Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Step into the vibrant West Oakland studio of artist Miguel Arzabe. A former engineer turned painter, Arzabe reflects on his journey into the arts, and the evolution of his one-of-a-kind weaving practice.
See Arzabe’s work for yourself! Book tickets here: https://famsf.art/about-place
“About Place: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift” on view at the de Young with a general admission ticket until July 5th, 2026.
Subscribe to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: youtube.com/@FAMSF?sub_confirmation=1
About “In the studio”
“In the studio” is a new video series from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco that offers an intimate look into the creative practices of artists across the Bay Area. Through studio visits and candid interviews, discover the unique materials, methods, and personal stories behind the artists’ work—and how their creative paths have been shaped by the Bay Area’s dynamic cultural landscape.
About Miguel Arzabe
Miguel Arzabe is a contemporary Bay Area weaver, painter, and video artist with a new spin on age-old Bolivian textiles. Arzabe’s bold innovative process spans several mediums and explores painting through destruction and reconstruction. It begins with sourcing outdated paper ephemera from art shows and referencing modernist paintings and discarded audio recordings. He paints an abstract image on a traditional canvas and cuts it down into numerous acrylic strips on the canvas. The strips and his collected fragments are woven to create sophisticated tapestry-like surfaces inspired by the vibrant fiber arts of his Andean heritage. Handmade textiles used for everyday objects like coca bags, tablecloths, skirts, or simply wall art, have long been the most impressive part of Bolivian craft, employing the pallay method of a wooden frame, sticks or animal bones as tools and massive amounts of woolen strings.
Arzabe is among the young local visionaries featured in the Svane Family Foundation collection at FAMSF and his work is on view in “About Place: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift.” These works, drawn from the 2022 Svane Family Foundation gift of 42 works by more than 30 local artists, delve into themes of belonging, ecological stewardship, and social justice.
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While famous for his paintings of American confections, Wayne Thiebaud’s passionate engagement with art history remains largely overlooked. In FAMSF’s newest documentary, produced in support of the exhibition Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes From Art, discover the lesser-known influences, references, and reinterpretations that shaped his distinctive style.
The fearless art practice of Leilah Babirye
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Step inside Leilah Babirye’s studio, and see how she fearlessly transforms wood, ceramic, and found materials into ambitious sculptures that reflect her LGBTQ+ community. Born in Kampala, Uganda, and based in Brooklyn, New York, contemporary artist Leilah Babirye is known for her highly expressive, ambiguously gendered sculptures. Featuring interviews with the artist and Curator of African Art Natasha Becker, this short documentary explores Leilah Babirye’s artistic process, connections to art from west and central Africa, and new work for Leilah Babirye: We Have a History.
How Lee Mingwei's art is mending the social fabric
youtu.be/ast8Vf20KhY
Inspired by personal and world events, Lee Mingwei’s art aims to bring people together in difficult times, promoting healing through connection. This short documentary traces the artist’s journey from his formative years in Taipei to his artistic beginnings in the Bay Area to becoming the globally renowned contemporary artist he is today. Featuring interviews with the artist, his close friend and M+ Museum Director Suhanya Raffel, and exhibition curator Claudia Schmuckli, the film invites viewers into Lee Mingwei’s life and work to answer the question, “How can art mend the social fabric?”
Step into the vibrant West Oakland studio of artist Miguel Arzabe. A former engineer turned painter, Arzabe reflects on his journey into the arts, and the evolution of his one-of-a-kind weaving practice.
See Arzabe’s work for yourself! Book tickets here: https://famsf.art/about-place
“About Place: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift” on view at the de Young with a general admission ticket until July 5th, 2026.
Subscribe to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: youtube.com/@FAMSF?sub_confirmation=1
About “In the studio”
“In the studio” is a new video series from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco that offers an intimate look into the creative practices of artists across the Bay Area. Through studio visits and candid interviews, discover the unique materials, methods, and personal stories behind the artists’ work—and how their creative paths have been shaped by the Bay Area’s dynamic cultural landscape.
About Miguel Arzabe
Miguel Arzabe is a contemporary Bay Area weaver, painter, and video artist with a new spin on age-old Bolivian textiles. Arzabe’s bold innovative process spans several mediums and explores painting through destruction and reconstruction. It begins with sourcing outdated paper ephemera from art shows and referencing modernist paintings and discarded audio recordings. He paints an abstract image on a traditional canvas and cuts it down into numerous acrylic strips on the canvas. The strips and his collected fragments are woven to create sophisticated tapestry-like surfaces inspired by the vibrant fiber arts of his Andean heritage. Handmade textiles used for everyday objects like coca bags, tablecloths, skirts, or simply wall art, have long been the most impressive part of Bolivian craft, employing the pallay method of a wooden frame, sticks or animal bones as tools and massive amounts of woolen strings.
Arzabe is among the young local visionaries featured in the Svane Family Foundation collection at FAMSF and his work is on view in “About Place: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift.” These works, drawn from the 2022 Svane Family Foundation gift of 42 works by more than 30 local artists, delve into themes of belonging, ecological stewardship, and social justice.
Watch More:
How Wayne Thiebaud stole from art history
youtu.be/p1enM09AuT8
While famous for his paintings of American confections, Wayne Thiebaud’s passionate engagement with art history remains largely overlooked. In FAMSF’s newest documentary, produced in support of the exhibition Wayne Thiebaud: Art Comes From Art, discover the lesser-known influences, references, and reinterpretations that shaped his distinctive style.
The fearless art practice of Leilah Babirye
youtu.be/GmtWRMAmxY4
Step inside Leilah Babirye’s studio, and see how she fearlessly transforms wood, ceramic, and found materials into ambitious sculptures that reflect her LGBTQ+ community. Born in Kampala, Uganda, and based in Brooklyn, New York, contemporary artist Leilah Babirye is known for her highly expressive, ambiguously gendered sculptures. Featuring interviews with the artist and Curator of African Art Natasha Becker, this short documentary explores Leilah Babirye’s artistic process, connections to art from west and central Africa, and new work for Leilah Babirye: We Have a History.
How Lee Mingwei's art is mending the social fabric
youtu.be/ast8Vf20KhY
Inspired by personal and world events, Lee Mingwei’s art aims to bring people together in difficult times, promoting healing through connection. This short documentary traces the artist’s journey from his formative years in Taipei to his artistic beginnings in the Bay Area to becoming the globally renowned contemporary artist he is today. Featuring interviews with the artist, his close friend and M+ Museum Director Suhanya Raffel, and exhibition curator Claudia Schmuckli, the film invites viewers into Lee Mingwei’s life and work to answer the question, “How can art mend the social fabric?”
