Sam Mondros

1 week ago | sfstandard.com | Sam Mondros

Eungie Joo, a renowned curator who was fired from SFMOMA in December for allegedly violating the museum’s misconduct policy, is back with a new exhibition highlighting the Mission School, one of the city’s most important art movements. It is a statement-making comeback, not just because of the stature of the artists involved but because of the venue: the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, directly across the street from Joo’s former workplace.

2 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Sam Mondros

At Stonestown Galleria, a squat, puckish creature called a Labubu is running amok. This softball-size plushie with a goblin grin has unleashed utter bedlam: customers screaming, resellers running rampant, and at least two fights — one involving pepper spray. Security has been beefed up to stand guard over the vending machine on the second floor that dispenses Labubus each morning. The mayhem has gotten so bad that Pop Mart, which sells the dolls, has discontinued in-store sales entirely.

3 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Sam Mondros

Six giant wooden trolls have invaded the San Francisco Peninsula. Their aim? To lure visitors to the Arcadian redwood forest at Filoli, the Georgian revival estate with sprawling gardens. Children – and intrepid grown-ups – are encouraged to climb on the structures, which are hidden throughout a mile-long looping walking path. Basse Buller, or the Painting Troll, in a grove of redwood trees.

3 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Sam Mondros

The Wide Shot celebrates the work of Bay Area photographers, showcasing their latest projects and the behind-the-scenes stories of how they got the shots. The year was 1977, and San Francisco was in the grips of intense social change. Harvey Milk was elected the nation’s first openly gay official, the nascent tech industry was just warming up, and the free love era had given way to a booming counter cultural scene. But none of this was apparent in the slow-moving outer reaches of the Sunset.

1 month ago | sfstandard.com | Sam Mondros

Takeshi Onishi was trying to keep it together Tuesday, as a steady stream of loyal customers came into Japan Video & Media, the retailer of Japanese and Korean films and figurines he founded more than 40 years ago. It was the store’s final day. Tears were shed as customers paid their respects. They left thank you notes in the foyer.  Onishi declined to answer questions, because, according to 20-year employee Maria Suwabe, who stood at his side, he would start to cry if he talked about the closure.