San Francisco has a joyful date to save for 2027. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has announced Go Your Own Way: Northern California Craft, 1945–80, on view from February 13 through November 14, 2027 — the first major museum exhibition devoted to Northern California craft in the postwar decades.
The show will bring together nearly 100 artists and more than 200 objects, from textiles, basketry and ceramics to glass, wood, metal, jewelry and enamel. From marbles to wood furniture to conceptual fashion, it traces how makers across the region created work on their own terms and helped define modern and contemporary craft in the United States.
Among the featured artists are Ruth Asawa, Robert Arneson, Margaret De Patta, Jay DeFeo, Viola Frey and Kay Sekimachi. “Go Your Own Way captures the Bay Area’s restless energy and its spirit of continual reinvention,” said director Christopher Bedford. Curator Nancy Lim describes it as a celebration of visionaries who redefined what art and craft could be.
By uncovering lesser-known stories of artists, schools and communities, the exhibition promises a fresh, hands-on history of creativity in Northern California — and a wonderful reason to plan a museum day in San Francisco in 2027. A 296-page companion book will accompany the show.
Photo: Alexandra Courtis via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) — looped-wire sculpture by Ruth Asawa.
