Some national critical attention comes our way in the form of two reviews of an innovative multi-artist curated show that spans four SF galleries titled, "They Knew What They Wanted." Read the reviews in our very own Artcards Review and the online art mag Daily Serving before you check it our for yourself at the participating galleries: Altman Siegel Gallery, Fraenkel Gallery, Ratio 3, and John Berggruen Gallery.

As far as openings go... I am detecting a departure from the dominating First Thursday opening day schedule, judging by the large number of diverse and quality openings happening mid-month.

Meanwhile, the Union Square galleries form an alliance for an inaugural Summer Art Walk on Saturday.

Hot New York video artist Mika Rottenberg, has come to SF MOMA and you can get the curator's perspective on her new work on Thursday.

Wednesday:
+ ? Chris Gentile, Christian Maychack, Dannielle Tegeder, David Poppie, Don Voisine, Jake Longstreth, Jim Gaylord, Karla Wozniak, Thomas Campbell , Will Yackulic "Cooler Heads Prevail" at Gregory Lind Gallery

+ Elisheva Biernofff, Elizabeth Cayne "Leave No Trace" curated by Jillian Mackintosh at Heart

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Thursday:
+ Lecture: "Alison Gass on Mika Rottenberg's Squeeze" at SF MOMA
+ Gary Lapow, James Drake at Gallery Paule Anglim
+ Bassem Yousri, Chris Duncan, Katy Higgins , Laura Paulini, Val Britton "Residency Projects 1, Film Screenings of documentary films by Bassem Yousri " at Kala Art Institute

Friday:
+ David Byrne "Arboretum" at Electric Works
+ Chadwick Rantanen at Jancar Jones Gallery

Saturday:
+ Artist Talk: "Art in Storefronts in Chinatown: Launch" at Wentworth Alley at SF Arts Commission Gallery
+ "Weight Perception" curated by Andrew Schoultz at Guerrero Gallery
+ Karen Barbour , Kelsey Nicholson, Pattie Lee Becker, Maya Brym "Beyond Arcadia (A Poem for New Jersey)" at Michael Rosenthal Gallery

Wednesday, July 14

? + Chris Gentile, Christian Maychack, Dannielle Tegeder, David Poppie, Don Voisine, Jake Longstreth, Jim Gaylord, Karla Wozniak, Thomas Campbell , Will Yackulic "Cooler Heads Prevail" at Gregory Lind Gallery
Downtown: 49 Geary Street, floor 5, (time not confirmed, check with gallery)

Open Studio: "Conversations" at Creativity Explored
Mission District: 3245 16th Street, 10-11am

"Today" curated by Maurizzio Hector Pineda at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Mission District: 2868 Mission Street, 6:30pm

+ Elisheva Biernofff, Elizabeth Cayne "Leave No Trace" curated by Jillian Mackintosh at Heart Mission District: 1270 Valencia St, 7-11pm

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"The Chrysalis Den" Presented by Brooke Waterhouse and Project One Gallery at Project One
Potrero Hill: 251 Rhode Island Street, 8pm-1am

Thursday, July 15

Artist Talk: "Open Show" at SF Camerawork
SOMA: 657 Mission Street, floor 2, Free, 7-8:30pm

+ Lecture: "Alison Gass on Mika Rottenberg's Squeeze" at SF MOMA
SOMA: 151 Third Street, Mission Street, Meet in the Haas Atrium, FREE w/ Museum Admission, 6:30pm (Talk is about 20min)

Dean Dempsey, Judy Wu, Nadim Sabella, Seza Bali "Counter Point 2010: Approximating Truth" at Togonon Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, 5-7pm

+ Gary Lapow, James Drake at Gallery Paule Anglim
Downtown: 14 Geary Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

Henry Wessel "Vintage Still Photographs" at Rena Bransten Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

Robb Putnam "Orphans" at Rena Bransten Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

"California Summer" Selected Works: Bay Area and Los Angeles Artists at George Lawson Gallery: Room for Painting Room for Paper
Downtown: 49 Geary Street, at Market Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

Grant Davidson "Lights: Photographs" at Togonon Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, 5-7pm

Aiyana Udesen, Albert Reyes, Matt Furie "Future Colors of America" at Fecal Face Dot Gallery
Civic Center: 66 Gough Street, at Market Street, 7-10pm

+ Bassem Yousri, Chris Duncan, Katy Higgins , Laura Paulini, Val Britton "Residency Projects 1, Film Screenings of documentary films by Bassem Yousri " at Kala Art Institute
Berkeley: 2990 San Pablo Avenue, 7-9pm

Friday, July 16

+ David Byrne "Arboretum" at Electric Works
SOMA: 130 8th Street, 6-8pm

Dave Eggers "It Is Right to Draw Their Fur" at Electric Works
SOMA: 130 8th Street, 6-8pm

Lawrence Yang, Leontine Greenberg "Nature Preserve" at Gallery 1988
Downtown: 1173 Sutter Street, 7-10pm

Performance: Crooked Jades Trio , REDSHIFT with Mason Bates and Theresa Wong "Water Stories in the Illuminated Forest" Soundwave Festival ((4)) GREEN SOUND at The Lab
Mission District: 2948 16th Street, Free, 8pm

Kyle Ranson "Portraits" at Adobe Books Backroom Gallery
Mission District: 3166 16th Street, 7-10pm

Erik Scollon "The Urge" at Ping Pong Gallery
Mission District: 1240 22nd Street, 6-9pm

+ Chadwick Rantanen at Jancar Jones Gallery
Mission District: 965 Mission Street, Suite 120, 6-9pm

Saturday, July 17

Performance: "Duo Sonidos" violinist, William Knuth and guitarist, Adam Levin, in concert in the gallery at Electric Works
SOMA: 130 8th Street, $10, 7pm

Performance: "Night Light: Multimedia Garden Party" curated by Justin Hoover at SOMArts Cultural Center
SOMA: 934 Brannan Street, $5-10 sliding scale, 9pm-1am

"Beatles to Bowie" at San Francisco Art Exchange
Downtown: 458 Geary Street, 7-10pm

"Dog Days" at Corden Potts Gallery
Downtown: 49 Geary Street, floor 2, 2-5pm

Charles Linder "Good cop / Bad cop" at Ever Gold
Downtown: 441 O'Farrell Street, 6-9pm

Tour: This and other Union Square Galleries "The Summer Art Walk" at Dolby Chadwick Gallery
Downtown: 210 Post Street, floor 2, 12-5pm

+ Artist Talk: "Art in Storefronts in Chinatown: Launch" at Wentworth Alley at SF Arts Commission Gallery
Civic Center: 401 Van Ness Avenue , at McAllister Street, 2-4pm

Performance: Jim Haynes, Lissom and Shores "Ground/Shift in the Illuminated Forest" Soundwave Festival ((4)) GREEN SOUND at The Lab
Mission District: 2948 16th Street, Free, 8pm

+ "Weight Perception" curated by Andrew Schoultz at Guerrero Gallery
Mission District: 2700 19th Street, 6-11pm

+ Karen Barbour , Kelsey Nicholson, Pattie Lee Becker, Maya Brym "Beyond Arcadia (A Poem for New Jersey)" at Michael Rosenthal Gallery
Mission District: 365 Valencia street, 6-9pm

Sunday, July 18

Workshop: "SOMArts Studio Series: CaliberSF SoMa Photowalk" at SOMArts Cultural Center
SOMA: 934 Brannan Street, $10 donation (includes pizza), 3-7pm

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.