Sights & Sounds is your weekly guide to the Bay Area arts scene. Documentary photographer Jean Melesaine told KALW’s Jen Chien about three fantastic arts events happening around the Bay this week.
- Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit Powwow — Fort Mason on 2/2-2/4
- Living Innovation Zone — Fulton and Larkin Street, ongoing
- Premiere of "Burn" — Antique Naked Soul, online
The Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit community is hosting their 7th annual community Two-Spirit Powwow. Two-spirit is a contemporary term used among Native American and First Nations communities to refer to a mixed gender, or gender fluid identity. If you've never been to a powwow, BAAITS has an etiquette guide online.
"I don't think the Bay Area is always looked at as a place where Native folks are from. But Ohlone folks are still here, the native community here is strong."
The Living Innovation Zone is a collaboration between the Asian Art Museum and the San Francisco Public Library. Every three months, a different artist or group takes over the LIZ to engage the community with interactive creative projects.
"Things like that you just want to see more art and more folks, like, wow, I can't believe folks are coming here."
Antique Naked Soul's brand new music video for "Burn" premiered this week. They are a Bay Area hip-hop/soul group consisting of self described social activists Candice Antique and Tommy Soulati Shepherd. "Burn" reflects on the politically charged moments we live in, and Shepherd calls the song "more of a journal entry at first draft. At the time, I was getting angry at the inhumanity of many people in our country. That inhumanity has grown exponentially. No more apologies.”
"I'm a huge fan of Antique Naked Soul! ... You're just seeing all these folks, why aren't you, like, big! They should totally be world famous."