Bernice Iwamoto returns to Art Viewing Adventures for a presentation delving into the fascinating life and groundbreaking artistry of Suzanne Valadon, one of the most remarkable figures in modern art history. From her humble beginnings as a circus performer and sought-after artists’ model to her transformation into a celebrated painter, Valadon defied societal expectations and carved out a place for herself in the male-dominated world of post-Impressionism.

The Salesforce Transit Center is an important and exciting new building designed to meet a great many needs for San Francisco’s present and future. We’ll also talk about its neighborhood’s rich history and central role in the development of the city. This San francisco City Guides walking tour is 1.5 hrs. and is well-suited for people of all ages and mobility capabilities.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Learn about MacArthur Foundation award winner Kara Walker and her current installation at SFMOMA, Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine). With wit and elegance, Walker’s fantastic automatons confront troubling histories of race and gender and transmit the power of the human soul. Inspired by medieval mechanical icons, dolls, Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, and situated in a field of black obsidian from Lake County’s Mt Konocti, the installation is free to view in the Roberts Family Gallery until Spring 2026.

Walker has created a powerful body of work by examining “the peculiar institution” at the center of the American experience: the enslavement of African Americans. Well known for her silhouetted figures, Walker has expanded into large-scale public projects, such as 2014’s A Subtlety: Or…the Marvelous Sugar Baby at the abandoned Domino Sugar Plant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Fons Americanus, a four-tiered fountain “counter monument” at London’s Tate Modern that she described as “a gift…to the heart of an Empire that redirected the fates of the world.” Inspired by art history, folklore, tradition, technology, and philosophy, Walker’s art inspires hope in a fragmented world. 

Art Educator and Museum Guide Avril Angevine returns to Art Viewing Adventures to discuss this fascinating artist.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

We'll meet at the Park Branch Public Library (1833 Page St.) and visit sites related to the neighborhood's history and the amazing music it produced. Between stops, I'll play music from Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company and many others. The tours lasts about 2 hrs.

Click here for information on the music I play, neighborhood food choices, etc.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Presentation on Big Brother and the Holding Company, the pioneering Summer of Love band that featured Janis Joplin. Featuring vintage video and audio clips of the band in their heyday along with a live discussion with founding members Peter Albin and Dave Getz. 

Native American photographer Dugan Aguilar (1947-2018) is the subject of an exhibition at the Oakland Museum of California through June 22. After attending a workshop by Ansel Adams in 1978, Aguilar focused on depicting indigenous subjects in California and Nevada, producing a body of work that helps deepen our understanding of these communities. Avril Angevine is an Art Viewing Adventures favorite, and we’re very pleased to have her back to share her insights on this fascinating exhibition.

We'll meet at the Park Branch Public Library (1833 Page St.) and visit sites related to the neighborhood's history and the amazing music it produced. Between stops, I'll play music from Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company and many others. The tours lasts about 2 hrs.

Click here for information on the music I play, neighborhood food choices, etc.

Millions of years before its first human inhabitants arrived, North Berkeley was strewn with fascinating rock formations. Today, the area includes a set of lovely parks where these remnants of its geologic past can be seen. We'll talk about the Native American presence in the area and how the rocks were used by these first inhabitants. We'll also discuss the creation of the parks and their role when the first housing developments were created.

We meet in amphitheater of John Hinkle Park (41 Somerset Pl, Berkeley). The tour ends at the Great Stoneface Park, a 10 to15 min. walk from our start point.

2.0 miles, 300 feet elevation gain, 2 hours

The Salesforce Transit Center is an important and exciting new building designed to meet a great many needs for San Francisco’s present and future. We’ll also talk about its neighborhood’s rich history and central role in the development of the city. This San francisco City Guides walking tour is 1.5 hrs. and is well-suited for people of all ages and mobility capabilities.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Consuelo Kanaga (1894-1978) was one of the first women photographers for a major American newspaper, working at the SF Chronicle starting in 1915. She captured an array of urban subjects in San Francisco and New York and documented the social justice movements of her day, including efforts to address racism, worker rights and poverty. An exhibition of her work is on display at SFMOMA through Feb. 9. Nick Despota will join Rodney to share thoughts on this important figure of photojournalism and San Francisco history.

The folk-rock music of mid-1960s San Francisco included an exciting visual counterpoint: the trippy designs used to advertise musical lineups at The Fillmore and other local venues. The posters themselves became a celebrated art form, and the era is remembered not just for its psychedelic sounds but for these fascinating and often confounding images, too.

Russ Bertetta attended some of the historic shows they advertised and later collected posters of the era. He will join Rodney Paul to discuss the Big 5, a group of artists whose distinctive designs defined the genre. We'll see video of the top-billed musicians and watch excerpts of interviews with the artists. We'll also talk about some contemporary artists who follow in their footsteps.

The presentation will include videos of the artists discussing their works as well as audio clips of some of the bands their posters promoted.

The Zoom link will be sent to participants after the free registration on Eventbright.

We'll meet at the Park Branch Public Library (1833 Page St.) and visit sites related to the neighborhood's history and the amazing music it produced. Between stops, I'll play music from Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company and many others. The tours lasts about 2 hrs.

Click here for information on the music I play, neighborhood food choices, etc.

The art of Tamara de Lempicka (1894-1980) is evocative of the Art Deco movement, characterized by bold, glamorous, and sensual visuals that combine modernist aesthetics and classical influences. She was deeply influenced by cubism, employed vibrant colors and portrayed women as independent, strong and unapologetically feminine. Rodney’s friend and fellow museum guide Verena Lukas returns to Art Viewing Adventures to discuss the Lempicka exhibition currently on view at the de Young through Feb. 9. We’re hoping to be joined by a surprise guest for what promises to be a very lively discussion of this fascinating but often overlooked artist.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

We'll meet at the Park Branch Public Library (1833 Page St.) and visit sites related to the neighborhood's history and the amazing music it produced. Between stops, I'll play music from Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Company and many others. The tours lasts about 2 hrs.

Click here for information on the music I play, neighborhood food choices, etc.

The paintings of Amy Sherald (1973) portray Black Americans in settings that seem both iconic and surreal.  Though best known for her official portrait of Former First Lady Michelle Obama, most of the people depicted in her works are nonspecific and share the same, dark gray skin tone in settings that can easily be seen as symbolic.  Thus, her works suggest a narrative and are great for sparking a discussion. We’re lucky to have a terrific selection on view at SFMOMA through March 9.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Ballpark tours last 90 mins. They are offered through the SF Giants and require purchase of a ticket.  Click here for tickets and be sure to select a time when I’m scheduled to lead.

Rodney and Jeanette Pettibone always enjoy discussing art when they get together. Jeanette returns to Art Viewing Adventures to discuss the Berkeley Art Museum exhibition To Exalt the Ephemeral: : The (Im)permanent Collection. We’ll be eager to include thoughts from the audience as we delve into this provocative and diverse exhibition