Artwork by Barry McGee, 2023, for Creativity Explored

Old Friends/New Friends: Reading of Adobe Books Genealogy by Amanda Eicher & Andrew McKinley

Creativity Explored

Old Friends/New Friends takes inspiration from Creativity Explored’s generous four-decade history in the Mission district in San Francisco. Over the course of the summer 2023, Creativity Explored artists, in workshops along with guest artists, including several original participants of the fabled Mission School, have created work about their community, friends and neighborhood.

Instead of creating a traditional family tree from roots up (the patriarchal arboreal structure) or a linear history, Old Friends/New Friends is rhizomatic, like a lattice upon which creativity continues to grow. It has no beginning or end; it is always in the middle, between things, interbeing, intermezzo. This non-hierarchical, multiple, spread-out, all-proliferating, boundaryless art project includes a giant ceramic charm friendship bracelet made with visiting artist Reniel del Rosario, a string of painted paper lanterns made with guest artist Chelsea Wong, a hand drawn network of artists and friends made with Amanda Eicher, Dolores Park plein-air paintings made with visiting artist Ruby Neri, a 3-D visual rhizomatic sculpture built with Chris Johanson and Johanna Jackson, and a painted exhibition logo by Barry McGee.

Guest artists include Amanda Eicher, Johanna Jackson, Chris Johanson, Barry McGee, Ruby Neri, Reniel del Rosario, and Chelsea Wong.

Curated by Natasha Boas with Josefin Lundahl.