This month North Beach will be the site of The HeArt of North Beach, an art exhibition with hundreds of works by local and regional artists. The artists were asked to depict the heart of North Beach in their art, which will be displayed and for sale from Thursday–Saturday, Feb. 14–16 at Live Worms Gallery (1345 Grant Avenue). The annual event benefits North Beach Citizens, a nonprofit organization that addresses the needs of the area’s homeless and low-income citizens. And, importantly, it also benefits the participating artists who receive fees for their work.
Among the artists set to participate:
Amandalynn: Painter, sculptor, theater set artist, Amandalynn’s art is in museums and private collections. Her work displays high energy and fine craftsmanship. Enamored with detailed period portraits with exacting lines, these have become her oeuvre.
Elizabeth Ashcroft: From her North Beach studio, Ashcroft creates work that moves between figurative representation and pure abstraction. Her graphite drawings of North Beach neighborhood cafes, bars, bakeries, and other sites have become collector’s items.
Genea Barnes: One might describe Barnes’s work as painting with photographs. Her photographic images have been shown widely. Though best known for her surreal nudes and dramatic portraits, recently she has employed Photoshop to dramatically alter images to create a unique body of work.
Lawrence Ferlinghetti: This iconic San Francisco poet, essayist and activist is also well known for his paintings and drawings that reflect a unique poetic vision. Ferlinghetti’s images are strong evocations by a powerfully creative man who continues to amaze us.
Jack Hirschman: Hirschman, a well-known San Francisco figure (he was a San Francisco Poet Laureate), is perhaps less known for his colorful and abstract paintings and collages. Hirschman and his friend Ferlinghetti are towering figures in the San Francisco scene.
Winston Smith: Smith has been referred to as a punk art surrealist who has been creating challenging artwork since the 1970s. His images, some of it said to be “shocking,” have appeared in The New Yorker, Playboy and other publications. He uses primarily the medium of collage, and was classically trained in Italy.
HeArt of North Beach: Live Worms Gallery, 1345 Grant Avenue (at Green), Thursday–Saturday Feb. 14–16, 415-772-0918, www.northbeachcitizens.org
illustration: Nathan Waak, Beatsmith
