Canyon Cinema Salon

Since 2014, Canyon Cinema’s Salon series has provided a free, informal platform for dialogue and engagement with moving image artists. In the past, these events have taken the form of artist-led screening-and-discussions, staged in an intimate setting (16 Sherman Street, off Folsom Street between 6th and 7th in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood). Expanding into the digital space due to the current necessity of physical distancing, we have further opened the forum to scholars and curators to present their research alongside experimental cinema and media artworks. Salons are typically 60-90 minutes in length, containing no more than 60 minutes of screened material.

The Canyon Cinema Salons are made possible with generous support from the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, The Owsley Brown III Philanthropic Foundation, and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Special thanks to Rock Ross and Canyon Cinema Foundation’s volunteers, Board of Directors, staff, and members.

Upcoming Events:

Thursday, January 18th, 2024 – Portraiture and Short Visual Diaries: A Salon with Margaret Rorison (at 16 Sherman Street)



Past Events:

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 – Dispersed Renderings: A Salon with Patricia Ledesma Villon (at 16 Sherman Street)

Thursday, September 15th, 2022 – Urban Nature: A Salon with S. Topiary Landberg (at 16 Sherman Street)

Thursday, February 11th, 2021 – I Know the End: A Salon with Light Field, co-hosted by PARACME on Twitch

Sunday, January 31st, 2021 – Kerry Laitala and Jonathan Walley on Expanded Cinema and Cinema Expanded, co-hosted by Shapeshifters Cinema on YouTube. View archived program HERE

Thursday, September 17th, 2020 – Sporting Blackness: A Salon with Samantha N. Sheppard, co-hosted by Screen Slate on Twitch. For full program information, click HERE. View archived discussion HERE.

Friday, November 1st, 2019 – A Salon with Lana Z Caplan

Wednesday, June 19th, 2019 – A Salon with Zachary Epcar

Monday, February 25th, 2019 – Infestation/Obliteration: An Insect Invasion Film Salon with Malic Amalya (at Artists’ Television Access)

Thursday, February 7th, 2019 – A Salon with Janis Crystal Lipzin (at the Exploratorium – Kanbar Forum)

Friday, December 7th, 2018 – CCA Cinema Rendezvous + Nelson, Friedrich & Clipson

Thursday, October 25th, 2018 – A Salon with Lynne Sachs

Monday, August 6th, 2018 – A Salon with Sandra Davis

Friday, June 15th, 2018 – A Salon with Jason Halprin

Monday, May 14th, 2018 – A Salon with Colin V. Barton

Friday, May 11, 2018 – A Salon with Sky Hopinka

Thursday, February 22nd, 2018 – Walking Films: A Salon with Baba Hillman

Sunday, December 17th, 2017 – A Salon with Jon Jost

Monday, September 18th, 2017 – A Salon with Vanessa Renwick

Saturday, August 5th, 2017 – A Salon with Mary Helena Clark

Thursday, May 18th, 2017 – Technical Sincerity: A Salon with Gordon Ball

Wednesday, March 15th, 2017 – Landscape Plus: A Salon With Laida Lertxundi

Thursday, February 16th, 2017 – Changing the Shape of Film: An evening with Barbara Hammer at Exploratorium 

Wednesday, February 15th, 2017 – Inside and Out: More or Less of Me Presented By Mark Street at CCA

Thursday, December 15th, 2016 – Adele Horne, presents a program of films set in gardens and forests.

Monday, November 14th, 2016 – Canyon Cinema Salon with Toney W. Merritt co-hosted by Tanya Zimbardo.

Tuesday, November 8th, 2016 – Gibson + Recoder at the Exploratorium. For documentation of this event, click HERE.

Friday, September 23rd, 2016 – Bruce Baillie visits the Bay. We have a screening in his honor.

Wednesday, August 10, 2016 – Peter Hutton Tribute, led by Steve Anker 

Monday, June 6, 2016 – My Symbols for Truth: A program of films selected by Mike Stoltz

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 – Canyon Cinema Salon with Chuck Hudina

Monday, March 7, 2016 – Monday, March 7, 2016 – Lynn Marie Kirby curates films from Canyon Cinema along with recent work by California College of the Arts students.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016 – Indelible Hallucinations: A Program of Films Selected by Tom DeWitt Ditto. Canyon Cinema co-presentation with Exploratorium (note the special location for this show).

Monday, December 14th, 2015 – finally… Wavelength (the city of San Francisco has been waiting). For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, November 9th, 2015 – OTHER STATES: a program of films selected by Paul Clipson. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, October 5th, 2015 – Amy Halpern. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, June 29th, 2015 – Betwixt and Between: A Program of Films Selected by Kate McCabe. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, May 5th, 2015 – Next To You: A Program of Films selected by Claire Bain. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday March 30th, 2015 – Nathaniel Dorsky on Stan Brakhage Part II. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, December 15, 2014 – Nathaniel Dorsky on Stan Brakhage Part I. For full program notes click HERE.

Monday, November 24, 2014 – PLASTIC HISTORY: Independent and Experimental Filmmaking in the Age of Acetate, A Program of films Selected by Tyler Turkle. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, October 27, 2014 – Seeing Something Always Hidden: A Program of films Selected by Denah Johnston. Hosted by John Carlson. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, June 30th, 2014 – Doug Wendt. For full program notes, click HERE.

Wednesday, April 23rd – Lawrence Jordan. For full program notes, click HERE.

Wednesday, March 26th – Vanishing Presence: A Program of Films Selected by Mark Wilson. For full program notes, click HERE.

Monday, February 24th, 2014 – Sandra Davis. For full program notes, click HERE