The Muse Campaign
75 Years of Inspiration
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SFMOMA's 75th anniversary advertising campaign, the "Muse Campaign," celebrates the emotional connections between people and works of art by pairing iconic artworks from SFMOMA's collection with prominent creative individuals who act as muses in the Bay Area community. To commemorate SFMOMA's partnership with the collection of Doris and Donald Fisher and spotlight the opening of Calder to Warhol: Introducing the Fisher Collection, the campaign has been updated with three new "muses" and artworks from the Fisher Collection.
The play on words in the advertisements illustrates the role the museum plays as a creative muse or source of inspiration, harkening back to the more ancient meaning of the word museum as "home of the muses." The handwritten "UM" line represents a creative pause and the subject's "musings" in response to the works of art.
The Muse Campaign was created by Sausalito ad agency Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners with photography by renowned rock portrait photographer Marina Chavez.
MUSES AND ARTWORKS
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Amy Sarabi and Eighteen Numbered Black by Alexander Calder
Amy Sarabi is a fashion designer from Plano, Texas, who works as a "permalancer" in the men's active department at Old Navy. At age seven, she had already started making garments at her aunt's tailor shop; she realized that she had the potential to design her own garments when she was 12. She holds a degree from California College of the Arts, and has had intensive training in women's wear, menswear, and illustration. Sarabi looks to nature to inspire her in her work. Most recently, Sarabi was featured on the seventh season of the reality TV series Project Runway, set in New York. Alexander Calder, Eighteen Numbered Black, 1953; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at SFMOMA; © Calder Foundation, New York/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; photo: Ian Reeves
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El Vez and Nine Multi-colored Marilyns by Andy Warhol
El Vez is the stage name of Robert Lopez, a Mexican American rock-and-roll artist who performs and records original material and covers classic rock songs. Mixing the styles of Elvis Presley and many other American rock artists with his own Latin American heritage and music, he is known for expressing revolutionary views through satire and humor in his songs. El Vez is known for his high-production-value, frenetic stage show, which features two backup performers (the Elvettes), numerous on- and off-stage costume changes, and between-song monologues mixing humor and political activism. Lopez's main persona and style is very similar to Presley, as his stage name suggests, but he is not strictly an Elvis impersonator; on his recordings and in his live show, he covers many non-Mexican artists, such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Paul Simon, Queen, and T. Rex. Also known as the "Thin Brown Duke," "The Chicano Elvis," or "The Mexican Elvis," he got his start in the Latino punk band The Zeros and played in Catholic Discipline with the folk singer Phranc. Andy Warhol, Nine Multicolored Marilyns [Reversal Series], 1976/1986; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at SFMOMA; © Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/ARS, New York; photo: Ian Reeves
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Henry Lewis and Seestück (Seascape) by Gerhard Richter
Henry Lewis is an American painter and tattooist. His mix-and-match taste in art, culture, and music — the latter influenced by his late father, jazz musician Juno Lewis — mirrors his experience as a bicultural kid, the fourth of 14 children growing up in Los Angeles. His creative lust is drawn from personal experience as well as those of peers and strangers alike; he is inspired by themes of strength, passion, love, and loss. His paintings are breathing collections of life experiences, culture clashes, and raw emotion elegantly draped in Baroque silk shadows. Lewis splits his time between Skull and Sword Tattoo and his art studio, both located in San Francisco's Mission District. Gerhard Richter, Seestück (Seascape), 1998; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at SFMOMA; © Gerhard Richter
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Zoë Keating and Untitled by Clyfford Still
Zoë Keating is a one-woman orchestra. She uses a cello and a foot-controlled laptop to create beautiful and otherworldly music. Born in Canada and classically trained from the age of 8, Keating spent her twenties dabbling in computer software while moonlighting as a cellist in rock bands. She combined the two and developed her signature style while improvising for late-night crowds at her San Francisco warehouse. Her self-produced album One Cello x 16: Natoma has been number one four times on the iTunes classical and electronica charts. From 2002 through 2006 she was a member of the cello-rock trio Rasputina, and she has played cello on the albums of countless artists, including Amanda Palmer, DJ Shadow, and Curt Smith of Tears for Fears. She is currently working on a new album and the score for a new ballet. Clyfford Still, Untitled, 1951-52; Collection SFMOMA, gift of the artist; © The Clyfford Still Estate
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Caitlin Williams Freeman and Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values) by René Magritte
Caitlin Williams Freeman is also featured in the most recent version of the Muse Campaign, showcasing works from the Fisher Collection; see above for her biography. René Magritte, Les valeurs personnelles (Personal Values), 1952; Collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of Phyllis Wattis; © 2010 C. Herscovici, London/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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Flora Grubb and Cityscape I by Richard Diebenkorn
San Francisco garden designer and nurserywoman Flora Grubb has converted gardeners, urban planners, and designers in California and worldwide to her cause of making lavishly beautiful landscapes that require minimal water and chemicals. Her artful Bayview District nursery, Flora Grubb Gardens, has become a gathering place for design-driven gardeners who are pursuing a wiser use of resources. Complemented by a shop with outdoor furniture and garden-related merchandise and books, Grubb's nursery hosts garden- and art-related events and invites visitors to linger at an in-house branch of Ritual Coffee Roasters. The nursery serves as a base for Grubb and her associates' work on private garden designs and public greening projects. Richard Diebenkorn, Cityscape I, 1963; Collection SFMOMA, purchase with funds from Trustees and friends in memory of Hector Escobosa, Brayton Wilbur, and J.D. Zellerbach; © Estate of Richard Diebenkorn
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Chris Cosentino and Self-Portrait by Andy Warhol
Chris Cosentino's passion for food took seed well before he ever donned chef's whites. He took his first executive chef position in 2002 at Incanto in San Francisco. His innovative interpretations of rustic Italian fare promptly earned the restaurant its first three-star review from the San Francisco Chronicle. Since then, Cosentino has gained national acclaim as a leading proponent of offal cookery. His approach stems from a belief that no part of an animal slaughtered for food should go to waste. Cosentino is committed to sustainable principles and humanely raised meats and is an avid researcher of ancient cooking techniques and culinary lore. Cosentino is co-creator of Boccalone, an artisanal salumeria. His passion for offal has led him to work on the definitive cookbook on the subject, aimed at providing essential instruction on the preparation of offal for both professional and home cooks. Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, 1967; Collection SFMOMA, gift of Harry W. and Mary Margaret Anderson; © 2010 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/ARS, New York
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Robert Mailer Anderson and My Mother Posing for Me by Larry Sultan
Robert Mailer Anderson is the author of the best-selling novel Boonville. A contributor to The Anderson Valley Advertiser since he was 15 years old, his prose has also appeared in Christopher Street, San Francisco magazine, the San Francisco Chronicle, Encore, and The San Francisco Examiner, among other publications. His short story “Briley Boy” was included in the anthology San Francisco Noir. Anderson penned the play The Death of Teddy Ballgame and cowrote and produced the film PIG HUNT. Born in San Francisco, where he currently resides with his wife and four children, he has been a board member of the San Francisco Opera Association for five years and is currently on the board of SFJAZZ. Larry Sultan, My Mother Posing for Me, from the series Pictures from Home, 1984; Collection SFMOMA, purchase through a gift of Rene di Rosa and Diane and Charles Frankel; © Larry Sultan
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Peaches Christ and Michael Jackson and Bubbles by Jeff Koons
Peaches Christ (the stage name for filmmaker Joshua Grannell) hosts the popular Midnight Mass movie event. This staged celebration of Christ's favorite cult movies is the longest-running and most successful midnight movie event in the United States after The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The elaborate preshow stage productions, guest stars, and drag spectacles continue to draw sell-out crowds in San Francisco and beyond. In 2007, San Francisco's de Young Museum presented A Decade of Peaches Christ, featuring costumes, wigs, and artwork inspired by the underground drag world she inhabits. Christ has received a Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco Mayor's Office and a commendation from the California State Assembly. Her first feature film and newest project, All About Evil, is coming out in 2010. Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988; Collection SFMOMA, purchase through the Marian and Bernard Messenger Fund and restricted funds; © Jeff Koons
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Vendela Vida and Untitled (Figures with black presence) by Chris Johanson
Vendela Vida is the author of the novels And Now You Can Go and Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name, both of which were New York Times Notable Books of the Year. She also cowrote the screenplay for Away We Go, which was directed by Sam Mendes. Vida is a recipient of the Kate Chopin Award and a founding coeditor of The Believer, a monthly arts and literary magazine based in San Francisco. Her new novel, The Lovers, will be published in 2010. Chris Johanson, Untitled (Figures with black presence), 2002; Collection SFMOMA, gift of Amy Adelson and Dean Valentine; © Chris Johanson
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Kenny Likitprakong and Two Ways to Organize by Leslie Shows
Instead of becoming a hobo, Kenny Likitprakong became a hobo winemaker. After a pursuing a career as a professional skateboarder, he decided that he would rather make wines for other skateboarders. After graduating from UC Davis and working at various California wineries, Likitprakong started The Hobo Wine Company and Banyan Wines in 2002, followed by Folk Machine in 2005. He believes in the possibility for wine to create community, to be history, to tell a story, and to transcend time and place. Likitprakong also seeks inspiration from art and commissions contemporary artists to design his wine labels. He lives in Forestville with his partner Lynn and their two children. Leslie Shows, Two Ways to Organize, 2006; Collection SFMOMA, James and Eileen Ludwig Fund purchase; © Leslie Shows
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Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP)
BSSP is a full-service marketing communications agency based in Sausalito. The agency provides services in advertising, online marketing and web development, brand identity and design, and strategic brand consulting. One of the largest independent agencies on the West Coast, BSSP is recognized for its ability to provide highly creative, fully accountable marketing solutions to a broad array of marketers, including RadioShack, MINI Cooper, Priceline, Chipotle, Columbia Sportswear, Greyhound, Mountain Hardwear, and Take Care Health Systems. BSSP was just named Best Small Agency of the Decade by Adweek Magazine.
