SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.- The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art announced a series of initiatives developed to increase access to its art installations and provide its community with new amenities. Since December 17, 2022 through May 29, 2023, coinciding with the presentation of the 2022 SECA Art Award Exhibition dedicated to Bay Area artists, SFMOMA is offering free admission for all to the museum’s Floor 2 galleries. This provides audiences with the opportunity to engage with the work of the five 2022 SECA Art Award winners—Binta Ayofemi, Maria Guzmán Capron, Cathy Lu, Marcel Pardo Ariza and Gregory Rick—as well as with a wide selection of major works from the museum’s collection on view throughout Floor 2, including works by acclaimed artists Ruth Asawa, David Huffman, Henri Matisse, Ana Mendieta, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Wayne Thiebaud and Mickalene Thomas. With this decision, the museum recognizes some of the ongoing challenges wrought by the pandemic and encourages the public to experience its over 62,000 square feet of free-to-see space installed with inspiring works by both local and international artists.

This winter, SFMOMA unveiled artist Wu Tsang’s immersive video and sound installation Of Whales (2022) in the museum’s Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Atrium, another space that is free to the public. Acquired by the museum this fall and currently included in the 59th Venice Biennale, the installation is part of Tsang’s multidisciplinary project inspired by Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Imagined from the perspective of the whale and incorporating psychedelic extended reality (XR-generated) oceanscapes, Of Whales interweaves a surreal exploration of Melville’s world with a postcolonial and environmental reading of the novel.




Also starting this winter, new art-driven presentations are visible on the exterior of the museum. Bay Area–based illustrator Jocelyn Tsaih has been invited to re-imagine the visual experience of SFMOMA’s Third Street and Howard Street entrances, enlivening the museum’s doorways with vibrant, whimsical imagery. The Howard Street corridor (between Howard and Natoma Streets) was installed with large-scale works infused with inspirational messages created by the late, beloved, San Francisco artist Susan O’Malley. Additionally, Oakland-based risograph printing and publishing house, Floss Editions (run by Meg Fransee and Aaron Gonzalez), installed playful new graphics at Steps Coffee on the museum’s Floor 2.

Lastly, SFMOMA celebrated the public opening of a new ground floor restaurant this winter, offering visitors a lively communal environment, brasserie menu and newly created bar. The new restaurant includes indoor and outdoor seating to establish connections with both the neighborhood and the activities inside the museum. To mark the debut of Of Whales, SFMOMA developed a specialty cocktail with Tsang that is available at the restaurant bar.

“The interwoven initiatives launching this winter are guided by our desire to enhance the sense of welcome and hospitality at the museum,” said Christopher Bedford, Helen and Charles Schwab Director of SFMOMA. “As we all continue to emerge from the pandemic and subsequent recovery, SFMOMA is committed to fostering community connection and engagement within our walls and in our neighborhood. By increasing access to extraordinary works of art, by bringing art experiences out onto the street and by providing amenities like casual dining, we are working to reinvigorate our neighborhood and make the museum an active and inviting hub for the community. These principles will continue to drive our work into the future.”