Two Tickets to Sausalito
Below are descriptions of two Sausalito exhibitions. Be sure to continue to scroll down to find the info about the Sausalito Center for the Arts.
In the Bay Area, we love our history. Why not? We have the oldest history on the US’ Left Coast (and likely some of the oldest settlements since curious humans crossed the land bridge from the hostile environs of Siberia).
So, it’s no surprise that Sausalito has preserved a bit of our history by providing a home to the elephant statues in Viña del Mar Park, after they were relocated from the 1915 Panama Pacific Fair. More than that, Sausalito also boasts magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge and City skyline. It has a well-known and distinct artistic and bohemian past. Of course, it’s known for its romantic houseboats (even if Cyra McFadden in The Serial joked about the overlooked and less romantic issue of waste disposal problems from those same boats).
For me, Sausalito is also a part of my personal history. I was in Sausalito on my first weekend after moving to San Francisco, when I watched the movie Foul Play at the Marin Movie Theatre. It was perfect. The movie was (and I think still might be) funny and charming, poetic about the City I had moved to and even featured a scene with a Sausalito houseboat. I was already in love with my new home; this experience sent me over the moon. (Also it marked the only Chevy Chase movie I ever enjoyed, because Goldie Hawn was delightful.)
Sausalito’s present continues to recommend itself as a go-to artistic location. Plan your trip carefully and you may be able to take in two of its best known arts experiences in the same weekend. Maybe take the ferry over and spend a night in one of the houseboats? Let loose and give yourself over to a bohemian rhapsody (without the murder).
Graduate Fellowship Exhibition:
to see what isn’t hard to see
Headlands Center for the Arts
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Ongoing – November 2
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Fall Open House (and Lunch)
November 2, Noon – 5pm
Headlands Graduate Fellowship
The highly-respected and much-sought Headlands Graduate Fellowship (the Fellowships are by nomination only) provides meaningful support to recent, promising studio art MFA graduates, in partnership with esteemed Bay Area academic institutions. The program is unique in the country for addressing this critical juncture in an emerging artist’s career, providing opportunities for professional development and a chance to define their practice outside of the academic context.
Graduate Fellows receive private studio space, chef-prepared meals, public presentation opportunities, including participation in a culminating curated exhibition and discounts on Headlands’ public events. Graduate Fellows are active participants in Headlands peer-to-peer-driven creative community and benefit from engagement with local, national and international artists participating in Headlands various established artists’ programs.
Exhibition
The 2024-25 Headlands Graduate Fellows cohort summons histories embedded in clay, rock, metal, fiber, rubber, and fossil fuel, tracing the sediment of memory in materials and moments that predate – and may very well outlast – us. The works attend to the folds and fissures of deep time and tectonic force, the layered textures of domestic life under militarized skies, the chemic (i.e., both chemical and alchemic) residue of desire, extraction, and sacred entanglements, the chronic veil of fog as both a shroud and a shelter and the play and provocation of objects that toy with function and failure. [The verbatim description is lyrical but quite a mouthful.] 😅
Extending beyond the wall, the works in the exhibition occupy space in environmental and relational ways, inviting viewers to move through and alongside them. Opacity and ambiguity are deployed as tactical methods of reflection and attunement, guiding more ethical engagements with what is already here. Through careful repetition, transmutation and unexpected arrangements, these artists set the conditions for encounter, opening new ways of sensing and inhabiting time, material and relation.
Open House
Headlands’ Open House (November 2) provides a once-a-season opportunity to roam the various buildings of the Headlands campus, meet current artists, view works in progress and attend screenings, performances and readings. See what Artists-in-Residence and Graduate Fellows are up to in their studios. Stop by the Project Space to view in-progress installations. Then, enjoy a house-made lunch from the Mess Hall.
While You Are There
Wall Space
Created by Rotterdam-based designer Chris Kabel, Wall Space is a sculptural installation that turns Headlands’ building façade into a canvas for commissioned texts. Inspired by historical movie theater marquees, metal mesh letters respond to the changing light, visible to viewers as cast shadows. The letters are reconfigured into a new poem several times a year.
For more information about Headlands, the Open House and the Graduate Fellow Exhibition, click here.
Photograph (artist unnamed) Sausalito Houseboat
First Juried Exhibition
Sausalito Center for the Arts
October 17 – November 16
This exhibition reflects SCA’s mission: to enrich Sausalito’s cultural experience and unite the community through diverse artistic expression for the benefit of all. When you visit, you will be able to enjoy a dynamic exhibition that inspires dialogue, fosters understanding and showcases the power of visual storytelling.
In the early- to mid-20th century, Sausalito became a magnet for bohemian artists and writers seeking an alternative lifestyle. The town's unique atmosphere and natural beauty attracted creatives looking for inspiration.
The natural beauty of Sausalito, with its rolling hills, waterfront views, and scenic vistas, has been a continuous source of inspiration for artists. (Indeed, SCA just finished celebrating the Third Annual Paint Sausalito Exhibition.)
This connection to nature is evident in much of the local artwork, which often reflects the stunning surroundings. Efforts to preserve and celebrate that artistic heritage are ongoing. The SCA plays a crucial role in supporting the arts and ensuring that the town's creative legacy continues to thrive.
For more information about Sausalito Center for the Arts, click here.
