This month has a blue moon, i.e. an unusual alignment of first gallery days. This weekend holds Oakland's First Friday events with a slew of great shows, including the opening of Kala Art Institute's new street-level space and 21 Grand's not-to-be- missed Benefit auction. While on the horizon, next week, will be San Francisco First Thursday events. Either way, there is tons to do on both sides of the Bay this Friday, May 1st. Enjoy!

Wednesday:
+ "In Our Own Pictures and In Our Own Works" Exploring Creativity and Empowerment in the Tenderloin at SF Arts Commission Gallery (City Hall)

Thursday:
+ Book Signing: "Philip Gefter Lecture & Booksigning" at SF Camerawork
+ Enzo Mari at Italian Cultural Institute
+ John PAtrick McKenzie,, , , , "Repetition" at Creativity Explored
+ Griffin McPartland "Easy on the I's" at Adobe Books Backroom Gallery

Friday:
+ Lecture: "Alexander Alberro: New Forms of Spectatorship in Contemporary Art" at San Francisco Art Institute
+ Lucas Murgida "MUSTER RETRODICTION" at 667Shotwell
+ "Once Upon a Book" curated by Thacher Hurd at San Francisco Center for the Book
+ The Greenhorns "Land. Liberty. Sunshine. Stamina." at The Spare Room Project
+ "YOU WOULDN'T KNOW CONTEMPORARY ART IF IT SLAPPED US IN THE FACE" at Hatch Gallery
+ Benefit: "9th Annual 21 Grand Benefit Art Sale" at 21 Grand
+ Reem Rahim "Tempered Fragility" at The Compound Gallery
+ "re:con-figure" at Kala Art Institute

Saturday:
+ "YOU'VE GOT LIGHT IN YOUR EYES" curated by Meighan O’Toole at Needles & Pens
+ "Young Americans" Mills College MFA Exhibition 2009 at Mills College Art Museum

Tuesday, April 28

"2009 MA Collaborative Project Presentation and Reception" at San Francisco Art Institute (New Langton Arts)
SOMA: 1246 Folsom Street, 6-9pm

Robert Andersen "People, Too" at San Francisco Art Institute (Diego Rivera Gallery)
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, Diego Rivera Gallery, 4:30-7pm

"Liminal" at San Francisco Art Institute (Swell Gallery)
Potrero Hill: 2565 Third Street, Swell Gallery, 7-9pm

Wednesday, April 29

+ "In Our Own Pictures and In Our Own Works" Exploring Creativity and Empowerment in the Tenderloin at SF Arts Commission Gallery (City Hall)
Civic Center: 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, 5:30-7:30 pm

Stephen Vincent "The First 100 Days of Obama" One-Day Exhibition at Steven Wolf Fine Arts
Mission District: 2747 19th Street, at York St., floor 1, A, 6-8pm

Thursday, April 30

+ Book Signing: "Philip Gefter Lecture & Booksigning" at SF Camerawork
SOMA: 657 Mission Street, floor 2, 7pm

+ Enzo Mari at Italian Cultural Institute
North Beach: 425 Washington Street, floor 2, 6:30pm

Closing reception: "the newspaper show" at Ever Gold
Downtown: 441 O'Farrell Street, 6-9pm

+ John PAtrick McKenzie,, , , , "Repetition" at Creativity Explored
Mission District: 3245 16th Street, 7-9pm

+ Griffin McPartland "Easy on the I's" at Adobe Books Backroom Gallery
Mission District: 3166 16th Street, 7-10pm

Eli Geiser , Kelly Lynn Jones at Park Life
Richmond District: 220 Clement Street, 7-10pm

Friday, May 1

"Beyond the Page" Re-Illustrating our favorite children's books at Gallery 1988
Downtown: 1173 Sutter Street, 7-10pm

+ Lecture: "Alexander Alberro: New Forms of Spectatorship in Contemporary Art" at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, Lecture Hall, 5pm

"MAY ART EXHIBIT – NEW WORKS" at Artist-Xchange Gallery
Mission District: 3169 16th St, 7-10pm

+ Lucas Murgida "MUSTER RETRODICTION" at 667Shotwell
Mission District: 667 Shotwell Street, 7-10pm

Artist Talk: Porous Walkers' "Me vs. Me" at Receiver Gallery
Mission District: 1415 Valencia Street, 2pm

"May Show" at City Art Gallery
Mission District: 828 Valencia Street, 7-10pm

+ "Once Upon a Book" curated by Thacher Hurd at San Francisco Center for the Book
Potrero Hill: 300 De Haro Street, 6-8pm

featuring graduates of the Furniture Program "Unhinged" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , 5-8pm

Julumarie Joy Cornista "Bon Bon" at Edo Salon and Gallery
Haight Ashbury: 601 Haight Street, 8-11pm

Rachel Denny "Out of the Woods" at Rare Device
Hayes Valley: 1845 Market Street, 7-9pm

+ The Greenhorns "Land. Liberty. Sunshine. Stamina." at The Spare Room Project
Bernal Heights: 270 Anderson Street, 7-10pm

Stanley Wilson "Altars, Icons and Drawings" at Joyce Gordon Gallery
Oakland: 406 14th Street , 5-7pm

Chris Nickel , Eric Mertens "Antipodes" at Kuhl Frames +Art
Oakland: 412 22nd Street, 6-9pm

Jon Carling "Luddite Porchlite" at Fort Gallery
Oakland: 480 23rd Street, at Telegraph Avenue, 6-9pm

+ "YOU WOULDN'T KNOW CONTEMPORARY ART IF IT SLAPPED US IN THE FACE" at Hatch Gallery
Oakland: 492 23rd Street, at Telegraph Avenue, 6-9pm

+ Benefit: "9th Annual 21 Grand Benefit Art Sale" at 21 Grand
Oakland: 416 25th Street, 7-10pm

+ Reem Rahim "Tempered Fragility" at The Compound Gallery
Oakland: 1167 65th Street, floor 1, 7-10pm

"The Home Show" at FiveTen studio
Oakland: 831 Broadway Avenue, 6-9pm

"CAL JAM TOO" curated by Keith Boadwee at Blankspace
Oakland: 6608 San Pablo Avenue, 7-10pm

Kristine Reano "BATHING IN THE CRYSTAL LIGHT" at Gallery Extrana
Oakland: 2912 Telegraph Avenue, 7-10pm

+ "re:con-figure" at Kala Art Institute
Berkeley: 2990 San Pablo Avenue, 6-9pm

Saturday, May 2

Mark Henson "Politics + Passion" at PUSH Studio
SOMA: 864 Folsom Street, 6-10pm

Arnold J. Kemp, Jina Valentine, Weston Teruya at Patricia Sweetow Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, Mezzanine, 11am-1pm

"Present Tense Biennial: Chinese Character" at Chinese Cultural Center
Downtown: 750 Kearny Street, floor 3, 1pm

Naomie Kremer "Paintings and Hybrids" at Modernism Gallery
Downtown: 685 Market Street, floor 2, 5:30-8pm

+ "YOU'VE GOT LIGHT IN YOUR EYES" curated by Meighan O’Toole at Needles & Pens
Mission District: 3253 16th Street, 6-9:30pm

Participating artists from Venezuela and USA "5 X 5 PLURALISM" curated by Luis R. Cancel at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Mission District: 2868 Mission Street, 7pm

Screening: "OTHER CINEMA: PIPE DREAMS" at A.T.A.
Mission District: 992 Valencia Street, $6.66, 8:30pm

Open Studio: "Crossroads: A Group Exhibit of Hunters Point Shipyard Artists" at Art 94124 Gallery
Hunters Point: 3900-B 3rd Street, 6-9pm

Open Studio: "18th Annual Spring Open Studios" at the POINT (Hunters Point Naval Shipyard)
Hunters Point: Various Entrance at intersection of Earl Street and Innes , Multiple Buildings, 11am-6pm

+ "Young Americans" Mills College MFA Exhibition 2009 at Mills College Art Museum
Oakland: 5000 Macarthur Boulvard, 7-9pm

"Reading Series: Jessica Fisher and Dimiter Kenarov" at Alphonse Berber Gallery
Berkeley: 2546 Bancroft Way, 7-8pm

Sunday, May 3

Open Studio: "18th Annual Spring Open Studios" at the POINT (Hunters Point Naval Shipyard)
Hunters Point: Various Entrance at intersection of Earl Street and Innes , Multiple Buildings, 11am-6pm

Book Signing: "Squeak Carnwath: Painting Is No Ordinary Object" at Oakland Museum of California
Oakland: 1000 Oak Street, 2pm

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.