May 2011 RETURN TO HOME PAGE FEEDBACK

Neighborhood Scandal! For several years, local printmaker Katie Gilmartin has been creating witty sendups of 1950s pulp novel covers. Her prints look like vintage books but they are set in iconic San Francisco locations, such as Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Gilmartin’s latest target is our own Noe Valley, with a print set at 24th and Noe streets. “The Valley” notes our neighborhood’s serenity, but suggests that strong passions lurk beneath the calm: Does the lady with the baby carriage have revenge on her mind? Too shocking to contemplate!

To see the print “in the flesh,” stop by When Modern Was at 4037 24th Street. Gilmartin unveiled the work there on May 1. The piece is archivally matted and framed, and measures 81/4 by 123/4 inches. To find out the rest of the “story,” email artist Gilmartin at gilmartin@sfo.com.