The Things We Use to Make the Things We Must

NOW ON VIEW The Things We Use to Make the Things We MustMay 30, 2026

Floor 2, Koret Education Center (The public can access this installation for free in the Koret Education Center on Floor 2)

The Things We Use to Make the Things We Must is an installation by Leah Rosenberg that reflects on the impulse — or imperative — of artists to reimagine the everyday as the extraordinary. The installation borrows inspiration and objects from SFMOMA’s Artist Materials Collection, an archive compiled by the Conservation Department to document and preserve artists’ processes. A color legend referencing common materials, such as pencils, tape, and tennis balls, explodes across the walls, while a display of materials peels back the multifold meaning behind each color. Rosenberg invites visitors into her process with a glimpse of materials and colors she uses in her studio. The Things We Use to Make the Things We Must encourages immersion in the mind and process of an artist and explores the many ways the familiar can be reformed into something new.