‘Michael Light: Planetary Landscape’
The photography of San Francisco-based artist Michael Light is on display at the Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Road, through Aug. 27. Light’s work is concerned with the effect of human intervention on the environment and natural processes, on both the earthly and lunar landscapes. This exhibition is a mini-retrospective of Light’s work over the past two decades, including two works specially commissioned for Palo Alto focusing on a legacy tree photographed by drone. Previous aerial examinations have included the landscape of the American West and projects involving archive images of the Apollo moon missions and midcentury nuclear tests. In pursuit of his images, Light has piloted small aircraft and scuba dived in radioactive South Pacific waters. The Art Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. (open until 9 p.m. on Thursday). Go to PA Art Center.
‘Lord of the Flies’
Has it been a while since you read “Lord of the Flies,” William Golding’s haunting novel about how quickly civilization gives way to savage chaos when a group of upper-class schoolboys are stranded on a desert island? Youth theater company A Theatre Near U has teamed up with the Pear Theatre for a production, adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, starring 10 local teens (including some from Palo Alto and Mountain View high schools), which will bring the dark tale alive for modern audiences. Performances run through Aug. 5 (see online for schedule), at the Pear Theatre, 1010 La Avenida St., Mountain View. Tickets are $20-$25. Go to A Theatre Near U.
‘Along the Nakasendo’
Yvonne Newhouse’s watercolor paintings are the focus of Portola Art Gallery’s August exhibition: “Along the Nakasendo,” which was inspired by a sketching and hiking trip through Japan that Newhouse embarked on last year, following the Nakasendo (an ancient, 300-plus-mile route between Tokyo and Kyoto). The essence of the trip (“moving slowly on foot, observing daily life and small gardens,” according to the press statement) is captured by the delicate watercolors. An artist’s reception will be held Saturday, Aug. 12, 1-4 p.m. The gallery is open Monday through Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at Allied Arts Guild, 75 Arbor Road, Menlo Park. Go to Portola Art Gallery.
Summer Stanford Symphony Orchestra
The annual Summer Stanford Symphony Orchestra concert (featuring Stanford musicians and musicians from the wider community) will be held Friday, July 28, at 7:30 p.m. at Bing Concert Hall, 327 Lasuen Mall, Stanford. On the program will be pieces by Brahms, Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. Nicholas Hersh, who graduated from Stanford with a music degree in 2010, will conduct, along with guest conductor Diego Hernandez. Hersh is currently the associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and artistic director of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras. Tickets are $15-$20/free for Stanford students. Go to Stanford Live.