Free Bay Area MFA Show Closes Nov 15, Then a Book Arts Center

Fifteen Bay Area artists in graduate school fill the Main Gallery at SOMArts with painting, sculpture, installation, photography and drawing, curated by Kevin B. Chen for the fortieth year of the Murphy and Cadogan awards. This year's Murphy Award recipient is Mingqi Ma of California College of the Arts, and her Homeland, 2026 is here: a large woven textile in raffia, wool, cotton, abaca and gold thread that braids Chinese cultural narratives, architectural references and traditional textile techniques, setting handwoven structure beside digitally woven cloth and holding cultural memory up against contemporary practice. Entry is free for all ages and the doors close November 15, so the final weekend is November 14 and 15. Hours are Thursday 3:00 to 7:00 PM, Friday 12:00 to 7:00 PM, and Saturday or Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 PM, closed Monday through Wednesday. The entrance is down the driveway through the garden at 934 Brannan Street, and the building is wheelchair accessible.

San Francisco Center for the Book sits twelve minutes south, about six tenths of a mile: east on Brannan, then south by way of Townsend and Division, follow Kansas Street to 16th Street and turn east to Rhode Island Street. The gallery at 375 Rhode Island Street is free and open Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. On view through December 20 is The Joyful Body of the Word, a survey of Betsy Davids' letterpress, writing and artists' books from the 1970s to today: the Rebis Press editions she made with James Petrillo, books she put together in real time alongside the journeys they record, and pairings that trace her influence and collaborations, with work by Johanna Drucker, Mimi Pond and Nance O'Banion among others. SFCB is producing a full-color catalog with new essays by curator Anthea Black and Johanna Drucker, sold in the Biblioshop. Both stops are free and indoors, but they close two hours apart, so take the gallery first from noon and leave by 2:30.