StoreFrontLab welcomes Curiosity Atlas!

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After a quiet summer we are pleased to reopen StoreFrontLab with an intriguing series of workshops curated by Curiosity Atlas. The "How to Survive" collection brings together an eclectic series of survival-themed workshops covering a range of essential skills, from disaster preparedness to making a utility belt. 

 The fall series takes place at venues throughout the city. Workshops at StoreFrontLab begin this Thursday and run through November 14. 

 Curiosity Atlas is dedicated to sparking curiosity through unique, hands-on experiences. They curate and produce a diverse range of hands-on workshops and events in partnership with local experts, artists and artisans. To learn more or sign up for a workshop check out the links below or visit curiosityatlas.com. You also can download the complete fall schedule to post and share.

Curiosity Atlas @ StoreFrontLab

Thursday, October 24, 2013
6:30pm – 8:30pm

Unlock the mystery of locks with Michael Fitzhugh. In a hands-on session Michael will teach the importance of locks in everyday use, the fundamentals of how locks work, and why (and how) many locks can be picked. You'll get your own lockpicking toolkit and a chance to test your skills. $50

Saturday, November 2, 2013
3:00pm – 5:00pm

Get ready for the annual Dia de los Muertos procession with Samantha Joslyn. Samantha will teach you how to paint your face in the iconic “elegant skull” style as depicted in Posada’s 1913 zinc etching. $50

Thursday, November 7, 2013
6:30pm – 8:30pm

Jennifer Laursen will share the basic techniques of leather craft including leather preparation, stamping, dyeing, and assembly. You will learn the tools of the trade and leave with your perfect belt. $100

Monday, November 11, 2013
6:30pm – 8:30pm

Produce your own handmade herbal apothecary with Riyana Rebecca Sang. This workshop will cover the core types of herbal medicines (tinctures, teas, decoctions, infusions, syrups), their benefits and applications, and how to use them. With this new knowledge you will prepare a tincture, a syrup, and a hand-blended tea to take home. $65

Thursday, November 14, 2013
6:30pm – 8:30pm

Get the basics of becoming self-sufficient during a major disaster from the woman who knows best: SFFD's Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) Project coordinator, Lt. Erica Arteseros. You will draft a personal disaster plan as well as put together a kit of supplies you’ll need to survive several days on your own. $20

February 7-23 // Homing: An Art Installation

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"Migrating Houses" by Todd Laby
In February, we will welcome visual artists Todd Laby, Audrey Heller and Pamela Merory Dernham, whose provocative installation and exhibit will conclude our inaugural season at StoreFrontLab.

Homing, which opens on February 7, comprises three works in dialogue exploring our unsettled notions of origin, memory, and finding one’s bearings. 

Laby’s “Migrating Houses,” sculpted wooden houses teetering on tall spindly legs, roam the storefront. Merory Dernham’s sculptural works in wire delve into complex questions surrounding human connectedness and the varied reality of where home is. Finally, Laby and Heller’s collaboration “Moving Boxes” invites viewers to peer into an array of miniature worlds of domestic emotions and memories.

You can learn more by reading their artists' statement, but as with Laby's wandering herd of houses, we think there is something to be said for embracing the mysteriousness.

Exhibit Hours
// February 7–February 23, 2013
// Wednesdays, 11:30AM-1:30PM
// Thurdays-Saturdays, 3PM-7PM

Opening Reception
// Thursday, February 7, 7PM-9PM  RSVP

Closing Reception
// Saturday, February 23, 7PM-9PM  RSVP

Obsolete Californias: Opening January 9

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We're kicking off 2013 with Obsolete Californias presented by Shipping & Receiving. It's one of our most ambitious projects to date at StoreFrontLab, but what is it exactly? 

Is it a store? An art gallery? A history museum? A community center? An elaborate joke? According to Shipping & Receiving's founders, Heather Smith and Torreya Cummings, the answer is: Yes.

Smith and Cummings, both writers and artists, are purveyors of the 31st state's many histories and entwined futures. The installation will explore the relics and customs of Californias that no longer exist and propose opportunities for exchange.

Rather than asking more questions, we suggest you drop by and see for yourself. Visit Obsolete Californias at StoreFrontLab from January 9-25, Wednesday through Sunday. Admission and all special programs are free, but we encourage you to register in advance. 

GRAND OPENING
// Wednesday, January 9, 5-8PM [RSVP]

STOREFRONT HOURS
January 9-25
// Wednesday–Friday, 5-8PM
// Saturdays, 2-8PM
// Sundays, 11AM-5PM
Subject to change; follow @shipandreceive
on twitter for updates

MOVIE NIGHT
// Thursday, January 10, 6:30 [RSVP]
Barbary Coast (1935) and San Francisco (1936). 
Two films about late early San Francisco.

NOT A BAR, NOT YOUR HOUSE
// Friday, January 11, 5-8 [RSVP]
Want to go to a place that’s not a bar, and not your house? 
Ship/Rec is warm, cheery, atmospheric. Bring a bottle, a friend, 
a book, pull up a tuffet, and reinvent the fine art of hanging out.

WRESTLE
// Saturday, January 12, 5-8PM* [RSVP]
// Sunday, January 13, 2-5PM* [RSVP]
Fight therapist Melissa Wyman brings her mats and some 
moves. The history (& future) of California involves struggle 
over territory and resources. Wyman helps you make it literal 
with a Collaborative Combative Drawing event. 
*Times subject to refinement; register to receive updates.

WHITTLE
// Wednesday, January 16, 6-8PM [RSVP]
If you have small-scale whittling or carving projects, bring them. Not really a workshop or skillshare, unless you feel like teaching someone something. Bring a snack or beverage, if you'd like to.

MOVIE NIGHT
Thursday, January 17, 6:30PM [RSVP]
That Boy (1974)and Nights in Black Leather (1973). Excerpts from two films featuring Peter Berlin, and various scenes of gay sex
subculture, streets, cars, bars, and San Francisco in the 1970s. 
Mercifully, the DJ will make music happen over any dialogue.

NOT A BAR, NOT YOUR HOUSE
// Friday, January 18, 5-8 [RSVP]

EMPEROR NORTON I
// Wednesday, January 23, 6:30-8:30PM [RSVP]
Please join us in welcoming our esteemed guest, Emperor Norton I, 
Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico, speaking on the topic of his life and possibly E Clampus Vitus.

MOVIE NIGHT 
//Thursday, January 24, 6:30PM [RSVP]
Sneakers (1992). Legendary computer caper set in the Bay Area, from the early days of the interwebs.

NOT A BAR, NOT YOUR HOUSE
// Friday, January 25, 5-8 [RSVP]

December 15-16: Bent, Twisted and Warped

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Next week students at California College of the Arts will wrap up a special fall studio with renowned UK-based furniture designer David Colwell. Anyone who has met Colwell or learned about his pioneering work in environmentally sustainable craft will immediately understand what a remarkable experience this has been for his students.

We feel equally honored to host "Bent, Twisted and Warped," an exhibition (and sale!) of the students' work made from locally sourced hardwoods using Colwell's steam-bending process. On display for one weekend only, the works are experiments in the functional and sustainable benefits of wood. Each represents the designer’s effort to get from living tree to finished product in a few smart steps. 

 David Colwell has been designing furniture with a focus on sustainable materials and processes for over 30 years. He advocates wood as a furniture-making material for its structural and practical efficiency, as well as for its many environmental benefits. His work is included in collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Vitra Design Museum in Germany. 

Stop by to meet the designers, learn more about Colwell's unique process of woodworking, and perhaps, find a one-of-a-kind gift.

RECEPTION WITH THE DESIGNERS AND DAVID COLWELL
// Saturday, December 15, 2-5PM [RSVP here!]

EXHIBIT HOURS
// Saturday, December 15, 10AM-5PM
// Sunday, December 16, 11AM-4PM

Welcoming the Unwieldy Beast

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Unwieldy Beast // Trailer from brandon loper on Vimeo.

 Here's a preview of Unwieldy Beast, the award-winning short documentary film by San Francisco-based director Brandon Loper, showing this Saturday at StoreFrontLab. Unwieldy Beast tells the story of Gary Frank Skaggs and his pianobike, St. Frankenstein. The six-minute film features all original music by Skaggs, as he pedals ever so slowly, in and out of tune, through the streets of San Francisco.

 Between screenings, Skaggs will delight us with his contemporary ragtime, performed live on his pianobike, and Kevin "Tex" Bohlin of St. Frank Coffee will serve up some coffee-inspired beverages. Of course, director Loper will be on hand to discuss Unwieldy Beast and his new project, a film exploring the global culture of specialty coffee.

// Doors open at 4PM
// Screenings at 5PM, 7PM and 9PM

Space is running out, so register today!