Mookie Margolis, Untitled, 2019-2020, (48' x 48') oils on canvas with handmade kiln dried pine stretcher in freshman year at SFAI just before Covid lockdown and SFAI closure.

Mookie Margolis, Untitled (18' by 24') oils on canvas with handmade kiln dried pine stretcher in freshman year at SFAI just before Covid lockdown and SFAI closure.

Hi, I’m Mookie Margolis, a queer artist born and raised in San Francisco. For me, making art is how I turn emptiness into joy and connection.

My Beginnings at SFAI

In 2018, my portfolio—backed by world-renowned artist Barry McGee—helped me earn the top Merit Scholarship at my dream school, the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI).

When SFAI tragically closed and the COVID lockdown began, I turned to crochet, creating fifty-three playful balaclavas. These grew into a collaborative photo project with other queer artists at SFAI New Genres Studio during the school’s brief reopening in 2021, before its permanent closure.

Balaclava by Mookie. Modeled by Ivy.

Balaclavas by Mookie. Photos taken by Nicky S. Garcia at SFAI New Genres Studio. Modeled by Nina, Ivy, Leif, X, Devin and Venus

Balaclava by Mookie. Modeled by Nina.

Transferring to CCA

After SFAI closed, I transferred to the California College of the Arts (CCA) with the support of internationally recognized artist Brett Reichman, who wrote a recommendation on my behalf. At CCA, I was honored to receive the Faculty Honors Merit Scholarship.

Here, my work has evolved into sculptural “worlds” combining weaving and painting—explorations of vulnerability and protection, always with a wink of humor and camp.

Mookie Margolis, Evolution of Iris I, 2023, 2024, (62.5 x 55')

acrylic paint on crocheted discarded yarns

Mookie Margolis, Doggy Baggage I, 2024, (5' x 2.5' x 2')

Mercerised cotton, reactive dyes, handspun and

crocheted Romney wool, acid dyes, plastic beads

In 2025, I studied weaving and textiles with acclaimed artists Diedrick Brackens and Josh Faught, while continuing my weaving and painting practice.

Mookie Margolis, Woven Brick Samples, 2025, (11.5 x 5.5' x 26')

Torn cotton and silk fabrics, merino wool, handspun Romney wool, faux mohair, reactive dyes and acid dyes

Mookie Margolis, Evolution of Iris 11, 2025, (45' X 52'), cotton, mohair, handspun wool, silk noil, rayon, madder root, reactive and acid dyes

Detail of Evolution of Iris II

Now in my senior year, I’m developing an immersive thesis project inspired by the absurdity of Pee Wee’s Playhouse—playful, strange, and whimsical. Thanks to my dad’s lifelong savings, scholarships, and student loans, I’ve made it this far. But to complete my project and graduate in May 2026, I need to raise $20,000.

Any contribution you can make would mean the world to me, and I’ll be deeply grateful for your support.

Love,

Mookie

Balaclava by Mookie, Modeled by Ivy.

Balaclavas by Mookie Margolis. Photos taken by Nicky S. Garcia at SFAI New Genres Studio. Modeled by Nina, Ivy, Leif, X, Devin and Venus

Balaclava by Mookie. Modeled by Venus

Balaclavas by Mookie. Photo by Mookie. Modeled by Devin and June

Balaclavas by Mookie. Photo by Nicky. Modeled by Devin and X.

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