Sending a burst of love to all of you. Some of you receiving this monthly newsletter are new, and some have been with me for over 25 years. Writing these each month gives me a sense of narrative in a world that often feels overwhelming. I hope they do the same for you.
The Human Nature exhibition is now down from the San Francisco Ferry Building's SHACK15, and I am resting and replenishing and thinking about a lot of things . . . including love. Especially since I like to take the broad view of Valentine’s Day and think of it as the month of love. Love of animals, nature, and people.
I wanted to share my thoughts on what I call “love loopholes.”
On Shabbat when I don’t use screens for 24 hours, I have some special loopholes. I wrote a whole chapter in my book 24/6 about them. You can call them exceptions to the rule or, as I do, “love loopholes.” My love loopholes are that even though I'm unplugged, I can call Odessa now that she is at college, my mom, and my sister Kimberly, usually from a landline. There are also exceptions when we travel and for important teen slumber parties, but generally, I long for my day unplugged. I love the long family walks in nature on Saturday and I personally crave that time offline to think and be in a more present way. But the love loopholes make it even better. Because at the end of the day, so much comes down to love and we have to be adaptable and flexible to make sure we are making space for it.
While the show is now down from the Ferry Building (we will be sharing news of what's happening next with it and highlights soon), for those of you who still want to experience Human Nature, Sawyer and I filmed enough in the exhibition space that we are going to attempt to recreate the experience in interactive virtual tours. It's an experiment. The first one will be tomorrow on Valentine’s Day at 11 am PT/2 pm ET (RSVP here) then in March on International Women’s Day on March 8, 11 am PT/2 pm ET (RSVP here).
To love and love loopholes,
Tiffany
PS: Ken, a professor of robotics for over 35 years, and I have been talking about (and to) ChatGPT. It is a significant turning point for AI and a powerful reminder of our uniquely human strengths: empathy, creativity and taking intiative. Ken, Sawyer, and I presented these and other ideas about AI in two short docs: “The Adaptable Mind" (2015) and The Future Starts Here, "Why We Love Robots” (2013).
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photo by Stefanie Schwartz for Mill Valley Living
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Sobremesa at Catherine Clark Gallery in SF, Jan 6 - Mar 18
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This exciting exhibition at Catherine Clark Gallery takes the form of a dinner table that will expand through the space across seven weeks. Sobremesa unfolds in the style of an exquisite corpse: each week, an artist or artist team will “reveal” a new table conceived in response to the one before. Openings are on Thursdays from 5:30 - 7:30pm. Learn more here.
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| Shannon Jackson's Video Art in Context at BAMPFA, Jan 19 - Apr 19
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UC Berkeley professor Shannon Jackson is teaching a fantastic large lecture course on Video Art in Context with Greg Niemeyer at BAMPFA’s Osher Theater. Highly recommend this series from the best public university (I'm biased as an alum). Just watched the first one online. Every Thursday at 12 pm, they open the class to the public with an incredible roster of artists, curators, and designers in the field. Learn more here and watch previous sessions here.
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Grey Area Gallery in SF has several great shows and events coming up. Techs-Mechs (Mar 16 - May 31) is a new survey of ten works by renowned media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, spanning immersive installations, kinetic sculptures, generative animations, and large-scale shadow theaters, and rooted in a rich chronology of technological cultural history in the artist’s native Mexico, Learn more here.
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Björn Schülke's Cosmos at Bitforms Gallery in SF, Jan 21 - Mar 11
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Using a visual language inspired by elements of surveillance, science fiction, and aerospace engineering, Cosmos presents a range of large-scale and intimate sculptural works that are playful and irreverent. Loved this show at Bitforms Gallery. Learn more here.
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| Zahava Sherez Contemporary Art
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I studied stone carving with Zahava Sherez many years ago. It's great to see her campaign to bring her InBodied Light installation to Havana, Cuba. Zahava has teamed up with the Charter for Compassion International and your donation is tax-deductible.You can help these Light Beings bring their message of equality, human rights, and unity to the world by supporting here.
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| "Resting Our Eyes" at ICASF, Jan 21 - June 25
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Focusing on the liberation and celebration of Black women through the lens of leisure and physical adornment, Resting Our Eyes is a stunning and powerful exhibition featuring new and existing works from 20 multi-generational Black artists working across sculpture, photography, video, mixed media, painting, and textile. Just went and didn't want to leave. Learn more here.
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Andy Freeberg: Advisor at Jack Fischer Gallery in SF, Feb 4 - Mar 18
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Andy Freeberg's great new photography exhibition documents art consultant Stephanie Breitbard and her team bringing new work into their clients' homes. It's keen and provocative. Learn more here.
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| Justice at Marin Theatre Company, Feb 16 - Mar 12
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This new musical written by my friend Lauren Gunderson explores the first women on the US Supreme Court—Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sonia Sotomayor—at the height of their power. Cannot wait to experience this!. Opens this week. Get tickets here.
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| Jordan Shlain on All the Hacks
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Highly recommend listening to my brother Dr. Jordan Shlain's podcast interview with Chris Hutchins about taking charge of your health. Of course, Jordan and I talk about these things when we hang out, but it was amazing to hear him to distill it all into a concise list of tests you should be taking and things you should be thinking about in terms of your health. Love his metaphors. Listen here.
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Diverse Intelligences by Richard Sergay
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In Richard Sergay's new film for the Templeton World Charity Foundation, questions about intelligence are explored in a broad range of disciplines—neuroscience, philosophy, biology, computer science, anthropology, and many others. Diverse Intelligences is a global interdisciplinary scientific community based on Open Science. Watch here.
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Sara Dosa's film about a French vulcanologist couple who lost their lives in a 1991 eruption is so compelling and gorgeous to watch. She's a local Bay Area filmmaker and just got nominated for an Oscar. A fantastic documentary. Learn more here.
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This film about the Russian resistance leader is so powerful. I've included this film in the newsletter before as it's so important to see. Its recent Oscar nomination just underscores this. Learn more here.
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This new version of DH Lawrence's classic novel is fantastic. Emma Corrin is amazing. It's gorgeously shot and HOT. Watch on Netflix here.
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| Preorder It's a Good Day to Change the World by Lauren Schiller and Hadley Dynak
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Lauren Schiller and Hadley Dynak's book on building a better future offers 30 stories of feminist change to fire you up without burning you out. I loved being included. The copy of the book just arrived at my house and it's SO GOOD! Learn more and preorder here.
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| Reckoning by V (Formerly Eve Ensler)
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V's (formerly Eve Ensler) work is so powerful. Her new memoir, Reckoning, is a raw, inishgtful and beautifully written. Pat Mitchell included this quote from the book in her newsletter and I wanted to include it here too: "We need everybody's voice right now. We need everybody's vitality right now. We need everybody's action . . . We've got to build a new world, so we need everybody involved in this story." Learn more here.
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| The Art Playroom by Megan Schiller
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Both my daughters took Megan's art classes when they were young. It's so great to see she put all her ideas into this book about making your home a space where an art project could happen at any minute. Learn more here.
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| Aroused by Randi Hutter Epstein
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This overview of hormones and everything they control is amazing. I started reading this over the weekend and it's fascinating. Learn more here.
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| "Women Have Been Misled About Menopause"
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Any woman over 40 needs to read this recent New York Times article. Read here.
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| Oxytocin Necklace from Pioneer Works
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This pendant representing oxytocin, the love hormone, makes the perfect Valentine's day gift. Learn more here.
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My favorite commercial from yesterday's Superbowl. I cried. It's so moving. Watch here.
To love of animals, nature and people!
xo
Tiffany
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