If you are, or anyone you know is, in San Francisco, check out this cool exhibition of baskets made in the Cordillera region at the San Francisco Airport (runs till Feb 4).
Why should you see it?
Because “since the late 1950s, baskets have become less common in the daily lives of the people of the Cordillera. Containers made from materials such as plastic or aluminum now serve the same purpose as traditional baskets. These replacements are affordable, easy to obtain, and often regarded as superior or more practical,” says the San Francisco Airport’s website.
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Coconuts Manila chats with curator Nicole Mullen:
Hi Nicole, first of all, cool idea to have a museum inside the airport. Our Terminal 1, aside from famously being the worst airport in the world, doesn’t even have CCTV!
SFO Museum has existed for quite some time. The program first began in 1980. We are the only museum within an airport that is credited by the American Alliance of Museums. We have exhibition galleries throughout the airport.
So what kind of art do you show?
Our exhibitions typically focus on history, popular culture, decorative, ethnographic, and folk arts. For instance, coinciding with the Philippines basketry exhibition is an exhibition of the history of plastics from the 1870s-1970s in the same terminal. In Terminal 2, we have an exhibition of historic maps of San Francisco, and in Terminal 3, we have an exhibition on Japanese Toys, from traditional folk toys to Godzilla and Speed Racer.
What spurred this exhibit featuring handcrafted baskets from the Cordillera region?
This exhibition is located in our International Terminal. It is based on the UCLA Fowler Museum’s previous exhibition and publication, Basketry of the Luzon Cordillera, Philippines. Their basketry collection seemed like a perfect fit for our gallery space and audience. SFO Museum was also excited to have the opportunity to display material from the Philippines due to the large population of Filipino-Americans in the Bay Area.
Has SFO Museum shown previous exhibits featuring works from the Philippines?
This is the first exhibition at the airport that has focused solely on basketry of the Philippines. We would certainly hope to feature more exhibitions related to the Philippines in the future if the opportunity presents itself.
What has the reaction to the exhibit been so far?
I think people have really enjoyed viewing the basketry for the phenomenal works of are that they truly are.
Photos from SFO Museum, for more images click here. Philippine Basketry of the Luzon Cordillera runs till Feb 4, 2014.
