On March 7, the Walker Art Center will open The New Eagle Creek Saloon, Oakland-based artist Sadie Barnette’s (US, b. 1984) reimaging of her father’s New Eagle Creek Saloon, the first Black-owned gay bar in San Francisco. The New Eagle Creek Saloon is an exuberant and contemporary interpretation of the historical venue, serving as a site of engagement in the gallery space. At the Walker, The New Eagle Creek Saloon will serve drinks and present programs every Thursday featuring Twin Cities-based partners, including happy hours with specially curated DJ sets, an opening-day talk, and additional community gathering opportunities.
The original New Eagle Creek Saloon (1990–1993) offered a haven for a multiracial queer community marginalized by racist profiling in other social spaces throughout the city. With this project, Barnette honors Black queer joy and her own family history by reanimating her father’s bar and its legacy as a space of connection and engagement. A glittering, pink, U-shaped bar structure occupies the exhibition space. Above, a neon “Eagle Creek” sign glows, and historic mementos and photographs capture the spirit of the original New Eagle Creek Saloon. Together, the sparkling vintage stereo equipment, holographic seating, and radiant glow create an open, inviting living space for learning, resistance, and pleasure.
The Walker presentation is curated by Henriette Huldisch, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, Taylor Jasper, Assistant Curator of Visual Affairs, and Amanda Hunt, the Walker’s head of Public Engagement, Learning and Impact, in collaboration with the artist.
“I am introducing the New Eagle Creek Saloon into the channels of existing queer histories, but I am also manifesting its own archive, which recognizes the limits of “official histories” and celebrates the unknown and unknowable,” said the artist.
“Recreating The New Eagle Creek Saloon with Sadie is an incredibly warm, rich way to generously host communities critical to any thriving culture–both seen and unseen–from San Francisco to the Twin Cities,” added Hunt.
Every Thursday evening from March 7 to May 16, visitors to the Walker can experience an activation in the reimagined bar. Programming begins on March 7 with Barnette and her father Rodney Barnette in conversation, sharing stories that detail the labor of love that went into both manifestations of the New Eagle Creek Saloon. DJ Jam E.Z. on vinyl and cocktails from Mama San Bar Collective follow the talk. Founded on the premise of inclusive bartending, Mama San will provide specially crafted cocktails inspired by the community throughout the exhibition’s run.
Additional featured programming includes the “Come Together” series, parties hosted by and celebrating Black queer artists who create vibrant performances, music, and nightlife in the Twin Cities. On March 14, Sashay-Cantay activates the space followed by Hush Harbor: Hi Cotton Tales on May 2. A “Queer Revolutions” series showcases queer DJs Michel.Be, Yonci, and Yasmeenah throughout April and May. Programming culminates on the final Thursday night of the exhibition with “The End is Queer,” a party featuring local queer artists and creatives that celebrates the powerful possibilities for queerer futures. Outside of these events, the space is open for visitors to hang out and explore as an installation. The New Eagle Creek Saloon is a Black queer social space where everyone is welcome.
See detailed programming information below.
Curators: Henriette Huldisch, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs; Amanda Hunt, Head of Public Engagement, Learning, and Impact; with Taylor Jasper, Assistant Curator, Visual Arts
RELATED EVENTS
Opening Night: Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon
Thursday, March 7, 2024, 6–9 pm
The opening night of Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon marks the transformation of a gallery at the Walker into a queer bar celebrating the unwritten histories of Black queer spaces with a shimmering recreation of the first Black-owned queer bar in San Francisco, operated by the artist’s father.
The evening begins with Sadie Barnette and her father, Rodney Barnette, in conversation at the bar, sharing stories that detail the labor of love that went into both manifestations of the New Eagle Creek Saloon. Following the conversation, the party ramps up with DJ Jam E.Z. on vinyl, and craft cocktails served directly from the installation by local collective Mama San. This is a unique opportunity to relive the energy of the original saloon with the founding family, pull up a stool, and enjoy one complimentary drink.
Come Together: Sashay-Chantay
Thursday, March 14, 2024, 6 pm
Come Together is a series of parties hosted by and celebrating local Black queer artists who create vibrant performances, music, and nightlife in the Twin Cities today. These parties are activated within Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon, which transforms a gallery at the Walker into a fully operating queer bar. Each evening exalts queer connection, joy, and pleasure.
Happy Hours
March 21–April 18, 2024
The New Eagle Creek Saloon, an immersive art piece and functioning bar, invites you to experience the shimmering legacy of Sadie Barnette’s family. In partnership with Mama San Bar Collective, craft cocktails are served directly from within the installation.
Honoring the spirit of her father’s original bar, the first Black-owned gay bar in San Francisco, artist Sadie Barnette invites guests to activate The New Eagle Creek Saloon authentically. Have a drink, make connections, and indulge in the energy and environment.
Queer Revolutions featuring DJ Michel.Be
Thursday, April 4, 2024, 6 pm
Black queer joy is powerful and influential. It brings us together, gives us connection, and changes the world. Activating Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon, Queer Revolutions showcases local queer DJs and features their guest-curated evenings filled with performance, music, and collective power. Paired with drinks by local bartending collective Mama San, each Queer Revolution shakes the walls of the Walker with local queer expression.
Queer Revolutions featuring Yonci
Thursday, April 25, 2024, 6 pm
Black queer joy is powerful and influential. It brings us together, gives us connection, and changes the world. Activating Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon, Queer Revolutions showcases local queer DJs and features their guest-curated evenings filled with performance, music, and collective power. Paired with drinks by local bartending collective Mama San, each Queer Revolution shakes the walls of the Walker with local queer expression.
Come Together: Hush Harbor: Hi Cotton Tales
Thursday, May 2, 2024, 6 pm
Come Together is a series of parties hosted by and celebrating local Black queer artists who create vibrant performances, music, and nightlife in the Twin Cities today. These parties are activated within Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon, which transforms a gallery at the Walker into a fully operating queer bar. Each evening exalts queer connection, joy, and pleasure.
Queer Revolutions featuring DJ Yasmeenah
Thursday, May 9, 2024, 6 pm
Black queer joy is powerful and influential. It brings us together, gives us connection, and changes the world. Activating Sadie Barnette’s The New Eagle Creek Saloon, Queer Revolutions showcases local queer DJs and features their guest-curated evenings filled with performance, music, and collective power. Paired with drinks by local bartending collective Mama San, each Queer Revolution shakes the walls of the Walker with local queer expression.
The End Is Queer
Thursday, May 16, 2024, 6 pm
The End Is Queer is not an ending but a kickoff to radical queer futures! A free party featuring local queer artists and creatives, this evening celebrates contemporary Black queer life and all the powerful possibilities for queerer futures. The fun will be paired with drinks from local bartender collective Mama San.
EXHIBITION SPONSORS
Sadie Barnette: The New Eagle Creek Saloon is made possible by generous support from the Edward R. Bazinet Charitable Foundation.
Free Thursday Nights are sponsored by
