SF/Arts Curator Insight

The di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art recently began a reorganization that will transform sections of its Napa preserve into a rental space for weddings and corporate events. Renovations for the 18-month project began in June. The extensive gardens and largest gallery remain open to visitors.

This reorganization includes the launch of a new satellite space in SF's Minnesota Street Project with a group show of the collection's greatest hits. The exhibition is divided into three sections, "Material Worlds," where an excellent Joan Brown canvas stares directly into the Jay DeFeo on the opposite wall. The largest room is populated by "Tricksters, Scavengers, and Scamps," featuring a provocative Michele Pred piece collecting sharp objects confiscated at airports just after 9-11.

My favorite section is "Piracy and Protest," which is chock full of anti-corporate art, including Enrique Chagoya's giant Disney critique and Sandow Birk's large canvas placing SFMOMA at the center of a corporate sea battle.

Be sure to leave some time to sit with "Smitten," Nancy Kelly's 27-minute Rene di Rosa documentary, to get a feel for the man whose vision was to support and preserve the often radical work of Northern California artists.