This is a city with so many resources, not the least of which is film. Any given week brings countless opportunities to see the rare and the excellent. From the Black Hole Cinematheque in Oakland, to the Roxie Theater in SF, the bay area is a center for interesting moving pictures, with interesting screenings happening on a daily basis.
 
The Pacific Film Archive is hosting films from the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival from now till Thursday May 3rd. A highlight is Grant Gee's Patience (After Sebald) (U.K, 2011), a film whose soundtrack by the Caretaker on his own excellently named History Always Favors The Winners record label is excellent.
 
The Castro Theatre is also participating in the SFIFF, but additionally next Tuesday and Wednesday they are screening the incredible Pina (Wenders, 2011), a documentary/dance film on the influential choreographer Pina Bausch. It is exceptional as a work of dance, as an ode to Bausch's recent death, and technically as it is shot in 3-D, making for a strangely engaging experience.
 
NOTE
Reminding/pointing out the fact that we here at ART CARDS are looking forward to new and exciting projects and content. We will be at artMRKT art fair mid may, so look forward to more info in that regard. If you would like to write for art cards, or have other things you need to say, please get in touch!

CURIOUSLY DIRECT PICKS
Popular Workshop//Facundo Arganaraz: RAPTURE READY: SPACE PLANNING AND AESTHETICS= An excellent group of images and sculptures with nice cues to modernism and design, closing friday, don't miss it!
 
Berkeley Art Museum//State of Mind: New California Art circa 1970= Incredible little slice of Pacific Standard Time, focusing on conceptual art and genres with a kinship to it. I loved everything about this show, so many exciting new possibilities opened up in the 60s and 70's as the expanded territory for art making of the whole avant-garde became the site of practices exploring both the political and the interpersonal. a definite must see
 

Tuesday:
+ Artist Talk: Joshua Piper "Living Ruminations - Artist Talk" at Romer Young Gallery
+ Performance: Cassie Thornton "Sorry, A Psychoanalytic Game" at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries)

Wednesday:
+ Screening: Sun Xun "21 KE" curated by Hou Hanru at Kadist Art Foundation
+ Lecture: John Waters "John Waters in Conversation" at California College for the Arts (CCA)

Thursday:
+ Performance: Nathalie Talec "Ambient Temperatures" In conjunction with "The One Who Sees Blindly" at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
+ Artist Talk: JR Blair, Phil Ross "The Secret Life of Mushrooms: An Intimate Science Public Program with Phil Ross and JR Blair" at Southern Exposure
+ Screening: Alex S. Lukas, Caitlin Denny, Dan Olsen, Gregory Kaplowitz, Jen Kirsten, Jessica Miller, Nightmare City, Skye Thorstenson, Virtual Pubes "Not Free Not Dead: The Psychedelic End" at A.T.A.

Friday:
+ Artist Talk: Tom Marioni "Tom Marioni/Pat Steir" at Crown Point Press
+ Lecture: Claire Daigle "Under the Sign of the Crocodile: Bachelor Machines and Bridal Machinations" Graduate Lecture Series at San Francisco Art Institute
+ Benjamin Vilmain, Hannah Ireland, Hunter Longe+James Cordas, Joseph Rosenzweig "Expo'" curated by Aaron Harbour, Jackie Im at Liminal Space

Saturday:
+ Arnold J. Kemp, Robert Glück "How To Make Mirrors" at 2nd floor projects
+ Christopher Baird, Ruth Laskey, Todd Bura at Jancar Jones Gallery
+ Conference: "Visual and Critical Studies Spring Symposium" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
+ Camilla Newhagen, Jocelyn Meggait, Kent Rodriguez Segura, Madelyn Covey, Matthew Gottschalk, Michael Koehle, Michael Mersereau, Samuel Levi Jones, Seth Murchison, Sofia Sharpe, Susanna Corcoran, Tressa Pack "The Last Show On Earth: Mills College 2012 MFA Exhibition" curated by Stephanie Hanor at Mills College Art Museum

Sunday:
+ Panel Discussion: Bonnie Sherk, Julia Bryan-Wilson, Lynn Hershman, Moira Roth, Suzanne Lacy "Women, Work, Role-Playing Panel" State of Mind: New California Art circa 1970 at Berkeley Art Museum
+ Panel Discussion: Anne Walsh, Constance M. Lewallen, Jens Hoffmann, Karen Moss, Mario Garcia Torres, Rudolf Frieling "Contemporary Practice Panel Discussion" State of Mind: New California Art circa 1970 at Berkeley Art Museum

Tuesday:
+ Panel Discussion: Abigail De Kosnik "You Don't Have to Say You're Sorry: Screen Cultures, Public Apologies, and Private Guilt" at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries)

Tuesday, April 24

Artist Talk: Joshua Piper "Living Ruminations" at Romer Young Gallery Mission District: 1240 22nd Street, Free, 7-9pm

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+ Artist Talk: Joshua Piper "Living Ruminations - Artist Talk" at Romer Young Gallery
Mission District: 1240 22nd Street, Free, 7-9pm

Performance: Cassie Thornton "Sorry, A Psychoanalytic Game" at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries) Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street, Free, 7-9pm

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Performance: Cassie Thornton "Sorry, A Psychoanalytic Game" at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries) Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street, Free, 7-9pm

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+ Performance: Cassie Thornton "Sorry, A Psychoanalytic Game" at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street, Free, 7-9pm

Lecture: Rebecca Bollinger "Notes from the Studio (featuring Rebecca Bollinger)" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , Drawing Room (formerly PLAySPACE), Free, 4-5pm

Wednesday, April 25

+ Screening: Sun Xun "21 KE" curated by Hou Hanru at Kadist Art Foundation
Mission District: 3295 20th Street, at Folsom Street, Free, 6-10pm

+ Lecture: John Waters "John Waters in Conversation" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , Timken Hall, Free, 7-9pm

Screening: at Inclusions Gallery
Bernal Heights: 627 Cortland Avenue, free, 7-9pm

Thursday, April 26

+ Performance: Nathalie Talec "Ambient Temperatures" In conjunction with "The One Who Sees Blindly" at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
SOMA: 701 Misssion Street, at Third Street, Gallery 3, Free with gallery admission, 6-9pm

Artist Talk: JR Blair, Phil Ross "The Secret Life of Mushrooms: An Intimate Science Public Program with Phil Ross and JR Blair" at Southern Exposure Mission District: 3030 20th Street , Free, 7-9pm

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+ Artist Talk: JR Blair, Phil Ross "The Secret Life of Mushrooms: An Intimate Science Public Program with Phil Ross and JR Blair" at Southern Exposure
Mission District: 3030 20th Street , Free, 7-9pm

+ Screening: Alex S. Lukas, Caitlin Denny, Dan Olsen, Gregory Kaplowitz, Jen Kirsten, Jessica Miller, Nightmare City, Skye Thorstenson, Virtual Pubes "Not Free Not Dead: The Psychedelic End" at A.T.A.
Mission District: 992 Valencia Street, 8 - 10 pm

Friday, April 27

Artist Talk: Guillermo Gomez Peña "Guillermo Gomez Peña" an evening of performance and conversation at California Institute of Integral Studies
SOMA: 1453 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, Namaste Hall, CIIS Main Building, 3rd Floor, Free, 7-9pm

Amar Chaudhary, David Molina, ENTOMO, Krisztina Lazar, Mauricio Ancalmo, Paul Clipson , Stephen Parr/Oddball Films, Surabhi Suraf "Night Light: Multimedia Garden Party" at SOMArts Cultural Center
SOMA: 934 Brannan Street, $10 in advance, $12 at the door, 8:30-10pm

+ Artist Talk: Tom Marioni "Tom Marioni/Pat Steir" at Crown Point Press
SOMA: 20 Hawthorne Street, 5:30-7:30pm

Alex Zecca "Alex Zecca; New Work" at Gallery 16
SOMA: 501 Third Street, Free, 6-9pm

+ Lecture: Claire Daigle "Under the Sign of the Crocodile: Bachelor Machines and Bridal Machinations" Graduate Lecture Series at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, Lecture Hall, Free, 4:30-6:30pm

+ Benjamin Vilmain, Hannah Ireland, Hunter Longe+James Cordas, Joseph Rosenzweig "Expo'" curated by Aaron Harbour, Jackie Im at Liminal Space
East Bay: 950 54th Street, Adeline, 6-11pm

Saturday, April 28

+ Arnold J. Kemp, Robert Glück "How To Make Mirrors" at 2nd floor projects
Mission District: 3740 25th Street, floor 2, No. 205, Free, 7-10pm

Arnold J. Kemp, Robert Glück "How To Make Mirrors" at 2nd floor projects Mission District: 3740 25th Street, floor 2, Free, 7-10pm

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+ Christopher Baird, Ruth Laskey, Todd Bura at Jancar Jones Gallery
Mission District: 965 Mission Street, Suite 120, 6-9pm

Ariane Roesch, Maja Ruznic, Megan Whitmarsh, Nicole Gordon "Active" at Michael Rosenthal Gallery
Mission District: 365 Valencia street, Free, 6-9pm

+ Conference: "Visual and Critical Studies Spring Symposium" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , Timken Hall, Free, 10am-5pm

+ Camilla Newhagen, Jocelyn Meggait, Kent Rodriguez Segura, Madelyn Covey, Matthew Gottschalk, Michael Koehle, Michael Mersereau, Samuel Levi Jones, Seth Murchison, Sofia Sharpe, Susanna Corcoran, Tressa Pack "The Last Show On Earth: Mills College 2012 MFA Exhibition" curated by Stephanie Hanor at Mills College Art Museum
Oakland: 5000 Macarthur Boulvard, Free, 6-9pm

"Kala-fornia: State of the Art 2 - Gala Auction to benefit Kala Art Institute" at Kala Art Institute Berkeley: 2990 San Pablo Avenue, 6:30-9:30

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Sunday, April 29

+ Panel Discussion: Bonnie Sherk, Julia Bryan-Wilson, Lynn Hershman, Moira Roth, Suzanne Lacy "Women, Work, Role-Playing Panel" State of Mind: New California Art circa 1970 at Berkeley Art Museum
Berkeley: 2626 Bancroft Way, at College Avenue, Free with gallery admission, 2-4 pm

+ Panel Discussion: Anne Walsh, Constance M. Lewallen, Jens Hoffmann, Karen Moss, Mario Garcia Torres, Rudolf Frieling "Contemporary Practice Panel Discussion" State of Mind: New California Art circa 1970 at Berkeley Art Museum
Berkeley: 2626 Bancroft Way, at College Avenue, Free with gallery admission, 2-4 pm

Monday, April 30

Gina Borg "Elements of Day" at K. Imperial Fine Art
Downtown: 49 Geary Street, floor 4, 5-7pm

Tuesday, May 1

Panel Discussion: Abigail De Kosnik "You Don't Have to Say You're Sorry: Screen Cultures, Public Apologies, and Private Guilt" at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries) Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street, Free, 7-9pm

view image »

+ Panel Discussion: Abigail De Kosnik "You Don't Have to Say You're Sorry: Screen Cultures, Public Apologies, and Private Guilt" at CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts (Kent and Vicki Logan Galleries)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street, Free, 7-9pm

Artcards San Francisco is a weekly email publication led by editor Jackie Im and Aaron Harbour. 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.