Whether you barely survived last week's smorgasbord of openings or managed to avoid them, this week offers a new slate of quality options.

Avant garde comes to San Francisco with openings on Thursday and Friday from smaller galleries: David Cunningham Projects (check out the high- powered video art series that accompanies the show), Ping Pong Gallery, Jancar Jones Gallery, Ampersand International Arts, and an unusual collaboration between the director/artists of alternative spaces Hallway Projects and 667 Shotwell (the show will be held at 667 Shotwell).

The heat of benefit season begins to radiate with Visual Aids this Saturday at SOMArts Cultural Center, and more is waiting in the wings.

Tuesday:
+ Preview: "SF Camerawork's 2009 Benefit Auction" at SF Camerawork
+ Lecture: "Reinventing Social-networking Practices for Art and Design" Fall 2009 Design and Technology Salon at San Francisco Art Institute

Wednesday:
+ Artist Talk: Jordan Essoe , Taro Hattori at Swarm Gallery

Thursday:
+ "JIGSAWMENTALLAMA" A group exhibition and weekly film and video screening series at David Cunningham Projects
+ Hallway Projects & 667Shotwell "ARTHUR ALLAN" at 667Shotwell

Friday:
+ Paul Madonna at Electric Works
+ Joshua Churchill, Peggy Cyphers "Until the bright logic is won Unwhispering as a mirror Is believed" at NOMA Gallery
+ Screening: "JIGSAWMENTALLAMA" A group exhibition and weekly film and video screening series at David Cunningham Projects
+ Artist Talk: Charles Atlas "Video In and As Performance" at San Francisco Art Institute
+ Joshua Pieper "EVERYTHING MUST GO" at Ping Pong Gallery
+ Sean Kennedy at Jancar Jones Gallery
+ Victoria Wagner "After The Past Has Passed…it Will Be Silver" at Four Barrel Art Series
+ Lori Gordon "SNIPPETS" curated by Bruno Mauro at Ampersand International Arts
+ Performance: Sarina Eastman "Feel it/Heal it" at Local 123

Saturday:
+ Artist Talk: Gerald Ratto "Children Of The Fillmore" at Robert Tat Gallery
+ Erik Foss "Unseen on TV" at Shooting Gallery (Gallery Three)
+ Yumiko Kayukawa "Wild Wild East" at Shooting Gallery (Gallery Three)
+ ESPO at White Walls
+ Stan Heller "IN 3D" at Mission: Comics & Arts

Tuesday, November 10

+ Preview: "SF Camerawork's 2009 Benefit Auction" at SF Camerawork
SOMA: 657 Mission Street, floor 2, 5-8pm

+ Lecture: "Reinventing Social-networking Practices for Art and Design" Fall 2009 Design and Technology Salon at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, 7:30-9:30pm

Lecture: "Reinventing Social-networking Practices for Art and Design" Fall 2009 Design and Technology Salon at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, The Café, 7:30-9:30pm

Artist Talk: "Artist talk with Borjana Ventzislavova, 2009 CEC ArtsLink Fellow" at Kala Art Institute
Berkeley: 2990 San Pablo Avenue, 7-9pm

Wednesday, November 11

Howard Hersh at Andrea Schwartz Gallery
SOMA: 525 2nd Street, 5:30-7:30pm

Artist Talk: Daniel Barnett "Movement as Meaning: In Experimental Film" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , SF Cinematheque members: $5 / non-members: $10 / CCA students & faculty: free, 7:30pm

+ Artist Talk: Jordan Essoe , Taro Hattori at Swarm Gallery
Oakland: 560 2nd Street, 6-8pm

Thursday, November 12

Workshop: "Unraveling the Mystery of Sendak" at Contemporary Jewish Museum
SOMA: 736 Mission Street, Third Street, $35 general/$25 Museum members for two sessions. Includes Museum admission prior to class., 6:30pm

Richard L. Perri at Gallery 28
North Beach: 1228 Grant Avenue, 6-9pm

+ "JIGSAWMENTALLAMA" A group exhibition and weekly film and video screening series at David Cunningham Projects
Downtown: 1928 Folsom Street, 7-10pm

Book launch: "DEER BOY" A New Artist's Book by HUNG LIU & MICHAEL McCLURE at Rena Bransten Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, floor 2, 6-8pm

Jonathon Keats "The First Bank of Antimatter" at Modernism Gallery
Downtown: 685 Market Street, floor 2, 5:30-8pm

"TRANS: form | color" at Meridian Gallery
Downtown: 535 Powell Street, 6-9pm

Chen Hui-chiao, Hamra Abbas, Ringo Bunoan "Everyday Miracles (Extended), Phase 2" curated by Hou Hanru at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, Walter and McBean Galleries, 5:30-7:30pm

+ Hallway Projects & 667Shotwell "ARTHUR ALLAN" at 667Shotwell
Mission District: 667 Shotwell Street, 8-10pm

Screening: "Happiness is a Warm Projector" Experiments in Cinema Film Festival at A.T.A.
Mission District: 992 Valencia Street, $6, 8pm

Lecture: Stuart Candy "Graduate Studies Lecture Series" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , Timken Lecture Hall, 7pm

Friday, November 13

+ Paul Madonna at Electric Works
SOMA: 130 8th Street, 6-8pm

+ Joshua Churchill, Peggy Cyphers "Until the bright logic is won Unwhispering as a mirror Is believed" at NOMA Gallery
SOMA: 80 Maiden Lane, floor 3, 6-9pm

Dana Hemenway, Jasmin Lim, Kate Stirr, Leah Markov-Lindsey "Unreal" at 31 Rausch Gallery
SOMA: 31 Rausch Street, 6pm

Jason Viviona "Eternal Beauty Rest" curated by Jillian Mackintosh at 666 Gallery
SOMA: 66 Sixth Street, 7-11pm

+ Screening: "JIGSAWMENTALLAMA" A group exhibition and weekly film and video screening series at David Cunningham Projects
Downtown: 1928 Folsom Street, Free, 7:30pm

"Into the Mystic" at Gallery 1988
Downtown: 1173 Sutter Street, 7-10pm

+ Artist Talk: Charles Atlas "Video In and As Performance" at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, Lecture Hall, Free, 5pm

+ Joshua Pieper "EVERYTHING MUST GO" at Ping Pong Gallery
Mission District: 1240 22nd Street, 6-9pm

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

+ Victoria Wagner "After The Past Has Passed…it Will Be Silver" at Four Barrel Art Series
Mission District: 375 Valencia Street, 6pm

Screening: "OVERLAPPING WORLDS" at A.T.A.
Mission District: 992 Valencia Street, $6-$10, 8pm

+ Lori Gordon "SNIPPETS" curated by Bruno Mauro at Ampersand International Arts
Potrero Hill: 1001 Tennessee Street, 6-8:30pm

Book launch: "L@TE" Conversation and Book Signing: SHOOT: Photography of the Moment Ken Miller, Ari Marcopoulos, and Paul Schiek at Berkeley Art Museum
Berkeley: 2626 Bancroft Way, at College Avenue, $5 after 5 p.m, 7:30pm

+ Performance: Sarina Eastman "Feel it/Heal it" at Local 123
Berkeley: 2049 San Pablo Avenue, at University Avenue, 4-8pm

Saturday, November 14

Benefit: "Big (Blue) Deal" Visual Aid’s Art Sale and Fundraiser at SOMArts Cultural Center
SOMA: 934 Brannan Street, $35 and Up, 4-9pm

"Big Idea Night Party" at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
SOMA: 701 Misssion Street, at Third Street, Free, 7pm-2am

Dean DeCocker , Stephen Galloway at Limn Art Gallery
SOMA: 292 Townsend Street, 4-6pm

+ Artist Talk: Gerald Ratto "Children Of The Fillmore" at Robert Tat Gallery
Downtown: 49 Geary Street, floor 2, 2-5pm

Artist Talk: "TRANS: form | color" at Meridian Gallery
Downtown: 535 Powell Street, 5pm

Tour: Emily Dippo "Water Walk" at SF Arts Commission Gallery
Civic Center: 401 Van Ness Avenue , at McAllister Street, Free, 11:30am-3pm

+ Erik Foss "Unseen on TV" at Shooting Gallery (Gallery Three)
Tenderloin: 835 Larkin Street, floor 2, 7-11pm

+ Yumiko Kayukawa "Wild Wild East" at Shooting Gallery (Gallery Three)
Tenderloin: 835 Larkin Street, floor 2, 7-11pm

+ ESPO at White Walls
Tenderloin: 835 Larkin Street, 7-11pm

"RAW" An exhibition of new Bay Area sculpture and installation curated by John K. Melvin at Root Division
Mission District: 3175 17th Street, South Van Ness, 7-10pm

+ Stan Heller "IN 3D" at Mission: Comics & Arts
Mission District: 3520 20th Street, Suite B, 7-10pm

Performance: Tina Howe "Museum" at Kala Art Institute
Berkeley: 2990 San Pablo Avenue, $19 (early bird special before Nov 1st $12), 7-10pm

Sunday, November 15

Screening: "The Frisco Kid" at Contemporary Jewish Museum
SOMA: 736 Mission Street, Third Street, $10 general/$8 Museum members, 2pm

Screening: Carter "ERASED JAMES FRANCO" at SF MOMA
SOMA: 151 Third Street, Mission Street, The Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, 8pm

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.