As galleries head to Miami Basel Art Fairs, the alternative spaces, non-profits, underground and local spaces step up to the plate.

For better or worse, many of these art events have been injected with holiday spirit, which, lucky for us, could be translated as affordable and local art!

With fun show titles like SpaceCraft: The Christmas Show, Holidayland, Holiday Project, and Visual Torah, there is something for everyone.

Queen's Nails Projects and Southern Exposure offer more substantial, non-holiday art offerings for when the big guns are away.

Wednesday:
+ Lecture: "Visual and Critical Studies Forum with Linda Williams" at California College for the Arts (CCA)

Thursday:
+ "Chromatic" 35 Colorful Years of Creative Growth at Rena Bransten Gallery

Friday:
+ Screening: "JIGSAWMENTALLAMA" A group exhibition and weekly film and video screening series at David Cunningham Projects
+ Edgar Arceneaux "The Watts House Project and Systems Theory: Neighborhood Redevelopment as Collaborative Artwork" at San Francisco Art Institute
+ Screening: "Lost Landscapes of San Francisco 4" at Prelinger Archives (Herbst Theatre)
+ "Annual Holiday Art Sale" at Creativity Explored
+ Jeremiah Jenkins, Ross Campbell at Hatch Gallery
+ "Holiday Project" at Creative Growth

Saturday:
+ Benefit: "SF Camerawork's 2009 Benefit Auction" at SF Camerawork
+ Closing reception: Bret Bergen, Kevin Taylor, Lafe Eaves "PAPER TIGERS" curated by Jessica Wallen at Fivepoints Arthouse
+ Art Fair: "Passive Aggressive" Public Art/Urban Interventions Day at Southern Exposure
+ "EXERCISES IN SEEING" A one night only exhibition held entirely in the dark at Queens Nails Projects
+ "Printed Matter 7" at GRSF (Giant Robot)
+ Brion Nuda Rosch, Chris McCaw, Kari Marboe, Lena Reynoso, Naaman Rosen "Double Exposure (two): Balanced Roles" curated by Narangkar Glover at Rowan Morrison Gallery

Sunday:
+ Screening: "Passive Aggressive" Public Art/Urban Interventions Day at Southern Exposure

Monday:
+ Artist Talk: David Harrington "Sonic Immersion: An Exploration of Eclectic and Unusual" The Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium at UC Berkeley (University of California)

Tuesday, December 1

Screening: "Postwar Japanese Films" Presented in conjunction with The Provoke Era: Postwar Japanese Photography at SF MOMA
SOMA: 151 Third Street, Mission Street, Free First Tuesday, 12pm

Wednesday, December 2

+ Lecture: "Visual and Critical Studies Forum with Linda Williams" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , Florence and Leo B. Helzel Boardroom, San Francisco campus, 10am-12pm

"Haunted Headlands" Ghost Stories with Clare Rojas & friends at Headlands Center for the Arts
Marin Headlands: 944 Fort Barry , off Bunker Road, floor 1-4, $20 Public Dinner Price, Hike at 4:30pm, dinner and stories at 6pm

Thursday, December 3

Micah Lebrun "Resurface" at 111 Minna Gallery
SOMA: 111 Minna Street, 5pm

Performance: "Maurice Sendak: An Improvised Story" IMPROV COMEDY EVENT! at Contemporary Jewish Museum
SOMA: 736 Mission Street, Third Street, $0-5, 7-9pm

Lecture: "Curator Talks: Jill Sterrett on Robert Ryman's Surface Veil" at SF MOMA
SOMA: 151 Third Street, Mission Street, Meet in the Haas Atrium, FREE w/ Museum Admission, 6:30pm

+ "Chromatic" 35 Colorful Years of Creative Growth at Rena Bransten Gallery
Downtown: 77 Geary Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

Book launch: "Sandy Kim" at Ever Gold
Downtown: 441 O'Farrell Street, 6-9pm

"The Art of Play" at Dolby Chadwick Gallery
Downtown: 210 Post Street, floor 2, 5:30-7:30pm

"Model Behavior" A Group Exhibition at Hang Art
Downtown: 556 Sutter Street, 6-8pm

"SpaceCraft: The Christmas show" An exhibition of Cellspace studio artists at CELLspace
Mission District: 2050 Bryant Street, 7-11pm

"Holidays at the Artists Gallery" Celebrating Bay Area Arts and Crafts at SF MOMA (SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason)
Marina District: 0 Fort Mason Center, 5:30-7:30pm

"Happiness" Juried Annual 2010 at Pro Arts Gallery
Oakland: 150 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza , entrance on Kahn's Alley, 6-8pm

Friday, December 4

"Winter Book & Gift Sale" at Crown Point Press
SOMA: 20 Hawthorne Street, 4-6pm

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

+ Edgar Arceneaux "The Watts House Project and Systems Theory: Neighborhood Redevelopment as Collaborative Artwork" at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, Lecture Hall, Free and open to the public, 5pm

+ Screening: "Lost Landscapes of San Francisco 4" at Prelinger Archives (Herbst Theatre)
Civic Center: 401 Van Ness Avenue, at McAllister Street, $10, 7:30pm

"New Works" at Artist-Xchange Gallery
Mission District: 3169 16th St, 7-10pm

+ "Annual Holiday Art Sale" at Creativity Explored
Mission District: 3245 16th Street, 6-9pm

"For the City" at Lower Haters Gallery
Haight Ashbury: 597 Haight Street, 7-11pm

Art Fair: "Lower Haight Art Walk" at Lower Haters Gallery
Haight Ashbury: 597 Haight Street, free, 7-10pm

Brian Andrews "Imposed Order(s)" at Bean There Cafe
Hayes Valley: 201 Steiner Street, Free, 7-10pm

"Fort Mason Printmakers Print Sale" Annual show and sale by the printmaking department of San Francisco City Colleg at Fort Mason Center
Marina District: Intersection of Marina Boulevard & Buchanan Stre, rooms 205-208, 6-9pm

Lil Tuffy "2nd Annual Lil Tuffy Rock Show Prints" at Kuhl Frames +Art
Oakland: 412 22nd Street, 6-9pm

+ Jeremiah Jenkins, Ross Campbell at Hatch Gallery
Oakland: 492 23rd Street, at Telegraph Avenue, 7-10pm

+ "Holiday Project" at Creative Growth
Oakland: 355 24th Street , 5-8pm

Art Fair: "Holidayland" at Blankspace
Oakland: 6608 San Pablo Avenue, 6-10pm

Benefit: "Bay Area Girls Rock Camp's First Annual Art Auction" at Local 123
Berkeley: 2049 San Pablo Avenue, at University Avenue, 7-10pm

Saturday, December 5

Jerry Ross Barrish "Empathy" at Sculpturesite Gallery
SOMA: 201 3rd Street, Suite 102, 3-5pm

+ Benefit: "SF Camerawork's 2009 Benefit Auction" at SF Camerawork
SOMA: 657 Mission Street, floor 2, $30 for the general public, free for SF Camerawork members, 1pm

+ Closing reception: Bret Bergen, Kevin Taylor, Lafe Eaves "PAPER TIGERS" curated by Jessica Wallen at Fivepoints Arthouse
SOMA: 72 Tehama Street, at 2nd Street, 6-11pm

"6th Anniversary Party" at Studio Gallery
Downtown: 1815 Polk Street, 2-6pm

Daniel Massey, Gabriel Dunne, Ryan Alexander "Seaquence" at Gray Area Foundation for the Arts
Downtown: 55 Taylor Street, 7-10pm

Art Fair: "9th Annual Winter Art & Gift Fair" at San Francisco Art Institute
Russian Hill: 800 Chesnut Street, 12-3pm

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

+ Art Fair: "Passive Aggressive" Public Art/Urban Interventions Day at Southern Exposure
Mission District: 3030 20th Street , at ATA, 992 Valencia Street, 11am-5pm

Art Fair: "Crucero Artero: A bi-monthly arts bazaar in Studio 24" at Galeria de la Raza
Mission District: 2857 24th Street , 2-9pm

+ "EXERCISES IN SEEING" A one night only exhibition held entirely in the dark at Queens Nails Projects
Mission District: 3191 Mission Street, 9pm-Midnight

"Six Centuries of Printmaking" at ArtZone 461 Gallery
Mission District: 461 Valencia Street, 5-8pm

+ "Printed Matter 7" at GRSF (Giant Robot)
Haight Ashbury: 618 Shrader Street , 6:30-10pm

+ Brion Nuda Rosch, Chris McCaw, Kari Marboe, Lena Reynoso, Naaman Rosen "Double Exposure (two): Balanced Roles" curated by Narangkar Glover at Rowan Morrison Gallery
Oakland: 330 40th Street, 7-10pm

Art Fair: "Holiday Fair" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Oakland: 5212 Broadway Avenue, at College Avenue, 11am-3pm

Sunday, December 6

Artist Talk: "Visual Torah" Artists Reflect on New Work for the Exhibition As It is Written at Contemporary Jewish Museum
SOMA: 736 Mission Street, Third Street, $8-10, 2-4pm

Closing reception: "A CHAMPAGNE AND BLOODY MARY "DE-INSTALLATION" EVENT" at Fivepoints Arthouse
SOMA: 72 Tehama Street, at 2nd Street, 11am-3pm

Closing reception: "tiny" at Studio Gallery
Downtown: 1815 Polk Street, 2-6pm

+ Screening: "Passive Aggressive" Public Art/Urban Interventions Day at Southern Exposure
Mission District: 3030 20th Street , at ATA, 992 Valencia Street, 5pm

Art Fair: "Holiday Arts Festival + Silent Auction" at Richmond Art Center
Richmond District: 2540 Barrett Avenue, Free, 12-5pm

Monday, December 7

Book Signing: "Eames Demetrios and others" at Electric Works
SOMA: 130 8th Street, 6:30-8:30pm

"Nightlight: An Exhibition of Site-Specific Projections" at California College for the Arts (CCA)
Potrero Hill: 1111 Eighth Street , Various location, 7-9pm

+ Artist Talk: David Harrington "Sonic Immersion: An Exploration of Eclectic and Unusual" The Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium at UC Berkeley (University of California)
Berkeley: Kroeber Hall, 125 Morrison Hall , 7:30-9:30pm

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.