At SFMOMA through Summer 2026
Writing functions not only as language, but also as a visual and even tactile form. Famed artist and educator Josef Albers imparted this idea to his students at Black Mountain College, a former liberal arts school in North Carolina, where artist Ray Johnson studied from 1945 to 1948. In an exercise called “typofacture,” Albers asked students in his design course to create drawings mimicking printed or handwritten text. After observing textures on surfaces — like speckles on a wall or patterns in a raked garden path — they applied the concept to printed text, which bears the imprint of its production, whether by hand or machine. This activity left a lasting impression on Johnson, a future collage and correspondence artist, whose works (like Paul Klee’s) frequently combine text and representations.

September marks the 50th anniversary of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Running Fence project. The installation stretched 24.5 miles across 59 properties in Sonoma and Marin Counties, before descending to the Pacific Ocean. To celebrate the anniversary, the Museum of Sonoma County will host an exhibition, Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Running Fence at 50 Years, on view from June 27 through Nov. 8, 2026.