The Lab's 25th Anniversary Silent and Live Auction

March 18, 2009
By Johnny Ray Huston

Something special — something creative in more than one sense — was going down in San Francisco in 1984. How else to explain the notable and still-lively SF art landmarks celebrating their silver anniversaries as of late? Climate Theater's 25th year was the subject of a March 4 Guardian cover story, Other Cinema threw a 25th birthday bash last week, and now it's The Lab's turn to mark a quarter century of wild visions. They're doing it with an art auction, and it has a hell of a lineup. The contributing artists include SECA Award winner Trevor Paglen, and at least three recent winners of Goldie awards from the Guardian: mad comic genius Matt Furie, deadly, deadly funny paper sculpto Michael Arcega, and color chart and mathematics magician Xylor Jane. I'd be thrilled to won a piece by any of these people, and with bids starting at $25, who knows, it might be possible. Especially in this economy.

The dashing Ed Ruscha might be the most renowned person donating a work to The Lab for this auction. As for secret treasures, I'm probably harpooning my bidding power in saying this, but one participant with work worth looking for is Ajit Chauhan, whose recent artist-in-residence show at the de Young Museum did amazing things with album covers and movie titles. A beautiful black-rainbow piece by Alicia McCarthy from a past Lab auction is still on the wall of the front room in my apartment — in fact, it kick-started a whole collection. There will also be a raffle, with prizes including tickets to the SF Opera and a gift certificate to Mitchell's Ice Cream, that local Valhalla of edible arts.