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Optically dynamic, kinetic, and in flux–yet physically static and arrested in space–Movement interrogates the ways in which intransient mediums assume the presence of motion. In the following works, selected from the BAMPFA permanent collection, quickly layered brushstrokes, blurred pixels, and fluid, organic spirals animate otherwise fixed surfaces, producing a perceptual gap between what one sees and what one feels. The Art Curatorial Subcommittee invites viewers to linger in this discrepancy and follow its rhythm.           
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Fun fact: The original color of St. Patrick's day was blue! 🌸🌸🌸 March Madness 🌸🌸🌸 Things to watch out for as we spring into a new season! 🎬 Movies 🎬 Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019): Heloise is an aristocrat arranged to marry a rich nobleman. Marianne is a painter sent to paint her engagement portrait. A French period drama set in the 18th century, this movie is the perfect mix of romance, heartbreak, and scenery. After all, what is more queer than yearning walks by the sea? Bonus Picks: Shrek 2 (2004) Emma (2020) 500 Days of Summer (2009) Enola Holmes (2020, 2022, 2026) 📺 Shows 📺 Abbott Elementary (2021 - Present): A comedy mockumentary about a group of teachers in the Philadelphia public school system. Despite facing funding issues, an incompetent but entertaining principal, a crumbling school, and a district that does the bare minimum, this dedicated and eclectic team of educators always makes it work for their students. Bonus picks: Bridgerton (2020 - Present) I Love LA (2025 - Present) Heated Rivalry (2025 - Present) New Girl (2011 - 2018) 🍀🍀🍀 Sounds of Spring 🍀🍀🍀 What we're listening to!
🌼🌼🌼 Spring Things 🌼🌼🌼 Activities for the season!
Redefining MediumThe BAMPFA SC Art Curatorial Subcommittee’s Fall 2025 digital exhibition, “Redefining Medium” showcases works from the BAMPFA permanent collection that explore unconventional uses and combinations of an assorted set of materials–ranging from q-tips to horsehair. Rather than adhering to rigid categories such as painting, sculpture, or photography, the selected art works distort these boundaries through their experimental and often hybrid forms, complicating traditional definitions of art and genre. We subsequently invite viewers to reconsider how they interpret and classify works of art, and to question the limitations of material artistic practice.  Miriam Schapiro United States, b. Canada, 1923–2015 Personal Appearance #2 1973 Collage and acrylic on canvas University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry W. Anderson, 1973.2 Miriam Schapiro’s Personal Appearance #2 embodies the artist’s venture into the practice of “femmage,” which she defines as the activities of collage and similar artistic techniques traditionally executed by women (Stiles, Selz 1996). Her assemblages re-conceptualize conventional methods of artmaking associated with women by taking the processes of sewing, cutting, appliqueing, etc., and combining them with paint. This effectively creates an entirely new medium out of both conventionally coded feminine and masculine art-making traditions. The title she bestows upon the piece, as well, further disrupts standard notions of media boundaries. Though it does not take on the form of a profile, it is still deemed a sort of self-portrait as Schapiro claims it to be particular to herself. In this sense, she employs “femmage” to represent herself rather than Western male customs of naturalist oil painting.  Didi Dunphy United States, born 1959 Decorative Samplers (Pink Stella Cruciform) 1996 Embroidery floss on Aida cloth, eyelet lace, wood, and metal hoop University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Refusalon, 1997.15.3 Samplers, historically created by women and young girls as part of their domestic education, act as references for needlework designs, used to demonstrate an artist’s skill or teach patterns. In the case of pieces involving text and more illustrative designs, samplers as early as the 18th century also serve as records of their creator’s life and knowledge. In Decorative Samplers, Didi Dunphy calls on this legacy to highlight the practice and process behind women’s labor as art in its own right. Emblematic of Dunphy’s focus on “women’s work” and the practicality of joy in everyday life, the pink embroidery and lace trim combine traditionally feminine elements with a bold geometric pattern, striking a balance between playfulness and simplicity. Where the traditionally feminine skill of needlework is often dismissed as merely decorative, Dunphy subverts this assumption, asserting decoration as art.  Giorge Spaventa United States, 1918-1978 Torso 1956 Bronze University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of the Longview Foundation Torso is a messy, clawed-open piece. The body’s incompleteness is ambiguous—it is unclear whether it is unfinished or partially destroyed. In shaping the clay, wax, and plaster that would become his bronze works, Giorge Spaventa left visible traces of his hands. He sought to bring motion into his sculpture, drawing inspiration not only from European sculptors like Rodin and Giacometti but also from expressionist painters like de Kooning. His intentional use of fluidity and human touch in bronze sculpture pushed the medium beyond its traditional solidity.  Judith Linhares United States, b. 1940 A Stitch in Time 1974 Mixed Media on Paper University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Paule Anglim Judith Linares blends her unique and surreal style in this mixed medium piece. The overall composition of the piece creates a dreamlike and mysterious scene. Linhares developed her artistic voice throughout the Bay Area and was inspired by rising feminist art movements in the 1970s. Her work often highlights women’s inner lives, personal symbolism, and emotional experiences. This piece reflects her early interest in experimenting with materials and pushing beyond traditional techniques, revealing how material choices can shape the meaning and atmosphere of an artwork.  Lee Mullican United States, b. 1919 Illustrated Man 1970-1972 Oil on canvas University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Bequest of Gertrud Parker Mullican, who spent most of his life on the West Coast, created the technique of striation, which creates straight lines with the edge of a printer’s knife coated in paint. His abstract style was likely influence by his time spent as a topographer in WWII. In his later years, the artist would be inspired by the tantric art of India, which uses abstract symbols to guide meditation. In this piece, Mullican uses vertical and horizontal lines that resemble bright stitches against a dark canvas. While most painters choose oil for its ability to blend, Mullican creates variations in light and color as if threading a tapestry.
Marko Aaron Presley Kennedy III Hairpiece Series #4 - Duchamps Tonsure 1973 offset printing, brown hair, clear adhesive tape, fingerprint, and stamp mark in purple ink on paper, two-sided University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of the Naify Family, 1995.46.301 Hairpiece Series #4 - Duchamps Tonsure is an artwork whose delightful peculiarity comes from both its humorous absurdity and its refusal to be constrained to a singular medium. The piece is a mixed media collage of sorts featuring a background of Duchamp's Tonsure photograph. Tonsure explores masculinity and religion, named for the exclusively male religious tradition in which part of a monk's head is shaven (Zapperi, Giovanna 2007). As part of the collage’s transformation into a new piece, the entire form has been rearranged to resemble a magazine ad which advertises bizarre pieces of hair belonging to celebrities. The artwork focuses on this theme of hair through its usage of body art, in the form of the shooting star shaved into the back of Duchamp’s head. Its most unusual feature is the small tuft of brown hair that has been taped onto the paper, looking as though it has been plucked directly off of Duchamp’s head. These alterations create a new sense of dimensionality within the piece, the hair bringing it into the three-dimensional world. It also creates a play on the theme of body art as originally considered within Duchamp's work, leading the viewer to question how far the extension of “body” reaches within art. Beyond the layering of mediums, one can begin to derive this work’s meaning by picking apart the layers of references to the main subject. Most notable is the work’s use of humor, whose usage in art was pioneered by Duchamp. Additionally, the work’s existence as an ironic advertisement can be interpreted as a reference to the anti-commercialist viewpoint that informs many of Duchamp’s most influential art pieces.  Erwin Wurm Austria, 1954 Outdoor Sculptures (Q-tip) 2000 C-print, ed. 5 University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Robert Harshorn Shimshak and Marion Brenner, 2004.37.20 Outdoor Sculptures (Q-tip) provides a humorous and unique approach to the medium of sculpture as a whole. Artist Erwin Wurm poses this question of method through the guise of a Q-Tip laid solitarily across the pavement. Through his work, Wurm often focuses on mundane objects to bring larger musings into frame, using humor as a tool to discuss this. Works like Outdoor Sculptures (Q-tip) are inspired by Wurm's quest to determine how we can transform the mundane into sculpture. What is curious about this piece in particular is its existence as a sculpture within the format in which it is presented. When viewing this digitally, we interact with the work as a photograph, as opposed to experiencing the physicality of it in an in-person setting. In turn, we are exposed to an idea that Wurm regularly draws from, that of the potential of anything to be sculpture, perhaps even in its photographic form.  Andy Warhol United States, 1928-1987 Mask 1985 Photograph University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, 2008.2.98 In Mask, Andy Warhol redefines the medium of photography by turning a ceremonial mask into a Pop-inflected portrait. The Pop Art influence is clear through the isolation of the object, the detachment from context, and the commercial-style atmosphere. These techniques distinguish this object as an image rather than an artifact. Rather than depicting his usual subjects of celebrities or consumer products, here Warhol is photographing an Indigenous mask using the same tenets of Pop Art that insert a relic into his visual vocabulary. Through this act of translating an object into a photograph, Warhol is complicating ideas of authorship, authenticity, and representation. Who has authorship over the image, the maker of the mask, or Warhol who photographs it? When an artifact is detached from its cultural context, does it stay authentic to its origins? When does representation and appropriation begin when objects are recontextualized in art? This work displays his broader ideas of breaking down boundaries between documentation, whether that be popular culture or an antique, showing that photography not only records but can reshape identity and meaning.  Dennis Beall Emblem V 1967 Color collotype print and etching Dennis Beall, an educator and artist formerly based in San Francisco, is best known for his abstract expressionist color lithographs. His process drew inspiration from his time spent in Japan while serving in the U.S. Navy and his later studies across the globe. Having traveled across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, his body of work finds its origins in a wide range of art across cultures. In his art, he often focuses on abstract line and shape manifested through printmaking. Here, using the techniques of color collotype print and etching, Beall has rendered a hand stretched open, five fingers extended upwards. In the center is a perfect circle containing a nude woman. As she stands shyly with her weight on one leg and gazing towards the viewer with a slight smile, it is possible that she is the ‘emblem’ spoken of in the title. What, exactly, she represents remains a mystery- part of the abstraction which Beall coveted. When one looks upon the print, they can make her into whatever symbol, or emblem, they so choose.  Man Ray Untitled 1968 Color lithograph on high-quality paper Man Ray — born Emmanuel Radnitzky in 1890 — spent most of his artistic career in Paris. His contributions to the Dada and Surrealist movements feature his innovative approach to sculpture, film, and most notably, photography. In this piece, which is also referred to as Monument, Man Ray pays tribute to the 18th-century French writer Marquis de Sade, whose philosophical works idealized freedom and sexual liberation. This lithograph is part of a collection of 150 pieces, and can be currently found in the archives of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.  Endre Tót Germany, b. Hungary, 1937–present Evergreen Idea 1973 black typewritten text and stamp mark in green ink on County Borough of Blackburn stationery, two-sided University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of Alice Hutchins Evergreen Idea is part of Endre Tót’s collection of “mail art” works, in which he uses simple, everyday objects to redefine how we interpret art. Throughout his career, Tót has used text to create conceptual art, focusing on the meaning of the work and the message of the final result. He explores concepts referred to as Nothing/Zero, Gladness, and Rain. Evergreen Idea plays into the former two of these three ideas. The direct use of “0’s” and the abrupt sentence towards the bottom of the page may serve to illustrate Tót’s careful use of restricted medium to convey an appreciation for life when he was grappling with censorship in Hungary during this time period.  Harold Keller Birth of Venus with a Yellow Submarine 1966 oil on canvas The Birth of Venus with a Yellow Submarine is part of a series of paintings by Harold Keller, each depicting the goddess Venus in a different but equally amorphous form, among highways and vehicles drawn with a more meticulous linework. In this work, the protruding yellow submarine, instead of the goddess herself, takes the main focus at the center of the painting. Many of Keller’s paintings depict themes and scenes from Greek mythology and biblical events, set against the backdrop of modern landscapes and highways. These landscapes are often specifically related to places significant to Heller’s life, such as Washington County and Saratoga Springs. His works combine the legendary with the everyday by placing fantastical events within commonplace settings, as well as weaving together the past and the present, blurring the line between the ordinary and familiar and the extraordinary and unknown.  Maria Porges Bomboozle 2003 Installation | Exterior: knitted and felted wool | Interior: cotton and polyester batting University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Gift of David Henry Jacobs This artwork was gifted to the BAMPFA by David Henry Jacobs in 2004, about a year after the installation piece was made. The artist, Maria Porges, is known to utilize organic shapes, and this specific work is arranged similarly to another earlier work of hers, Acts of Deception, where each object is placed on sets of shelves depending on its size, height, and overall compositional contribution to the piece.  Rosie Lee Tompkins United States, 1936-2006 Christmas Tree 1997 Glass jar, metal cap, glass knob, fabric, costume jewelry, seashell necklace, decorative trim, fabric cord, metallic cord, individual beads and faux pearls, glue, and other media University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive; Bequest of The Eli Leon Living Trust, 2019.72.42 Rosie Lee Tompkins’s Christmas Tree is one of five decorated bottles in the BAMPFA collection. Tompkins is mainly known for her inventive quilts, but this glass jar expands the traditions of textile art by transforming found objects into a layered sculptural piece. Drawing from her quilting, costume adornment, and even devotional imagery with a cross glued on the rear, Tompkins creates a hybrid object that cannot be simply classified. By applying techniques mainly associated with sewing and embellishment, such as appliques and fabric, Tompkins breaks down the distinction between craft and sculpture. Likewise, the barrier between domestic labor and artistic invention is collapsed by taking techniques and materials typically associated with the household handiwork of women and transforming that into a sculptural work that is seen within a fine art context. Christmas Tree redefines quilting not as a flat textile work but as a sculptural medium that can display ornament and personal expression.  Sky Hopinka b. 1984 Sunflower Siege Engine 2022 16mm transferred to HD video, color, stereo sound, 12:22 min. Edition of 3+ 1AP Commissioned by the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the San Jose Museum of Art. This piece reflects on the political landscape that has shaped Indigenous lives across generations. Hopinka weaves 16mm footage, digital video, archival images, and fragments of his own poetry into a meditation on land and ancestral return. The presence of Mohawk activist Richard Oakes during the 1969 occupation of Alcatraz through a laptop anchors the film’s dialogue between past and present forms of resistance. Through layered exposures, shifting textures, and a voice that moves between memory and landscape, Hopinka situates the personal within long histories of displacement while imagining the intimate, spiritual, and political work of returning home.
Web/Blog member and Cal student Milan Rafaelov is an illustrator who primarily draws in Adobe Fresco. Below are Rafaelov's "Study in Violence 1 & 2" (2021) and "Bukharian Jewish couple" (2021), with commentary by the artist.  Study in Violence 1 (2021). Drawn in Adobe Fresco.  Study in Violence 2 (2021). Drawn in Adobe Fresco. These paired illustrations explore the different faces of violence. The first illustration depicts a butterfly that has been delicately pinned and displayed. It’s scientific and somewhat superficial, which helps digest the quiet and sanitized violence. The second image does not hide its violence and draws attention by brute force. A man's leg is ripped through by a charging bull, while onlookers watch, unable to help. The contrast of restraint and carnage asks: Where does observation itself embody violence, and when is it a tragedy?
I found a photo of a Bukharian couple in traditional robes and was drawn to the colors, movement in the patterns, and lines. I'm half Bukhari, so what caught my attention was the nostalgia. These robes show up during big celebrations like weddings or high holidays, flooding dance floors and living rooms in drunken bright colors and shiny beads. Fast music playing and people spinning in dance.
Being half of anything comes with conditions of distance, and even though it feels familiar, it also feels like something I'm still trying to understand. The beehive over the man's head started as a coincidence. I just thought his headwrap looked kind of like a beehive. But I think it could symbolize how being part of a small community can feel like being connected to something bigger, even when you're not sure how close you are to it. Web/Blog member Milan Rafaelov shares illustrations they created for The Daily Californian this fall semester, and the recent news stories behind each one.  All Bark, No Bees This illustration accompanied an expose about a campus organization called Calpirg, which claims to rally for causes like “Save the Bees” but scarcely seems to accomplish anything other than stacking up worker violations.  Access Denied This illustration was for a story that discusses the Trump Administration’s crackdown on student visas, leaving many prospective international students in limbo.  Trans Rights on Trial
This illustration was featured in the newspaper's June Pride edition and accompanied a story about the ongoing battles the Trump administration is waging against the trans community through the legal system. Whether you're out cavorting with your fellow ghouls or taking tea with the house spirits, BAMPFA SC has media recommendations for all levels of spookiness this Halloween. 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃: Nightmare
🎃🎃🎃🎃: Conjuring Terror
🎃🎃🎃: The Creaking Under the Bed Movies 
TV Shows 
🎃🎃: Goosebumps Movies 
TV Shows
Books
🎃: Trick-or-Treating Music Videos 
Movies 
TV Shows 
On Sunday, Oct 26th, the Art Curatorial subcommittee visited the UC Botanical Gardens and drew a portion of the Asia gardens from life. Here are the sketches they created!  Sketch by Keira Lee  Sketch by Fiona Bailey  Sketch by Sophia Limoncelli-Herwick Reflection on 1A by Timothy Washington  by Calista Thompson One of my favorite pieces I saw at SFMoMA was this mixed-material piece, 1A by Timothy Washington, created in 1972. This artwork was part of the 1960s exhibit and uses Washington’s actual draft card to make a statement on the brutality of the Vietnam War. This painting struck me because of the unique materials Washington used; he created a tombstone shape out of leather and nails that pops out of the otherwise flat etching. I really love the contrast this creates with the figures behind the tombstone, seeming to reach out to the viewer. The entire 1960s exhibit was my favorite I visited in the museum, and I really enjoyed seeing different political and cultural perspectives on the decade. Reflection on Grandparents by Suzanne Jackson by Emily Lu One artwork that stood out to me out of all the works in the museum was Suzanne Jackson’s painting Grandparents. Jackson honors her ancestors through this work with muted colors and meaningful symbols. The composition with the heart, mustard plant, and figures is both dynamic and intimate; my eye moves around the painting while still focusing on the powerful yet warm and caring energy with which Jackson painted her grandparents. The work also highlights her intentional and delicate style of painting, which can also be seen in many of her other works. Because of the close bond I have with my own grandparents, the love that Jackson shows for her grandparents through this piece resonates with me deeply.
from the desk of art curatorial  Introduction by Quinlyn Kennel Do you feel sunlight sinking through your skin? The flowers are trying to reach you, too long you’ve been away. Babe, it’s open door season, windows down, music up, full tank of gas, feet on the dash — you’re free to do anything except stay. Align yourself with the rotation but steer clear of the gears – maybe the sandpiper will teach you how to oscillate with the tide. Fistfuls of sand always fall through your hand – maybe the rising sun will tell you it’ll be alright. May Media Recs by Sophia Rheault May Spotify Playlist Some magical and nostalgic songs for May. Add some of your May tunes!! 😄😄😄 🐛🪱 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3zevkKbwNQMWnNexaKhiNhsi=bf970729de72437f&pt=2562149baa4c4c742fb0ccb37d262bbf May Watchlist: Television  For me, spring is peak “I don’t know what’s happening but I feel everything and time is moving way too fast” season. Rewatching or seeing TV for the first time really makes me tap into that feeling. People falling apart, falling in love, processing trauma, or just trying to get through another Tuesday. I recommend these when you want something messy, emotional, heartfelt, and hopeful. The Last of Us: TV-MA [2023] Drama/Sci-Fi with 2 seasons
May Watchlist: Movies  Whether it’s graduating, moving home for the summer, or just feeling the seasons shift, May is full of quiet endings and fresh starts. For me, these movies capture that bittersweet in-between, stories of change, growth, and figuring things out as you go. I love to watch them when I’m feeling nostalgic, hopeful, or somewhere in between. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
May Bookshelf: Spring Fiction, Things Blooming, Things Beginning  Books for the in-between times: after endings, before arrivals. These stories are about soft starts, second chances, unexpected friendships, and the quiet courage it takes to begin again. Some are more whimsical, some will wreck you, but all of them hold something tender and true, just like spring. How to Read a Book: A Novel (2023) by Monica Wood
May Bookshelf: New Beginning Self-Help Books  Books for when you’re standing at the edge of something, graduating, starting over, or just wondering what now. Some memoir, advice, and poetic reflection, all grounded in the messiness of becoming. Some pieces I’ve read when I’m craving clarity, comfort, or just a reminder that we’re not alone in figuring it all out. How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (2019) by Jenny Odell
Whatever May means for you, change, rest, movement, or just making it to the end of the semester, I hope one of these stories keeps you company! 😊🌱🌷 Pieces from BAMPFA’s collection related to endings, beginnings, and summer by Anushka Prakash  Indian Summer, Hans Hofmann, 1959, oil on canvas, 60 1/8 x 72 1/4 in. Hans Hofmann’s Indian Summer (1959) bursts with radiant, warm-toned blocks of color that evoke the lingering heat and golden light of late summer. The painting captures that transitional moment when summer refuses to fade, pulsing with both energy and a subtle melancholy. Hofmann’s use of bold brushwork and dynamic contrasts suggests not just a season, but a threshold—between abundance and decline, warmth and the oncoming chill of fall. This sense of a season on the cusp aligns beautifully with the theme of endings and beginnings, where the last blaze of summer becomes a metaphor for both culmination and renewal.  Horse Fair in Summer, Chiryu, Ando Hiroshige, 1833-1834, Full color woodblock printing, 9 1/2 x 14 1/4 in. In Horse Fair in Summer, Chiryu (1833–34), Ando Hiroshige captures a bustling seasonal event along the Tōkaidō road, blending the rhythms of nature with human activity. The print shows horses and handlers gathered under the summer sun, animated by a sense of fleeting motion and impermanence. As a part of Hiroshige’s celebrated Fifty-Three Stations of the Tōkaidō series, this work not only marks a literal stop on a journey but also evokes the cyclical nature of travel, trade, and seasonal life. Summer here is not just a backdrop—it’s a moment of intensity and transition, highlighting both the vitality of life and the quiet anticipation of change to come.  Discovery of the New World, Nell Sinton, 1968, Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 30 in. Nell Sinton’s Discovery of the New World (1968) channels the bold, exploratory spirit of beginnings through abstract forms and vivid color. Created during a period of great social change, the work reimagines the mythos of discovery not as a colonial conquest, but as a personal and artistic awakening. The title invites reflection on the complexity of 'new worlds'—whether geographic, psychological, or creative—and how such discoveries mark definitive turning points. The swirling composition and luminous palette suggest motion and emergence, aligning the painting with the theme of beginnings: the moment when unfamiliar possibilities come into view, full of both promise and uncertainty.  The Beginning of the 21st Century, Diptych II, Avery Preesman, 2003, Oil on linen, 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. Avery Preesman’s The Beginning of the 21st Century, Diptych II (2003) is a contemplative, minimalist reflection on the passage of time and the quiet tension between past and future. Through restrained gestures and a modest scale, the work resists the grandiosity often associated with century shifts, instead offering a subtle meditation on how beginnings can be introspective, even ambiguous. The diptych format itself reinforces duality—endings and beginnings, old and new—inviting viewers to consider how transitions are rarely clean breaks but layered continuities. In its quietude, the painting embodies the complexity of starting anew in an era marked by uncertainty and transformation. Memories of this semester at BAMPFA by Ava Carlson As spring begins to shift into summer and finals, graduation, and moving out draw ever closer, let’s take a look back at some memorable moments from this semester at BAMPFA. The return of the Masc series The films of “Masc II: Mascs plus Muchachas” were shown from January 17 through February 23. Curated by film historian, writer, and filmmaker Jenni Olson, this series was actually a sequel to last year’s popular “Masc: Trans Men, Butch Dykes, and Gender Nonconforming Heroes in Cinema” series (which was cocurated by Olson and Caden Mark Gardner). One highlight of this year’s program was a sold-out screening of Cheryl Dunye’s “Stranger Inside” that featured a conversation with Dunye herself after the film. A semester of firsts This semester at BAMPFA brought with it Amol K Patil’s first solo exhibition in the US and Tanya Aguiñiga’s first solo exhibition in the Bay Area. Both exhibitions opened on January 18. Patil’s exhibition, “A Forest of Remembrance,” which used painting and sculpture to explore the chawls of Mumbai, was part of BAMPFA’s MATRIX program for contemporary art. Aguiñiga’s installation “Border Fall Height” deals with issues of immigration and is composed of a series of rust prints created with a thirty-foot ladder found near the US-Mexico border. While “A Forest of Remembrance” ended on April 27, you can still come by BAMPFA’s Crane Forum to see “Border Fall Height,” which will be on display until July 13.  A new video installation Sky Hopinka’s “Sunflower Siege Engine” opened on March 12. The video installation deals with past and future Indigenous resistance in the Bay Area. There’s still time to experience Hopinka’s work: “Sunflower Siege Engine” will be on display in BAMPFA’s black box gallery until August 17. Todd Haynes’s visit to BAMPFA The weekend of Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9, acclaimed director Todd Haynes came by BAMPFA to present four of his films as part of the retrospective series “Todd Haynes: Far From Safe.” The sold-out screenings of Safe, Velvet Goldmine, I’m Not There, and Far From Heaven were each followed by a conversation and Q&A with Haynes.  A student film festival On the evening of Friday, April 4, fourteen student filmmakers from across the Bay Area showed their work in the Barbro Osher Theater as part of the annual BAMPFASC Student Film Festival. The festival, which was organized by the BAMPFA Student Committee, included a reception before the showings with film trivia and activities, as well as food and refreshments selected by the filmmakers. After the showings, the filmmakers in attendance spoke about their work and audience members got to fill out a ballot and select their favorites of the films. Another film festival (international this time!) BAMPFA just hosted the 68th San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest running film festival of the Americas. For two weeks, from April 18 to 27, BAMPFA showed interesting new features from all over the world as part of its partnership with SFFILM. Multiple special guests appeared for in-person conversations about their films, which were created in many countries including France, Iran, China, India, Ireland, Panama, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Palestine, Colombia, and Greece. Spring festivities Just across the street from BAMPFA is Berkeley’s Crescent Lawn, where this year’s BAMFEST was held on Saturday, April 26. From 2 to 5 p.m., the lawn was busy with people enjoying live performances from bands, exhibitions of student artwork, activities such as bracelet making and face painting, and booths operated by local artists selling their wares. The BAMPFA student committee coordinated the event, which, like the student film festival, is annual, so if you missed it this year, come by next year! As mentioned earlier, there’s still time to check out “Border Fall Height” and “Sunflower Siege Engine,” but you can also expect a lot of exciting arts events soon in BAMPFA’s future. Keep reading to learn about upcoming series, exhibitions, and more. Keeping up with art over the summer by Kate Lincoln The semester might be coming to an end, but the fun doesn’t stop here–check out some ways to stay engaged with BAMPFA and the arts over the summer.
Catch it before you leave: Check out the work of UC Berkeley MFA students May 14 - July 27, 2025 BAMPFA will host the 55th annual UC Berkeley MFA Exhibition: The Currents Beneath, showcasing the work of recent graduates of Berkeley’s Masters of Fine Arts program. Featuring six artists–Viviana Martínez Carlos, Priyanka D’Souza, Arianna Khmelniuk, Jasmine Nyende, bryant terry, and Zekarias Musele Thompson–the exhibition will focus on themes of grief, coping, and change. Plus, there will be a special MFA Artists Talk on May 16th, 2025 at 5:30PM, presenting an opportunity to speak to the artists about their work and experiences in the program. At BAMPFA this summer: Visit BAMPFA’s upcoming exhibition on African American quilt-making June 8 - November 30 2025 The museum's exhibition “Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California” traces the art of quilt-making amidst the Second Great Migration from 1940 to 1970. As African Americans fled the oppression of the rural south in search of greater opportunities, quilt-making served as both a functional and sentimental practice, preserving memory and heritage. Marking the westward movement of quilt-making across the United States, this exhibition includes Preview Day on June 7, 2025 from 1-7PM, which grants early access to UC Berkeley students and faculty, and Community Day on June 8, 2025 from 11AM to 7PM, which provides free gallery admission for all. Experience BAMPFA’s Summer film series “In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City” June 6 - July 24, 2025 Inspired by Imogen Sara Smith’s book In Lonely Places: Film Noir Beyond the City, the film series will feature film noirs and select color films set in suburban and rural neighborhoods. Highlights include films The Hitch Hiker, Detour, and Desert Fury, with select films screened on 35mm archival prints. The exhibition will also include screenings hosted by film historian David Thomson and film noir expert Eddie Muller, exploring the films’ themes of freedom, autonomy, and escapism. Attend the Lijin Lecture with Dr. Yasufumi Nakamori Saturday, June 14, 2 PM Dr. Yasufumi Nakamori is coming to Berkeley to give an artist talk on artist Martin Wong (1946-1999) and Pre-Modern Art of Asia. An experienced curator, Dr. Nakamori has recently finished a two-year term as Vice President of Arts and Culture of Asia Society and Director of the Asia Society Museum. He will speak on East Asian calligraphy and its influence on Wong, whose painting “Silence” is currently featured in BAMPFA’s “To Exalt the Ephemeral: The (Im)permanent Collection.” In the Bay Area: If you want to get out of Berkeley, or aren’t staying on campus this summer, there still are lots of opportunities to stay involved with the arts. The San Francisco MOMA has free admission every first Thursday of the month, and the Legion of Honor and de Young Museum has free admission every first Tuesday of the month, as well as every Saturday for Bay Area residents. The San Jose Museum of Art also has free admission year round for college students. If you’re going further away for the summer, remember to bring your student ID to your local museums, as many offer student discounts on admission. from the desk of art curatorial  by Olivia Lee Nostalgia, a Love Worn by Nancy Banh The one thing we have always owned is the mind. It holds our memories, our thoughts, and our consciousness. It is our mind that connects the body to the state of living rather than simply being alive. When you remember, what is it that you remember? Were you happy? Overwhelmed? Or perhaps sad? What did it mean to you? What does it mean to you now? What can it mean to you later? Our lived experience, day-to-day, jotted down by the countless, itty bitty neurons, filed away for safekeeping. Thousands upon thousands, millions, billions, perhaps trillions (if you have enough brain capacity, congrats! Or my condolences!) of memories stored away, waiting to be evoked by remembrance. The familiar warmth and brightness of the sun, the well-loved, soft blankets at home, your mother’s joyful laugh—it’s an unconscious yearning. The ordinarily mundane suddenly isn’t so… normal anymore. The act of missing. Remembering becomes missing. To remember isn’t necessarily ‘love’ in any particular sense. To feel and to know is enough. The mind has the capacity to remember anything, but what does it mean to miss something? Someone? Some place? To miss is to love. It is nostalgia. The creaky chairs that had, haphazardly, littered the lecture halls might one day be replaced. Your favorite corner shop with your beloved sweet treat ceased business. The old soles of your everyday shoes can flatten no more. It is not the act of remembering that brings nostalgia; it is the acknowledgement of forgotten experiences and lost markers of memories that peels back those superficial circumstances. You begin to love through remembering, through missing, and through losing. Nostalgia is the most powerful but mundane thing we own. Yet it is when it is lost that we suddenly realize our love. So… what does it mean to forget? Is it to grieve? To regret? To mourn? Forgetting implies the lack of. A worn memory is a forgotten one. Is ‘time’ to blame? Or is it our fault? In order to forget, you must first remember. Remember that you forgot. So yes, to forget is a fault of the mind. But we must first forget to remember. By remembering, it is then we know nostalgia. It is then we acknowledge the depth of what it means to have a ‘worn’ love.  The Troggs were right when they wrote “Love Is All Around” (so cheesy, I know). This month, we decided to explore how love can be seen through everyday objects. Some subjects are more obvious, like a worn, childhood bear (Mike Kelley who??) or a note left in a secondhand CD. However, some objects are things you don’t often think about like a pilling, hand-me-down t-shirt, altered skirt, or the eraser you use everyday. Love is really all around (still cheesy, I apologize). by Alma Hasley
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