Summer’s here. The time is coming soon when we will all dance in the streets again. The thrill of post-Covid excitement is animating the arts community with museums, theaters and other shared spaces reopening with new plays, dances and exhibitions. How to pack it all in? Pace yourself.
June 1 Communion
Known as a master of psychological intrigue, Bay Area playwright Christopher Chen delves, docudrama style, into the life of actor Stacey Ross in a virtual performance from A.C.T. that is part mystery, part confessional and thoroughly thought-provoking, through June 27.
June 2 The Menopause Manifesto
The host of “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” joins the Bay Area’s Dr. Jen Gunter, a.k.a. “the world’s most outspoken gynecologist” and author of The Vagina Bible, for what is sure to be a frank discussion about women’s bodies and the wealth of misinformation around midlife’s fun changes.
June 3 ODC Theater Festival
Two weeks of virtual events will feature everything from in-process works to repertory and a world premiere film by ODC Theater Resident Artist, Antoine Hunter, through June 12.
June 3 San Francisco Documentary Film Festival
A fervent wish to be back on screen at the Roxie Theater may come true but for now, the showcase for local, national and international films is virtual, through June 20.
June 4 Broadway Under the Stars
Celebrating the return of live theater, the 10th anniversary of Sonoma’s Transcendence Theatre Company presents “My Hero” at outdoor performance spaces in Sonoma and Napa.
June 5 Sharks
Sink your teeth into a new exhibit at the California Academy of Sciences dedicated to a creature that has existed on planet earth for 370 million years, through January 23, 2022. No swimming required!
June 6 Quince at the Farm
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Join fourth generation farmer, Peter Martinelli, and Chef Michael Tusk at Martinelli’s Fresh Run farm in Bolinas for a guided tour and multi-course lunch paired with wines from the Quince cellar as the restaurant’s dining series returns for a spring residency.
June 7 Convergence
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After a year of redefining our personal and public spaces, an exhibit at Marin Museum of Contemporary Art features artists from around the country who explore concepts such as merging, verging, combining and coming apart in shape, form, color, and meaning in a variety of media, through July 18.
June 8 Blue Marble Benefit
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Aquarium of the Bay honors World Oceans Day with an in-person fundraiser designed to ensure their long-standing commitment to nurture earth’s varied beauty and biodiversity.
June 8 Bouquets de Art
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Back for its 37th year, a celebration of flowers inspired by the permanent collection of the DeYoung Museum, is designed to give viewers a fresh way to look at the permanent collection, through June 13.
June 9 Upheaval
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The pillar of the State of Israel and co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 with Anwar al-Sadat, Menachem Begin is the canvas used to tell the story of modern Israel and its relationship to its Middle East neighbors in a movie available for streaming.
June 10 Frameline45
A huge lineup of new and virtually-accessible LGBTQ+ films in the world features 50 film screenings, live and pre-recorded intros, movie night at Oracle Park, and live conversations with community and celebrity personalities, through June 27.
June 11 Dena Grunt
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The proprietor of Nick’s Cove and Cottages in Marshall sits down with Avram Kosasky to discuss her new book, Table with a View: The History and Recipes of Nick’s Cove and celebrate the culinary bounty of West Marin.
June 12 OUT of Site: Haight-Ashbury
Tina D’Elia leads guests on a walking tour to reveal the hidden queer history of the San Francisco neighborhood synonymous with the hippie counterculture of the 1960s.
June 13 Cool Outside
New materials and ideas for the post-World War II built environment of California are drawn from the collection of the College of Environmental Design Archives at UC Berkeley and presented at the Marin Art and Garden Center, through August 22.
June 14 Last Supper in Pompeii
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Focused exclusively on what its citizens were eating and drinking when the volcanic ash began to rain down on them in A.D. 79, an exhibition presents evidence from recent excavations that shed light on the gustatory delights of ordinary people, through August 29.
June 15 Tours and Tales
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Mill Valley’s Throckmorton Theatre reopens with a salute to its past, a tour that guides groups of up to eight visitors through themed rooms like Upstairs, the original silent movie theatre projection room, and an audio performance at The Main Stage room, through June 27.
June 16 Live at Last
San Francisco’s Feinstein’s at the Nikko is back, baby, with its one-of-a-kind mix of fan favorites, Broadway icons, and local stars, including Mx. Justin Vivian Bond. The at-home diva of the pandemic returns to the stage live and in-person for a pre-Pride “hello, how are you and where have you been?”, through June 19.
June 17 Exploratorium
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After a 15 month closure, the bay front museum reopens on July 1 with Shadow Box, Giant Mirror, Balancing Ball, Sip and Squirt and plenty of other interactive exhibits to stimulate your sense of wonder and excitement of the world around you.
June 19 WinePAWlooza
The signature event for Napa’s Jameson Humane, an impact-driven nonprofit that educates to inspire change on behalf of companion and farmed animals in need, goes virtual again this year with an interactive auction lead by world-renowned auctioneer Fritz Hatton.
June 19 Billy Collins
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In a program designed for readers and writers of poetry, the former poet laureate of the United States goes deep into process in a three hour session to sharpen your abilities and your appreciation of the art form.
June 21 The Space We Take
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Paul Wackers’ solo show at the Minnesota Street Project exhibits imaginative tableaus of social isolation and stay at home orders, painted during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021. No word on whether the paint is even dry on all of the works, through July 10.
June 22 Brit Floyd
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The so-called world’s greatest Pink Floyd show is live and in-person at the Warfield where it will recreate the final tour of the British band, Pink Floyd, complete with theatrics, inflatables and that crazy light show.
June 23 Summer Solstice Celebration
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Marin Community Clinics, which promotes health and wellness through compassionate care for all, is hosting a virtual party to honor Lisa Leavitt, MD and Thomas Peters, PhD.
June 24 Moondance Wellness Weekend
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As if weekends in wine country are not relaxing enough, there is a three-day opportunity to explore various modalities of soothing self-care, including a drum circle, morning yoga and reflective meditation, through June 27.
June 25 Black Life: Sam Vernon
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On the occasion of a new print project in collaboration with the BAMFPA Film Library and Study Center, the artist Sam Vernon sits down for a virtual chat in an on-going series to discuss personal narrative, identity and historical memory.
June 26 Art Stroll
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The half-mile street festival along Novato’s Grant Ave, hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, returns with plenty of booths, a kids’ zone, beer, cider and wine and all the food.
June 27 Golem: A Call to Action
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Three video artworks pull themes from allegory, folklore and spiritual practice in an effort to confront societal and environmental disasters at the Contemporary Jewish Museum through December 5.
June 28 Ceramic Interventions
New and recent works in clay from Nicki Green, Sahar Khoury, and Maria Paz demonstrate clay as vital medium for today’s emerging artists with experimental and transformative pieces, on view at Napa’s DiRosa through July 31.
June 29 A Delicate Balance
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In collaboration with the City of Sonoma, the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art opened a public art installation at the Sonoma Plaza with eight large scale sculptures from Bruce Beasley, Catherine Daley, Peter Hassen, and Jun Kaneko that explore the balance between nature and technology, through October 19.
June 30 A Spirit of Disruption
Celebrating its 150th anniversary, the San Francisco Art Institute’s exhibition reflects the school’s extraordinary legacy and its profound and sustained influence on contemporary art, shedding light on some of the seminal, but often overlooked, figures of the Bay Area arts scene, through July 3.
How to Help
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For more on Marin:
- Get an Added Boost With the Latest Mountain E-Bikes: Plus, the Best Places to Ride in Marin
- Women-Centric Films Star at the DocLands Documentary Film Festival
- Support the Power of Filmmaking — Your Donation to CFI’s DocLands Documentary Film Festival Will Have Twice the Impact
Christina Mueller is a long-time Bay Area food writer. She hails from the East Coast and has spent way too much time in South America and Europe. She discovered her talent as a wordsmith in college and her love of all things epicurean in grad school. She has written for Condé Nast Contract Publishing, Sunset, and the Marin Independent Journal, among others. She volunteers with California State Parks and at her child’s school, and supports the Marin Audubon Society, PEN America, and Planned Parenthood. When she is not drinking wine by a fire, she is known to spend time with her extended family.s the Assistant Editor at Marin Magazine and a graduate of Elon University where she studied Professional Writing and Fine Art. Born and raised in San Francisco/Marin, she loves traveling just as much as coming home to the Bay Area. She has curated a sophisticated palate for food, travel and culture and uses her travels as an outlet to develop her photography portfolio and hone her writing craft.
