A Report

A Report, the Museum's scholarly journal and newsletter, is published in conjuction with each exhibition. A Report is free for Museum members. Below is a list of issues currently availible.

Vol. 21, No. 3, 2005.
Material Matters: Three Masterful Approaches to Fiber, Wood, and Glass. Introduction by curator Kathleen Hanna plus statements by contemporary artists Karen Hampton, Philip Agee, and Pamina Traylor. 5 duotone photos. $3.00.

Vol. 21, No. 2, 2005.
Sanctuary in an Age of Commodity: The Art of Tobi Kahn and Puppets from Around the World.  An essay by curator Peter Selz about Tobi Kahn’s work plus a portrait of puppeteer and collector Alan G. Cook by curator Karin C. Nelson. 9 duotone photos. $3.00.

Vol. 21, No. 1, 2005.
Mithila Painting: The Evolution of an Art Form. Essay by curator and cultural anthropologist David Szanton. An exploration of the development of a traditional woman’s art in the Mithila region of India. 9 duotone photos. $3.00,

Vol. 20, No. 3, 2004.
Focus on Craft Showcase. Introduction by curator Kathleen Hanna. Statements by featured contemporary artists Elin Christopherson, Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen, Barbara Holmes, and Pamina Traylor. 8 duotone photos. $3.00.

Vol. 20, No. 2, 2004.
Ragged Beauty: Repair and Reuse, Past and Present. Essay on boro (Japanese rag textiles) and other repaired objects by curator Yoshiko Wada. Profiles of contemporary artists Caroline Bartlett, Dorothy Caldwell, Angela Lim, Michael Swaine, and Liz Williamson. 14 duotone photos. $3.00.

Vol. 20, No. 1, 2004.
Subtraction & Addition: Ceramic Sculpture and Installations plus New Urushi Forms: Three Lacquer Artists from Japan. Statements by the artists Bean Finneran, Jane B. Grimm, Gregory Roberts, Toshiaki Fujita, Natsuki Kurimoto, and Sakurako Matsushima. 12 duotone photos. $3.00.

Vol. 19, No. 3 and No. 4, 2003.
Revealing Influences: Conversations with Bay Area Artists. Introduction by former MOCFA curator Rachel Osajima; statements by 20 Bay Area curators and 20 local artists. Created to document the Museum’s 20th anniversary exhibition of the same name, this issue confronts the definitions of craft and folk art, how they have changed, and what they mean to today’s curators and artists. 21 photos. $5.00 (double issue).

Vol. 19, No. 2, 2003.
Valuables: Jewelry in the New Millennium. Introduction by Jennifer Gardner; statements by 13 artists. Jewelry artists from the U.S., Europe, and Japan contemplate the issue of value from several perspectives. What does value mean when applied to modern jewelry that may be made of nonprecious materials? 13 photos. $3.00.

Vol. 19, No. 1, 2003.
Quilted Journeys: Immigration Stories by Australian Artists. Introduction by Kim Bear; statements by 22 quilters. Immigration is a theme for artists in Australia, just as it is in the United States. Australian artists document their personal stories of immigration through a stunning variety of quilts, created specifically for the exhibition of the same name. 22 full-color photographs of the quilts. $5.00 (double issue).

Vol. 18, No. 3, 2002.
Hand to Hand: Masters and Mentors by Karin C. Nelson. Interviews with three contemporary “master and mentor” pairs of Bay Area artists in which they discuss the benefits of this type of relationship. 9 photos. $3.00

Vol. 18, No. 2, 2002.
Sirens and Snakes: Water Spirits in Folk Art and Legend by Susan Tselos. The mermaid and the snake are prevalent in the stories and folk art of a number of cultures around the globe and across the generations. Contemplate a sampling of these stories and images from Africa, Mexico, South America, North America, and Australia. 10 photos. $3.00.

Vol. 18, No. 1, 2002.
Too Short to Save: African American Improvisational String Quilts by Eli Leon. Quilt scholar Leon discusses the “string” quilt, which is made predominantly of small, narrow strips. A relationship to a string quilt from the Sudan is proposed. 17 photos; 7 illustrations. $5.00 (expanded issue).

Vol. 17, No. 2, 2001.
Shibori Now by Yoshiko Iwamoto Wada. The Japanese word “shibori” refers to a variety of ways to embellish textiles by transforming cloth into a three-dimensional shape before dyeing. In the past thirty years, shibori has spread beyond Japan's boundaries to play an important role in contemporary international fashion. 16 photos. $2.50 (two additional pages)

Vol. 17, No. 1, 2001.
Teresa Archuleta-Sagel’s Rio Grande Textiles of Affirmation by Carolyn Kastner. The textiles of the Rio Grande Valley record the cultural continuity of the region that takes its name from the river that runs through it. The record of cultural continuity is visible in the recent tapestries of Teresa Archuleta-Sagel and reveals the art of weaving as an act of cultural affirmation. 10 photos. $2.50.

Vol. 16, No. 4, 2000.
Dorothy Weiss: A Life in Art by Karin C. Nelson. An interview with Dorothy Weiss, who exhibited the best new works in contemporary craft at the Dorothy Weiss Gallery on Sutter Street from 1984 until 2000 when she retired. 9 photos. $2.50.

Vol. 16, No. 3, 2000.
Looking Back at a Museum Moving Forward by Carole Austin. This is a “valedictory” reflection by the curator of the Museum as she moved into retirement after 13 years of devoted service. 11 photos. $2.50.

Vol. 16, No. 2, 2000.
Traditional Work Baskets of Japan by Dai Williams. A scholarly and detailed discussion, with examples, of functional basketry in Japan. It covers the historical development, particularly in the rural areas of the country, up to the present day. 16 photos. $2.50.

Vol. 16, No. 1, 1999.
Recycled Riches, Recycled Dreams: The Altars of Pierrot Barra by Susan Tselos. A rich and lovingly detailed look at the body of work created by Haitian artist, Pierrot Barra. Barra, a Haitian Vodou priest (oungan) created visionary works of art as a way of serving the lwa, a pantheon of spirits who are directly intertwined with the lives of those who serve them. 12 photos. $2.50.

Vol. 15, No. 4, 1999.
The Delights of Brazil: Popular Art Today by Myrna Walton and Thomas C. Tellefsen. A discussion of the variety of “popular art” found throughout Brazil and how artistic traditions reflect the common interests of each community, often using local, traditional forms. 14 photos. $2.50.

For a complete list of issues published, please download this document (PDF).

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