This week, read curatorial insights on a 17th-century sculpture of Saint Francis of Assisi.
We point out details of the quietly powerful object, explaining the meaning behind elements of its construction and recounting moments of perseverance from the life of the patron saint of San Francisco.
Since launching this newsletter, we’ve been reflecting on the pandemic and its resulting uncertainty through an art lens. The stories of resilience and creativity we’ve highlighted from our collections strengthen our faith in the human spirit. Faith, the essence of hope, has always danced with uncertainty. It’s a plunge into the unknown that humans are built for. Each breath we take is an investment in the future.
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Art Project: Nature-Inspired Collage
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What you'll need: paper, magazines/newspapers, scissors, and glue.
Saint Francis of Assisi showed a boundless love for nature. Gather magazines, newspapers, ephemera, or found objects around you. Look for images related to nature. Are there textures, patterns, or earth-toned colors that strike you? Explore the cathartic and expressive process of collage. Cut or tear, layer, and play. Create abstract shapes. Notice how your composition changes over time, forming new possibilities.
Prompt developed by Rea Lynn de Guzman, teaching artist
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We want to showcase your creativity! Send a photo of your Art Project based on this prompt to digitalmarketing@famsf.org. Please include your full name, city of residence, and a sentence or two about your work.
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Don't Miss
Mark your calendars for next week’s live discussions.
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Wednesday, May 27: Martin Chapman, interim curator in charge of European art, and Thomas Wu, curatorial assistant, European decorative arts and sculpture, go in-depth on our sculpture of Saint Francis and answer your questions. See event details.
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Thursday, May 28: Artist Stephanie Dinkins speaks with Janna Keegan, assistant curator of contemporary art and programming, about Conversations with Bina48, an artwork that questions the construction of identity and how value systems are built into artificial intelligence. Dinkins’s work is featured in Uncanny Valley: Being Human in the Age of AI. See event details.
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Friday, May 29: Jill D’Alessandro, curator in charge of costume and textile arts, traveled across the world to research our 2018–2019 exhibition Contemporary Muslim Fashions. In this travelogue, get a behind-the-scenes look at her visits to designers in their studios and photos from other important sites. See event details.
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Event start times are subject to change. You do not need a Facebook account to view the livestream.
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Links We Love
Enjoy a roundup of links selected by our staff.
\ If you need a change of scene, download our de Young museum Zoom backgrounds.
\ Cuteness overload: Penguins enjoy a “morning of fine art” at their local museum.
\ Explore artworks by color on Google. Pick just one shade, or create a palette.
\ Pore over the lives of 10 great painters, in infographic form.
\ Bob Ross painted more than 1,000 paintings for his TV show, but where did they go?
\ Check out our Curiosity Resources page to spark ideas for artmaking with kids.
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Quotation of the Week
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“Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.”
— Richard Diebenkorn
Pictured: Richard Diebenkorn, Touched Red, 1991 (click to enlarge)
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