Millman Photography)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Without direct artistic visualizations of both what we stand to lose and what shedding the current power structures might look like, it can be difficult to maintain a clear picture of the collective future Scott puts forward. Sometimes, in the face of censorship and federal defunding of the arts, it feels like the current administration understands the importance of the arts better than its opposition does. Imagination is a powerful weapon in the war against fascism — and one we mustn’t forget. Art like Scott’s reminds us of its potency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Art itself doesn’t make political change,” Scott says. “But there hasn’t been a progressive movement I know of that hasn’t had art at the foundation of it in some way. It helps people see the world in a new way and stand strong in the face of their oppressors.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>‘\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://ybca.org/event/dread-scott-the-body-politic/\">Dread Scott: The Body Politic\u003c/a>’ is on view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (701 Mission St., San Francisco) through Jan. 31, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994663/dread-scott-the-body-politic-ybca-review",
"authors": [
"11917"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_22313",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1146",
"arts_585",
"arts_1040"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994668",
"label": "source_arts_13994663"
},
"arts_13994588": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994588",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994588",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1791491024000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages-moad-review",
"title": "Dewey Crumpler Paints ‘Portals to Absolute Autonomy’",
"publishDate": 1791491024,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Dewey Crumpler Paints ‘Portals to Absolute Autonomy’ | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/museum-of-the-african-diaspora\">Museum of the African Diaspora\u003c/a> were presenting only the single painting \u003cem>Breach\u003c/em>, I would still tell you to go see \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. It’s that compelling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, this is the man who taught \u003ca href=\"https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/\">Deborah Roberts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Rozeal_Brown\">Rozeal\u003c/a> and Kehinde Wiley at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfai\">San Francisco Art Institute\u003c/a>, but somehow we’ve had to wait two decades since his last major solo museum show. Since there are three floors of artworks covering five decades of the 77-year-old Bay Area legend’s practice, you won’t want to further delay your visit to this show.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1767\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-160x141.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-768x679.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-1536x1357.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Green Bananas,’ 2017; Charcoal, graphite, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Crumpler never tells his viewer what they should perceive, but he may have left us a clue in \u003cem>Breach’\u003c/em>s upper left corner, where a historic ship tilts precariously in an obvious reference to J.M.W. Turner’s 19th-century painting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slave_Ship\">The Slave Ship\u003c/a>, \u003c/em>which recounts a notorious episode from the transatlantic slave trade in which a ship captain threw enslaved people overboard to their deaths in order to collect insurance on the ship’s “goods.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1955\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg 1955w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1955px) 100vw, 1955px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Quantum #12 (Entanglement series),’ 1998–2026; Spray paint, acrylic, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is not quite a retrospective proper, but with works spanning from 1968 to just last year, the exhibit reveals persistent engagement with recurring themes. Beyond the shipping containers lie images of voids and hoodies, each replete with meaning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early in Crumpler’s practice, he encountered a photograph of a metal slave collar, with a void at the center where a person’s neck was locked. Instead of “that void, which was meant to completely foreclose Black futures or foreclose our imagination, foreclose our agency,” explained Lee, “what he shows is that that void is actually the portal to absolute autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voids appear as three-dimensional forms on paintings, on discs that rotate at different speeds, and in the empty spaces of hoodies that dance like a 2000s iPod ad or open to reveal a futuristic cosmos within. Crumpler began the series after noticing his son’s hoodie thrown over the back of a chair. For me, it’s hard to see a hoodie without thinking of Trayvon Martin and all the potential of his life that his assailant removed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1653\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994591\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994591\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg 1653w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-1270x1536.jpg 1270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1653px) 100vw, 1653px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘In the Moment,’ 2023; Acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1464\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994592\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994592\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg 1464w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-160x219.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-768x1049.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-1124x1536.jpg 1124w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1464px) 100vw, 1464px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Die For The People,’ 1968–69; Acrylic, gold metal leaf on canvas; gold spray paint on frame. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Growing up, Crumpler frequented San Francisco’s de Young, mesmerized by the paintings, but the only time he remembers seeing a Black person at the museum was in the bookstore. “I didn’t see any representations of me anywhere in that environment,” he said. “And I was becoming very conscious of the fact that my identity as an African American had something to do with why there was no possibility of seeing myself echoed back at me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years of activism followed: Civil Rights marches, protests outside the Sheridan Palace Hotel against labor discrimination, demands for Black studies courses. When teachers at Crumpler’s college dismissed Black artists as lacking quality or originality, Crumpler brought in Cedric Dover’s book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/americannegroart0000dove/page/n213/mode/2up\">American Negro Art\u003c/a> \u003c/em>— its illustrations, “a blast from heaven.” Crumpler cited storied Black jazz musicians and challenged his teachers on the idea, as he summarized their position, that “creative genius only lived in one part of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though Lee proposed mounting this exhibition several years ago, Crumpler insisted they wait until MoAD could produce a book to accompany it. It’s a requirement from an artist who understands how much the present owes the past and who feels a great responsibility to the future. (It’s easy to imagine this written testament will serve another young artist just as Dover’s book did for Crumpler.) For the present — happily — \u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is on view for many months to come.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St., San Francisco) through May 30, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/museum-of-the-african-diaspora\">Museum of the African Diaspora\u003c/a> were presenting only the single painting \u003cem>Breach\u003c/em>, I would still tell you to go see \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. It’s that compelling. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/museum-of-the-african-diaspora\">Museum of the African Diaspora\u003c/a> were presenting only the single painting \u003cem>Breach\u003c/em>, I would still tell you to go see \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. It’s that compelling. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes, this is the man who taught \u003ca href=\"https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/\">Deborah Roberts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Rozeal_Brown\">Rozeal\u003c/a> and Kehinde Wiley at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfai\">San Francisco Art Institute\u003c/a>, but somehow we’ve had to wait two decades since his last major solo museum show. Since there are three floors of artworks covering five decades of the 77-year-old Bay Area legend’s practice, you won’t want to further delay your visit to this show.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Yes, this is the man who taught \u003ca href=\"https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/\">Deborah Roberts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Rozeal_Brown\">Rozeal\u003c/a> and Kehinde Wiley at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfai\">San Francisco Art Institute\u003c/a>, but somehow we’ve had to wait two decades since his last major solo museum show. Since there are three floors of artworks covering five decades of the 77-year-old Bay Area legend’s practice, you won’t want to further delay your visit to this show.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994589,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-160x141.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-768x679.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-1536x1357.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-160x141.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-768x679.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-1536x1357.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Green Bananas,’ 2017; Charcoal, graphite, mixed media on canvas.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994589\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Green Bananas,’ 2017; Charcoal, graphite, mixed media on canvas.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Crumpler never tells his viewer what they should perceive, but he may have left us a clue in \u003cem>Breach’\u003c/em>s upper left corner, where a historic ship tilts precariously in an obvious reference to J.M.W. Turner’s 19th-century painting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slave_Ship\">The Slave Ship\u003c/a>, \u003c/em>which recounts a notorious episode from the transatlantic slave trade in which a ship captain threw enslaved people overboard to their deaths in order to collect insurance on the ship’s “goods.” \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Crumpler never tells his viewer what they should perceive, but he may have left us a clue in \u003cem>Breach’\u003c/em>s upper left corner, where a historic ship tilts precariously in an obvious reference to J.M.W. Turner’s 19th-century painting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slave_Ship\">The Slave Ship\u003c/a>, \u003c/em>which recounts a notorious episode from the transatlantic slave trade in which a ship captain threw enslaved people overboard to their deaths in order to collect insurance on the ship’s “goods.” \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994590,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"align": "center",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg 1955w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-1501x1536.jpg 1501w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg 1955w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Quantum #12 (Entanglement series),’ 1998–2026; Spray paint, acrylic, mixed media on canvas.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994590\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Quantum #12 (Entanglement series),’ 1998–2026; Spray paint, acrylic, mixed media on canvas.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is not quite a retrospective proper, but with works spanning from 1968 to just last year, the exhibit reveals persistent engagement with recurring themes. Beyond the shipping containers lie images of voids and hoodies, each replete with meaning.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is not quite a retrospective proper, but with works spanning from 1968 to just last year, the exhibit reveals persistent engagement with recurring themes. Beyond the shipping containers lie images of voids and hoodies, each replete with meaning.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Early in Crumpler’s practice, he encountered a photograph of a metal slave collar, with a void at the center where a person’s neck was locked. Instead of “that void, which was meant to completely foreclose Black futures or foreclose our imagination, foreclose our agency,” explained Lee, “what he shows is that that void is actually the portal to absolute autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Early in Crumpler’s practice, he encountered a photograph of a metal slave collar, with a void at the center where a person’s neck was locked. Instead of “that void, which was meant to completely foreclose Black futures or foreclose our imagination, foreclose our agency,” explained Lee, “what he shows is that that void is actually the portal to absolute autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Voids appear as three-dimensional forms on paintings, on discs that rotate at different speeds, and in the empty spaces of hoodies that dance like a 2000s iPod ad or open to reveal a futuristic cosmos within. Crumpler began the series after noticing his son’s hoodie thrown over the back of a chair. For me, it’s hard to see a hoodie without thinking of Trayvon Martin and all the potential of his life that his assailant removed. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Voids appear as three-dimensional forms on paintings, on discs that rotate at different speeds, and in the empty spaces of hoodies that dance like a 2000s iPod ad or open to reveal a futuristic cosmos within. Crumpler began the series after noticing his son’s hoodie thrown over the back of a chair. For me, it’s hard to see a hoodie without thinking of Trayvon Martin and all the potential of his life that his assailant removed. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/gallery",
"attrs": {
"linkTo": "none",
"sizeSlug": "full",
"images": [],
"ids": [],
"shortCodeTransforms": [],
"imageCrop": true,
"randomOrder": false,
"fixedHeight": true,
"allowResize": false,
"aspectRatio": "auto"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">\n\n\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped\">",
null,
"\n\n",
null,
"\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994591,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994591\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘In the Moment,’ 2023; Acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994591\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘In the Moment,’ 2023; Acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994592,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": ""
},
"innerBlocks": [],
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994592\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Die For The People,’ 1968–69; Acrylic, gold metal leaf on canvas; gold spray paint on frame.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994592\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Die For The People,’ 1968–69; Acrylic, gold metal leaf on canvas; gold spray paint on frame.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
]
}
]
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Growing up, Crumpler frequented San Francisco’s de Young, mesmerized by the paintings, but the only time he remembers seeing a Black person at the museum was in the bookstore. “I didn’t see any representations of me anywhere in that environment,” he said. “And I was becoming very conscious of the fact that my identity as an African American had something to do with why there was no possibility of seeing myself echoed back at me.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Growing up, Crumpler frequented San Francisco’s de Young, mesmerized by the paintings, but the only time he remembers seeing a Black person at the museum was in the bookstore. “I didn’t see any representations of me anywhere in that environment,” he said. “And I was becoming very conscious of the fact that my identity as an African American had something to do with why there was no possibility of seeing myself echoed back at me.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Years of activism followed: Civil Rights marches, protests outside the Sheridan Palace Hotel against labor discrimination, demands for Black studies courses. When teachers at Crumpler’s college dismissed Black artists as lacking quality or originality, Crumpler brought in Cedric Dover’s book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/americannegroart0000dove/page/n213/mode/2up\">American Negro Art\u003c/a> \u003c/em>— its illustrations, “a blast from heaven.” Crumpler cited storied Black jazz musicians and challenged his teachers on the idea, as he summarized their position, that “creative genius only lived in one part of the world.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Years of activism followed: Civil Rights marches, protests outside the Sheridan Palace Hotel against labor discrimination, demands for Black studies courses. When teachers at Crumpler’s college dismissed Black artists as lacking quality or originality, Crumpler brought in Cedric Dover’s book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/americannegroart0000dove/page/n213/mode/2up\">American Negro Art\u003c/a> \u003c/em>— its illustrations, “a blast from heaven.” Crumpler cited storied Black jazz musicians and challenged his teachers on the idea, as he summarized their position, that “creative genius only lived in one part of the world.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though Lee proposed mounting this exhibition several years ago, Crumpler insisted they wait until MoAD could produce a book to accompany it. It’s a requirement from an artist who understands how much the present owes the past and who feels a great responsibility to the future. (It’s easy to imagine this written testament will serve another young artist just as Dover’s book did for Crumpler.) For the present — happily — \u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is on view for many months to come.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Though Lee proposed mounting this exhibition several years ago, Crumpler insisted they wait until MoAD could produce a book to accompany it. It’s a requirement from an artist who understands how much the present owes the past and who feels a great responsibility to the future. (It’s easy to imagine this written testament will serve another young artist just as Dover’s book did for Crumpler.) For the present — happily — \u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is on view for many months to come.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St., San Francisco) through May 30, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St., San Francisco) through May 30, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "At the Museum of the African Diaspora, the longtime teacher exhibits five decades of persistent, dynamic work.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1791822414,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 13,
"wordCount": 938
},
"headData": {
"title": "Dewey Crumpler Paints ‘Portals to Absolute Autonomy’ | KQED",
"description": "At the Museum of the African Diaspora, the longtime teacher exhibits five decades of persistent, dynamic work.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Dewey Crumpler Paints ‘Portals to Absolute Autonomy’",
"datePublished": "2026-10-08T13:23:44-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-12T09:26:54-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994588",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994588/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages-moad-review",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>If the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/museum-of-the-african-diaspora\">Museum of the African Diaspora\u003c/a> were presenting only the single painting \u003cem>Breach\u003c/em>, I would still tell you to go see \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. It’s that compelling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, this is the man who taught \u003ca href=\"https://www.deborahrobertsart.com/\">Deborah Roberts\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Rozeal_Brown\">Rozeal\u003c/a> and Kehinde Wiley at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/sfai\">San Francisco Art Institute\u003c/a>, but somehow we’ve had to wait two decades since his last major solo museum show. Since there are three floors of artworks covering five decades of the 77-year-old Bay Area legend’s practice, you won’t want to further delay your visit to this show.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Breach, \u003c/em>one in a series of shipping container paintings, crashes present and past together, refusing to let us rest in pleasant fictions that modernity has somehow laid historic catastrophes to rest. Please go see the metallic copper leaf in person. It both darkens the sky like a storm and shines like a miracle being born. Copper, a conduit of electricity and a valuable commodity, floods from the sky into the turbulent waters churned by dozens of acid-colored shipping containers. Among them, ghostly figures — so easy to miss in a small digital reproduction — swim. Were they unleashed by the containers falling open or were they preexisting spirits activated by the disorder? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1767\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994589\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-160x141.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-768x679.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-209-574fc15f-1536x1357.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Green Bananas,’ 2017; Charcoal, graphite, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Crumpler never tells his viewer what they should perceive, but he may have left us a clue in \u003cem>Breach’\u003c/em>s upper left corner, where a historic ship tilts precariously in an obvious reference to J.M.W. Turner’s 19th-century painting \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Slave_Ship\">The Slave Ship\u003c/a>, \u003c/em>which recounts a notorious episode from the transatlantic slave trade in which a ship captain threw enslaved people overboard to their deaths in order to collect insurance on the ship’s “goods.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is this containment that is being endeavored and, simultaneously, there’s always the escape,” curator Key Jo Lee told KQED of Crumpler’s shipping container paintings. “What he’s pointing to is the perpetual connectedness of all of these things.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To Lee, Crumpler’s work exposes the mechanisms of exploitation, from the slave trade to the present day, in which we have become the product. The names of economists \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Hayek\">Friedrich Hayek\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maynard_Keynes\">John Keynes\u003c/a> are spelled out in the waters of another shipping container painting, \u003cem>Collapse\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1955\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994590\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a.jpg 1955w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-160x164.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-768x786.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-012-f1ab5c0a-1501x1536.jpg 1501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1955px) 100vw, 1955px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Quantum #12 (Entanglement series),’ 1998–2026; Spray paint, acrylic, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is not quite a retrospective proper, but with works spanning from 1968 to just last year, the exhibit reveals persistent engagement with recurring themes. Beyond the shipping containers lie images of voids and hoodies, each replete with meaning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Early in Crumpler’s practice, he encountered a photograph of a metal slave collar, with a void at the center where a person’s neck was locked. Instead of “that void, which was meant to completely foreclose Black futures or foreclose our imagination, foreclose our agency,” explained Lee, “what he shows is that that void is actually the portal to absolute autonomy.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Voids appear as three-dimensional forms on paintings, on discs that rotate at different speeds, and in the empty spaces of hoodies that dance like a 2000s iPod ad or open to reveal a futuristic cosmos within. Crumpler began the series after noticing his son’s hoodie thrown over the back of a chair. For me, it’s hard to see a hoodie without thinking of Trayvon Martin and all the potential of his life that his assailant removed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1653\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994591\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994591\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd.jpg 1653w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-160x194.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-768x929.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-610-29dbcedd-1270x1536.jpg 1270w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1653px) 100vw, 1653px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘In the Moment,’ 2023; Acrylic, spray paint, mixed media on canvas. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1464\" height=\"2000\" data-id=\"13994592\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994592\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3.jpg 1464w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-160x219.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-768x1049.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/web-Crumpler-07-26-339-bb07eae3-1124x1536.jpg 1124w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1464px) 100vw, 1464px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dewey Crumpler, ‘Die For The People,’ 1968–69; Acrylic, gold metal leaf on canvas; gold spray paint on frame. (Courtesy of the artist and Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York and San Francisco)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Growing up, Crumpler frequented San Francisco’s de Young, mesmerized by the paintings, but the only time he remembers seeing a Black person at the museum was in the bookstore. “I didn’t see any representations of me anywhere in that environment,” he said. “And I was becoming very conscious of the fact that my identity as an African American had something to do with why there was no possibility of seeing myself echoed back at me.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Years of activism followed: Civil Rights marches, protests outside the Sheridan Palace Hotel against labor discrimination, demands for Black studies courses. When teachers at Crumpler’s college dismissed Black artists as lacking quality or originality, Crumpler brought in Cedric Dover’s book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://archive.org/details/americannegroart0000dove/page/n213/mode/2up\">American Negro Art\u003c/a> \u003c/em>— its illustrations, “a blast from heaven.” Crumpler cited storied Black jazz musicians and challenged his teachers on the idea, as he summarized their position, that “creative genius only lived in one part of the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though Lee proposed mounting this exhibition several years ago, Crumpler insisted they wait until MoAD could produce a book to accompany it. It’s a requirement from an artist who understands how much the present owes the past and who feels a great responsibility to the future. (It’s easy to imagine this written testament will serve another young artist just as Dover’s book did for Crumpler.) For the present — happily — \u003cem>Sonic Lineages\u003c/em> is on view for many months to come.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘\u003ca href=\"https://www.moadsf.org/exhibitions/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages\">Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages\u003c/a>’ is on view at the Museum of the African Diaspora (685 Mission St., San Francisco) through May 30, 2027.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994588/dewey-crumpler-sonic-lineages-moad-review",
"authors": [
"11987"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_22313",
"arts_70"
],
"tags": [
"arts_10278",
"arts_1987",
"arts_1146",
"arts_3992",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13993121",
"label": "source_arts_13994588"
},
"arts_13994504": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994504",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994504",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1791486435000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "review-fjord-movie-film-religious-family-norway",
"title": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"publishDate": 1791486435,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994604,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994605,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994608,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994607,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Neon)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "As a morality tale, the Palme d'Or-winning film falls short of director Cristian Mungiu's earlier triumphs.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1791486448,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 15,
"wordCount": 852
},
"headData": {
"title": "Film Review: ‘Fjord’ Falls Short of Cristian Mungiu's Earlier Triumphs | KQED",
"description": "A religious family navigates Norway’s ‘enlightened’ norms in this morality tale.",
"ogTitle": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"ogDescription": "As a morality tale, the Palme d'Or-winning film falls short of director Cristian Mungiu's earlier triumphs.",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"twDescription": "As a morality tale, the Palme d'Or-winning film falls short of director Cristian Mungiu's earlier triumphs.",
"twImgId": "",
"socialTitle": "Film Review: ‘Fjord’ Falls Short of Cristian Mungiu's Earlier Triumphs %%page%% %%sep%% KQED",
"socialDescription": "A religious family navigates Norway’s ‘enlightened’ norms in this morality tale.",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "In ‘Fjord,’ a Religious Family Navigates Norway’s ‘Enlightened’ Norms",
"datePublished": "2026-10-08T12:07:15-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-08T12:07:28-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 74,
"slug": "movies",
"name": "Movies"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"sticky": false,
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994504",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"subhead": "Cristian Mungiu's Palme d'Or-winning drama is riveting and ambiguous.",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994504/review-fjord-movie-film-religious-family-norway",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Cristian Mungiu’s 2007 neorealist masterpiece, \u003cem>4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days\u003c/em>, followed the agonizing quest of two young Romanian women seeking an illegal abortion. Set in the 1980s during the long-running dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, the film immersed us in the desperation of ordinary people thwarted and threatened by a ruthless, repressive system.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his riveting new film, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> (opening Friday, Oct. 9 in the Bay Area), Mungiu again considers the threats to personal freedom posed by political structures and self-righteous bureaucrats. Instead of a communist country in the old Soviet bloc, however, the setting is socially enlightened, present-day Norway.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em>, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, unfolds within a welcoming community defined by physical proximity and relationships, where English is used to bridge any gaps. Notwithstanding its star casting, it is a low-key ensemble piece that is devoid of showcase moments. Though \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> is never less than involving, it lacks the emotional power of \u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em>, which also won the Palme d’Or.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1336\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994604\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord-Family-Picture-Photo-Credit-Tudor-Panduru-ccd9dd5b-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Gheorghiu family in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Gheorghiu clan — Mihai (Sebastian Stan, \u003cem>A Different Man\u003c/em>, \u003cem>The Apprentice\u003c/em>), Lisbet (Renate Reinsve, brilliant in last year’s \u003cem>Sentimental Value\u003c/em>) and their five young children — have just arrived in a remote Norwegian town from Mihai’s native Romania. The pristine and stark environment evokes a new beginning, and a clean slate from whatever may have impelled the IT engineer and nurse to pick up and move their family to Lisbet’s country.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The early scenes have a faintly ominous tinge, which we might attribute to the awkwardness of meeting new coworkers and the anxiousness of making new friends. The flip side of that, the feeling of otherness that colors the locals’ perception of the newcomers, is the religiosity of the Gheorghius. When Mihai idly plays a hymn on the organ in the break room, what initially seems to be harmless noodling feels uncomfortably like inappropriate evangelizing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the oldest children, Elia (Vanessa Ceban) and Emmanuel (Jonathan Ciprian Breazu), who are sheltered and therefore young for their age, fall under the sway of a neighboring teenage girl. The impulsive Noora (Henrikke Lund-Olsen) lures them on an illicit late-night motorboat ride that seems designed to foreshadow horrible tragedies of youthful bad judgement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994605\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-160x67.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-768x322.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_SebastianStan-92b39160-1536x644.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan in ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I guess I’m still scarred nearly three decades later by \u003cem>The Ice Storm\u003c/em>, because parental indifference and neglect is the furthest thing from Mungiu’s mind as director. On the contrary, it’s an accusation that Mihai hit Elia — a charge, perhaps, instigated by language barriers, amplified by cultural differences and inflated by religious prejudices — that turns \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> on its head.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The film’s early sequences had pointed toward dual tracks: Mihai and Lisbet on one and Elia and Emmanuel on the other. Mihai’s potentially devastating criminal problem shifts the film’s structure to a talky legal procedural (with the foreigner Mihai in the crosshairs) on the one hand and Lisbet’s struggles as a mother and neighbor on the other.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>4 Months\u003c/em> made us feel its protagonists’ nightmarish dilemma without resorting to melodrama. \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> evokes a sense of injustice, and flashes of outrage, but not much else. That’s in part due to Mungui’s avoidance of emotional outbursts, close-ups, dramatic music and other techniques of audience manipulation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994608\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_04-c94291c1-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve in ‘Fjord.’ (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Consequently, in lieu of a visceral emotional experience, we are given an intellectual conundrum. In trying to protect children from adults, has this enlightened Norwegian society lost its judgement and common sense? Are police and prosecutors doing their jobs diligently and properly or are they bigots who, because the Gheorghius are Christians and not Muslims, plausibly deny their xenophobia?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s possible, I suppose, to see \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> as a critique of so-called woke liberalism—the nanny state dialed up to 11 and misguidedly doing more harm than good. I doubt this is Mungiu’s intent, because it invites viewers across the political spectrum to retreat into, rather than examine, their belief systems, biases and values.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1975, Swiss director Alain Tanner tapped into the zeitgeist with \u003cem>Jonah Who Will be 25 in the Year 2000\u003c/em>, an arthouse hit that depicted a post-hippie, post-revolutionary, quasi-utopian European society. The thirtysomething parents in the film — and by extension, their country — were messy and mistake-prone, sure, but well-intentioned, kind and optimistic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"838\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994607\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-160x67.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-768x322.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/Fjord_03-7f0fb205-1536x644.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A scene from ‘Fjord,’ directed by Cristian Mungiu. (Neon)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Maybe \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> depicts the inevitable aftermath of that generation of permissiveness and experimentation. The instincts to nurture and protect still exist, but they are swaddled in too many regulations, rules and procedures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mingiu aims to position the Gheorghius as victims of an implacable system with endless power and resources. They have few options, and their decisions should have us on pins and needles. Even before its curious final shot, though, \u003cem>Fjord\u003c/em> feels like a parable more than real life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>‘Fjord’ opens in Bay Area theaters on Friday, Oct. 9.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994504/review-fjord-movie-film-religious-family-norway",
"authors": [
"22"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_74",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_769",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994606",
"label": "source_arts_13994504"
},
"arts_13994388": {
"type": "posts",
"id": "arts_13994388",
"meta": {
"index": "posts_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "13994388",
"score": null,
"sort": [
1791316322000
]
},
"guestAuthors": [],
"slug": "hblack-panther-party-60th-anniversary-events-oakland",
"title": "Honoring the Black Panther Party on Its 60th Anniversary",
"publishDate": 1791316322,
"format": "standard",
"headTitle": "Honoring the Black Panther Party on Its 60th Anniversary | KQED",
"labelTerm": {},
"content": "\n\u003cp>Six decades ago, a group of young Black activists in Oakland began policing the police. They fed schoolchildren, started medical clinics, created a multilevel grade school and published a newspaper that reached people around the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In leather jackets and berets, they reinvented the color black. And, through their collective willpower, they fanned the flame of self-determination that has long burned within the Black community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, was one of the most important organizations of the 20th century. This month, as \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/index_PhotoGallery.html\">It’s About Time BPP \u003c/a>commemorate the vanguard organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">60th anniversary\u003c/a>, the Black Panthers will be honored with a gala, numerous workshops, a community day in West Oakland and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1343\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-1536x1031.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QstJpRpp6FY\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1584\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A number of other events in October commemorate the Black Panther’s legacy, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9NJfUygqv/\">a Panther Jam at the Shakur Center\u003c/a> in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/seize-the-time?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae9RvTirno6ZWKYCwGiORB1t6eAvahHR5Ye0Ma-KJ6soVprYcltqaPReN1PYQ_aem_eWRKBEBtUM8wn-x9L5jLGw\">Seize The Time: A Fashion Experience\u003c/a>, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.futurisme.studio/\">Futurisme Studios\u003c/a> and featuring DJ sets by \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeisforhomies.com/\">Home is for Homies\u003c/a>. And on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pittsburg’s \u003ca href=\"https://bookstore.revisionpub.com/\">RP Books\u003c/a> hosts a conversation with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandvr.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacRTQt7YCt-KS4SjkgIq5j65jdF8JEWHH5kk81AfIX31l23mQNt9EKmG0Jzlw_aem_Vzx8TXxIJDuHJUjY6NXIfA\">Michael Roosevelt\u003c/a>, author of \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Plan: A Liberatory Journal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than a half-century ago, when the late \u003ca href=\"https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale charted 10 specific needs\u003c/a> of working-class African American people in this country, they couldn’t have fathomed that many of those demands — namely “Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings” and “Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role in the Present-Day Society” — would remain unfulfilled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nor could they have imagined how deeply the work of the Black Panther Party has inspired generations, pushing young people to create change both locally and internationally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And clearly, the work continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Black Panther Party celebrates its 60th anniversary this month with a series of events. \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"blocks": [
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Six decades ago, a group of young Black activists in Oakland began policing the police. They fed schoolchildren, started medical clinics, created a multilevel grade school and published a newspaper that reached people around the world.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Six decades ago, a group of young Black activists in Oakland began policing the police. They fed schoolchildren, started medical clinics, created a multilevel grade school and published a newspaper that reached people around the world.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In leather jackets and berets, they reinvented the color black. And, through their collective willpower, they fanned the flame of self-determination that has long burned within the Black community.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In leather jackets and berets, they reinvented the color black. And, through their collective willpower, they fanned the flame of self-determination that has long burned within the Black community.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, was one of the most important organizations of the 20th century. This month, as \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/index_PhotoGallery.html\">It’s About Time BPP \u003c/a>commemorate the vanguard organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">60th anniversary\u003c/a>, the Black Panthers will be honored with a gala, numerous workshops, a community day in West Oakland and more.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, was one of the most important organizations of the 20th century. This month, as \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/index_PhotoGallery.html\">It’s About Time BPP \u003c/a>commemorate the vanguard organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">60th anniversary\u003c/a>, the Black Panthers will be honored with a gala, numerous workshops, a community day in West Oakland and more.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994540,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-1536x1031.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-1536x1031.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/embed",
"attrs": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8",
"type": "video",
"providerNameSlug": "youtube",
"responsive": true,
"className": "wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio",
"allowResponsive": true,
"previewable": true
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/embed",
"attrs": {
"url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QstJpRpp6FY",
"type": "video",
"providerNameSlug": "youtube",
"responsive": true,
"className": "wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio",
"allowResponsive": true,
"previewable": true
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QstJpRpp6FY\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QstJpRpp6FY\n\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/image",
"attrs": {
"id": 13994541,
"sizeSlug": "full",
"linkDestination": "none",
"alt": "At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A number of other events in October commemorate the Black Panther’s legacy, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9NJfUygqv/\">a Panther Jam at the Shakur Center\u003c/a> in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/seize-the-time?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae9RvTirno6ZWKYCwGiORB1t6eAvahHR5Ye0Ma-KJ6soVprYcltqaPReN1PYQ_aem_eWRKBEBtUM8wn-x9L5jLGw\">Seize The Time: A Fashion Experience\u003c/a>, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.futurisme.studio/\">Futurisme Studios\u003c/a> and featuring DJ sets by \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeisforhomies.com/\">Home is for Homies\u003c/a>. And on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pittsburg’s \u003ca href=\"https://bookstore.revisionpub.com/\">RP Books\u003c/a> hosts a conversation with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandvr.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacRTQt7YCt-KS4SjkgIq5j65jdF8JEWHH5kk81AfIX31l23mQNt9EKmG0Jzlw_aem_Vzx8TXxIJDuHJUjY6NXIfA\">Michael Roosevelt\u003c/a>, author of \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Plan: A Liberatory Journal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A number of other events in October commemorate the Black Panther’s legacy, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9NJfUygqv/\">a Panther Jam at the Shakur Center\u003c/a> in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/seize-the-time?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae9RvTirno6ZWKYCwGiORB1t6eAvahHR5Ye0Ma-KJ6soVprYcltqaPReN1PYQ_aem_eWRKBEBtUM8wn-x9L5jLGw\">Seize The Time: A Fashion Experience\u003c/a>, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.futurisme.studio/\">Futurisme Studios\u003c/a> and featuring DJ sets by \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeisforhomies.com/\">Home is for Homies\u003c/a>. And on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pittsburg’s \u003ca href=\"https://bookstore.revisionpub.com/\">RP Books\u003c/a> hosts a conversation with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandvr.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacRTQt7YCt-KS4SjkgIq5j65jdF8JEWHH5kk81AfIX31l23mQNt9EKmG0Jzlw_aem_Vzx8TXxIJDuHJUjY6NXIfA\">Michael Roosevelt\u003c/a>, author of \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Plan: A Liberatory Journal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More than a half-century ago, when the late \u003ca href=\"https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale charted 10 specific needs\u003c/a> of working-class African American people in this country, they couldn’t have fathomed that many of those demands — namely “Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings” and “Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role in the Present-Day Society” — would remain unfulfilled.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>More than a half-century ago, when the late \u003ca href=\"https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale charted 10 specific needs\u003c/a> of working-class African American people in this country, they couldn’t have fathomed that many of those demands — namely “Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings” and “Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role in the Present-Day Society” — would remain unfulfilled.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nor could they have imagined how deeply the work of the Black Panther Party has inspired generations, pushing young people to create change both locally and internationally.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Nor could they have imagined how deeply the work of the Black Panther Party has inspired generations, pushing young people to create change both locally and internationally.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And clearly, the work continues.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And clearly, the work continues.\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/separator",
"attrs": {
"opacity": "alpha-channel",
"tagName": "hr"
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
},
{
"blockName": "core/paragraph",
"attrs": {
"dropCap": false
},
"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Black Panther Party celebrates its 60th anniversary this month with a series of events. \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Black Panther Party celebrates its 60th anniversary this month with a series of events. \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
],
"innerBlocks": []
}
],
"excerpt": "Events throughout October commemorate one of the most important organizations of the 20th century.",
"status": "publish",
"parent": 0,
"modified": 1792182617,
"stats": {
"hasAudio": false,
"hasVideo": false,
"hasChartOrMap": false,
"iframeSrcs": [],
"hasGoogleForm": false,
"hasGallery": false,
"hasHearkenModule": false,
"hasPolis": false,
"paragraphCount": 18,
"wordCount": 1064
},
"headData": {
"title": "Honoring the Black Panther Party on Its 60th Anniversary | KQED",
"description": "Events throughout October commemorate one of the most important organizations of the 20th century.",
"ogTitle": "",
"ogDescription": "",
"ogImgId": "",
"twTitle": "",
"twDescription": "",
"twImgId": "",
"schema": {
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "Article",
"headline": "Honoring the Black Panther Party on Its 60th Anniversary",
"datePublished": "2026-10-06T12:52:02-07:00",
"dateModified": "2026-10-16T13:30:17-07:00",
"image": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png"
}
},
"primaryCategory": {
"termId": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"name": "Arts"
},
"source": "The Do List",
"sourceUrl": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"audioUrl": "https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/0af137ef-751e-4b19-a055-aaef00d2d578/ffca7e9f-6831-41c5-bcaf-aaef00f5a073/77ba4556-1590-4713-8dd8-b4e201668cc6/audio.mp3",
"sticky": false,
"WpOldSlug": "honoring-the-black-panther-party-on-its-60th-anniversary",
"nprStoryId": "kqed-13994388",
"templateType": "standard",
"featuredImageType": "standard",
"excludeFromSiteSearch": "Include",
"articleAge": "0",
"path": "/arts/13994388/hblack-panther-party-60th-anniversary-events-oakland",
"audioTrackLength": null,
"parsedContent": [
{
"type": "contentString",
"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Six decades ago, a group of young Black activists in Oakland began policing the police. They fed schoolchildren, started medical clinics, created a multilevel grade school and published a newspaper that reached people around the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In leather jackets and berets, they reinvented the color black. And, through their collective willpower, they fanned the flame of self-determination that has long burned within the Black community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Black Panther Party, founded in 1966, was one of the most important organizations of the 20th century. This month, as \u003ca href=\"https://hueypnewtonfoundation.org/\">The Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"http://www.itsabouttimebpp.com/index_PhotoGallery.html\">It’s About Time BPP \u003c/a>commemorate the vanguard organization’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">60th anniversary\u003c/a>, the Black Panthers will be honored with a gala, numerous workshops, a community day in West Oakland and more.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1343\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13994540\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-768x516.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-514079888-1536x1031.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Black Panthers march in protest of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in Oakland, California. (Bettmann/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re opening it up with an exhibition by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13867337/the-black-panther-partys-free-breakfast-program-a-50-year-old-blueprint\">Billy X Jennings\u003c/a>,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13971589/black-panther-party-survival-programs-exhibit\">Dr. Xavier Buck\u003c/a>, executive director of the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation. On Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Oakland Public Library’s main branch, Jennings, a Black Panther Party historian, leads attendees through an exhibition titled \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://oaklandlibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6a8732ffbe1482002988c2a4\">Honoring the Rank & File\u003c/a>\u003c/em>. He’ll also lead a panel discussion and screening of the documentary film \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4JAcG-QHO8\">Lords of the Revolution\u003c/a>\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And then,” says Buck, “we’re partnering with \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/oaktownthursdays/\">Oaktown Thursdays\u003c/a>, and doing a special 60th anniversary tribute; \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/larussell\">LaRussell\u003c/a> is the headliner for that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the following day, Friday, Oct. 16, brings a variety of workshops, many led by former Panthers or their children, known as Panther cubs. \u003ca href=\"https://www.csustan.edu/people/ms-melissa-charles\">Mel Charles \u003c/a>from Sacramento’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.malcolmxacademy.org/\">Malcolm X Academy\u003c/a> leads a discussion about applying the Panthers’ concept of a Community School to 2026. A critical look at reproductive health comes courtesy of \u003ca href=\"https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/malic.cfm\">Dr. Mali Collins\u003c/a>, who anchors a session titled “The Black Panther’s Agenda for Black Health: A framework for reproductive freedom in 2026.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A day full of conversations that bring the Party’s ideas into the present will conclude with a set by East Bay hip-hop ensemble \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/macarthurmaze/\">MacArthur Maze\u003c/a> at the Oakland Museum of California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/D4JAcG-QHO8'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/D4JAcG-QHO8'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The next day, Oct. 17, offers an even broader variety of sessions. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/breathandthecity/\">Breath and the City\u003c/a>‘s \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/lissdelarosa/\">Lissette de la Rosa\u003c/a> leads a seminar on breath work, pushing attendees to dive deep within themselves. Former Black Panther \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/offical_mamacharlottesmusic2/?hl=en\">Charlotte Hill O’Neal\u003c/a>, visiting from Tanzania, will lead a discussion about the Party’s international footprint. Saturday’s schedule also includes a discussion about the relationship between Black liberation and ecology, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.yesmagazine.org/authors/quinton-sankofa\">Quinton Sankofa\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, actor \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Guenveur_Smith\">Roger Guenveur Smith\u003c/a>, who played Huey P. Newton in Spike Lee’s 2001 production \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0278490/\">A Huey P. Newton Story\u003c/a>\u003c/em>, will celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary in a screening; Smith will be joined by Steven Adams, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13874735/fredrika-newton-huey-p-revolutionary-love\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://awelemakeba.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae8oIBsrcNdxz-eh4a2xn-9zGpDNagrSqX8gN94avGGmMfZQLQJp5FvgjJhMA_aem_oC-lUDOxG0Cl0u-3VefMWg#top\">Awele Makeba\u003c/a>. Also screening at the event is \u003ca href=\"https://www.d-word.com/documentary/2334-ALIVE-IN-BRONZE-HUEY-P-NEWTON\">\u003cem>Alive in Bronze\u003c/em>,\u003c/a> a short documentary about the efforts of \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/fredrikanewton/\">Fredrika Newton\u003c/a> and sculptor \u003ca href=\"https://danakingart.com/\">Dana King\u003c/a> to create a monument that now stands on Mandela Parkway in West Oakland, honoring the life of Dr. Huey P. Newton.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/QstJpRpp6FY'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/QstJpRpp6FY'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/div>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Saturday evening, Oct. 17, is the main event: the 60th anniversary gala. “It’s going to be a pretty big deal,” says Buck, explaining that Bobby Seale will be present while the cover art for a new edition of his book \u003cem>\u003ca href=\"https://www.blackstonepublishing.com/products/book-1or1\">Seize the Time\u003c/a>\u003c/em> is unveiled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Buck, the founding director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.blackpantherpartymuseum.org/\">Black Panther Party Museum\u003c/a>, says the Bobby Seale Legacy Foundation worked with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation on the slate of events. “It’s the first time that these legacies have worked together. And it’s important because one of Bobby Seale’s greatest regrets was not making amends with Huey before he was killed in ’89.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That sort of cooperation is at the center of the entire series, and it serves as a metaphor. “It’s all about looking at this current political moment,” Buck says, “and thinking more about unification than division.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1584\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg\" alt=\"At right, a white middle-aged man in a suit and tie looks into the distance; at left, more than a dozen Black men in leather jackets and berets stand in two single-file lines next to an A-frame building\" class=\"wp-image-13994541\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-160x127.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-768x608.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/10/GettyImages-1438231171-1536x1217.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Actor Marlon Brando, right, attends the funeral of 17-year-old Black Panther Party treasurer Bobby Hutton at the Ephesian Church of God and Christ in Berkeley, Calif. on April 12, 1968. He is flanked at left by members of the Black Panther Party outside the church where an estimated 1,500 people were in attendance. (Lonnie Wilson/MediaNews Group/Oakland Tribune via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the theme of coming together, Sunday, Oct. 18, offers a free Community Day event at Bobby Hutton Park in West Oakland, bringing the community back to the same grounds where the Panthers held rallies six decades ago. \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/moneyb69/\">Money B,\u003c/a> founding member of the legendary Digital Underground hip-hop collective and former student at the Black Panther’s Oakland Community School will guest host. He’ll be joined by performances from \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/numskulloftheluniz/\">Numskull of the Luniz\u003c/a>, The Bobby Jackson Project and \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/wolfhawkjaguar/\">WolfHawkJuguar\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A number of other events in October commemorate the Black Panther’s legacy, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/Dd9NJfUygqv/\">a Panther Jam at the Shakur Center\u003c/a> in Sacramento on Friday, Oct. 9. On Sunday, Oct. 11, there’s the \u003ca href=\"https://posh.vip/e/seize-the-time?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAae9RvTirno6ZWKYCwGiORB1t6eAvahHR5Ye0Ma-KJ6soVprYcltqaPReN1PYQ_aem_eWRKBEBtUM8wn-x9L5jLGw\">Seize The Time: A Fashion Experience\u003c/a>, led by \u003ca href=\"https://www.futurisme.studio/\">Futurisme Studios\u003c/a> and featuring DJ sets by \u003ca href=\"https://www.homeisforhomies.com/\">Home is for Homies\u003c/a>. And on Saturday, Oct. 17, Pittsburg’s \u003ca href=\"https://bookstore.revisionpub.com/\">RP Books\u003c/a> hosts a conversation with \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandvr.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAcGRvZgJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA85MzY2MTk3NDMzOTI0NTkAAacRTQt7YCt-KS4SjkgIq5j65jdF8JEWHH5kk81AfIX31l23mQNt9EKmG0Jzlw_aem_Vzx8TXxIJDuHJUjY6NXIfA\">Michael Roosevelt\u003c/a>, author of \u003cem>The Black Panther Party Ten-Point Plan: A Liberatory Journal\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than a half-century ago, when the late \u003ca href=\"https://blackpast.org/african-american-history/black-panther-party-ten-point-program-1966/\">Dr. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale charted 10 specific needs\u003c/a> of working-class African American people in this country, they couldn’t have fathomed that many of those demands — namely “Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter of Human Beings” and “Education That Teaches Us Our True History And Our Role in the Present-Day Society” — would remain unfulfilled.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nor could they have imagined how deeply the work of the Black Panther Party has inspired generations, pushing young people to create change both locally and internationally.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And clearly, the work continues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The Black Panther Party celebrates its 60th anniversary this month with a series of events. \u003ca href=\"https://www.bpp60.org/\">Details and more information here\u003c/a>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
"attributes": {
"named": {},
"numeric": []
}
}
],
"link": "/arts/13994388/hblack-panther-party-60th-anniversary-events-oakland",
"authors": [
"11491"
],
"programs": [
"arts_140"
],
"categories": [
"arts_1",
"arts_7862",
"arts_235",
"arts_22313"
],
"tags": [
"arts_4459",
"arts_4097",
"arts_6775",
"arts_1346",
"arts_10342",
"arts_10278",
"arts_5035",
"arts_1143",
"arts_585"
],
"featImg": "arts_13994533",
"label": "source_arts_13994388"
}
},
"podcastsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"podcasts": {}
},
"radioProgramsReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"radioPrograms": {}
},
"radioSearchSegmentsReducer": {},
"programsReducer": {
"all-things-considered": {
"id": "all-things-considered",
"title": "All Things Considered",
"info": "Every weekday, \u003cem>All Things Considered\u003c/em> hosts Robert Siegel, Audie Cornish, Ari Shapiro, and Kelly McEvers present the program's trademark mix of news, interviews, commentaries, reviews, and offbeat features. Michel Martin hosts on the weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 1pm-2pm, 4:30pm-6:30pm\u003cbr />SAT-SUN 5pm-6pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/All-Things-Considered-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/all-things-considered"
},
"american-suburb-podcast": {
"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/American-Suburb-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 19
},
"link": "/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/RBrW",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=1287748328",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/American-Suburb-p1086805/",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/american-suburb-podcast/feed/podcast",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMzMDExODgxNjA5"
}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Bay-Curious-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Bay Curious",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/news/series/baycurious",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 3
},
"link": "/podcasts/baycurious",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-curious/id1172473406",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/500557090/bay-curious",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/category/bay-curious-podcast/feed/podcast",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9a90d476-aa04-455d-9a4c-0871ed6216d4/bay-curious",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/bay-curious",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6O76IdmhixfijmhTZLIJ8k"
}
},
"bbc-world-service": {
"id": "bbc-world-service",
"title": "BBC World Service",
"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9pm-10pm, TUE-FRI 1am-2am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_world_service",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "BBC World Service"
},
"link": "/radio/program/bbc-world-service",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/global-news-podcast/id135067274?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/BBC-World-Service-p455581/",
"rss": "https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/p02nq0gn.rss"
}
},
"californiareport": {
"id": "californiareport",
"title": "The California Report",
"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-the-california-report/id79681292",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/26099305-72af-4542-9dde-ac1807fe36d5/kqed-s-the-california-report",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432285393/the-california-report",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-the-california-report-podcast-8838",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcram/feed/podcast"
}
},
"californiareportmagazine": {
"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-California-Report-Magazine-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The California Report Magazine",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 10
},
"link": "/californiareportmagazine",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-california-report-magazine/id1314750545",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/564733126/the-california-report-magazine",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-california-report-magazine",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/tcrmag/feed/podcast"
}
},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.cityarts.net/",
"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/City-Arts-and-Lectures-p692/",
"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
"title": "Close All Tabs",
"tagline": "Your irreverent guide to the trends redefining our world",
"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/CAT_2_Tile-scaled.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Close All Tabs",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 1
},
"link": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/close-all-tabs/id214663465",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC6993880386",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/92d9d4ac-67a3-4eed-b10a-fb45d45b1ef2/close-all-tabs",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/6LAJFHnGK1pYXYzv6SIol6?si=deb0cae19813417c"
}
},
"code-switch-life-kit": {
"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
"airtime": "SUN 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Code-Switch-Life-Kit-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/1112190608?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3bExJ9JQpkwNhoHvaIIuyV",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510312/podcast.xml"
}
},
"commonwealth-club": {
"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.commonwealthclub.org/podcasts",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/commonwealth-club-of-california-podcast/id976334034?mt=2",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Commonwealth-Club-of-California-p1060/"
}
},
"forum": {
"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/forum",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
"link": "/forum",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kqeds-forum/id73329719",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432307980/forum",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqedfm-kqeds-forum-podcast",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9557381633"
}
},
"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Fresh-Air-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/4s8b",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Fresh-Air-p17/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
}
},
"here-and-now": {
"id": "here-and-now",
"title": "Here & Now",
"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
"airtime": "MON-THU 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Here-And-Now-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://www.wbur.org/hereandnow",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/here-and-now",
"subsdcribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?mt=2&id=426698661",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Here--Now-p211/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/hiddenbrain.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Science-Podcasts/Hidden-Brain-p787503/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510308/podcast.xml"
}
},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Arts--Culture-Podcasts/How-I-Built-This-p910896/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510313/podcast.xml"
}
},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
"imageAlt": "KQED Hyphenación",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hyphenaci%C3%B3n/id1191591838",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
"youtube": "https://www.youtube.com/c/kqedarts",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/790253322/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/series/jerrybrown/feed/podcast/",
"tuneIn": "http://tun.in/pjGcK",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/54C1dmuyFyKMFttY6X2j6r?si=K8SgRCoISNK6ZbjpXrX5-w",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/44420f75-3b0e-4301-ab3b-16da6b09e543/the-political-mind-of-jerry-brown"
}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/xtTd",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Latino-USA-p621/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201853034&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/APM-Marketplace-p88/",
"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0MxSpNYZKNprFLCl7eEtyx"
}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/onourwatch",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/0OLWoyizopu6tY1XiuX70x",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-Our-Watch-p1436229/",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
}
},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Political Breakdown",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/political-breakdown/id1327641087",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/e0c2d153-ad36-4c8d-901d-f1da6a724824/political-breakdown",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/572155894/political-breakdown",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/political-breakdown",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/07RVyIjIdk2WDuVehvBMoN",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/tag/political-breakdown/feed/podcast"
}
},
"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/possible/id1677184070",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
}
},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "PRI"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pri-the-world",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pris-the-world-latest-edition/id278196007?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/PRIs-The-World-p24/",
"rss": "http://feeds.feedburner.com/pri/theworld"
}
},
"radiolab": {
"id": "radiolab",
"title": "Radiolab",
"info": "A two-time Peabody Award-winner, Radiolab is an investigation told through sounds and stories, and centered around one big idea. In the Radiolab world, information sounds like music and science and culture collide. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, the show is designed for listeners who demand skepticism, but appreciate wonder. WNYC Studios is the producer of other leading podcasts including Freakonomics Radio, Death, Sex & Money, On the Media and many more.",
"airtime": "SUN 12am-1am, SAT 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/radiolab1400.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/radiolab/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/radiolab",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/radiolab/id152249110?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/RadioLab-p68032/",
"rss": "https://feeds.wnyc.org/radiolab"
}
},
"reveal": {
"id": "reveal",
"title": "Reveal",
"info": "Created by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Reveal is public radios first one-hour weekly radio show and podcast dedicated to investigative reporting. Credible, fact based and without a partisan agenda, Reveal combines the power and artistry of driveway moment storytelling with data-rich reporting on critically important issues. The result is stories that inform and inspire, arming our listeners with information to right injustices, hold the powerful accountable and improve lives.Reveal is hosted by Al Letson and showcases the award-winning work of CIR and newsrooms large and small across the nation. In a radio and podcast market crowded with choices, Reveal focuses on important and often surprising stories that illuminate the world for our listeners.",
"airtime": "SAT 4pm-5pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/reveal300px.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.revealnews.org/episodes/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/reveal",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reveal/id886009669",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Reveal-p679597/",
"rss": "http://feeds.revealradio.org/revealpodcast"
}
},
"rightnowish": {
"id": "rightnowish",
"title": "Rightnowish",
"tagline": "Art is where you find it",
"info": "Rightnowish digs into life in the Bay Area right now… ish. Journalist Pendarvis Harshaw takes us to galleries painted on the sides of liquor stores in West Oakland. We'll dance in warehouses in the Bayview, make smoothies with kids in South Berkeley, and listen to classical music in a 1984 Cutlass Supreme in Richmond. Every week, Pen talks to movers and shakers about how the Bay Area shapes what they create, and how they shape the place we call home.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rightnowish-Podcast-Tile-500x500-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Rightnowish with Pendarvis Harshaw",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 16
},
"link": "/podcasts/rightnowish",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/721590300/rightnowish",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/programs/rightnowish/feed/podcast",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rightnowish/id1482187648",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/rightnowish",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkMxMjU5MTY3NDc4",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/7kEJuafTzTVan7B78ttz1I"
}
},
"science-friday": {
"id": "science-friday",
"title": "Science Friday",
"info": "Science Friday is a weekly science talk show, broadcast live over public radio stations nationwide. Each week, the show focuses on science topics that are in the news and tries to bring an educated, balanced discussion to bear on the scientific issues at hand. Panels of expert guests join host Ira Flatow, a veteran science journalist, to discuss science and to take questions from listeners during the call-in portion of the program.",
"airtime": "FRI 11am-1pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Science-Friday-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/science-friday",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/science-friday",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=73329284&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Science-Friday-p394/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/science-friday"
}
},
"snap-judgment": {
"id": "snap-judgment",
"title": "Snap Judgment",
"tagline": "Real stories with killer beats",
"info": "The Snap Judgment radio show and podcast mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic radio. Snap's musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. This is storytelling... with a BEAT!! Snap first aired on public radio stations nationwide in July 2010. Today, Snap Judgment airs on over 450 public radio stations and is brought to the airwaves by KQED & PRX.",
"airtime": "SAT 1pm-2pm, 9pm-10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Snap-Judgment-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Snap Judgment",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 4
},
"link": "https://snapjudgment.org",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/snap-judgment/id283657561",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/449018144/snap-judgment",
"stitcher": "https://www.pandora.com/podcast/snap-judgment/PC:241?source=stitcher-sunset",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3Cct7ZWmxHNAtLgBTqjC5v",
"rss": "https://snap.feed.snapjudgment.org/"
}
},
"soldout": {
"id": "soldout",
"title": "SOLD OUT: Rethinking Housing in America",
"tagline": "A new future for housing",
"info": "Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Sold-Out-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Sold Out: Rethinking Housing in America",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/soldout",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 13
},
"link": "/podcasts/soldout",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/911586047/s-o-l-d-o-u-t-a-new-future-for-housing",
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/introducing-sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america/id1531354937",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/soldout",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/38dTBSk2ISFoPiyYNoKn1X",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/sold-out-rethinking-housing-in-america",
"tunein": "https://tunein.com/radio/SOLD-OUT-Rethinking-Housing-in-America-p1365871/"
}
},
"spooked": {
"id": "spooked",
"title": "Spooked",
"tagline": "True-life supernatural stories",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Spooked-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Spooked",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 7
},
"link": "https://spookedpodcast.org/",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spooked/id1279361017",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/549547848/snap-judgment-presents-spooked",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/76571Rfl3m7PLJQZKQIGCT",
"rss": "https://feeds.simplecast.com/TBotaapn"
}
},
"tech-nation": {
"id": "tech-nation",
"title": "Tech Nation Radio Podcast",
"info": "Tech Nation is a weekly public radio program, hosted by Dr. Moira Gunn. Founded in 1993, it has grown from a simple interview show to a multi-faceted production, featuring conversations with noted technology and science leaders, and a weekly science and technology-related commentary.",
"airtime": "FRI 10pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Tech-Nation-Radio-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://technation.podomatic.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "science",
"source": "Tech Nation Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tech-nation",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://technation.podomatic.com/rss2.xml"
}
},
"ted-radio-hour": {
"id": "ted-radio-hour",
"title": "TED Radio Hour",
"info": "The TED Radio Hour is a journey through fascinating ideas, astonishing inventions, fresh approaches to old problems, and new ways to think and create.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm, SAT 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/tedRadioHour.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/?showDate=2018-06-22",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/ted-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/8vsS",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=523121474&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/TED-Radio-Hour-p418021/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510298/podcast.xml"
}
},
"thebay": {
"id": "thebay",
"title": "The Bay",
"tagline": "Local news to keep you rooted",
"info": "Host Devin Katayama walks you through the biggest story of the day with reporters and newsmakers.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Bay-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Bay",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/thebay",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 2
},
"link": "/podcasts/thebay",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bay/id1350043452",
"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/d800ea4c-7a2c-42f2-b861-edaf78a5db0b/the-bay",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/586725995/the-bay",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-bay",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/4BIKBKIujizLHlIlBNaAqQ",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC8259786327"
}
},
"thelatest": {
"id": "thelatest",
"title": "The Latest",
"tagline": "Trusted local news in real time",
"info": "",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Latest-2025-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Latest",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/thelatest",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 6
},
"link": "/thelatest",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-latest-from-kqed/id1197721799",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1257949365/the-latest-from-k-q-e-d",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/5KIIXMgM9GTi5AepwOYvIZ?si=bd3053fec7244dba",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC9137121918"
}
},
"theleap": {
"id": "theleap",
"title": "The Leap",
"tagline": "What if you closed your eyes, and jumped?",
"info": "Stories about people making dramatic, risky changes, told by award-winning public radio reporter Judy Campbell.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Leap-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED The Leap",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/theleap",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 17
},
"link": "/podcasts/theleap",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leap/id1046668171",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/447248267/the-leap",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/the-leap",
"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/3sSlVHHzU0ytLwuGs1SD1U",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/programs/the-leap/feed/podcast"
}
},
"the-moth-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-moth-radio-hour",
"title": "The Moth Radio Hour",
"info": "Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience which is both terrifying and exhilarating. Since 2008, The Moth podcast has featured many of our favorite stories told live on Moth stages around the country. For information on all of our programs and live events, visit themoth.org.",
"airtime": "SAT 8pm-9pm and SUN 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/theMoth.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://themoth.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "prx"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-moth-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-moth-podcast/id275699983?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/The-Moth-p273888/",
"rss": "http://feeds.themoth.org/themothpodcast"
}
},
"the-new-yorker-radio-hour": {
"id": "the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"title": "The New Yorker Radio Hour",
"info": "The New Yorker Radio Hour is a weekly program presented by the magazine's editor, David Remnick, and produced by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker. Each episode features a diverse mix of interviews, profiles, storytelling, and an occasional burst of humor inspired by the magazine, and shaped by its writers, artists, and editors. This isn't a radio version of a magazine, but something all its own, reflecting the rich possibilities of audio storytelling and conversation. Theme music for the show was composed and performed by Merrill Garbus of tUnE-YArDs.",
"airtime": "SAT 10am-11am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-New-Yorker-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/tnyradiohour",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-new-yorker-radio-hour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1050430296",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/New-Yorker-Radio-Hour-p803804/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/newyorkerradiohour"
}
},
"the-sam-sanders-show": {
"id": "the-sam-sanders-show",
"title": "The Sam Sanders Show",
"info": "One of public radio's most dynamic voices, Sam Sanders helped launch The NPR Politics Podcast and hosted NPR's hit show It's Been A Minute. Now, the award-winning host returns with something brand new, The Sam Sanders Show. Every week, Sam Sanders and friends dig into the culture that shapes our lives: what's driving the biggest trends, how artists really think, and even the memes you can't stop scrolling past. Sam is beloved for his way of unpacking the world and bringing you up close to fresh currents and engaging conversations. The Sam Sanders Show is smart, funny and always a good time.",
"airtime": "FRI 12-1pm AND SAT 11am-12pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/The-Sam-Sanders-Show-Podcast-Tile-400x400-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"meta": {
"site": "arts",
"source": "KCRW"
},
"link": "https://www.kcrw.com/shows/the-sam-sanders-show/latest",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feed.cdnstream1.com/zjb/feed/download/ac/28/59/ac28594c-e1d0-4231-8728-61865cdc80e8.xml"
}
},
"the-splendid-table": {
"id": "the-splendid-table",
"title": "The Splendid Table",
"info": "\u003cem>The Splendid Table\u003c/em> hosts our nation's conversations about cooking, sustainability and food culture.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Splendid-Table-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.splendidtable.org/",
"airtime": "SUN 10-11 pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/the-splendid-table"
},
"this-american-life": {
"id": "this-american-life",
"title": "This American Life",
"info": "This American Life is a weekly public radio show, heard by 2.2 million people on more than 500 stations. Another 2.5 million people download the weekly podcast. It is hosted by Ira Glass, produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media, delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.",
"airtime": "SAT 12pm-1pm, 7pm-8pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/thisAmericanLife.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "wbez"
},
"link": "/radio/program/this-american-life",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=201671138&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"rss": "https://www.thisamericanlife.org/podcast/rss.xml"
}
},
"tinydeskradio": {
"id": "tinydeskradio",
"title": "Tiny Desk Radio",
"info": "We're bringing the best of Tiny Desk to the airwaves, only on public radio.",
"airtime": "SUN 8pm and SAT 9pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/300x300-For-Member-Station-Logo-Tiny-Desk-Radio-@2x.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-52030/tiny-desk-radio",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/tinydeskradio",
"subscribe": {
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/g-s1-52030/rss.xml"
}
},
"wait-wait-dont-tell-me": {
"id": "wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"title": "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!",
"info": "Peter Sagal and Bill Kurtis host the weekly NPR News quiz show alongside some of the best and brightest news and entertainment personalities.",
"airtime": "SUN 10am-11am, SAT 11am-12pm, SAT 6pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Wait-Wait-Podcast-Tile-300x300-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/wait-wait-dont-tell-me/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/wait-wait-dont-tell-me",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/Xogv",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=121493804&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/Wait-Wait-Dont-Tell-Me-p46/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/344098539/podcast.xml"
}
},
"weekend-edition-saturday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-saturday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Saturday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Saturday wraps up the week's news and offers a mix of analysis and features on a wide range of topics, including arts, sports, entertainment, and human interest stories. The two-hour program is hosted by NPR's Peabody Award-winning Scott Simon.",
"airtime": "SAT 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-saturday"
},
"weekend-edition-sunday": {
"id": "weekend-edition-sunday",
"title": "Weekend Edition Sunday",
"info": "Weekend Edition Sunday features interviews with newsmakers, artists, scientists, politicians, musicians, writers, theologians and historians. The program has covered news events from Nelson Mandela's 1990 release from a South African prison to the capture of Saddam Hussein.",
"airtime": "SUN 5am-10am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Weekend-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/weekend-edition-sunday"
}
},
"racesReducer": {},
"racesGenElectionReducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026Reducer": {},
"racesGenElection2026PresidentialReducer": {},
"radioSchedulesReducer": {},
"listsReducer": {
"posts/?program=the-do-list&queryId=c2aae4d7fe": {
"isFetching": false,
"latestQuery": {
"from": 0,
"size": 10
},
"vitalsOnly": false,
"totalRequested": 10,
"isLoading": false,
"isLoadingMore": true,
"total": {
"value": 3574,
"relation": "eq"
},
"items": [
"arts_13994714",
"arts_13994793",
"arts_13994824",
"arts_13994807",
"arts_13994754",
"arts_13994336",
"arts_13994663",
"arts_13994588",
"arts_13994504",
"arts_13994388"
],
"complete": true
}
},
"recallGuideReducer": {
"intros": {},
"policy": {},
"candidates": {}
},
"savedArticleReducer": {
"articles": [],
"status": {}
},
"newslettersReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": false,
"newsletters": {},
"isSubscribing": false,
"isUnsubscribing": false,
"subscribedNewsletters": {}
},
"termsReducer": {
"about": {
"name": "About",
"type": "terms",
"id": "about",
"slug": "about",
"link": "/about",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"arts": {
"name": "Arts & Culture",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"description": "KQED Arts provides daily in-depth coverage of the Bay Area's music, art, film, performing arts, literature and arts news, as well as cultural commentary and criticism.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts",
"slug": "arts",
"link": "/arts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"artschool": {
"name": "Art School",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "artschool",
"slug": "artschool",
"link": "/artschool",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareabites": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareabites",
"slug": "bayareabites",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"bayareahiphop": {
"name": "Bay Area Hiphop",
"type": "terms",
"id": "bayareahiphop",
"slug": "bayareahiphop",
"link": "/bayareahiphop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"campaign21": {
"name": "Campaign 21",
"type": "terms",
"id": "campaign21",
"slug": "campaign21",
"link": "/campaign21",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"careers": {
"name": "Careers",
"type": "terms",
"id": "careers",
"slug": "careers",
"link": "/careers",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"checkplease": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "checkplease",
"slug": "checkplease",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"education": {
"name": "Education",
"grouping": [
"education"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "education",
"slug": "education",
"link": "/education",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"elections": {
"name": "Elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "elections",
"slug": "elections",
"link": "/elections",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"events": {
"name": "Events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "events",
"slug": "events",
"link": "/events",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"event": {
"name": "Event",
"alias": "events",
"type": "terms",
"id": "event",
"slug": "event",
"link": "/event",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"filmschoolshorts": {
"name": "Film School Shorts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "filmschoolshorts",
"slug": "filmschoolshorts",
"link": "/filmschoolshorts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"food": {
"name": "KQED food",
"grouping": [
"food",
"bayareabites",
"checkplease"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "food",
"slug": "food",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"forum": {
"name": "Forum",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/forum?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "forum",
"slug": "forum",
"link": "/forum",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"futureofyou": {
"name": "Future of You",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "futureofyou",
"slug": "futureofyou",
"link": "/futureofyou",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"jpepinheart": {
"name": "KQED food",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/food,bayareabites,checkplease",
"parent": "food",
"type": "terms",
"id": "jpepinheart",
"slug": "jpepinheart",
"link": "/food",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"liveblog": {
"name": "Live Blog",
"type": "terms",
"id": "liveblog",
"slug": "liveblog",
"link": "/liveblog",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"livetv": {
"name": "Live TV",
"parent": "tv",
"type": "terms",
"id": "livetv",
"slug": "livetv",
"link": "/livetv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"lowdown": {
"name": "The Lowdown",
"relatedContentQuery": "posts/lowdown?",
"parent": "news",
"type": "terms",
"id": "lowdown",
"slug": "lowdown",
"link": "/lowdown",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"mindshift": {
"name": "Mindshift",
"parent": "news",
"description": "MindShift explores the future of education by highlighting the innovative – and sometimes counterintuitive – ways educators and parents are helping all children succeed.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "mindshift",
"slug": "mindshift",
"link": "/mindshift",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"news": {
"name": "News",
"grouping": [
"news",
"forum"
],
"type": "terms",
"id": "news",
"slug": "news",
"link": "/news",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"newsletters": {
"name": "newsletters",
"type": "terms",
"id": "newsletters",
"slug": "newsletters",
"link": "/newsletters",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"perspectives": {
"name": "Perspectives",
"parent": "radio",
"type": "terms",
"id": "perspectives",
"slug": "perspectives",
"link": "/perspectives",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"podcasts": {
"name": "Podcasts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "podcasts",
"slug": "podcasts",
"link": "/podcasts",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pop": {
"name": "Pop",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pop",
"slug": "pop",
"link": "/pop",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"pressroom": {
"name": "Pressroom",
"type": "terms",
"id": "pressroom",
"slug": "pressroom",
"link": "/pressroom",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"quest": {
"name": "Quest",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "quest",
"slug": "quest",
"link": "/quest",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"radio": {
"name": "Radio",
"grouping": [
"forum",
"perspectives"
],
"description": "Listen to KQED Public Radio – home of Forum and The California Report – on 88.5 FM in San Francisco, 89.3 FM in Sacramento, 88.3 FM in Santa Rosa and 88.1 FM in Martinez.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "radio",
"slug": "radio",
"link": "/radio",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"root": {
"name": "KQED",
"image": "https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/2020/02/KQED-OG-Image@1x.png",
"imageWidth": 1200,
"imageHeight": 630,
"headData": {
"title": "KQED | News, Radio, Podcasts, TV | Public Media for Northern California",
"description": "KQED provides public radio, television, and independent reporting on issues that matter to the Bay Area. We’re the NPR and PBS member station for Northern California."
},
"type": "terms",
"id": "root",
"slug": "root",
"link": "/root",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"science": {
"name": "Science",
"grouping": [
"science",
"futureofyou"
],
"description": "KQED Science brings you award-winning science and environment coverage from the Bay Area and beyond.",
"type": "terms",
"id": "science",
"slug": "science",
"link": "/science",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"stateofhealth": {
"name": "State of Health",
"parent": "science",
"type": "terms",
"id": "stateofhealth",
"slug": "stateofhealth",
"link": "/stateofhealth",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"support": {
"name": "Support",
"type": "terms",
"id": "support",
"slug": "support",
"link": "/support",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"thedolist": {
"name": "The Do List",
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "thedolist",
"slug": "thedolist",
"link": "/thedolist",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"trulyca": {
"name": "Truly CA",
"grouping": [
"arts",
"pop",
"trulyca"
],
"parent": "arts",
"type": "terms",
"id": "trulyca",
"slug": "trulyca",
"link": "/trulyca",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"tv": {
"name": "TV",
"type": "terms",
"id": "tv",
"slug": "tv",
"link": "/tv",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"voterguide": {
"name": "Voter Guide",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "voterguide",
"slug": "voterguide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"guiaelectoral": {
"name": "Guia Electoral",
"parent": "elections",
"alias": "elections",
"type": "terms",
"id": "guiaelectoral",
"slug": "guiaelectoral",
"link": "/guiaelectoral",
"taxonomy": "site"
},
"source_arts_13994714": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994714",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994793": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994793",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994824": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994824",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994807": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994807",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994754": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994754",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "Food",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/food",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994336": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994336",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994663": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994663",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994588": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994588",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994504": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994504",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"source_arts_13994388": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "source_arts_13994388",
"meta": {
"override": true
},
"name": "The Do List",
"link": "https://www.kqed.org/thedolist",
"isLoading": false
},
"arts_140": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_140",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "140",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "The Do List",
"slug": "the-do-list",
"taxonomy": "program",
"description": null,
"featImg": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/11/The-Do-LIst-logo-2014-horizontal-015.png",
"headData": {
"title": "The Do List Archives | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 141,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/program/the-do-list"
},
"arts_1": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1,
"slug": "arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/arts"
},
"arts_22313": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22313",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22313",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "The Do List",
"slug": "the-do-list",
"taxonomy": "category",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "The Do List | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22325,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/the-do-list"
},
"arts_70": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_70",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "70",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Visual Arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Visual Arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 71,
"slug": "visualarts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/visualarts"
},
"arts_2250": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2250",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2250",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Asian Art Museum",
"slug": "asian-art-museum",
"taxonomy": "tag",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Asian Art Museum | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 2262,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/asian-art-museum"
},
"arts_10278": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_10278",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "10278",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "featured-arts",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "featured-arts Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10290,
"slug": "featured-arts",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/featured-arts"
},
"arts_1146": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1146",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1146",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 701,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/san-francisco"
},
"arts_585": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_585",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "585",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "thedolist",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "thedolist Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 590,
"slug": "thedolist",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/thedolist"
},
"arts_21866": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21866",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21866",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Arts and Culture",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Arts and Culture Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21878,
"slug": "arts-and-culture",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/arts-and-culture"
},
"arts_21879": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21879",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21879",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Entertainment",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Entertainment Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21891,
"slug": "entertainment",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/entertainment"
},
"arts_21859": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21859",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21859",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Francisco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Francisco Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21871,
"slug": "san-francisco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/san-francisco"
},
"arts_12276": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_12276",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "12276",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": "Explore the Bay Area culinary scene through KQED's food stories, recipes, dining experiences, and stories from the diverse tastemakers that define the Bay's cuisines.",
"title": "Bay Area Food Archives, Articles, News, and Reviews | KQED",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 12288,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/food"
},
"arts_1297": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1297",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1297",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "food Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1309,
"slug": "food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/food"
},
"arts_9773": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_9773",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "9773",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Little Saigon",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Little Saigon Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 9785,
"slug": "little-saigon",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/little-saigon"
},
"arts_14089": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_14089",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "14089",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "pop-up",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "pop-up Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 14101,
"slug": "pop-up",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/pop-up"
},
"arts_1084": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1084",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1084",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "San Jose",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "San Jose Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1101,
"slug": "san-jose",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/san-jose"
},
"arts_4385": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4385",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4385",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Vietnamese",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Vietnamese Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4397,
"slug": "vietnamese",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/vietnamese"
},
"arts_15126": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_15126",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "15126",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "vietnamese food",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "vietnamese food Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 15138,
"slug": "vietnamese-food",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/vietnamese-food"
},
"arts_21870": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21870",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21870",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Events",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Events Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21882,
"slug": "events",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/events"
},
"arts_21865": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21865",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21865",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Food and Drink",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Food and Drink Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21877,
"slug": "food-and-drink",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/food-and-drink"
},
"arts_21861": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21861",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21861",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "South Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "South Bay Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21873,
"slug": "south-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/south-bay"
},
"arts_967": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_967",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "967",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Theater",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Theater Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 985,
"slug": "theater",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/theater"
},
"arts_2347": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2347",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2347",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "broadway",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "broadway Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2359,
"slug": "broadway",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/broadway"
},
"arts_2372": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_2372",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "2372",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "curran theatre",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "curran theatre Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 2384,
"slug": "curran-theatre",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/curran-theatre"
},
"arts_1556": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1556",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1556",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "drag",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "drag Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1568,
"slug": "drag",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/drag"
},
"arts_69": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_69",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "69",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Music",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Music Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 70,
"slug": "music",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/music"
},
"arts_235": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_235",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "235",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "News",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "News Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 236,
"slug": "news",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/news"
},
"arts_1806": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1806",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1806",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "fillmore",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "fillmore Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1818,
"slug": "fillmore",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/fillmore"
},
"arts_1332": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1332",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1332",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "gentrification",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "gentrification Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1344,
"slug": "gentrification",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/gentrification"
},
"arts_1420": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1420",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1420",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "jazz",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "jazz Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1432,
"slug": "jazz",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/jazz"
},
"arts_769": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_769",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "769",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "review",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "review Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 787,
"slug": "review",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/review"
},
"arts_22052": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22052",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22052",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "sfbatco",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "sfbatco Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 22064,
"slug": "sfbatco",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sfbatco"
},
"arts_22662": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_22662",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "22662",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"name": "Music",
"slug": "music",
"taxonomy": "interest",
"description": null,
"featImg": null,
"headData": {
"title": "Music | KQED Arts",
"description": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogDescription": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"twDescription": null,
"twImgId": null
},
"ttid": 22674,
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/music"
},
"arts_1143": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1143",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1143",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 692,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/oakland"
},
"arts_21871": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21871",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21871",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "East Bay",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "East Bay Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21883,
"slug": "east-bay",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/east-bay"
},
"arts_21860": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_21860",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "21860",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Oakland",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "interest",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Oakland Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 21872,
"slug": "oakland",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/interest/oakland"
},
"arts_9159": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_9159",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "9159",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "schools",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "schools Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 9171,
"slug": "schools",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/schools"
},
"arts_1040": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1040",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1040",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "YBCA",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "YBCA Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1057,
"slug": "ybca",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/ybca"
},
"arts_1987": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1987",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1987",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Museum of the African Diaspora",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Museum of the African Diaspora Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1999,
"slug": "museum-of-the-african-diaspora",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/museum-of-the-african-diaspora"
},
"arts_3992": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_3992",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "3992",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "SFAI",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "SFAI Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4004,
"slug": "sfai",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/sfai"
},
"arts_74": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_74",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "74",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Movies",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Movies Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 75,
"slug": "movies",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/movies"
},
"arts_7862": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_7862",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "7862",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "History",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "category",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "History Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 7874,
"slug": "history",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/category/history"
},
"arts_4459": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4459",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4459",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "activism",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "activism Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4471,
"slug": "activism",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/activism"
},
"arts_4097": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_4097",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "4097",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "black history",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "black history Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 4109,
"slug": "black-history",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/black-history"
},
"arts_6775": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_6775",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "6775",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "black panther party",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "black panther party Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 6787,
"slug": "black-panther-party",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/black-panther-party"
},
"arts_1346": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_1346",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "1346",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Black Panthers",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Black Panthers Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 1358,
"slug": "black-panthers",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/black-panthers"
},
"arts_10342": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_10342",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "10342",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "editorspick",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "editorspick Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 10354,
"slug": "editorspick",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/editorspick"
},
"arts_5035": {
"type": "terms",
"id": "arts_5035",
"meta": {
"index": "terms_1716263798",
"site": "arts",
"id": "5035",
"found": true
},
"relationships": {},
"featImg": null,
"name": "Huey Newton",
"description": null,
"taxonomy": "tag",
"headData": {
"twImgId": null,
"twTitle": null,
"ogTitle": null,
"ogImgId": null,
"twDescription": null,
"description": null,
"title": "Huey Newton Archives | KQED Arts",
"ogDescription": null
},
"ttid": 5047,
"slug": "huey-newton",
"isLoading": false,
"link": "/arts/tag/huey-newton"
}
},
"userPermissionsReducer": {
"wpLoggedIn": false
},
"eventsReducer": {},
"fssReducer": {},
"tvDailyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvWeeklyScheduleReducer": {},
"tvPrimetimeScheduleReducer": {},
"tvMonthlyScheduleReducer": {},
"userAccountReducer": {
"user": {
"email": null,
"emailStatus": "EMAIL_UNVALIDATED",
"loggedStatus": "LOGGED_OUT",
"loggingChecked": false,
"articles": [],
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"phoneNumber": null,
"fetchingMembership": false,
"membershipError": false,
"memberships": [
{
"id": null,
"startDate": null,
"firstName": null,
"lastName": null,
"familyNumber": null,
"memberNumber": null,
"memberSince": null,
"expirationDate": null,
"pfsEligible": false,
"isSustaining": false,
"membershipLevel": "Prospect",
"membershipStatus": "Non Member",
"lastGiftDate": null,
"renewalDate": null,
"lastDonationAmount": null
}
]
},
"authModal": {
"isOpen": false,
"view": "LANDING_VIEW"
},
"error": null
},
"youthMediaReducer": {},
"checkPleaseReducer": {
"filterData": {
"region": {
"key": "Restaurant Region",
"filters": [
"Any Region"
]
},
"cuisine": {
"key": "Restaurant Cuisine",
"filters": [
"Any Cuisine"
]
}
},
"restaurantDataById": {},
"restaurantIdsSorted": [],
"error": null
},
"userAgentReducer": {
"userAgent": "Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)",
"isBot": true
},
"requestOutcomesReducer": {
"notFound": []
},
"navPromosReducer": {
"isFetching": false,
"fetchFailed": false,
"hasFetched": true,
"promos": {
"news": {
"name": "2026 Voter Guide",
"link": "/voterguide",
"imageURL": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Nav-News-Nov2026ElectionCoverage@2x-7bd4aad4.png",
"description": "Get informed in minutes with our Voter Guide for California’s November 3 election."
},
"podcasts-radio": {},
"video-tv": {},
"events": {},
"support": {}
}
}
}