Holiday Gift Guide 2020: Making Artful Presents at Home

The most meaningful gifts are often hand-made ones. Infused with personal touches and reflective of time spent thinking about the recipient, these types of presents easily burrow into our hearts and memories.

If you want to make an artful gift but are tapped out of creative ideas — an understandable predicament, especially in 2020 — this guide might help. We’ve compiled project spaces and tutorials that encourage adaptation and personalization, along with our favorite picks for DIY-gifts.

Don’t worry if you’re not an adept craftsperson or artist; there’s something to accommodate every skill level below. And, when in doubt, remember the old adage: it’s the thought that counts.

Open Studio:
Open Studio offer participants the opportunity to create thoughtful artworks, guided with instructions from professional contemporary artists. Browse the full roster of SFMOMA’s projects here. We recommend starting with Mark Bradford’s tutorial on creating art from song lyrics, which can be adapted to include your recipient’s favorite song and positive memories or words you associate with them.

SFMOMA’s Education Department Art Projects:
Best suited for young learners, these art projects draw inspiration from famous works of art, like Georgia O’Keeffe’s Lake George or Frida Kahlo’s Frieda and Diego Rivera. Select projects have video instructions, and most require just a few materials, like construction paper and glue. Pro-Tip: By borrowing skills from Max Lamb’s chair-assembly guide, you could build a wooden picture frame to add an elegant touch to the finished product.

Project Space by Open Space:
Open Space, SFMOMA’s commissioning platform and blog, has a handful of project guides available for free download. You’ll find original creations from artists like Jeffrey Cheung, Charlie Leese, DROUGHT SPA, among others. Sadie Barnette’s “How to Vol. 3” lends itself especially well to gift creation; following her flexible and adaptable framework, you’ll end up with an irreverent “manual” fit for a friend.

Plus:
– Artist-Designed Chairs: Option 1 by Max Lamb and Option 2 by Joris Laarman
– Photo Weavings + Other Projects from the San Jose Museum of Art