Feeling Lucky

Going through life with an attitude of gratitude seems to me to be a healthy way to look at the world.

We should feel lucky to live in such a wonderful city. The Richmond District is especially lucky to have world-class museums in our back yard.

The Legion of Honor is an extraordinary treasure. It has been sharing many of the world’s masterpieces for 100 years. In case you missed the recent cake party, read all about it on page 5. Also, I recommend seeing the museum’s current exhibition, “Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes from Art.” It runs through Aug. 17. If you missed the story we ran in the March issue, you can read it on our website: RichmondSunsetNews.com. Noma Faingold, one of our best writers, said of the exhibit: “The most unique elements of the exhibit include 30 copies he painted of masterworks (from Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn to Édouard Manet), most of which have never been seen by the public.”

The de Young Museum is home to another extraordinary collection of significant art. Check out the “Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes of the Storm” exhibition running now through July 6. In addition to being a musical genius, McCartney proves he has a good eye for visual composition. Being a Beatles fan since I watched their live performance on television’s “Ed Sullivan Show” when they first came to America, it is a treat to see a bit of Beatlemania through the eyes of one of its stars.

The Academy of Sciences has a cool exhibit, too. “Unseen Oceans” is a new feature exploring some of the mysteries of the deep. We know so little about our planet’s oceans. It’s amazing to learn about the variety of life that can withstand the pressure found in the depths of our seas. The exhibit runs through Sept. 7.

We are also lucky to have the fine folks at the Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) working to save important objects of our westside history. The mechanical cowboy called “Sheriff C.U. Soon,” a fixture at the amusement park Playland at the Beach, was saved by WNP. Affectionately known as the Playland Cowboy, he greeted visitors to the Cliff House Restaurant for decades until it closed in 2020. WNP purchased the statue from the Cliff House auction in 2021, and now, after extensive treatment by ACT Art Conservation, it is on display at the Balboa Theater alongside other Playland relics from the CinemaSF collection.

I know I am very lucky to play a part in creating this paper every month. I am so grateful to work with such a talented team of journalists.

Michael Durand is the editor and publisher of the Richmond Review and Sunset Beacon newspapers and the RichmondSunsetNews.com website. He can be reached at Editor@RichmondSunsetNews.com.