Around the Bay in August 2007

Benicia’s Best Artists Rise to the Occasion Arts Benicia will be featuring the works of 16 local artists who have risen to the top of their respective Master of Fine Arts classes this year at the annual "Cream – from the top" exhibit. The exhibit runs through August 26 and culminates with the Artists’ Forum on Saturday, August 25 when San Francisco Chronicle art critic Kenneth Baker and California College of Art instructors Glen Helfand and Linda Fleming will be in attendance.

Robert Burden Playmates’ Foot Soldier, oil on canvas, 72” x 48” will be featured at Arts Benicia Center Gallery through August 26.

Published: August, 2007 

The 16 artists were chosen from nearly 200 candidates and their works represent the newest, freshest and most accomplished expressions of contemporary visual art in Northern California. Arts Benicia Center Gallery is located at 991 Tyler St. #114 in Benicia’s Arsenal district. Exhibit hours are Thursday through Sunday from 12PM to 5PM or by arrangement. Admission is free. For more information visit www.artsbenicia.org.

Yosemite National Park has inspired painters and photographers for ages. The power of art to shape how the park has been viewed, used, and protected is vividly captured in Yosemite: Art of an American Icon. The exhibition looks at Yosemite’s changing visual identity and cultural role as a national and international destination, and the response by artists to its transition from an ideal of wilderness to a commercial and often congested venue. The comprehensive exhibition spans artwork from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, more than 150 paintings, baskets, and photographs. The exhibit runs through August 26 and is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10AM to 5PM and Sunday from 12PM to 5PM. Admission is $8/Adults, $5/Seniors & Students, Free/Children under 5 years old. Oakland Museum is located at 1000 Oak St. For more information visit www.museumca.org.

America’s oldest professional ballet company, San Francisco Ballet, will perform at the Stern Grove Concert Series on August 12th. The season closes on August 19th when the San Francisco Opera performs operatic classics with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra conducted by Pat Summers. Stern Grove is located at 19th and Sloat Blvd in San Francisco. Admission to the concerts is free and shows start at 2PM.

The third annual IRL (Indy Racing League) race will be held at Infineon Raceway August 24-26. These open-wheeled racecars are best known for racing at the Indianapolis 500. The engines rev up to over 10,000 RPM producing approximately 650 horsepower and are capable of reached speeds in access of 200 mph. For ticket prices and schedule information visit www.infineonraceway.com.

An exhibition of renowned aerial photographer Robert Cameron featuring 56 great images from Cameron’s large body of work on California, Nevada, Washington State, Alaska and Hawaii is being featured at the Presidio. Walking through eight galleries, the visitor will take an eye-opening environmental journey through the air, along the edge of the Pacific, across bays, estuaries, rivers and lakes, through forests and over mountains, past energy sources, farms, ranches, cities and monuments. Both the natural environment and the impact of humankind on the Earth unfold in large format prints, many six feet tall and ten feet wide. Anyone who appreciates the power of great photography and the importance of responsible stewardship of the Earth will be impressed by Cameron’s works. The exhibit runs through August 26th and is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11AM to 5PM at the Presidio Officers’ Club Exhibition Hall at 50 Moraga Avenue in San Francisco. Admission is free. For more information visit www.presidio.gov.

To have your event or announcement considered for the Bay Crossings Around the Bay listings, please send information or a press release to: joel@baycrossings.com. 

This photograph of Altamont Pass by Robert Cameron is one of 56 featured images at the Environmental Journey exhibit at the Presidio.