The “New’’ SFMOMA, just down the street from the Academy of Art University’s 180 New Montgomery building, is a world cultural center in the heart of San Francisco.
The newly transformed San Francisco Museum for Modern Art (SFMOMA) boasts a world class collection of art, offers a top-rated dining experience, and creates the perfect blend between art and technology, and the Academy of Art University is proud to call this iconic cultural center our neighbor.
The SFMOMA has three exciting initiatives and programs in place that are working to fill and expand the already extensive art collection. One such program helped obtain a new partnership with the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection. The founders of Gap Inc. began collecting art to display in their offices in 1969, which grew to an astounding collection of 1,100 pieces. These pieces, ranging from Agnes Martin to Andy Warhol, have added an enormous value to the museum’s existing collection and are on a rotating display.
As one of the first museums in the country to recognize photography as an art form, SFMOMA now proudly claims the largest showcase space for photography in the United States. The Pritzker Center for Photography tripled the museum’s space to showcase its photography archives.
Along with filled gaps in existing collections and new galleries, the SFMOMA also has a new Study Center and a Photography Interpretive Gallery that makes the third floor the place to go for all things photography.
The extensive transformation isn’t just limited to architecture and art collections, though. The SFMOMA launched a high-end interactive app with Bloomberg Connects that helps visitors of all ages experience the arts with the help of technology.
Before arriving, the voice on the app, who sounds like your comforting (and well informed) best friend prepares you for the visit by giving a run down of all of the museum’s possibilities. Immersive walks, exhibition highlights, current exhibitions, tickets and memberships are all available at your fingertips from the SFMOMA App to enhance your museum experience.
There’s even a built in way to share the experience with your friends. The SFMOMA app lets you sync audio with friends to allow for a perfectly timed walk through together. It also lets you take photos to share on your personal SFMOMA timeline all while counting your steps and the feet explored. Fitness through art? Why not!
The Museum offers multiple free indoor and outdoor public spaces for the public. The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Atrium, Helen and Charles Schwab Hall and the Roberts Family Gallery are all available free of charge. Sit, enjoy, mediate (on your art experience, of course). Plus, the public can view the outdoor spaces around the building as well as the largest living wall, with over 19,000 plants.
An amazing dining experiences awaits you after a tour through the 7 floors and 170,000 square feet of gallery space. Sightglass at SFMOMA offers a quick cup of energy; Café 5 provides a California styled menu for guests to dine inside or outside in the Sculpture Garden; In Situ, on the ground floor, creates an experience of its own with dishes from over 80 chefs presented by Chef Corey Lee, a Three Michelin Star chef. In Situ recently received a rave review from New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells. We know a (Michelin) star when we can taste one.
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The museum has two onsite stores for shopping. The Museum Store, on the ground floor, is open daily from 9:00am – 6:00pm. The store stocks everything from art books to jewelry, children’s games, and living and dining needs. The Satellite Store, on the second floor, is open daily 9:00am -5:00pm and sells all SFMOMA branded items. Purchasing something at the Museum’s stores is the best way to support your local museums.
For those on the go, aside from the two onsite stores, enthusiasts can buy on the go either online or at the SFO International departure level.
The SFMOMA is open for viewing 7 days a week.
- Everyday from 10:00am – 5:00pm
- Thursdays from 10:00am – 9:00pm.
Tickets can be purchased on the SFMOMA website or on the app. Adult tickets, age 25 and up, are $25 while Young Adult tickets, ages 19-24, are $19. There are six membership options ranging from the $100 individual membership with unlimited free admission for you and guest, discounts and preview parties to the $2,500 Curators’ Circle membership.
It’s hard to believe this world-class experience, located at 151 Third Street, is just a short four-minute walk from the Academy’s 180 New Montgomery building.
Welcome back, SFMOMA. We missed you, neighbor.
Text by Emily Higginbotham
