Public Programs

Three exciting series of public programs offer a deeper experience of YBCA films, exhibitions and performances.

Artists InSight are artist talks and guided tours that focus on the artist's creative process and influences. YBCA Live are social events and performance-related happenings. Centered on YBCA's Big Ideas, Community Conversations offers a forum for critical dialogue that positions the art and artists we present in a broader social, political, philosophical and historical framework.

The Red Poppy Art House Annex: The Living Presence of Space

Sep 1–Sep 28, 2008

In YBCA’s Room for Big Ideas (RBI), the Art House presents a month-long program of artists spanning disciplines and musical traditions of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, joining the traditional to the contemporary …



YBCAlive! The Red Poppy Art House Annex Opening Night Featuring Quijerema

Sep 4, 2008

Quijeremá "renders a whole constellation of South American rhythms into a jazz idiom… cueca from Chile, tango from Argentina, waltz at its most Latin, landó from Peru, joropo from Venezuela, and huaino from the Andes." …



YBCAlive! The Nice Guy Trio + 1, feat. Dina Maccabee and Alex Kelly

Sep 5, 2008

The Nice Guy Trio's work navigates a diverse collection of original compositions inspired by folk traditions across the globe—from jazz and klezmer to Balkan dance forms, calypso and beyond …



YBCAlive! Tango Ceviche

Sep 6, 2008

Cuisine and art come together in an unusual workshop that combines an introductory Argentine tango class with instruction on how to prepare Peruvian ceviche …



YBCAlive! Marcus Shelby: Harriet Tubman and Jazz

Sep 6, 2008

Marcus Shelby is an award-winning composer, arranger, educator and bassist, nationally recognized for his innovative and collaborative approach to composing and arranging for text, visual arts, dance and theater …



YBCAlive! Trio Garufa

Sep 11, 2008

Trio Garufa is among the foremost interpreters of Argentine tango, and one of the few groups performing this unique musical form live in the Bay Area …



YBCAlive! Classical Revolution

Sep 12, 2008

Classical Revolution is an unusual chamber music experience, with a repertoire ranging from music written over 250 years ago to compositions less than a week old …



What's the Big Idea? Day: Bay Area Now 5

Sep 13, 2008

A free open house festival featuring visual art, film screenings, dance and musical performances, and hands-on art-making activities for the whole family …



YBCAlive! Family Art Activities, featuring painting and storytelling with La Malamaña

Sep 13, 2008

As part of YBCA’s What’s the Big Idea Day, Red Poppy expands its Saturday family art activities to YBCA’s Room for Big Ideas (RBI), with painting and storytelling with La Malamaña …



YBCAlive! Nefasha Ayer

Sep 13, 2008

Drawing inspiration from jazz, blues, traditional Ethiopian melodies and rhythms, poetic texts and trans-cultural melodic scores, Nefasha Ayer joins the continents of Africa, South Asia and America to produce a uniquely San Franciscan form of music …



YBCAlive! Music of Afro-Peru

Sep 18, 2008

Vocalist Marina Lavalle (formerly of Peru Negro) presents the best of Afro-Peruvian traditions in collaboration with dancer and cajon master Lalo Izquierdo. Lavalle's brings fire and verve to song while introducing us to the rich tradition of Afro-Peruvian music …



YBCAlive! Vidya

Sep 19, 2008

Vidya merges the virtuosity of jazz with the melodic and rhythmic nuance of South Indian classical (Carnatic) music. Led by critically acclaimed saxophonist Prasant Radhakrishnan, Vidya has emerged with a soulful, penetrating sound that pushes the labels of "fusion" and "world music" …



YBCAlive! Poema Del Dia (Poem of the Day)

Sep 20, 2008

A multidisciplinary exploration of the poetry of Adrian Arias, featuring dancers, musicians, photographic projections and video. Adrian has won visual art and poetry prizes in France, Argentina, Japan, Peru and Spain, and been featured in art shows in Europe, Asia and the US …



YBCAlive! The Mo' Rockin Project: Jazz and North African Sounds

Sep 20, 2008

Funky and lyrical, spirited and spiritual, Mo'Rockin Project is an ensemble of North African and American musicians exchanging cultures and creativity in an effort to dispel inaccurate beliefs and create world community …



YBCAlive! The Red Poppy Art House Annex Extravaganza

Sep 26, 2008

Join YBCA for an exciting evening of dancing and celebration, featuring performances by Bay Area artists including La Malamaña and Adrian Arias …



The Black New World Annex

Oct 9–Nov 16, 2008

West Oakland-based artist, activist and cultural historian Marcel Diallo and his long-time collaborators transform the Room for Big Ideas (RBI) into an outpost of The Black New World using assemblage altars, multimedia and spiritual commodities …



YBCAlive! Bay Area Independent Fashion Festival

Oct 11, 2008

Celebrate the Bay Area’s progressive approach to the apparel design industry. This all-day festival highlights homegrown talents with a local bazaar, a panel discussion, and a runway show featuring the craft and couture of some of the Bay Area’s most dynamic independent designers …



YBCAlive! A Taste of Sanctified Gumbo

Oct 18, 2008

West Oakland-based artist, activist, cultural historian Marcel Diallo performs and discusses excerpts from his forthcoming books exploring Black New World philosophies …



Special Event: The Good & Plenty Gumbo Cabaret

Nov 8, 2008

An entourage of the Bay Area's finest in performance, music and art transforms the YBCA Forum and Grand Lobby into a sky-splitting freestyle ritual of dance, sensuality, pyromania, magic and song …



What's the Big Idea? Day: Imagining Our Future

Jan 31, 2009

A free open house festival where the public can learn more about contemporary art with visual art, music, performances, hands-on workshops, exhibition tours, film screenings and food & drink …



What's the Big Idea? Day: Ritual and Redemption

May 30, 2009

A free open house festival where the public can learn more about contemporary art with visual art, music, performances, hands-on workshops, exhibition tours, film screenings and food & drink …



YBCA's programs are made possible in part by:

The Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund
LEF Foundation

Novellus   |   Citibank   |  

Community Engagement and Audience Development Programs
supported by a generous grant from The Wallace Foundation.

Community Engagement and Youth Education Programs are made possible in part by:

AAA of Northern California, Citibank, Irene S. Scully Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, The Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, Potrero Nuevo Fund of Tides Foundation, The Sato Foundation, Koret Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, The Morris Stulsaft Foundation and Members of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Free First Tuesdays:

Underwritten by Directors Forum Members

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campari talks: sustainable systems

Wed, Aug 27 - Join us as three individuals based in the Bay Area talk about their initiatives for sustainable urban living. And enjoy Campari cocktails before and after the discussion.

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what's the big idea day

Sat, Sep 13 - FREE all day for everyone! Visual art, film screenings, dance and musical performances, and hands-on art-making activities for the whole family.

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We’re looking for dynamic folks with a wide range of interests and skills. In return for your support, we offer a chance to see behind the scenes at the Bay Area’s premier venue for contemporary art.

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For a gift of $300 or $500, you can name a seat in the Novellus Theater at YBCA and support the YBCA Fund for New Performance

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