What’s New in San Francisco?

CITY NEWS

San Francisco’s Golden Gate is the Golden Ticket for Summer Art Scene A global collection of fine art and historic treasures has settled in to San Francisco this summer. Among the gems here are:

•     June 27, 2009-March 28, 2010: “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs,” de Young Museum, returns to San Francisco 30 years after the original exhibition opened here. With more than 130 important objects, including 50 from the tomb of King Tut, this exhibition positions Tutankhamun in a larger context through an additional 80 objects from the tombs of his ancestors.

•     Through Oct. 18, 2009: “Push Play,” a celebration of cross-genre arts, features “Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth” through July 5, a collection of wearable Soundsuits; and “Wallworks,” July 18-Oct. 18, an interactive exhibition by six artists painting on the walls of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) Fumihiko Maki Galleries building. The first two weeks of “Wallworks” will be an open studio in which audiences are invited to walk through YBCA’s Galleries and witness the creative process in motion, an experience typically reserved for art “insiders.” Each day during this two-week period, one of the artists will be available to answer questions from visiting patrons. Participating artists are Makoto Aida, Edgar Arceneaux, Chris Finley, Tillman Kaiser, Odili Donald Odita, Amanda Ross-Ho, Yehudit Sasportas and Leslie Shows.

•     Through Sept. 7, 2009: “Georgia O’Keeffe and Ansel Adams: Natural Affinities,” SFMOMA, combines more than 100 photographs and paintings by these two great artists for the first time.

•     Through Sept. 20, 2009: “Lords of the Samurai,” Asian Art Museum, features 160 works from Japan. This exhibition of arts and armor, attire, paintings, tea ware, musical instruments and more brings to life every aspect of these storied gentlemen warriors.

For hotel packages, exhibit details and ticket information visit www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/artsf. 

Leonard Oats Declared World Cable Car Bell Ringing Champion Few traditions are more treasured that the annual Cable Car Bell Ringing Contest held each summer in San Francisco’s Union Square. This year defending champ Leonard Oats held on to his title, out ringing six finalists.  “The cable car bell ringing contest is a great San Francisco tradition,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom. “It is no surprise that this contest has been going on for almost half a century,” added Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency executive director/CEO. Oats walked off with the top honors on June 7, his third in a row. For more information visit www.sfmta.org. 

SPORTS

President Barack Obama Named Honorary Chairman of The Presidents Cup 2009 President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to be honorary chairman of The Presidents Cup when the competition is played for the first time on the West Coast, at Harding Park Golf Course in San Francisco, Oct. 6-11, 2009. “We are honored that President Obama has accepted our invitation to be honorary chairman of The Presidents Cup in October,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem.  “As the eighth head of state to serve in this role, President Obama continues a long-tradition of support and leadership dating back to the first Presidents Cup in 1994.” President Obama joins seven world leaders who have held the position of honorary chairman at The Presidents Cup. He is preceded by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was honorary chairman of the 2007 event in Montreal. The Presidents Cup, a team match play competition featuring 24 of the world’s top golfers – 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world, excluding Europe – is held every two years, and since 1996 has alternated between United States and international venues. The Presidents Cup was developed to give the world’s best non-European players an opportunity to compete in international team match-play competition. For tickets to the event, visit www.presidentscup.com or call 877-PREZ-TIX (773-9849). 

ATTRACTIONS

Grand Opening of New People in San Francisco’s Historic Japantown J-Pop Center Set for Aug. 15, 2009 San Francisco-based VIZ Pictures, a Japanese live-action film distributor and producer of the J-Pop Center Project, will open New People on Aug. 15, 2009 in the heart of the city’s historic Japantown. Opening festivities for the attraction include an all-day outdoor music and performance event and gala. The 20,000-square-foot, three-story building located at 1746 Post St. will house a 143-seat underground cinema. The latest films from Japan as well as classics, documentaries and anime will be shown. New People will also feature an entire floor dedicated to several distinctive, trend-setting labels from Japan and a short-term rotating storefront to showcase a new brand every few months. A café, Japanese deli, art gallery and New People retail store will also be housed in the center. The J-Pop Center Project, launched by Seiji Horibuchi, the founder and CEO of VIZ Pictures and the founder of VIZ Media, is intended to develop creative alliances and collaborations across different media: film, animation, music, art and retail projects. The project also represents a $15 million investment by Shogakukan, one of the largest publishers in Japan. For information visit www.newpeopleworld.com.

PERFORMING ARTS

Get Real, Experience Live Theater! San Francisco Theater Festival Features Wicked and Beach Blanket Babylon on July 26, 2009 The sixth annual San Francisco Theater Festival, a free, one-day celebration of live theater on Sunday, July 26, 2009, will feature outdoor performances by cast members of Wicked and Beach Blanket Babylon. The festival consists of 125 shows on 17 stages in Yerba Buena Gardens, Fourth and Mission streets, in downtown San Francisco from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This unique festival has become an important showcase for theater groups and performers, as well as one of the Bay Area’s most popular one-day free summer festivals. Performances are under 30 minutes at nine indoor and six outdoor stages. All types of theater are presented including 30 shows expressly for children. The festival, which draws 8,000 to 10,000 theatergoers, takes place at Yerba Buena Gardens, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Zeum children's museum, the Metreon, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. For information visit www.sftheaterfestival.org or call 415-543-1718 or www.ybgf.org.

Rent Returns to San Francisco for Limited Engagement at Curran Theatre Oct. 6-18, 2009 Adam Pascall, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart will reprise the roles they originated on Broadway in Rent: The Broadway Tour. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical written by Jonathan Larson returns to San Francisco’s Curran Theatre, 445 Geary St., Oct. 6-Oct. 18. Inspired by Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent celebrates a community of artists struggling with the tough realities of today’s economy. The song “Seasons of Love,” which opens with the words “Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes" (the number of minutes in a calendar year), quickly became the anthem for the millennial generation. For ticket information visit www.shnfs.com or call Ticketmaster at 415-512-7770.

EVENTS

San Francisco Giants Bring County Fair to McCovey Cove, July 9-19, 2009 The San Francisco Giants are bringing all the games, food, music and fun of a county fair to San Francisco, Jul
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