An art lover's guide to August in the Bay Area.

What: The Living Need Light, The Dead Need Music

Where: de Young Museum

When: Through June 30, 2018

This film is a celebration of death with music, a visual storytelling about the art of funerals that starts in the south of Vietnam and ends in the southern United States. It travels from the Mekong River to the Mississippi Delta revealing the ways different cultures tribute the end of a life. // 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., deyoung.famsf.org

What: Soundtracks

Where: SFMOMA

When: Through January 1, 2018

For the first time, SFMOMA is introducing an entire exhibit on music. The seventh floor of the museum is full of super-sonic installations, sculptures and video performances. It is an interactive show where visitors can fully experience the music, from unique takes on film scores to visual representations of sound and space. // 151 3rd Street, sfmoma.org

What: Sara Lucas, Good Muse

Where: The Legion of Honor

When: Through September 17, 2017

For her first major US exhibition, British artist Sara Lucas created sensual and erotic sculptures of womanly body parts. Her works are placed in front of the art pieces of Auguste Rodin, with the intent of initiating a visual dialogue between the two artists about nudity and the representation of the body. Viewers will walk away with a deeper understanding of the portrayal of sexuality and gender over the course of the 20th century. // 100 34th Avenue, legionofhonor.famsf.org

What: West Edge Opera Festival

Where: Pacific Pipe Oakland

When: August 5–20

The festival will feature performances such as Hamlet, Frankenstein, and The Chastity Tree. These reimagined operas will be hosted in a new venue, an abandoned West Oakland warehouse that has many of the same charming qualities (think no running water or electricity) as the festival's former home, West Oakland's 16th Street Station. The paradox created between such a classical art form in such a stripped-down, grafitti-fied space is worth the price of admission. // 1391 W. Grand Ave. Oakland, westedgeopera.org

What: Yerba Buena Garden Festival

Where: Yerba Buena Gardens

When: Through August 2017

This annual festival will include a series of concerts, dance performances and cultural events that will bring together some local, national, and international artists. Litquake will curate Poetic Tuesdays for the festival; Brazil in the Gardens, with the talented musicians of California Brazil Camp, will put on a show; and San Francisco jazz singer Paula West will sing her heart out. // 750 Howard Street, ybgfestival.org