It’s National Hispanic Heritage Month, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate this weekend. When in doubt, you can always visit Diego Rivera’s epic Pan American Unity mural, on display for free at the SFMOMA.
Poetry at Alley Cat
Alley Cat Books, on 24th Street near Treat Ave., will host a poetry reading on Friday with local poets Marina Lazzara and Rod Roland. J. Lee will be playing music and projecting images projection, and attendees can also see Txuxo Perez’s artwork, which will be on exhibit. The event starts at 8 p.m.
Art, everywhere you are
It’s San Francisco Wide Open Studios season again! Launching today, the longstanding two-month program offers artist-hosted open studios, exhibits, receptions, sidewalk pop-ups, and virtual events.
View the full schedule of events that will continue through Nov. 21. Select the Mission (or any other neighborhood) in the drop-down menu and see what’s coming up.
History lessons at Dolores Park
If you love Dolores Park, for better or worse, you might also be interested in learning the details of its long backstory. Dolores Park History Day is this Saturday, Sept. 18: seven stations hosted by Dolores Park Ambassadors and the Love Dolores Campaign will address different periods in the park’s history.
The stations will be open from noon to 4 p.m.
Shakespearean kickoff
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Jerry Garcia amphitheater at McLaren Park, which is reopening after a nearly $1.5 million renovation, will be held at noon on Saturday, Sept. 18 before Shakespeare at the Park kicks off. Attendance is free, and the full schedule of live performances in San Francisco and beyond can be found here.
Art walk for a cause
The Kids & Art Foundation art show “Me, Myself, and I” opens this Saturday, Sept. 18, at Analog Gallery, at 24th and Capp streets. The exhibit features the artwork of pediatric cancer patients that was created during a workshop in June.
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and there will be pieces in the exhibit by professional artists that were inspired by the young artists going through diagnosis and treatment of critical illnesses.
For details, visit the event website. There will be an art walk on Saturday at 1 p.m. with visits to other Mission District art studios like Voss Gallery, Ratio 3, Artillery AG, and The Drawing Room. On Sunday at 2 p.m., a few of the artists in the show will talk about their experiences.
Mural renovation
On Sunday, Sept. 19, muralist Juana Alicia, who painted several iconic murals around the Mission, will host a free community Zoom session to discuss her plans for the restoration of “Para las Rosas,” the fading mural at the San Francisco Mime Troupe Building at 855 Treat Ave., between 21st and 22nd streets.
The event will be held virtually from 1 to 2 p.m., and attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a Q&A. For details in Spanish and English, see the event flyer.
Dance Mission fundraiser
The Dance Mission Theater recently renewed for a 15-year lease at 24th and Mission streets. It is planning to start renovations in November to add another dance studio, redo the lobby, create ramps and install an elevator, and put in new disabled-accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms.
The studio is asking for donations to help them raise a final $100,000 for the project, which they hope will be complete by early spring. To donate, visit their website.
HIV testing
The Mission Neighborhood Health Center is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by offering free HIV testing for the next several weeks.
Testing will be available at the parking lot at 240 Shotwell St., near 16th Street, on Sept. 22 and 29 and Oct. 6 and 13, from 2 to 6 p.m. Bilingual staff will be present and no appointment is necessary.
As always, Covid-19 vaccines and testing will continue to be available by appointment or walk-in. The 24th and Capp Street testing center also offers HIV and diabetes testing Saturday through Tuesday.
Beyond the Mission
Mode Brut (Dogpatch)
The Museum of Craft and Design in the Dogpatch is hosting a fashion-related exhibition, with unique designs by over 50 Creativity Explored artists on display. Creativity Explored is a Mission District space that gives artists with developmental disabilities an outlet to create and share their artwork.
”Mode Brut” wants to reinvent, or at least challenge the fashion status quo: The artists use unusual materials or recycled fabrics, approach gender and gender identity from different perspectives, and invite artists, designers and brands to collaborate with artists with developmental disabilities.
The exhibit is open through January, 2022. For details, visit their website.
Flower Piano (Golden Gate Park)
Flower Piano, the event which started with an impromptu piano pulled onto the bluffs above Half Moon Bay before expanding to different natural and urban settings around the Bay Area, is back! After a hiatus in 2020, this year’s event will be held at Golden Gate Park.
Starting Friday, Sept. 17, 12 pianos will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at different places in the San Francisco Botanical Garden. For a map and the lineup of performers, visit the website. The music hopes to do it all: The lineup ranges from Joni Mitchell to AfroCuban and Brazilian to Chopin and Beethoven.
Entry is free for San Franciscans, but it’s recommended you reserve a spot.
Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema Lineup (Bernal Heights)
The lineups for the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema events next month have been released, and “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” will be the feature film at Precita Park on Oct. 2.
To see the other films that will be featured, visit their website.
Covid-19 vaccine fundraiser (Union Square)
The San Francisco/Ho Chi Minh Sister City Committee will host a fundraising event to raise money to purchase 150,000 Covid-19 vaccines for distribution in Vietnam. They estimate that the cost of sending a single vaccine dose to Vietnam is $10.
The event will be held at Marine’s Memorial Club and Hotel at 609 Sutter St. on Sept. 21. Come by between 1 and 5 p.m., or consider donating remotely at https://www.sfhcmc.org/covidvaccine.