Arts & Events

Look here for an ongoing guide to selected arts events in Berkeley compiled by the producer of the Berkeley Arts Festival. -more-

Earlier this year I took a trip to see what Modern Hath Wrought. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) turns 75 this year, and is celebrating with both special and retrospective exhibitions and programs. -more-

The East Bay was well represented at Oscar ceremonies on Sunday. The Oscar-nominated documentary The Most Dangerous Man in America has Berkeley connections--directors Rick Goldsmith and Judith Ehrlich are both based in Berkeley. And Berkeley-based Earth Island Institute is behind the making of The Cove, which won an Oscar for best documentary Sunday night. -more-

We first met in 1997 when I moved to the Elmwood. Coming from Boston, by way of San Francisco, I was accustomed to neighborhoods where funky and fashionable apartment buildings jockey for frontage along bustling, always-entertaining sidewalk scenes. So when my husband and I moved our two-year-old marriage to this tree-lined district of Berkeley, with single-family homes cowering behind front yards of foliage, I was out of my element. -more-

On March 17th, the Irish, the more than 70 million world-wide who claim Irish heritage, and the Irish-for-a-day, will be lifting a pint of Guinness, or something stronger, to toast Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. I bet corn beef and cabbage will be on many a menu. And many will be wearin' the green. Why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that is the day St. Patrick died; it is now celebrated as his feast day. -more-

Berkeley prides itself on being at the forefront of national trends. This was already the case a hundred years ago, when newfangled inventions like the automobile and the movies found receptive local entrepreneurs ready to help them along. -more-

A few days ago, Ron and I were walking down San Pablo Avenue near Hearst when we heard a familiar screeching noise. We located the source in a leafless tree: a midsized green parrot with a long tail and a red face. It appeared to be a mitred conure, also known as mitred parakeet, the species that’s frequented West Berkeley for at least a couple of decades. And there was only one. -more-

Creating the very complete events calendar in the print Planet required a very substantial portion of the time of one full-time employee who is no longer working for the paper. We're trying to figure out a way to have some sort of events calendar in the future--volunteers to maintain it would be welcome. -more-