Get multiple free admissions at the Yerba Buena Arts and Culture Free 4 All, Nov. 10
October 17, 2007
On November 10, the Yerba Buena neighborhood in the heart of San Francisco’s SOMA district comes alive as 12 museums and cultural societies throw open their doors and cover up their cash registers for the first-ever Yerba Buena Arts and Culture Free 4 All.
A culture buff’s urban dream, the Free 4 All invites city crawlers to explore some of San Francisco’s most popular arts and cultural institutions — all within three blocks of each other — absolutely free. Whether your interest is contemporary art, California history, or comic books, there’s bound to be something for you during this unique event.
Participating organizations:
California Academy of Sciences
Devoted to exploring, explaining, and preserving the natural world, the academy is the home of the Steinhart Aquarium, the oldest, still-operating grand municipal aquarium in America. Watch the penguin feeding at 11 a.m. or 3:30 p.m., learn about Rockin’ Reptiles at 1 p.m., or meet an academy biologist at 2 p.m. calacademy.org
California Historical Society
Established in 1871, CHS collects, preserves, publishes, and exhibits materials on the history of California and the American West. See Past Tents, a humorous and affectionate retrospective on early camping in the West, featuring historic photographs, tales of family outings and car camping, and a presentation of gear used by campers in the 19th and 20th centuries. californiahistoricalsociety.org
Cartoon Art Museum
The Cartoon Art Museum is the only museum in the western United States dedicated to the preservation and exhibition of cartoon art in all its forms. Enjoy the lighter side of art in Edward Gorey’s Dracula, an exhibition chronicling the 1978 Tony Award–winning Broadway production, and The Art and Flair of Mary Blair, an exhibition featuring the artwork of famed Disney story and concept artist Mary Blair. cartoonart.org
Contemporary Jewish Museum
Exploring the Jewish spirit and imagination, the museum is slated for a grand reopening in the spring of 2008. Free cell-phone tours of the new museum’s construction site on Mission Street between 3rd and 4th Streets will be offered during the Free 4 All. Learn about the building from the people who are making it happen, including architect Daniel Libeskind. thecjm.org
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society of Northern California
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Historical Society (GLBTHS) collects, preserves, and interprets the history of GLBT people and the communities that support them. Learn about GLBT history in Out Ranks: GLBT Military Service from WWII to the Iraq War, the nation’s first major exhibition about GLBT lives in the military, and Women Breaking Barriers: Women’s Music from 1964 through 1984, an exhibition showcasing women’s music album covers, concert posters, and photos. glbthistory.org
Museum of the African Diaspora
MoAD is a collector of stories–a repository of information to be shared with all who wish to know about the African Diaspora. Feast your eyes on Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, a fascinating look at the food of 30 families in 24 countries. moadsf.org
The Museum of Craft and Folk Art
As the only folk art museum in Northern California, the museum is known for a rich offering of focused and unique exhibitions of traditional and contemporary folk art and craft from around the world, demonstrating how folk art, contemporary craft, and fine art are all part of the same continuum. Investigate innovative contemporary craft in "C" Change: Craft in our Future, featuring the work of recent alumni from California College of the Arts. mocfa.org
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
The first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art, the San Francisco Museum of Art opened in 1935 to "explore compelling expressions of visual culture." Immerse yourself in four stimulating exhibitions: Jeff Wall, Joseph Cornell: Navigating the Imagination, Take your time: Olafur Eliasson, and Your tempo: Olafur Eliasson. sfmoma.org
SF Camerawork
Founded in 1974, San Francisco Camerawork is a gallery and organization that encourages emerging and mid-career artists to explore new directions in photography and related media by fostering creative forms of expression that push existing boundaries. Experience There is always a machine between us, an interactive and evolving exhibit by artists from around the world who use the Internet as a source and inspiration. sfcamerawork.org
The Society of California Pioneers
Established in 1850, The Society of California Pioneers is a lively year-round venue for the study and enjoyment of California art, history, and culture. Examine the daily lives of Gold Rush miners in Good Prospects: Life in the California Gold Fields and learn about the early history of baseball in the Bay Area in From Empire State to Golden Gate: Alexander Cartwright and the Pacific Coast League. californiapioneers.org
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
YBCA presents contemporary art from the Bay Area and around the world that reflects the profound issues and ideas of our time, expands the boundaries of artistic practice, and celebrates the diversity of human experience and expression. Witness the unexpected, the invisible, and the hidden in Dark Matters: Artists See the Impossible and explore the fuzzy line between technology and nature in the "grown" artworks on view in BioTechnique. ybca.org
Zeum
The only Bay Area museum where individuals of all ages, backgrounds, communities, and learning styles combine hands-on use of animation, digital technology, electronic media, traditional and non-traditional materials, and the power of their imaginations to create high-quality stories, movies, performances, music, art, and more. Enjoy the fifth annual Lights of the Philippines, a youth art exhibition displaying hand-crafted holiday lanterns, and join a Zeum arts educator for a special fall workshop exploring the magic of colors through paint and stencil. zeum.org