Learn It, Make It, Show It: Review of "The Possible" at the BAM/PFA

If a person desired to step away from their normal routine in life, what would be the end result? If that person decided to venture into something unknown to them with the hopes of attaining something new in life, what would that thing be? It isn't so much about asking what is possible, but asking is it possible. Can we bring ourselves to try new things and risk disrupting the comfort of our known lives? That is the very thing being explored through art in the new exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA). Last week, I got to witness some of the creative discoveries being made from January 29 to May 25 at the BAM/PFA in "The Possible".

A look at the BAM/PFA as "The Possible" 

attracts a great number of participants.

Thanks to a generous donation by former professor and Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann, UC Berkeley founded the BAM/PFA museum in 1963. The current building located on the south side of the university campus was designed by San Francisco architect Mario Ciampi with Richard L. Jorasch and Ronald E. Wagner, and opened on November 7, 1970. The modern building's floor plan utilizes a noteworthy design for guiding the viewer through the museum. Exhibitions are sectioned off on a multi-level floor plan that escalates and circulates around a large lower area where most of the workshops for The Possible are held. As visitors make their way from one section to the next, they receive a view of whole building, as well as the exhibits up ahead. Overall the layout is a good fit for individuals wanting to avoid a maze-like museum going experience.

Shot of participants splitting into groups 

for the Ceramic and Dye Lab Workshops.

It is an exciting time for the BAM/PFA, as they host an experimental exhibition two years in the making titled "The Possible". Unlike other exhibits where visitors simply come to look at the art, "The Possible" requires its visitors to make the art. Curated by David Wilson, it is set up with different workshops for visitors and invited artists to partake in the creation of art that is slowly filling up the display area of the exhibit, effectively turning the museum into a classroom and showcase. In this way, "The Possible" engages individuals to be more than just visitors: they become the artists that cultivate the exhibit. 

Domestic Integrities Part A06

by Caroline Walters, Francesca Ferreira-Caruana, Valentina Castro, 

Rumi Koshino, Natalie Palms, Natalie So, and others.

crochet rug

Visitors gather around the rug that serves as the 

symbol and centerpiece of the exhibit.

Though I did not join in on the workshops myself, I did get the opportunity to witness a group of individuals as they prepared to cement themselves as featured artists in the exhibit. The group started off by gathering around the piece titled Domestic Integrities Part A06, a massive rug that is itself growing along with the exhibition through the addition of donated clothes and textiles. After introducing the exhibitions main goals, the people leading the group invited the participants to partake in the many workshops for a day of artistic exploration. The lower level of the museum was just buzzing with activity, as people joined in on the activities that included a Ceramic Studio, Dye Lab, and Print Shop. Aside from the visual arts, the day also featured a Library workshop for exploring literature. And thought it seemed to be closed that day, "The Possible" also has its own Recording Studio for experimenting with sound and video creations. All this of course was happening indoors on a single day. According to the schedule on the BAM/PFA website, the nearly four month exhibit has or will featuring workshops in dance, music, kite making, and many others until its final day, when the exhibition will be overflowing with art of all types.

Some of the larger textile works hanging over the workshops.

Recording Studio

presented by Jamie Dutcher The Zoo Labs

Bringing new media art practice to the public. 

Library

Furniture design by Anzfer Farms (Joseph Ferriso and Jonathan Anzalone)

A nice inclusion of literature with the visual arts; contained 

many interested books and documents by artists like Fluxus musician Joe Jones.

If the current display is any indication of what is to come, the final day will be an amazing sight to behold. Located on one of the upper levels, the display is packed with an auspicious collections of works by the BAM/PFA's visitors. Everything from drawings, posters, ceramic jugs, quilts, masks, letter art, scale models, dolls, wooden sculptures, prints, and other things can be viewed here. Knowing that everything shown was created right there in the museum workshops makes this display even more special. It is like a record of all the people who have participated in the workshops and left their individual signatures in the form of an artwork.

Display

Structure design/facilitation by Alexander Kori Girard

Structure fabrication by the BAM/PFA Prep Crew

mixed media

The end result of "The Possible".

Visiting artists and participants leave their work here to 

commemorate their experience at "The Possible".

"The Possible" is best defined as the answer to anyone who ever wondered if they could one day be as great as Picasso, Matisse, or any other household name. Rather than showing its visitors the end result of art, the BAM/PFA is doing something innovative and more productive by showing them the process instead. Like the old proverb about teaching a man to fish, "The Possible" instructs its visitors in creating their own art and then takes it a step further by placing them on display. The ultimate lesson here is that it is possible to create amazing things, and it is possible to one day have others appreciate those things. It all comes down to getting oneself involved in the arts and making it all happen. With only a month left to go, I highly recommend visiting Berkeley and attending a workshop in "The Possible" for anyone yearning to learn something new, make something that is truly their own, and display that thing for all to see.

Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
2626 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA.
Now featuring "The Possible"
Jan. 29 to May 25, 2014.
Wednesday through Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM (open selected Fridays until 9 PM).