New Year & Things to Keep You Going Through the !@##$% Show of This World Right Now
Fall Breakfast @ Tiffany's Monthly Newsletter, Published Since 1998
Dear readers, some of almost 30 years, and some new people here (welcome!),
There are so many things that make me think deeply about my late father, Dr. Leonard Shlain, who would have just turned 88. He is on my mind at temple for High Holidays; when I meet someone who says his books inspired them deeply, or that he saved their life in surgery; or when I am eating a bagel, lox and cream cheese. And here’s the big question: What would he say about the madness of the world today? So much, I’m sure. So it felt like a gift when this article came out this past week featuring his ideas, The Lost Art of Thinking: How Work, Screens, and Distraction Reshape Intelligence.
Speaking about reshaping intelligence, there was a big win for humanity recently: authors won a class action lawsuit over the AI extraction of our words. The fact that we may get money for AI chats training on our books feels like a stake in the shifting intellectual ground. My fellow author friends and I have been trading many emails celebrating this win. I mean, I’m not holding my breath for the settlement for my book, but it felt like the law held strong on this when it’s feeling tenuous on many other things these days.
I made a 10-min film about AI in 2015, The Adaptable Mind, that feels very relevant today . . . you can watch it here. (Keep in mind it was made 10 years ago and 5 years before COVID.)
AI is a subject Ken and I talk about all the time. He is doing an Oxford Debate in England on the subject of AI and human intelligence in October. Will report back on that. I also highly recommend this brilliant article by Clay Shirky from NYU about AI chat in classrooms, which gave me hope. With professors concerned that their students are not processing information because they’re using AI instead, many are returning to the oral tradition and Socratic method. How ironic that this tool of AI means there will be more humanity and fewer screens in the classroom. And btw, I am not against AI; I use it all the time as a tool. I just do not want it to replace the important process of writing and distilling ideas in your own mind, because those two acts help you understand what you are thinking.
Before I get into the cultural bounty of things to check out this fall, here are some projects I’m working on:
Those of you in St. Louis or if you know of people there, please forward this newsletter.
We are having a powerful night of feminist art & action on Oct 8th at the 21c Museum St. Louis exhibition The Future Is Female where my sculpture Dendrofemonology: A Feminist History Tree Ring is installed. Hosts are 21c, Dr. Nancy O’Reilly’s Women Connect4Good and Let It Ripple. Our aim is to bring the feminist history tree ring milestones to life by inviting women on the ground in St. Louis who are working to protect and expand women's rights to share what they are focused on. I will share highlights from the moveable monument’s journey so far (National Mall in DC, Madison Square Park, NYC and now St. Louis), and then moderate a panel with these amazing women below. The Poet Laureate of St. Louis will perform at the end. It will be a fantastic night. It’s free and open to the public to see the exhibition, reception, panel, and performance.
Partners include Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Pulitzer Arts Foundation, Craft Alliance, Missouri Abortion Fund, St. Louis Poetry Center, and the Community Archive. RSVP here.
The event will be held in the exhibition space of The Future Is Female with 94 works by 50 feminist artists curated by 21c Museum Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites and including Jenny Holzer, Mickalene Thomas, Carrie Mae Weems, Michele Pred and more.
Join us Oct 8 in St. Louis. Free and open to the public. RSVP here.
Djerassi Artful Harvest, Sept 28
I have an sculpture, Knowing When It’s Time To Leave, in the live auction benefiting the wonderful resident artists program for Djerassi at their Artful Harvest fundraiser. It’s a fantastic event. Looking forward to attending. Learn more and get tickets.
Understories at Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons, Sept 25-Nov 9
I love the theme of Understories at the Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons where my artwork Everything You Will Never See photograph is, alongside work by artists I admire like Kiki Smith and more; read about it here. Those of you in New York, the show is Sept 25-Nov 9.
The Tribe 20th Anniversary Screening Dec 6 at Manny’s in SF Co-Presented by Reboot
Join us on Sat, Dec 6, 2025 (new date), for the 20th anniversary screening of Ken’s and my Sundance film The Tribe: An Unauthorized, Unorthodox History of the Barbie Doll and the Jewish People. The evening will include a screening of the 15-min film, panel discussion and a performance from spoken word artist Vanessa Hidary, who is flying in from New York for the occasion. It will be a great night of film, discussion and performance co-hosted by Reboot at Manny’s Sat, Dec 6, 6 to 8pm. Tix here.
And this one isn’t until the new year, but for your calendar, save the date of Jan 20 for the opening of Ken’s and my Getty PST Exhibition Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time & Technology at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art exhibition in San Francisco. Save the date to the opening here.
To all my members of the tribe, L’Shana Tova! (Those of you in SF, join me at Reboot’s tashlique here)
Be sure to click on “view entire message” at the end of this newsletter. There are 34 art shows, films, books, events below…And my tribute to four mensches who have left this planet but not our hearts.
To big love in the face of it all,
Tiffany
I am not someone who prays, and I fall on the agnostic side of things, but these words that one of my best friends Rabbi Sydney Mintz shared with me, deeply spoke to me…
Prayer for the Middle East
by Rabbi Sheil Peltz Weinberg
Two people, one land, Three faiths, one root, One earth, one mother, One sky, one beginning, one future, one destiny, one broken heart, One God.
We pray to You: Grant us a vision of unity.
May we see the many in the one and the one in the many.
May you, Life of All the Worlds, Source of All Amazing Differences, Help us to see clearly.
Guide us gently and firmly toward each other. Toward Peace.
Breakfast at Tiffany's is a monthly newsletter I have been publishing for 29 years. It is a labor of love by me and my editor Jenny Traig, and read by people in all 50 states and over 100 countries. It is always free but if you would like to support our efforts, please share with five people and/or become a paid subscriber.
Now onto all this fall’s cultural bounty. . .
My Brother Dr. Jordan Shlain’s DOC 2025: The Science of Longevity Conference, Oct 12-14 in Napa Valley with John Battelle
Many of you know my wise, funny and cut-through-nonsense brother Dr. Jordan Shlain from his Covid updates I sent through this newsletter during that crazy period. He and a good friend, John Battelle, who helped launch WIRED magazine and the Industry Standard, are coming back for year two of a great conference of scientists, investors, and business leaders dedicated to advancing the field of medicine. Breakfast at Tiffany’s subscribers can apply to attend on a first come first served basis. Apply here. Also check out Jordan’s important article about microplastics here written in collaboration with Private Medical, Dr. Kari C Nadeau, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Dr. Parneet Pal.
ART
Fragile Figures: Being and Time at 21c Museum Hotel Cincinnati through Aug 2026
21c Museum Hotels Chief Curator Alice Gray Stites has curated a great exhibit at the Cincinnati location featuring work that explores identity and power in reimagined portraiture. See sculpture by Marc Fromm reimagining Petrus Christus’s fifteenth-century Portrait of a Young Girl; paintings by Nicolas V. Sanchez and Anthony Goicolea’s evoking John Singer Sargent; and video by my good friend Ana Teresa Fernández recasting René Magritte’s The Lovers to examine people separated by geopolitical borders; and many other works in this powerful exhibition.
Nicole Phungrasamee Fein: Water Ways at Nancy Hoffman Gallery in NYC, Sept 4-Oct 18
Nicole Phungrasamee Fein’s quietly beautiful works at Nancy Hoffman Gallery in Chelsea examine how we see and work with water. If you’re in NYC, check out this show. I just saw it in person and the work is so detailed and sublime.
Mythology of Tomorrow at 120710 Gallery in Berkeley, Oct 4-25
Looking forward to experiencing this art and technology show, Mythology of Tomorrow, featuring Jim Campbell, Scott Snibbe, Ahna Girshick, Memo Atken and others, which opens at Berkeley’s 120710 Gallery on October 4.
The Great Elephant Migration at the Sonoma Community Center
These life-sized elephant sculptures, made by the Real Elephant Collective of indigenous artisans, are beautiful and moving. I have plans this coming month to see the installation sponsored by Rosemary and Kevin McNeeley’s KHR McNeely Family Foundation at the Sonoma Community Center.
Lee ShinJa: Drawing with Thread at BAMPFA through Feb 2
I cannot wait to see this new BAMPFA exhibition features Lee ShinJa’s stunning fiber works curated by Victoria Sung, Phyllis C. Wattis Senior Curator, with Tausif Noor, Curatorial Associate.
Jim Melchert: Where the Boundaries Are at di Rosa Center for the Arts in SF, Oct – Jan 3, 2026
This retrospective of work by pioneereing conceptual ceramicist Jim Melchert looks amazing.
Flowing through Time and Tradition at the Magnes in Berkeley through May 14, 2026
This compelling show of art from the Magnes collection curated by Achinoam Aldouby traces the flow of water through Jewish life and art.
Some More Dogs at Gallery Four One Nine in SF, Sept 29-Oct 12
Pamela and David Hornik have assembled an amazing collection of art. And they also love dogs. This is both of those things. Don’t miss this show of contemporary art works from the Hornik Collection, all featuring dogs, and attend the closing event discussion on Oct 12 12-1pm with the Hornik family and Sarah Galender Meyer, Senior Collection Manager at Hauser & Wirth.
Everyday Rebellions: Collection Conversations at Brooklyn Museum, NYC Oct 10-July 5 2026
This innovative show pairs new feminist art with pieces from the museum collection that span continents and centuries.
Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100 at Philadelphia Museum of Art through Feb 16
There are so many great pieces in this show curated by Matthew Affron with Danielle Cooke, but my favorite is Dorothea Tanning’s dreamy Birthday. If you’re in Philadelphia, check it out.
Vivian Brown: My Kind of Protest at the Phillips Collection in DC through Sept 28
This show at the Phillips Collection in DC, curated by Adrienne L. Childs and Amara Antilla, brings together a great collection of the artist and activist’s best works.
Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years at Royal Scottish Academy through Nov 2
This show, the largest-ever indoor exhibition of Goldsworthy’s work, brings together his installations, drawings, photos, and films. Andy Goldsworthy—he is one of my favorite artists.
Agnieszka Pilat: Weaving Intelligence at the Central Textile Museum in Łódź, Poland
Friend and fellow artist-in-resident at Shack15, Agnieszka has a way with robots and paintings. If you are in Poland, be sure to catch her show!
Last chance to see Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors at SFMOMA through Sept 28
Don’t miss this last chance to experience Kjartansson’s stunning hour-long video work of nine screens featuring the artist and his friends performing throughout an upstate New York mansion. More info on the show.
Tamara Kostianovsky: Moved by Forces at SLAG&RX in NYC, Sept 6-Oct 25
Tamara Kostianovsky’s textile sculptures are extraordinary, and I am so glad I got to see it live with her in New York. This is one of those beautiful experiences where IG brought us together in person after we both were appreciating each other’s work with tree rings online. The show is amazing.
“The Four Questions with Randy Colosky” from the Contemporary Jewish Museum in SF
I always love talking with the incredibly talented artist and friend Randy Colosky. CJM just featured this interview with him and his new arresting body of work.
BOOKS
Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller
Invisibilia host Lulu Miller’s book on animal taxonomies, and so much more, is wonderful. This is a fascinating book.
Timeless Women Speak: Power, Purpose, and Feeling Your Best at Every Age by Dr. Nancy O’Reilly
Dr. Nancy is an amazing thinker and doer. In her newest book, which has hit the Amazon bestseller list, she shares her wisdom along with that of other amazing women.
Destroy This House by Amanda Uhle
Amanda Uhle’s extraordinary memoir is funny, moving, and impossible to put down. If you’re in the Bay Area, be sure to see her in conversation with my good friend Vendela Vida at City Lights on Oct 1 (also streaming), and check out her other tour dates here.
Preorder Private I by Lynn Hershman Leeson
I am looking forward to reading artist Lynn Hershman Leeson new memoir (out in Nov). We have known each other for decades and I love her experimentation in feminism, technology and identity. Also be sure to check out her new exhibit About Time at Altman Siegel in SF, Sept 6-Oct 11.
The New Family Table by Julia Nordgren, MD
This fantastic cookbook by a physician and trained chef features healthy recipes you’ll actually make and that your family will enjoy eating.
Removed by Eric Pinkersgill
This collection of Eric Pickersgill photos in the new book REMOVED will make you see how we’ve been transformed by screens in a whole new way. His photographs of people’s gestures with their phones removed say it all. I incorporated his photos into my spoken cinema performance at MoMA in 2020, and we’ve become friends ever since. I am so glad he finally has a book out of this photographs! You can order a book through Snap Collective here. He is also speaking at the School of Visual Arts in New York on Oct 21st.
100 Chats for College Students
As I mentioned, I am not anti-chat. Just use it for the things that expand not contract the thinking process. These are great chat prompts made by students, for students. Learn new things, start a career, and navigate life more confidently. You can read online or in book form. This book was put together my longtime friend Mamie Rheingold.
Judasim Unbound Edited by Dan Libenson and Lex Rofeberg
I always love talking to Dan Libenson about anything Jewish. And certainly there’s been a lot to unpack lately. This book edited by Dan and Lex Rofeberg is a great compilation of so many conversations they have had with people on the subject. A chapter featuring our conversation on Tech Shabbat from their podcast is in there. Check it out here.
Preorder Hostage by Eli Sharabi
Publisher Lisa Sharkey and Harper Influence present this powerful book by Eli Sharabi, telling the story of his abduction on October 7 and the unbelievable ordeal that followed. Lisa and I go way back and I am glad she is publishing this important perspective. It comes out on Oct 7. There are still 48 hostages still being held captive.
MUSIC
Bossi, Tell All the Other Girls
I’ve been listening to a lot of Bossi lately; excited about her new album Tell All the Other Girls. We are collaborating on something I will be able to share soon.
FILM
Mill Valley Film Festival
I feel lucky that my hometown also happens have an brilliant film festival like the Mill Valley Film Festival. I cannot wait for this year’s lineup. It features great films like Diamond Diplomacy by Yuriko Gamo Romer, who worked on the film for 11 years and is in my women film director group. So proud of her (got tix for the Oct 3rd screening if you want to join) and excited to see it! Also excited to see two more films from my women director’s group, Maureen Gosling’s Bamako Chic: Threads of Power, Color and Culture, and Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine, Everywhere Man by my friends and much more. All tix info here.
I’ll be on a panel at the festival on filmmaking with Kevin Smokler co-presented by Litquake on Oct. 12 1:15-2:30 at the Outdoor Art Club in Mill Valley.
Mountain Queen
Lucy Walker is a dear friend from Sundance and continues to make potent documentaries with each new release. Ken and I loved her latest documentary about mountaineer Lhaka Sherpa; it is stunning and inspiring.
She Is Not a Footnote
This short from the National Women’s History Museum about women not getting the credit they deserve is both funny and enraging.
EXPERIENCES
Beginner Mah Jongg Retreat at Miraval in Austin, Oct 20-23
I wish my Jewish grandmothers who loved mah jongg were alive today to see how it’s become the hot game. If you want to learn how to play, and enjoy a weekend away, register for Beginner Mah Jongg at Miraval. Oct. 20-23. The retreat includes mah jongg sessions taught by Mahj Club founder, Sara Linden, as well as an array of wellness options and luxury accommodations.
Puppy Yoga in SF
In these strange times it’s not surprising that puppy yoga studios are opening all over. There is nothing more joyful than doing yoga in a room full of energetic puppies.
Before I go, four mensches have left this planet but not our hearts.
First, Robert Redford, may he rest in creativity. Big gratitude to him for creating Sundance and being there for so many of us when we had our films screen there. His legacy provided and will continue to provide the soil for so many new perspectives in cinema. Second, Francis Hoffman founder of the Henry Crown Fellowship at the Aspen Institute. Big gratitude for Francis for being the heart of the fellowship. I spent many years in both places because of them. Being at both Sundance as a filmmaker and at the Aspen Institute as a HCF fellow has shaped me. Third, Oscar-winning filmmaker and friend Allie Light who has always inspired me. Lastly, Jessica Galloway. She was so kind and insightful and passed way too young. I will never forget the imprint they all left on me and so many that will forever ripple out into the world. May their memories be a blessing.
I leave you with this flashmob of Bohemian Rhapsody in Paris. It will remind you of the best part of humanity.
Until next month,
love,
Tiffany Shlain
