CLARION ALLEY

I've been coming to San Francisco pretty frequently for work over the past two years, and the one thing I try not to miss each time I'm in town (aside from the Sockshop in the Haight) is Clarion Alley.  The alley is a tiny street in the Mission that is covered with graffiti, and it's different every time I'm in town.  Started in 1992, the Clarion Alley Mural Project is a collective that facilitates the painting and repainting of murals along the alley between Valencia and Mission Streets, with a content focus on social inclusion.

It's one of my favorite places in San Francisco, and it was such a treat to be able to share it with an old friend from the East Coast who recently relocated to the Bay Area after a long period of fulfilling her wanderlust.  Candace also happens to be a wonderful photographer (as well as a renowned writer), and we snapped lots of photos along the alley and then went around the corner to enjoy Southern fare and spiked sweet tea at Southpaw BBQ.

I'm looking forward to my next visit to San Francisco and can't wait to see what's new at Clarion Alley!

Jacket: Vintage, from Held Over in SF

Denim Jumpsuit: Banana Republic 

Boots: Pour la Victoire

Bag: Milly

Photos by Candace Rose Rardon.

AUTUMN AWAKENING, PART II

Happy First Day of Autumn!

In honor of the new season, here is a throwback to one of my first Artfully Awear posts ever - an outfit inspired by Claude Monet's Haystacks (Sunset) from 1890-1891.  What a perfect inspiration for fall!

See the original post here.

JUMP IN!

Happy Friday!

The peak of my week was definitely visiting Pearlfisher for their JumpIn! installation.

I can't remember the last time I played in a ball pit; definitely over 20 years ago!  The installation was originally created in partnership with Right to Play, whose mission is to harness the transformative power of play for children dealing with adversity.

As a middle of the work day interlude, I definitely felt the positive effects on my stress levels!

Thank you to Hilary and Katie for sneaking out of the office and being my accomplices.

Blouse: Alice + Olivia

Jeans: Hudson

Photos by Hilary Pollack and Katie Karp.

EL ANATSUI | THE SCHOOL

Over the past few years, I've come to recognize Jack Shainman as one of my favorite galleries in NYC, representing a number of my most highly revered artists, including Nick Cave, El Anatsui, Barkley L. Hendricks, Carrie Mae Weems, Kay Hassan, and others.  When Shainman opened The School, an outpost of the gallery upstate in Kinderhook, NY last year, I couldn't wait to visit.

I finally had the chance to go over the weekend, on a trip to the Catskills.  It was a beautiful late summer day, and the little town of Kinderhook was bustling.  Not only was I anxious to experience a larger, more remote Shainman Gallery, but couldn't wait to see the exhibition of works by El Anatsui, one of my favorite artists.

See my post from Gravity and Grace: Monumental Works by El Anatsui at the Brooklyn Museum in 2013.

Upon entering The School, a giant Anatsui globus was suspended from the ceiling.  Throughout the space, there were dozens of Anatsui works; the exhibition just seemed to go on and on and there were two or three more large scale pieces around every corner.  It was interesting to note the ways in which the pieces interacted with the space, some occupying intentionally "unfinished" rooms or corridors.  There were also earlier works that I had never seen, such as the Market pieces from 2004 (the room of little boxes, pictured above).

Visiting The School was such a welcome interlude to the weekend, and it renewed my love of El Anatsui's work and the expertise of Jack Shainman.  The exhibition is open on Saturdays until September 26.

Blouse: Goldhawk, thrifted

Shorts: Banana Republic (available here)

Shoes: Belle (also worn here and here)

Photos of me by Meri Feir; other photos by me.