At SFMOMA through Summer 2026
Writing can function as language as well as a visual and tactile form. Josef Albers taught this at Black Mountain College, where Ray Johnson studied from 1945 to 1948. In his “typofacture” exercise, students drew marks that mimicked printed or handwritten text, inspired by surface textures like walls or garden patterns. This idea—that text carries the imprint of its making—deeply influenced Johnson, whose later works often blend language and image.

Modernism: Born in California features works made throughout the long careers of architects Ernest and Esther Born, from their time as architecture students at UC Berkeley in the 1920s through the days of urban renewal in the 1960s.

Join landscape architect Kelly Comras for an exploration of Ruth Patricia Shellhorn's groundbreaking contributions to Disneyland's mid-century landscape design. Known for her work on Bullock's department stores and Fashion Square shopping centers, Shellhorn helped define Southern California's distinctive modernist regional aesthetic. Comras, author of Ruth Shellhorn (2016) and former President of the California Garden & Landscape History Society, examines how Shellhorn's vibrant plant palettes transported visitors to distant lands of fantasy and adventure. Presented by The Walt Disney Family Museum via Zoom

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.