The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge is six months older, four times as long, and twice as busy as the Golden Gate Bridge. Why then has it seemingly been featured in far fewer films? Watch the Bay Bridge reclaim its starring role in scenes from over three dozen feature films -- some familiar, many much more obscure -- including "Shadow of the Thin Man "(1941), "Experiment in Terror" (1961), "George of the Jungle" (1997) -- and, of course, everyone's favorite directional mistake, "The Graduate" (1967).
A monthly social club based in San Francisco for mail artists, letter writers and people who love the USPS. If this sounds like you, then you've come to the right place! The Correspondence Co-op is a place for like-minded folks to meet other artists in a casual setting, make some mail art and share ideas. The SFCC meets the third Sunday of every month; no meeting in December. Sponsored by Book Arts & Special Collections.
San Francisco Black Film Festival will be screening a selection of films uplifting and celebrating the Black Diaspora. These films will showcase the African American culture, as well shed light on the injustices African Americans have faced over the past. Schedule and information on the films will be made available soon.
Founded in 1998 by Ave Montague (1945-2009), arts impresario, fashion industry executive and publicist, the San Francisco Black Film Festival provides a platform for Black filmmakers, screenwriters and actors to present their art. As a competitive film festival, SFBFF identifies filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors that are emerging as talents and established artists who are contributing to the cinematic legacy of African Americans. The San Francisco Black Film Festival has screened more than 10,000 films from around the world.
BLAG: Better Letters Magazine (London), Book Arts & Special Collection
The Book Arts & Special Collection welcomes BLAG: Better Letters Magazine. A delightful entry into the world of sign painting, with adventures all over, including San Francisco. Reading BLAG is a wonderful way to spend time at the library and then take a walk through the city and discover hand painted signs on your own. We think you’ll love reading it.
Collections Corner: Come to Feel Good City
Summer of Love 50th Anniversary postcard, 2017, San Francisco Travel Association records (SFH 771).
With summer in full swing, the spotlight is on the San Francisco Travel Association records. The association has promoted the city as a convention and travel destination since forming in the wake of the 1906 earthquake and fire. Themes of their advertisements, posters, line drawings and photographs include: "Take Off to San Francisco," "Come to Feel Good City" and the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Some materials show efforts to reach new markets such as the burgeoning gay, lesbian, and queer communities. Both the SF Travel Association Records and the related San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau photo collection are available in the San Francisco History Center.
SFPL welcomes KALLIGRAPHIA 2025 to the Main Library, with an opening reception on Saturday, June 7 from 2:00 - 4:00p.m. in the Skylight Gallery, Sixth Floor.
This triennial exhibition features work by members of the Friends of Calligraphy, founded in 1974. KALLIGRAPHIAis a colorful, non-juried show highlighting a wide range of calligraphic techniques, from traditional methods dating back to the Middle Ages to expressionistic pen and abstract brushwork. On view are original works including broadsides, manuscript books and three-dimensional pieces. Friends of Calligraphy is an internationally known organization whose members are committed to furthering the art of beautiful writing. FOC sponsors workshops, lectures, and publishes a quarterly illustrated journal, Alphabet.
Free demonstrations by noted scribes will be held on Saturdays in June, July and August from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in the Latino/Hispanic Community Meeting Room, Lower Level, Main Library.
June 14: Katie Leavens - English Roundhand: History, Misconceptions & Modern Practice
June 21: Judy Detrick - Kalligraphia in Skylight: What is Calligraphy?
July 5: Raoul Martinez - The Many Flavors of Blackletter
July 12: Meredith Jane Klein - Scribes, Script & Art in the Book of Kells
July 19: Suzanne Moore - Speaking to the Eyes: Word as Image
July 26: Christopher Stinehour - Lettercarving in Stone
Aug 2: Carl Rohrs - Capital Ideas Revisited
Aug 9: Sara Loesch-Frank - How to Take the Ick Out of Your Italic
Aug 16: Grendl Lofkvist - Unrepentant Uncial
Aug 23: Dean Robino & Dorothy Yuki - Blocked? Try These Letters
This exhibition is presented in association with the Book Arts & Special Collections Center, home of the Richard Harrison Collection of Calligraphy & Lettering.
Rooted in 19th-century political pamphlets and 1930s science-fiction fanzines, zines have emerged into a powerful medium for independent expression and cultural exchange. The DIY ("do it yourself") spirit of the 1970s and '80s fueled the creation of an array of diverse zines, spanning themes from punk music to skate culture and queer identity. Characterized by their underground nature, zines have played a pivotal role in amplifying marginalized voices and documenting social and political movements while fostering a sense of community by challenging dominant narratives.
In capturing the creativity and energy of the movements they represent, these printed works serve as time capsules that spotlight key cultural and artistic trends.
For well over 100 years, newspaper comic strips and comic books have been a source of entertainment for all ages. The wit, wisdom, absurdity, and satirical observations of comic characters have brought comfort to readers when the world has turned upside down. Scholars have remarked that in Victorian comic magazines "a relatively freer capacity to use potentially disconcerting material is to confirm that more about the real worldslips through in the illustrations of the comic magazines than in those of the news magazines." And so it goes with American comic art.
The Real World: Comic Art from the Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor is a very brief survey showcasing comic art beginning with mostly European forerunners, progressing through the early days of newspaper comic strips; the golden age of the 1930s-1950s; racial integration of newspaper syndicates; women cartoonists; and those darn animals! Original comic strip panels, comic strip reprints, and books featured here are a fraction of the materials waiting to be discovered in the Schmulowitz Collection of Wit & Humor (SCOWAH).
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Art, Music, & Recreation Center presents themed film screenings during the month of May. All films are shown at 12 noon in the Main Library’s Koret Auditorium. Coming up: May 1: Popeye; May 22: The Addams Family; May 29: Over the Hedge.
Treasures from Book Arts & Special Collections
Find design inspiration in The Grammar of Ornament, Owen Jones' monumental book of exotic decorations that transformed Victorian design; and read more about the history of this book and the remarkable Owen Jones, in "Owen Jones and the Grammar of Ornament," Victoria and Albert Museum.
San Francisco
History Center,
Book Arts &
Special Collections 100 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA 94102 415-557-4400sfpl.org/bookarts