If the rain doesn't get you down (I can't believe it's almost June!) then get out and see some of the cool shows this week.

Always a personal favorite, John Waters, will be gracing Rena Bransten Gallery on Thursday with a new show. An interesting conceptual performance is ongoing at the Marina Abramovic Institute. The elusive author of local zine, Junk Pirate, comes out of hiding for a show at The Compound Gallery. And, the consistently strong programming at the Oakland house gallery Important Projects turns out another show.

Have a good week, and think summer-y thoughts!

Tuesday:
+ Artist Talk: Jeff Hantman, Val Britton "Kala Fellowship Talk #3" at Kala Art Institute

Thursday:
+ John Waters "Rush" at Rena Bransten Gallery

Friday:
+ "Making Visible" at Marina Abramovic Institute

Saturday:
+ Pete Glover "Junk Pirate" at The Compound Gallery
+ Paul Cowan, Scott Cowan "When did you begin calling yourself an artist and how much has your work developed since then?" at Important Projects

Tuesday, May 25

Lecture: John Waters at City Arts and Lectures (Herbst Theater)
SOMA: 401 Van Ness Ave, , 8pm

Performance: "Brutal Sound Effects Festival #69" at The Lab
Mission District: 2948 16th Street, $5-$10 sliding scale, 8pm

+ Artist Talk: Jeff Hantman, Val Britton "Kala Fellowship Talk #3" at Kala Art Institute
Berkeley: 2990 San Pablo Avenue, 7-9pm

Wednesday, May 26

Lindsay Garvey, Michelle Tholen, Timothy D. Williamson "Sex Sells" at 111 Minna Gallery
SOMA: 111 Minna Street, 5-9pm

Lecture: Michal Rovner at Contemporary Jewish Museum
SOMA: 736 Mission Street, Third Street, 7-8pm

Henry Jackson "New Works" at Cain Schulte Gallery
Downtown: 251 Post Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

Performance: "Brutal Sound Effects Festival #70" at The Lab
Mission District: 2948 16th Street, $5-$10 sliding scale, 8pm

Thursday, May 27

Younhee Paik at Braunstein/Quay Gallery
SOMA: 430 Clementina Street, 5-7pm

+ John Waters "Rush" at Rena Bransten Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

Damon Soule at Fecal Face Dot Gallery
Civic Center: 66 Gough Street, at Market Street, 7-10pm

Friday, May 28

Book launch: Giovanni Reda "Demigods and Cosmic Children" at Medicine Agency
Downtown: 1262 Mason Street, 8-11pm

Jeremy Mann at John Pence Gallery
Downtown: 750 Post Street, 6-8pm

+ "Making Visible" at Marina Abramovic Institute
Downtown: 575 Sutter Street, See website for additional times, 4:30-8:30PM

Lecture: Chris Kubick, Douglas Kahn "A Natural History of Media" curated by Recombinant Media Labs at Gray Area Foundation for the Arts
Downtown: 55 Taylor Street, donations welcomed, 7-10pm

Closing reception: Bonnie Banks at The Lab
Mission District: 2948 16th Street, 6-9pm

Performance: Nate Boyce, Suzy Poling "Parallel Series and Channeling Tower" An Extended Play Performance at Southern Exposure
Mission District: 3030 20th Street , $8 - $15 sliding scale, FREE for SoEx members, 8:30pm

Screening: Gabriela Martinez "Women, Media and Rebellion in Oaxaca" at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Mission District: 2868 Mission Street, 7pm

Reading: Eliza Rotterman, J.S. Simmons, Neal Anthony Pitak, Vanessa Norton "Blue Stars Blue Apples" Fiction, Poetry and Prints curated by Vanessa Norton at The Spare Room Project
Bernal Heights: 270 Anderson Street, 7-10pm

"China now" curated by Kiri Rong at Asia Art Now Emeryville: 3300 Powell Street, floor 2, free, 4-8pm

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Saturday, May 29

Performance: Electronic Puppenhorten "Godwaffle Noise Pancakes Presents Oviparian Apeblad Cookout with the Padamasana Tip-torso Titans" at The Lab
Mission District: 2948 16th Street, $5-$10 sliding scale, noon

Performance: Fat Opie, Kamp Camille, Sameer Tolani "After: an Evening of Music at a.Muse" at a.Muse Gallery
Mission District: 614 Alabama Street, $8-$10 sliding scale, 7pm

"Bureaucracy Now!" curated by Elysa Lozano at Parlour
Mission District: 900 Tennessee Street, apt #18, 7-10pm

"Vita Corpus" A public art project created by students in SoEx's Urban Art Laboratory Downtown High School at Southern Exposure
Potrero Hill: Vermont Street off of 20th Street , adjacent to Mckinley Square Park in Potrero Hill, Outdoor Location, 2-4pm

Cynthia Jarvis "Contemplation Walls" at Paul Mahder Gallery
Richmond District: 3378 Sacramento Street, 6-9pm

Benefit: "Benfit for Creative Growth Art Center- Art and Dessert Fest" at Creative Growth
Oakland: 355 24th Street , at Rythmix Cultural Works in Alameda, $10 Donation, 7-10pm

+ Pete Glover "Junk Pirate" at The Compound Gallery
Oakland: 1167 65th Street, floor 1, 6-9pm

+ Paul Cowan, Scott Cowan "When did you begin calling yourself an artist and how much has your work developed since then?" at Important Projects
Oakland: 5432 Boyd Avenue, floor 2, 6-9pm

Artcards San Francisco is a weekly email publication led by editor Emma Spertus. Email event submissions to sfinfo@artcards.cc or use our submission form. New: you can now add an image to your listing by using the submission form.

+ = Editor's pick
? = Opening not confirmed - check site for updates.