Closing Celebration: The Things We Use to Make the Things We Must

What does it take to make art and to preserve it for generations to come?

In celebration of the closing of Leah Rosenberg’s The Things We Use to Make the Things We Must, Rosenberg joins SFMOMA conservators Desi Dijkema, Amanda Hunter Johnson, and Michelle Kloehn for an inside look at the tools, skills, and surprises that define their work. Together, they’ll share stories from both sides of artmaking — from creative to conservation.

The evening begins with a close look at Rosenberg’s exhibition and the story of how SFMOMA’s Artist Materials Collection became her starting point. From there, hear about the tools and processes used to preserve the works in SFMOMA’s collection and galleries. Expect to get hands-on with some of those tools and make your own paintball in the spirit of Rosenberg’s practice.

You’ll leave with a small take-home gift designed to help you see the familiar in a whole new way.

About the Artist

Leah Rosenberg works across artistic media to spark new experiences of color. Using painting, installation, printmaking, sculpture, performance, and video, she invites viewers to consider how color can be perceived both multi-sensorially and multi-dimensionally. By creating such enriched encounters, her work strives to deepen our understanding of the emotional and psychological impact of color in everyday life. In such works as Everywhere A Color (2018) — a commissioned installation at San Francisco Airport’s International Terminal — and her book The Color Collector’s Handbook (2018, Chronicle Books), she guides each person to form individualized connections to the many hues. Rosenberg received a BFA from Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver, BC, and an MFA from California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

Accessibility Information

Accessibility accommodations such as American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and assisted listening devices are available upon request 10 business days in advance.

Please email publicengagement@sfmoma.org, and we will do our best to fulfill your request.