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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Sadie Barnette: The New Eagle Creek Saloon

Madison Moore at Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon, 2019.

Apr 22 – May 11, 2023
151 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA

Sadie Barnette’s new installation reimagines the first Black-owned gay bar in San Francisco. The Eagle Creek Saloon was opened in 1990 by the artist’s father, Rodney Barnette, who just two years earlier had founded the Compton chapter of the Black Panther Party. Although the bar only lasted three years, it was a place of pride and safety for the city’s Black queer community. Sadie Barnette has recreated the bar with an eye to reviving a site of conversation and celebration. The New Eagle Creek Saloon hosts performances, happy hours, and discussions during which visitors are welcome to peruse archival material, engage with the interactive art, and speak with other patrons. Tickets are on sale now for an evening at “a friendly place, with a funky bass, for every race.” —Paulina Prosnitz