BAFA was the first survey of its kind in the region that looked at the intersection of art, craft, and design. Included curating, exhibit development, catalog, exhibit design, and production. Became an annual event for several years subsequently curated by staff from CCA and SFMOMA. Review here.
“Bay Area Furniture Art 2003,” Mortati and Waldo’s curatorial debut, runs through Sunday. “This is a lens through which you can view the whole show,” says Mortati, pointing to a seamless plywood “Tube Stool” by Chris Luomanen in the gallery window. Passers-by stop and peer through its hollow form into the gallery as if it were a peephole in a solid fence. But this deceptively simple, beautifully crafted ring becomes impenetrable when viewed from another point of view. Similarly, “we wanted people to get the ideas behind the show when they walked in through the door. We did not want these ideas to be out of reach,” says Mortati. – Sitting on the edge / Art furniture show in the Mission gives the mind new places to rest, Zahid Sardar, Chronicle Design Editor