Why We Do This: Inaugurating Bay Art Agenda

Image credit: Soleé Darrell in “Cosmic Ceremony” at the Museum of African Diaspora. Courtesy MOAD and the artist. 

We started this, a simple calendar of what is happening with art in the Bay, because we personally needed it. A place to find out what is happening in art where we live. But more than just a list, we imagined this thing could cinch together all the artists and art lovers, galleries and museums, curators and critics like a ribbon pulls together a bouquet. And maybe just add a little water to those blooms.  

In these dispatches and on our site, every couple of weeks we’ll let you know what we think is terribly important to see, both as our hot picks but also as reports from some of our favorite writers and curators. Previews and reviews, musings and interviews always with the mission to get humans to passionately participate in the art of our fair Bay.

We want the writing here to shiver with excitement and be accessible to anyone who’s curious. Voices that sing with informed critical acuity but are also conversational, generous, more poetic than academic. Voices that are excited to share what they think is pressing, interesting, funny, heartbreaking, and meaningful.

The art where we live is vibrant, intelligent, challenging, messy, and beautiful, and we dearly hope to honor its force with attention and critical regard. The art here is in conversation with the particulars of what makes the Bay special, but also with a larger world. And whilst our focus is on contemporary visual art, we know that this doesn’t exist in a vacuum and we’ll include performances, lectures, readings,  and sundry other happenings that touch the spirits of artists.

Why does art want to be looked at?

Because if we don’t regard and support art, it will disappear.

Art is something we couldn’t live without, and don’t think you should either.

And if the Bay Art Agenda is wonderfully useful to you, consider supporting us too.