Craft & Design museum turns 5

By JD Rinne
October 3, 2012
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Courtesy Rex Rystedt/SFMC+D

San Francisco is home to plenty of fantastic museums—SFMOMA and the deYoung immediately spring to mind. But next time you're in town, consider the San Francisco Museum of Craft & Design, located at 550 Sutter Street, less than two blocks from Union Square.

The museum, which just celebrated its 5th-birthday, focuses on commercial art and design. Past exhibitions have featured 12 local graphic designers, a retrospective of wine labels, a collection of toys designed by artists, and the latest modern pieces from West Coast furniture designers.

SFMC+D caught my eye because of its current exhibition, Michael Peterson's Evolution/Revolution. Peterson is a Pacific Northwest artist who uses wood to make beautiful, unexpected sculptures and objects. He emulates natural elements and their effect on wood; for example, he sometimes uses bleach to react with the surface of the wood, just like sun would "bleach" it over time.

SFMC+D is open every day but Monday, and admission is a suggested donation of $3 for adults; kids 18 and under are free.

Read the Seattle Times review of the exhibition.

Check out all 26 of our hotel reviews in San Francisco, or fantastic reader photos in my Budget Travel.

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