Standing Firm on Shifting Ground / Powerful Night for the Feminist History Moveable Monument
Dendrofemonology's Moveable Monument Art Activation at 21c Museum w/ Vibrant Crowd and Poet Laureate of St. Louis + October Breakfast @ Tiffany's Newsletter
There are so many things that I am deeply worried about . . . but I am going to focus with all of you on what’s keeping me going. Such a big exhale with the hostages released, and I am trying to imagine a world where Palestinians and Israelis come to some level of safety and peace. It is so hard to imagine and yet, my recent trip to Berlin showed me that anything is possible.
And while our own American democracy feels like it is on shifting ground, we had a powerful night of feminist art & action in St. Louis at 21c Museum Hotel with incredible women like Alice Gray Stites, Women Connect4Good, and speakers including WashU Professor Hillary Elfenbein, ACLU organizer Brittany Hughes, Historian Miranda Rectenwald, and the Poet Laureate of St. Louis Pacia Elaine Anderson all supported by Dr. Nancy O’Reilly from Women Connect4Good and Piraye Yurttas Beim, PhD.
Ms Magazine will be publishing an article with highlights from the evening along with the Dendrofemonology journey from the National Mall in DC, to Madison Square Park in NYC, to our recent event in St. Louis. Will send as soon as it comes out.
With 53,000 races on the ballot this November, it feels like a good time to rerelease our 7 min film We Are Here. We updated it with some new calls to action.
The next stop will be bringing Dendrofemonology back to my hometown of San Francisco for our Eve of International Women’s Day event in SF on March 7 at our exhibition Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time & Technology, Ken’s and my upcoming show at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in SF supported by Eve’s Ark & Women Connect4Good. If you want to save the date, you can do so here.
Some other ways to get engaged in keeping our country strong through this turbulent time: Ken’s and my daughter Odessa, who just graduated from college, is currently doing a year of public service serving as the Lillian Wald Food Pantry Manager in the lower East Side of Manhattan through the Avodah Jewish Service Corps Fellowship.
Will all the food programs (SNAP) in danger of drastic cuts, they are in deep need of volunteers. All of you in New York, if you could sign up to volunteer even for just one shift it would be so helpful. Or forward to friends in NYC. We as a family often volunteered at SF Food Bank and cannot convey in words how important these institutions are. All volunteer shifts at Lillian Wald in the Lower East Side of Manhattan must be between 9am-5pm M-Thur, and 9-2pm on Fridays. You can sign up to be a volunteer here. Once registered, you’ll be able to sign up for their weekday volunteer shifts. You can also donate to this great organization here. If you want to organize a group you are involved with to volunteer you can write to odessa@ujces.org. You can learn more about what a trailblazer Lillian Wald was by reading Odessa’s latest newsletter about her here.
Before I lay out all the art, books, podcasts and films to check out this October, for those of you in the Bay Area, here are some talks, screenings and exhibitions coming up:
*On November 17, I’ll be giving a keynote on my process on taking an idea from its initial kernel out into the world at JCC Palo Alto for Momentum. Get tix here.
*On Dec 3, I’ll be speaking at the Berkeley City Club about my whole journey from being a student at UC Berkeley studying trees, science, and film to my big failure straight out of college and how foundational that was for me, and then my path to the different chapters of my career since then.
*On Dec 6, join us for the 20-year anniversary screening of our Sundance film The Tribe at Manny’s co-presented by Reboot with performer Vanessa Hidary flying in from NYC. Tickets here.
*On Jan 20, join us for the opening of Ken’s and my Getty PST Exhibition Ancient Wisdom for a Future Ecology: Trees, Time & Technology with new works at the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in San Francisco. Save the date to the opening here.
In this month’s newsletter, Understories at Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons; WeLoveSF gala; Fall of Freedom; art from Michael Gregory, Ana Teresa Fernández, Jim Melchert, Art2Love Benefit at di Rosa, Dorothea Lange, Museum for Art in Wood, Micki Meng Gallery, Rose Art Museum, Man Ray, Bourse de Commerce, Gerhard Richter, and Lee ShinJa; Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim on the Liz Moody Podcast; films/videos from Tanya Selvaratnam, Yoav Potash, Yazrin Choudhury, Aaron Davidman, and NYTimes Op-Docs; books from Bruce D. Haynes, Barbara Wansbrough, and Bruce Holsinger; and music from Sam Grant and Robert Palmer.
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.
ART
WeLoveSF Gala, Nov 1 San Francisco
Looking forward to the WeLoveSF Gala, on Saturday Nov. 1 at The Conservatory at One Sansome in SF. The event will raise funds to support the Presidio Bay Foundation. I’m donating an edition of my framed photograph Becoming for the fundraising auction. Should be a great night. Tickets here.
Jim Melchert: Where the Boundaries Are at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in SF, Oct 18-Jan 3 with book event on Nov 1st. San Francisco
This survey exhibition of seminal California artist Jim Melchert, curated by Griff Williams, documents Melchert’s enormous impact on modern ceramic art. Griff has also written the first monograph on Melchert’s work. The book launch is at di Rosa SF on Sat, Nov 1 at 1pm will feature a panel discussion including Griff, Renny Pritiken, and Tanya Zimbardo. All details here.
Minimal at Bourse de Commerce, Paris through Jan 19
I wish I was in Paris to see this! If you are there, definitely check out. This major exhibition of Minimalist art features over 100 works that showcase the evolution of the movement.
Lee ShinJa: Drawing with Thread at BAMPFA through Feb 2
I loved experiencing this show last weekend. It features five decades of Lee ShinJa’s stunning fiber works curated by Victoria Sung, Phyllis C. Wattis Senior Curator, with Tausif Noor, Curatorial Associate. Definitely check it out.
Fall of Freedom, Nov 21-22
Fall of Freedom is the arts community’s response to rising authoritarianism in the US through creative resistance. Starting Nov 21–22, arts institutions nationwide will host shows and events to meet this urgent moment.
Michael Gregory: Places I Remember at Nancy Hoffman Gallery in NYC through Dec 6
I love the surreal nature of Michael Gregory’s oil landscapes. Head to Nancy Hoffman Gallery in Chelsea to check it out.
Art + Nature Celebration at Laguna Art Museum, Nov 1-10
This year’s commissioned artist for the annual Art + Nature Celebration is Ana Teresa Fernández, presenting SOS, a multi-dimensional project incorporating sculpture, performance and photography. Ana Teresa is a good friend and I always love what she creates. Focusing on our oceans’ dire need for help, she translates the international distress signal SOS into Save our Seas, using reflective surfaces in her artwork to highlight our interconnectedness with the ocean.
Understories at Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons, NYC through Nov 9
Final weeks to see the art exhibition The Understories at Women’s Art Center of the Hamptons, NY where my artwork Everything You Will Never See alongside work by artists I admire like Kiki Smith and more. If you are interested in an edition of this framed photograh, please let me know and I can connect you with my gallery Nancy Hoffman Gallery, in New York.
Art2Love Benefit at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Arts, Nov 15-16
I will be contributing artwork to this benefit for di Rosa as well. di Rosa Center for Contemporary Arts is holding an art sale benefitting their amazing institution on Nov 15-16 on their Napa campus. Reception 4 to 6pm. All info here.
Last West: Dorothea Lange’s California Revisited through Jan 4 at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art
Lange’s classic photographs of the West are stunning and this is a great show.
A Usable Past: Reflections on a Nation and Its Inheritance at the Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia, Nov 7-Feb 15
Wood is at the center of so much of my artwork. I absolutely love this museum that’s totally dedicated to wood-based works. This show, curated by Jennifer-Navva Milliken, features wood sculpture by eleven artists reckoning with American history.
Micki Meng Five-Year Anniversary Exhibition through Nov 14
Micki Meng Gallery always has such wildly interesting shows. Check out the Five Year Anniversary Exhibition up now.
Man Ray: When Objects Dream at the Met NYC through Feb 1
Man Ray’s work continues to fascinate. This exhibition showcases his pioneering work with rayographs.
Fabricated Imaginaries: Crafting Art at Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum through May 31
This stunning show curated by Gannit Ankori features works fusing art and craft.
PODCASTS
Dr. Piraye Yurttas Beim on the Liz Moody Podcast
Liz Moody and Piraye Yurttas Beim Phd discuss the fascinating connections between the metabolic and hormonal systems. Piraye drops so much wisdom in this episode! Listen here.
FILM
Tanya Selvaratnam’s “Rewriting the Narrative on Domestic Violence”
It’s National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Tanya Selvaratnam’s incredibly powerful recent TEDxTalk on “Rewriting the Narrative on Domestic Violence” is essential viewing.
Among Neighbors
Using hand-drawn animation to bring the past to life, Yoav Potash’s Among Neighbors tells a riveting story of love, murder, and healing in post-Holocaust Poland.
Red, White and Blue Benefit Screening Nov 3 at Letterman Digital Arts Center
This benefit screening of the important Oscar-nominated film about abortion access will be followed by a conversation with filmmaker Nazrin Choudhury and Jessica Gil, Executive Director of Access Reproductive Justice. Get tickets.
American Solitaire Nov 10 & 18th LA & Oakland
Aaron Davidman’s gripping new film about about gun violence in America premieres at the Coronado Island Film Festival with showings in LA on Nov 10 and in Oakland Nov 18. Learn more and get tickets.
“Did the Camera Ever Tell the Truth?”
This compelling NY Times op-doc that shows how far back photography distorted reality.
BOOKS
The Soul of Judaism by Bruce D. Haynes
Bruce D. Haynes’s Soul of Judaism is a thoughtful and thorough exploration of the Black Jewish experience in America.
Wild Things by Barbara Wansbrough
Barbara Wansbrough’s Wild Things: A Geography of Grief consists of 59 letters written to her recently deceased sister, one for each year of her life, all inspired by plants and animals in Los Angeles’s Griffith Park. The book launch event at Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn on Nov 11 will feature a discussion with Paul Holdengräber.
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
This riveting book brings up so many interesting things about AI.
MUSIC
Diving into the Wreck from Sam Grant and the Joy Project
Excited that fellow filmmaking sister Sam Grant’s newest album is finally up on Spotify! — listen here.
For all women past 40, this reframing of the Robert Palmer song is brilliant. Click to hear the lyrics more clearly now→ if on Instagram click here; if not, on YouTube. I laughed until I cried.
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 is read by people in all 50 states and over 100 countries. If is always free but if you would like to support our efforts, please share with five people and or become a paid subscriber.
Thank you for sharing this, Tiffany. Reading about the Dendrofemonology gathering in St. Louis—and the ongoing journey of the Moveable Monument—feels especially grounding right now. Here in West Virginia, our communities are finding small, meaningful ways to nurture each other too; this Halloween, some neighborhoods are giving out food alongside candy. It’s a quiet reminder that care work, generosity, and creativity all sustain us through uncertain times. I’m so inspired by how your project keeps weaving art, activism, and ecological wisdom together—standing firm, indeed, on shifting ground.
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