San Francisco

What’s happening in the next few weeks:

* “Rhapsodies in Black: Art of the Harlem Renaissance” opens Saturday at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. This multimedia exhibition includes paintings, sculpture, graphic art, photography and rare archival film and sound recordings that celebrate Harlem in the Jazz Age. At right: “Girl in Red Dress” (1934) by Charles Alston. The exhibition ends March 8. Lincoln Park, 34th Avenue and Clement Street. (415) 863-3330. This exhibition will travel to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the fall.

* “Insurrection: Holding History,” by Robert O’Hara, continues through Feb. 8 at the American Conservancy Theater. In the tradition of “Angels in America,” the play offers a fantasy exploration of history, homosexuality and the African American experience, when Ron, the protagonist, is mysteriously whisked back in time to Southampton, Va., on the eve of the Nat Turner insurrection. 30 Grant Ave. (415) 749-2ACT.

* “Gold Rush! California’s Untold Stories,” a trio of interrelated exhibitions opening Jan. 24 across the San Francisco Bay at the Oakland Museum of California, celebrates the sesquicentennial anniversary (that’s 150 years) of the discovery of gold in California. Natural displays, documents, photographs and paintings explore the effects of the Gold Rush on California’s economy, population, environment and cultural diversity. 1000 Oak St., Oakland. (888) 625-6873. A portion of this exhibition will travel to the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in the fall.

* An overview of photography as an art form, “The Photographic Era: Highlights From the Permanent Collection” opens Feb. 13 at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Exhibition highlights include Victorian-era daguerreotypes, 19th century works that provide the foundation for the documentary tradition, experimental works by Man Ray and others from the period between the two world wars, West Coast regional works by Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham and Edward Weston, and twentieth century works by reform-minded individuals such as Lewis Hine. A companion exhibition, “Photography After Modernism: Extensions Into Contemporary Art” also opens Feb. 13. Both end June 23. 151 3rd St. (415) 357-4000.