inside/outside

I hadn't been to the Museum of Craft and Folk Art since it moved from Fort Mason to its shiny new digs in SOMA, despite having walked past the storefront innumerable times on my way to Japanese cream puff bliss at Beard Papa.  But their current show Inside/Outside: Artist Environments sounded awesome, especially Hideous Sunday's description of the Mike Shine surf shack that is the literal centerpiece of the exhibition, so I scheduled a visit for last Sunday afternoon.  Shine has recreated a full-scale replica of his hand-crafted Bolinas shack with its references to everything from Scandinavian mythology to A Clockwork Orange to hobo art smack dab in the middle of the gallery space, and museum visitors are welcome to interact with it as they see fit.  Flip through a shelf full of records or select an 8-track for the stereo (I went with Queen).  Curl up with a book in front of the faux fire or use the art supplies on hand to add your personal touch to the sketchbook on the kitchen table.  The exhibition covers a number of other California artists whose very homes or yards became exuberant expressions of their craft, with photographs on the walls allowing a virtual tour of many sites all over the state including Sam Rodia's Watts Towers and the amazing Bottle Village in Simi Valley.  Many of the environments have fallen into disrepair or have been dismantled completely, so I appreciated the glimpse of some of these obsessively-assembled environments I might never have seen otherwise.  The pictures can only show so much, however, and don't be surprised if you find yourself suddenly inspired to plot out a folk art road trip across America.