Waiting for Spring in the Bay Area

"Times are hard, but don't believe the rumors about the death of the Bay Area art scene. Yes, art institutions and galleries are closing. Yes, the techies have taken over, outpricing artists and polluting culture with their AI inventions. But there's an inherent spirit of rebellion to the region that won't be quashed so easily, and an inspired community that fights for it every day."

""At this marvelous hard-won age, the days of jumping and dancing with the paintings are over. But I don't feel limited," the 84-year-old artist, educator, and Civil Rights luminary tells Jennifer Sammet in an interview. O'Neal splits her time between Oakland, California, and Mérida, Mexico, where she was staying when she spoke with Sammet over the phone in December."

MoMA PS1 named artists for its Greater New York exhibition and the Pride flag was removed from the Stonewall National Monument. Jennifer Sammet conducted an interview for Beer With a Painter with Mary Lovelace O'Nealon, who reflects on aging, dance with paintings, and splitting time between Oakland and Mérida. The Bay Area art scene faces closures and tech-driven pressures, yet retains a rebellious spirit and a committed community that supports artists. A spring guide highlights exhibitions including Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's scrolls, Cece Carpio's first solo show, the Matisse painting that launched Fauvism, evolving Japanese ceramic art, and Trina Michelle Robinson's imagined heirlooms.

Read at Hyperallergic