Happy New Year! That “3” in 2023 looks pretty ripe to me. Especially after all this rain we needed so badly in California, after years of drought. There's going to be a lot of fruit this spring.
I hope this holiday you had a chance to rest and regroup or have an adventure.
We had been saving up for a while for a trip to Morocco and the night before we were set to leave, we realized one of our passports had expired. After a million details planning this trip, how could I have missed that one? After a sleepless night, around 60 calls to passport offices awaiting someone to cancel so we could get in, and a Hanukkah miracle, we were able to get a same-day passport. When we finally got to the airline check-in, I asked the woman at the counter, how often do people come for an international trip and have an expired passport? She said, once a day . . . so here is my public service announcement: check your passport expiration and that of everyone you're traveling with.
Now onto Morocco. Hands down one of the most exciting and inspiring places I have been. Ken, Odessa, Blooma, and I loved it. The history, the design, the tagine, the camels, the Sahara desert, the colors. It's already influencing my thinking and art.
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HUMAN NATURE EXHIBIT EXTENDED | NEW TOURS:
I was so honored to have San Francisco Magazine list the show as "one of the hottest exhibitions in the Bay Area." The National Women’s History Museum based in Washington D.C. also just published one of my favorite interviews about the exhibit in their print magazine you can read here.
New In-Person and Zoom Art Tours Announced at SHACK15, SF Ferry Building:
*I'm loving doing the tours, it's such an intimate way to share the art.
- Thurs, Jan 12: Artist-Led In-Person Tour 2 pm RSVP
- Tues, Jan 17: Artist-Led Zoom Tour Noon PT/3 pm ET RSVP for Zoom link
- Tues, Jan 17: Artist-Led Tour & Discussion w/The Long Now Foundation's Alexander Rose 6-7:30 pm TICKETS
- Fri, Jan 20: Art Tour During SF Art Week & Fog Design + Art 10:30-11:30 am RSVP
- Thurs, Jan 26: Artist-Led In-Person Tour 2 pm RSVP
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One of the lightboxes in the Human Nature exhibition is an image of a woman on an impossibly large bicycle following where her curiosity takes her, called "The Default Mode Network." That’s the neuroscience term for the state your mind gets into when you let your mind wander (going for a ride, walk, doing the dishes, taking a shower). What happens is your brain makes new connections with what's already in there ...which is where creativity comes from. That’s the way creating this new artwork and heading into 2023 feels. Onward!
Below in this newsletter, a cornacopia of art fairs, books, films, and other things to engage and inspire you for January.
xo,
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The Art of Long-Term Thinking with SHACK15 and the Long Now Foundation Executive Director Alexander Rose, Jan. 17 at 6 pm
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The Long Now Foundation is a is a nonprofit established to foster long-term thinking. Their work encourages imagination at the timescale of civilization—the next and last 10,000 years are a timespan they call "the long now." Most of my tree ring timelines span that length of time at least. I can't wait for this discussion with the executive director Alexander Rose. We have done many events together over the years with a shared passion for the long view.
Join us at SHACK15 on Tuesday January 17 at 6 pm for an art tour I will lead of the exhibition. Then Alexander and I will have a good discussion on the importance of long-term thinking. Get tickets here.
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| "Dendrofemonology" with the National Women's History Museum
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I love this interview the National Women's History Museum did about the making of Human Nature. I give the backstory behind the creation of this piece, meant to correct the absence of feminist milestones, in their print magazine. Read here.
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| We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC at the National Women's History Museum, Opening March 23
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This upcoming show traces Black feminism in Washington, DC from the turn of the 20th century through the civil rights and Black Power movements to today. It will open on the first floor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC as part of a groundbreaking partnership between the National Women's History Museum and DC Public Library. If you're in DC this spring, don't miss it! Learn more here.
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| Fog Design + Art Fair, January 19-22 at Fort Mason in SF
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The Fog Design + Art Fair is such a great gathering of the worlds of design and visual arts! With 45 leading international galleries and prominent 20th-century and contemporary design dealers, and Susan Swig's keen leadership, there are so many fantastic panels and powerful art to see. More info on how you can sign up for Jan 19-22 here.
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| Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 19-29
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I grew up as an artist at Sundance. It's been 20 years since my first film premiered there, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, on the importance of reproductive rights in America. it was the 30-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade and there were protestors at my premiere. I was six months pregnant with Odessa wearing a shirt that said "My Body, My Choice." This year is the 50-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade. We have to keep fighting for this right. There are a great collection of films showing at Sundance 2023. Geralyn Dreyfous, an Executive Producer of my Sundance feature doc Connected, has five films there this year. She is such a force. Check out the whole lineup and see how you can participate here.
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| Magdalena Abakanowicz: Every Tangle of Thread and Rope at the Tate Modern Through May 21
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I saw this show recently and was blown away. If you're in London, check it out. Learn more here.
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This documentary about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny is so powerful and really contextualizing the situation in Russia/Ukraine right now. Learn more here.
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My aunt and uncle Connie and Harvey Lapin have dedicated their lives to making sure autistic people have the legal protections they need and deserve. Their journey with their own son, my cousin Shawn, were featured in the wonderful book on autism, In a Different Key, that has now been made into a documentary on PBS. I watched recently and it's so powerful. Learn more about the film here and about Connie and Harvey's autism activism here.
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I found this documentary of Jonah Hill interviewing his therapist fascinating on so many levels, especially the direct-action tools the therapist leaves you with. Highly recommend. Learn more here.
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| Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, and a Song
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My filmmaking friends Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller made this terrific film about the life of Leonard Cohen and his best-known song. A brilliant film about a modern-day prophet. Learn more here.
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Flame Bearers is the first global storytelling platform celebrating the stories of women Olympians and Paralympians. It is so inspiring and created by Jamie Mittelman. Listen here.
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| Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey
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Tricia Hersey is the founder of the Nap Ministry and her vital new book is a battle cry, a guidebook, a map for a movement, and a field guide for the weary and hopeful. Learn more here.
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| Minimalista by Shira Gill
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My close friend Shira Gill's excellent and gorgeous book about how to live a more minimlist life is a great way to start 2023. Learn more here.
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| Dr. Nancy O'Reilly's Books on Women's Leadership
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Dr. Nancy O'Reilly, is such an inspiration. As a fantastic supporter of women and women's rights, I loved seeing her list of best books to empower women to become leaders. Check them out here.
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Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
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This book about two video game designers becomes a sweeping story about so much more. Learn more here.
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Regular by Tamara Duker Freuman
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My friend, nutritionist Tamara Duker Freuman, has written a very important book for everyone on the planet. Learn more here.
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| The Other Collection Books
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The Other Collection prints gorgeous, limited edition books designed by Erik Spiekermann and Susanna Dulkinys in runs of 998. All are signed by their award-winning authors including Elizabeth Kolbert, Deborah Levy, John Banville, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Learn more here.
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Sophia Yen MD has been a tireless advocate for women's health. Her new website lets users order birth control and other vital health products online. Pandia provides expert care by expert doctors, rooted in the belief that women should never have to struggle to get the care and medication they need. Learn more here.
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| Liminal Dreaming Workshop with Jennifer Dumpert at Esalen, January 20-22
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Liminal dreaming lets us meander between daytime awareness and the depths of the dream. This workshop will provide an in-depth exploration of the remarkable, mystical mind states of hypnagogia and hypnopompia, with a set of valuable tools to continue your journey and dream practice. Learn more and register here.
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An uplifting song by Deja Samuel
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I feel very lucky to be in a strong wolfpack of women filmmakers in the Bay Area. We meet monthly and share a lot of things. Someone just shared this beautiful video of "Faith's Hymn" by Deja Samuel.
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