San Francisco - Alison Bing [74]
Comics fans need no introduction to the permanent collection here – think John Romita’s amazing Spiderman cover drawings, or Edward Gorey’s sketches for Gashlycrumb Tinies, starting with ‘A is for Amy who fell down the stairs/B is for Basil assaulted by bears…’
Founded on a grant from Bay Area cartoon legend Charles M Schultz of Peanuts fame, this bold museum isn’t afraid of the dark, racy or political, including R Crumb drawings from the ‘70s and a show not so long ago featuring painfully funny cartoon satires of the US from Middle Eastern newspapers. Lectures and openings are rare opportunities to mingle with comic legends, Pixar studio heads and obsessively knowledgeable collectors.
SF CAMERAWORK Map
415-512-2020; www.sfcamerawork.org; 2nd fl, 657 Mission St; suggested donation adult/student & senior $5/2, 1st Tue of month free; noon-5pm Tue-Sat; 6, 7, 14, 21, 31, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Montgomery St
Since 1974 this nonprofit organization has explored the experimental world of photo-based imagery beyond vintage black and white, including rotating exhibits such as Binh Danh’s ethereal portraits developed directly on leaves, Lars Laumann’s conspiracy-theory video collage of Morrissey from the Smiths apparently predicting Princess Diana’s death, and Matthew Geiger’s composite photos capturing commuter tide patterns in subways.
MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA Map
415-358-7200; www.moadsf.org; 685 Mission St; adult/child under 12yr/student & senior $10/free/5, Tue admission free; 11am-6pm Wed-Sat; 6, 7, 14, 21, 31, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Montgomery St
A three-faced divinity by Ethiopian icon painter Qes Adamu Tesfaw, a stereotype in silhouette by American Kara Walker, a regal couple by British sensation Chris Ofili: this museum has assembled a standout international cast of characters to tell the epic story of diaspora. Memorable recent shows include selections from the Bamako photography biennial and ‘Africa.Dot.Com,’ a show of digital technology in traditional African arts.
MUSEUM OF CRAFT AND FOLK ART Map
415-227-4888; www.mocfa.org; 51 Yerba Buena Lane; adult/under 18yr/senior $5/free/4; 11am-6pm Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, to 5pm Sat & Sun; 6, 7, 14, 21, 31, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Montgomery St
Vicarious hand cramps are to be expected from a trip to this museum, where amazing handiwork comes with fascinating backstories. Recent shows explored historic handmade ukuleles, four generations of African American quilt makers, and parallel lines in Scandinavian and Californian modernist furniture. It also leads craft workshops.
YERBA BUENA GARDENS Map
415-541-0312, 415-820-3550; www.yerbabuenagardens.com; 3rd & Mission Sts; admission free; sunrise-10pm; 6, 7, 14, 21, 31, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Montgomery St
A spot of green in the swath of concrete South of Market. With Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and SFMOMA on one side and the Metreon on the other, this is a prime spot for sun and downtime in between art and a movie. Free noontime concerts in summer feature world music, hip-hop and jazz. The show-stopping centerpiece is Houston Cornwell and Joseph De Pace’s sleek Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Fountain, a wall of water that runs over the Reverend’s immortal words: ‘…until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’
A pedestrian bridge over Howard St links the popular esplanade to its tagalong kid sister, an often overlooked playground and entertainment complex that includes the worthwhile Zeum (opposite), a small bowling alley and ice rink, and a carousel.
CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM Map
415-344-8800; www.thecjm.org; 736 Mission St; adult/under 18yr/senior & student $10/free/8, after 5pm Thu $5; 11am-5pm Fri-Tue, 1-8pm Thu; 6, 7, 14, 21, 31, 71, F, J, K, L, M, N; & Montgomery St
That upended brushed-steel box balancing improbably on one corner isn’t a sculpture but a gallery for the Contemporary Jewish Museum, a major new San Francisco landmark that opened in 2008 but had been around since 1984. Before Daniel Libeskind signed on to design New York’s much-debated