What's on now at San Francisco museums, September 2026 - California News Beep

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The gallery scene

Ashley Voss updates a local gallery guide weekly. Check out the guide’s Instagram account.

City Art Biz and Meetings in August

Here’s your schedule

The Arts Commission meets online and in person on the first Monday of each month, but in September it will meet Friday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. Room 125, War Memorial Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Ave.

Visual Arts Committee, Sept. 16, 2 p.m. City Hall, Room 416 and streamed online via SFGovTV.

Civic Design Review Committee, Sept. 21, at 2 p.m. City Hall, Room 416 and streamed online. via SFGovTV.

Executive Committee Sept. 23, at 1 p.m. City Hall, Room 416 and streamed online via SFGovTV.

Film Commission, Sept. 28 at 2 p.m. City Hall Room 416, and streamed online via SFGovTV.

At the Museums

It’s a difficult time for many of the city’s museums and cultural centers. The Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts has suspended operations. City Hall promises action, but in the meantime, it’s a significant loss of children’s programming, exhibits, and events. You can donate here. SOMArts is also trying to fill a budget gap. You can donate here.

Legion of Honor Museum

Tuesdays to Sundays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

I’m hearing so many good word-of-mouth reviews on “”The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy,” that it sounds like a must.

Here are some of the artifacts – there is a collection of 150 items of sculpture and jewelry.

Fresco of reclining figures at a banquet, musicians, and two leopards on the ceiling, in an ancient tomb with patterned walls and ceiling. Etruscan, Tomb of the Leopards, ca. 480-450 B.C. Necropolis of Monterozzi. Photograph by Gleb Simonov, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Ancient gold ring with engraved scene of four human figures, a lion, and ritual objects, possibly from the Minoan civilization. Etruscan, Finger Ring with the Ambush of Achilles, 550‒500 B.C. Gold-plated silver and gold. Bezel: 2.1 × 1 cm (13/16 × 3/8 in.); Hoop, Greatest Extent: 2.5 cm (15/16 in.). The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 85.AM.271 Bronze vessel shaped like a human head, with detailed facial features and a rounded lid on top, set against a plain background. Musée du Louvre, Département des Antiquités grecques, étrusques et romaines, Br 2949 – https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010257977 – https://collections.louvre.fr/CGU

Don’t know much about the Etruscans? Here is a video:

“Miró, Proof against All” in the Logan Room, the museum owns two copies of the book – one bound and the other unbound – a creative collaboration between the Surrealists, Joan Miró and poet Paul Éluard.

You can view the Legion of Honor’s full list of exhibitions here.

The museum offers Free Saturdays to residents of the Bay Area’s nine counties.

de Young Museum

Tuesdays to Sundays, 9:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Saturdays are free for residents of the Bay Area’s nine counties.

“A Gallery of Their Own: Women Artists from the Carr and Goldblum Gift,” is open, focusing on works of paper by women artists.

Abstract composition featuring bold green shapes and blue brushstrokes with textured black details on a white background. Free Space, 1976, Screenprint, 19 1/2 × 26 1/16 in. (49.5 × 66.2 cm). Edition 9/175. Gift of Mary Ryan 96.45. Abstract painting with bold, black and white angular lines forming geometric shapes on a textured, grayish background. Jay DeFeo (American, 1929–1989) “Impressions of Africa No. 9,” 1989
Oil and alkyd paint with charcoal
14 x 11 in. (35.6 x 27.9 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Michael Carr and Peter Goldblum

“Treasures of the Pharaohs ” is open and Julie Zigoris writes, “The treasures on display are not only culturally and financially valuable, they are also visually stunning.”

Artist Rose B. Simpson’s show “LEXICON” will be on until Feb 7, 2027.

Noma Faingold writes in her review, “Coming from a long line of Native American ceramic artists of the Santa Clara Pueblo (Kha’po’oe Ówîngeh), based just south of Española, New Mexico, pottery is in Simpson’s DNA. While she still lives at the pueblo and has her studio close by, she has forged a different creative path, while examining the past, present and future.”

A rustic adobe-style house with multiple sections, a gravel driveway, and an old black car parked in front, surrounded by leafless trees and dry ground. Rose Simpson rebuild of a Buick Riviera, leaving her shop on the Santa Claran Pueblo, loading with Dylan Madri. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Simpson’s exhibit is all part of the opening of four galleries dedicated to Arts of Indigenous America, which draws on the permanent collections, new acquisitions and artists like Simpson.

The New York Times has an excellent piece by Carolina A. Miranda on the development of the Arts of Indigenous America galleries.

Asian Art Museum

“Kim Minwook: On Carving, Bending, and Binding Wood,” until March 29.

Four ceramic vessels of varying shapes and colors are displayed on a white shelf inside a glass case in a modern, well-lit museum or gallery setting. Installation view of Kim Minwook, On Carving, Bending and Binding Wood. © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2026. Photo by Kevin Candland A wooden bowl with a visible natural grain, featuring a repaired crack secured with metal staples or rivets. Installation view of Kim Minwook, On Carving, Bending and Binding Wood. © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2026. Photo by Kevin Candland Five wooden vessels of varying shapes and sizes are displayed on a white shelf behind glass in a well-lit gallery setting. Installation view of Kim Minwook, On Carving, Bending and Binding Wood. © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 2026. Photo by Kevin Candland

“FX Harsono: Writing in the Rain,” a video installation on memory, identity and art.

A video projection shows a person writing large calligraphy on glass; three wooden desks with small objects are arranged in front of the screen. Installation view of FX Harsono, Writing in the Rain. Photograph © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Two people stand facing a large screen displaying a person with black abstract symbols over their face, in a dimly lit room with two wooden desks. Installation view of FX Harsono, Writing in the Rain. Photograph © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Large screen displays a man in glasses behind three wooden desks and chairs in a dimly lit room with dark walls and wooden flooring. Installation view of FX Harsono, Writing in the Rain. Photograph © Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

“This Asian American Life” shows scenes from Chinatown from the POV of a child. It is part of a public-art series on Chinatown’s mothers, workers and tenants. The museum recently posted a video of a conversation with the artist, Kayan Cheung-Miaw.

A mural on a gray stone wall depicts various scenes including a woman kneeling, a driver, a hand holding a leaf, and birds flying, on a city sidewalk beside a tree. This Asian American Life, 2025, by Kayan Cheung-Miaw. Commissioned by the Asian Art Museum. Photo by David Armstrong.

“Echoes in the Small Mountain: Park Dae-sung and the West Coast” is open until July 26.

Dae-sung (b. 1945) is “credited with reinventing the techniques of traditional Korean ink painting,” according to the museum’s website. The paintings are based on California landscapes and are spectacular.

“Jitish Kallat: Covering Letter (Terranum Nuncius)” invites visitors to reflect on the things that unite humanity.

A dimly lit gallery room in museums, featuring illuminated display cases along both walls and a starburst light sculpture glowing at the far end. Image: Jitish Kallat,  Covering Letter (Terranum Nuncius) (2018–2021), detail and installation view. 116 stereoscopic parallax prints on Plexiglas, programmed LED panels, frames, wooden shelves and bench, 4 horn speakers, video projection. Image courtesy of the artist and Ishara Art Foundation. Photography by Ismail Noor / Seeing Things.

You will also see cutting-edge clay work from Japan in “New Japanese Clay.”

The museum has a series, “Takeout Tuesdays,” where you can meet online to talk about a piece of art with docents and others.

General admission is free on the first Sunday of every month and the special exhibitions are discounted. Here is more information for free and reduced-cost admission. The museum also hosts a robust list of events.

SFMOMA

Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m; Wednesdays, closed; Thursdays, noon to 8 p.m.

Giant Arc,” Jacob Hashimoto’s largest is up at SFMOMA on the first floor and the public can walk in and see it for free! It’s some 75,000 elements transformed into a cloud canopy that covers the Roberts Family Gallery floor ceiling.

Colorful, geometric collage art installation covers the ceiling, featuring paper discs, fabric squares, and various patterns suspended above gallery space. Large windows let in natural light. Giant Arc,” Jacob Hashimoto. at SFMOMA

“Graciela Iturbide: Between Two Worlds,” through Nov. 29. The exhibit of the Mexican photographers work includes photos from five decades of work.

A person wearing a dress with a floral pattern looks up, with several iguanas resting on their head like a headdress. Graciela Iturbide, La Nuestra Señora de las Iguanas, Juchitán, Oaxaca, México (Our Lady of the Iguanas, Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico), 1979; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, gift of the artist; © Graciela Iturbide A jacket hangs from a bare tree branch against the sky while a bird flies nearby; two metal rods protrude from the bottom of the frame. A person in a long skirt stands on rocky terrain holding a boom box, looking out over a vast desert landscape with hills in the distance. Graciela Iturbide, Mujer ángel, desierto de Sonora, México (Angel Woman, Sonora Desert, Mexico), 1979; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, purchase through a gift of Jane Reed and the Accessions Committee Fund © Graciela Iturbide A small, abandoned building covered in vines stands in a field, silhouetted against a cloudy sky with sparse trees nearby. Graciela Iturbide, Carretera 61, de Clarksdale, Mississippi, a Memphis, Tennessee, Estados Unidos (Highway 61, from Clarksdale, Mississippi, to Memphis, Tennessee, United States), 1997; Collection Fundación Mapfre; © Graciela Iturbide A goat with flowers on its head lies on the ground next to a person’s sandaled feet on a concrete surface. Graciela Iturbide, Baile del cabrito, La Mixteca, Oaxaca, México (The Goat’s Dance, La Mixteca, Oaxaca, Mexico), 1992; Collection Fundación Mapfre; © Graciela Iturbide

“Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal,” on until Sept. 13. It is based on a 1991 gift from Elise Haas. Julie Zigoris reviewed it for us, writing, “The painting’s debut in 1905 caused an immediate sensation for its fury of colors.”

As an accompaniment to Femme au chapeau, there will be a staged dramatic reading from Harriet Lane Levy’s Paris Portraits. on Thursday, Aug. 27th at 6 p.m. and again on Sunday, Aug. 30. Find out more here.

A colorful portrait of a woman in a large hat with abstract, bold brushstrokes, painted by Henri Matisse in the Fauvist style. Henri Matisse, Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat),1905; SFMOMA, Photo by Glen Cheriton for SFMOMA. A woman in a lavender dress lounges on a bed in a colorful, cluttered room with paintings, green bedding, a white dog, a brown animal, and a table with wine and food. Hilary Harkness,Answered Prayers, 2024; collection of KAWS; © Hilary Harkness; Photo courtesy of Hilary Harkness and P·P·O·W, New York Colorful abstract painting of boats docked at a harbor with vibrant red, blue, yellow, and green brushstrokes against a light water background. Fishing Boats, Collioure; André Derain; 1905;The Philip L. Goodwin Collection;© 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.

After looking at 140 nominations and having studio visits with 16 finalists, the three SECA award winners have been announced: CrossLypka, Em Kettner, and Chanell Stone. Congratulations! The three artists will have a show from Dec. 12, 2026, to May 30, 2027.

Here is a taste of their work.

A black and white photo shows the silhouette of a person posing amid tall grass, with the image partially obscured by a reflective or semi-transparent surface. Chanell Stone, The body is but a record and rendition of the land, 2023. A small, abstract wooden sculpture with green accents is mounted on a white wall above a concrete floor. CrossLypka, a kneeling, 2026. A small whimsical sculpture featuring two large wheel-like shapes and a smiling, snake-like figure with a white face, displayed on a round wooden base against a plain background. Em Kettner, The Wheelchair, 2024.

“Reimagined: The Fisher Collection at 10,” a rehanging and consideration of the collection, is open.

It’s a spectacular collection, and KQED has a good piece on the reinstallation. The New York Times has also published a piece on the Fishers’ relationship with the museum and the rehanging of the family’s collection, writing it is “unlike anything SFMOMA has done in its 90 years.”

It ranges over four floors.

Alexander Calder and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen: “Thinking Big.” (on Floor 3.)

“Ways of Seeing: Fourteen Artists” (on Floor 4)

“Calder, Kelly, LeWitt: Fundamentals of Form” (on Floor 5)

“Memory and Matter: Personal and Collective Histories” (on Floor 6)

Abstract mobile sculpture with a large blue curved shape, a yellow pointed shape, a red wire, and a cluster of small black geometric forms hanging below. On view at SFMOMA’s Reimagining the Fisher Collection: Alexander Calder, Fishy, 1962; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; © Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Katherine Du Tiel A textured painting shows a boat in the foreground with dark, furrowed fields stretching to the horizon under a somber, overcast sky. Anselm Kiefer,Unternehmen Seelöwe (Operation Sea Lion), 1983-84; The Doris andDonald Fisher Collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; © AnselmKiefer; Photo by Ian Reeves A geometric abstract painting with overlapping shapes in green, orange, purple, and brown, set against a bright blue background. Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing 477, 1986; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the SanFrancisco Museum of Modern Art; © The LeWitt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS),New York. Photo courtesy SFMOMA Abstract painting with circular and swirling shapes in grey, red, and pink tones, featuring glasses and a pocket watch on a red surface in the foreground. Philip Guston,As It Goes, 1978; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the SanFrancisco Museum of Modern Art; © The Estate of Philip Guston. Photo courtesySFMOMA Abstract pop art painting featuring a stylized face with a single eye, large red lips, and wavy yellow and black hair on a white background with blue-striped and yellow elements. Roy Lichtenstein,Nerts, 1978; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the SanFrancisco Museum of Modern Art; © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein. Photo courtesy SFMOMA Abstract sculpture with yellow zigzag forms, black and red cylindrical shapes, a blue triangle, and small black pegs on a white surface and background. Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Sculpture in the Form of a Match Cover, 1987; The Doris and Donald Fisher Collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; © Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. Photo by Katherine Du Tiel

“Rose B Simpson: Behold” is on view on SFMOMA’s fourth-floor terrace. It’s a bronze sculpture visible from multiple locations. And good news! It has been extended through Feb. 7, 2027.

Also new: “Samia Halaby: Kinetic paintings,” four new works in SFMOMA’s Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Atrium.

Abstract digital artwork featuring overlapping geometric shapes in pink, yellow, orange, and blue with striped patterns on a dark purple background—perfect for modern museums seeking bold visual statements. Samia Halaby, Fold 2, 1988 (still); San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Accessions Committee purchase, by exchange, through a gift of Michael D. Abrams; courtesy the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery Beirut/Hamburg; © Samia Halaby

“New Work: Sheila Hicks” on the fourth floor illustrates how Hicks turns fiber into sculpture.

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Wednesdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free on Wednesdays and second Sundays.

GaHee Park’s “Behind the Curtain,” is open and Charles Lewis III reviewed it for Mission Local, writing that what separates Park’s works from Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso “is a subversion of the male gaze.”

Through August 23, “Diedrick Brackens: gather tender night” and “Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements“

500 Capp St.

Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m.: Free self-guided tours. Saturday at 4 p.m.: A guided tour for $20.

“Collaborating with the Muses: Part 2” through Aug. 23. We wrote about Mildred Howard’s Part 1 show last year.

Andy Vogt: “The Ringing in My Eyes” and Amy Trachtenberg: “Abstract Objects of Devotion” will be open through Oct. 17.

Vogt and Trachtenberg have many pieces spread out over the house. Below is just a sampling, but if were in town, I would go. 500 Capp Street is special and these installations fit right in.

Narrow hallway with glossy yellow walls, angled brown beams crossing overhead, and a round light fixture near green doors at the end. Andy Vogt, Energies, 2026, salvaged wood balanced. Six long wooden poles lean upright against a yellow wall in a sunlit, rustic room with wooden floors and large windows. Andy Vogt, Still Ringing, 2026. A geometric wooden sculpture with uneven vertical slats stands on a concrete patio against a weathered wall, with potted plants in the background. A small room with yellow walls, a bed covered in black bedding, a window with daylight, a mirror, a sink, and a pair of shoes on the floor. A textured metallic artwork hangs on a worn orange wall in a sunlit room with wooden floors and an open window. Amy Trachtenberg, Say alabaster, say paradise, 2026 Curved metal pipes and black cables are mounted on a brown textured wall, with two reddish spheres suspended in the middle, next to a green paneled corner. Amy Trachtenberg, In the middle, somewhat elevated, 2026 An old metal bed frame leans against a cracked wall with vintage photos and papers displayed on a shelf, beneath a single hanging light. The floor is wooden and glossy. Amy Trachtenberg, Awash, 2026

Museum of Craft and Design (MCD)

Thursdays to Sundays, noon to 5 p.m.

The museum is getting ready for its next show, “Objects,” which opens on Sept. 5.

The Letterform Archive

Thursdays,1 to 8 p.m. and free to all; Fridays to Sundays: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Mondays to Wednesdays.

“Tone in Tongue,” in the library.

Here is a list of events and tours with curators.

“Piet Zwart: Brand Architect through Sept. 8.

There are many great examples of his work in this piece by Steven Heller, a former senior art director at The New York Times.

And here is more from the Letterform Archive when it reprinted “Inside NKF: Piet Zwart’s Avant-Garde Catalog for Standard Cables, 1927–1928.” It also publishes his seminal essay, “from old to new typography.”

The new, he writes, “rejects a predetermined formal structure, but builds up forms according to the function … the new typography incorporates active red as a functional element: as a signal, an eye-catcher.” Sounds like an interesting fellow.

See all events and programming here.

“Localization: 15 Years of LetterSeed” opened in mid-August. It explores Korean typography.

A display case, reminiscent of museums, features colorful posters, zines, and printed papers arranged on a wall and shelf, showcasing graphic designs and typography in various languages. A pop-up exhibition co-curated by Chris Hamamoto, Su Hyun Leem, and Jeewoon Jung

The Letterform Archive is a nonprofit arts center focused on graphic design.

Institute of Contemporary Art

The Institute is now nomadic with several exhibits that can be viewed at different public spaces:

Here are some views of the installations.

A city street with a glass office building on the corner, traffic lanes, crosswalks, trees, and several cars, surrounded by other tall buildings. Rupy C Tut, The Picnic Potluck (installation view). Photo by Nicholas Lea Bruno. Courtesy of ICA San Francisco. Several tall, spiral sculptures made of stacked glass or translucent material are displayed in a bright, modern gallery with large windows. 1-10) Stratagems (installation view), 2026. CDs, concrete, stainless steel. © Tara Donovan. Photo by Nicholas Lea Bruno, courtesy of ICA SF. Close-up of a large, twisted metallic sculpture with reflective surfaces that catch and scatter colored light. Geometric ceiling structure visible in the background. 1-10) Stratagems (installation view), 2026. CDs, concrete, stainless steel. © Tara Donovan. Photo by Nicholas Lea Bruno, courtesy of ICA SF. A paved open plaza with geometric stone tiles, surrounded by benches, plants, and tall trees beside a modern building. EARTHSEED DOME (installation view), January 2026. © Lily Kwong. Photo by Nicholas Lea Bruno, courtesy of ICA SF. A large, curved wooden sculpture with visible layers stands in an outdoor plaza, surrounded by trees and modern buildings. EARTHSEED DOME (Phase 2 installation view), April 2026. © Lily Kwong. Photo by Nicholas Lea Bruno, Courtesy of ICA SF Curved structure made of layered, overlapping tiles embedded with moss, set outdoors among tall trees, with sunlight filtering through the foliage. EARTHSEED DOME (Phase 2 installation view), April 2026. © Lily Kwong. Photo by Nicholas Lea Bruno, Courtesy of ICA SF A large building facade featuring a grid of colorful, abstract and mirrored nature-themed photographic panels above street level. 1. Jeffrey Gibson, rendering of THIS BURNING WORLD, 2026, vinyl facade of on the Mission Street side of the former Bloomingdale’s building at the San Francisco Centre. Courtesy of the artist. A dimly lit gallery features large digital screens on two walls, displaying images of fire, cityscape, and the moon, with wooden benches arranged in the center. Jeffrey Gibson
THIS BURNING WORLD, 2022
Multi-channel video, 20 min
Courtesy of the artist and ICA SF
Photo credit: Impart Photography A large wall displays a digital triptych: an image of a dome structure under a sky, a dark night sky with a moon, and a geometric pattern with orange lights. Jeffrey Gibson
THIS BURNING WORLD, 2022
Multi-channel video, 20 min
Courtesy of the artist and ICA SF
Photo credit: Impart Photography A large digital projection displays abstract and nature-themed images on a wall in a modern gallery with exposed ceiling beams and a rectangular recessed area in the floor. Jeffrey Gibson
THIS BURNING WORLD, 2022
Multi-channel video, 20 min
Courtesy of the artist and ICA SF
Photo credit: Impart Photography

The Tenderloin Museum

Open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A fire on June 27 has forced the Tenderloin Museum to close, the museum reported in an Instagram post. The fire originated “in the residential floors of The Cadillac Hotel, above our space..”

The museum has launched a fundraising drive and hopes to reopen in the fall.

Programing else where continues including “The Compton’s Cafeteria Riot” at the museum’s venue at 835 Larkin St. It runs every Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. You can get tickets here. Chris Carlsson writes about the 1966 riots and resistance on FoundSF, a great resource for history.

Check out other upcoming events here. Other walking tours are listed here.

SOMArts

Check the website for new shows.

Museum of the African Diaspora

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, noon to 8 p.m.

MoAD is temporarily closed from Aug. 17 to Sept. 29. It will reopen on Sept. 30 with these shows:

“Calling all Cats,” Dorien Reed, part of its Emerging Artist program

“After the Island,Ornament and Ceramic Practice in the Jamaican Diaspora” featuring PJ Anderson, Jacqueline Bishop, and Sharon Norwood.

“Dewey Crumpler: Sonic Lineages.”

California Academy of Sciences

Mondays to Saturdays, 9:30 a.m to 5 p.m; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m; Thursdays, NightLife (21+ with ID): 6 to 10 p.m. (Last entry is always one hour before closing time.)

There’s a lot going on here.

The newly renovated Wilson Family Nature Lab is open with lots of hands-on learning.

An adult and a child walk down a hallway in a science museum, passing animal exhibits and a sign that reads "Nature Lab. WelcomeWinterNight 2024. Courtesy of the California Academy of Science Large crocodile skull on display with two transparent panels, each showing a simple illustration of a person crouching or standing inside the open jaws. Nature Lab Opening. Courtesy of the California Academy of Arts A fossilized skeleton of a prehistoric reptile embedded in a light-colored rock slab, displayed against a white background. WelcomeWinterNight 2024. Courtesy of the California Academy of Science A child looking at a dinosaur skull. WelcomeWinterNight 2024. Courtesy of the California Academy of Science

“Big Picture” competition winners are on view.

Make sure to plan ahead and see the admission and ticketing page for more information. Also, see how you can get a free or reduced rate for your next visit.

GLBT Historical Society

Directory of Dreams, “traces the everyday labor of Bay Area lesbians who refused erasure and built community networks rooted in care, solidarity, and economic self-determination,” according to the museum’s website.

Counterculture Museum

Wednesdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

We have more museums in town. This one is at the corner of Haight and Ashbury streets with a whole lot of San Francisco history.

I could see a whole weekend, or a couple of weekdays, spent between the Counterculture Museum, the Beat Museum and the “Ferlingetti for San Francisco” show at the Legion of Honor. It would be like a graduate seminar on the late ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.

Beat Museum

Thursdays to Sundays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Beat Museum is at 540 Broadway, across the street from City Lights, the bookstore founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti.

“We are dedicated to carrying on the Beats’ legacy by exposing their work to new audiences, encouraging journeys — both interior and exterior — and being a resource on how one person’s perspective can have meaning to many,” according to a statement from the museum.

This sounds like a great place to visit.

San Francisco State University’s Fine Arts Gallery

The gallery is open Tuesdays to Fridays, noon to 4 p.m. It will be closed for most of the summer, reopening on Aug. 8 for “Life and the Inevitable.” The show on life, death and grief will feature six artists. It is curated by Keone Nakakura, a graduate student in museum studies, and will run through Oct. 15.

San Francisco State University’s Global Museum

It’s a teaching lab and open to the public during the school year — Oct. through May. 11 a.m. to. 4 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays, and by appointment. Location: Fine Arts Building, Room 203

Now on: “Craft or Commodity?” and “Please Touch!” “Both exhibits focus on themes of responsible stewardship of cultural heritage, decolonizing museum work, and expanding accessible museum experiences,” writes Marley Townsend, a graduate student in Museum Studies.

The Walt Disney Family Museum

Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“Happiest Place on Earth: The Disneyland Story” is open. The museum described it as a “treasure trove of Disney history” that “will take “guests behind the scenes of one of the most groundbreaking endeavors of the 20th century — the creation and opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California.”

The museum is showing rare objects featured in the book “Walt Disney Treasures: Personal Art and Artifacts from The Walt Disney Family Museum.” The objects will change every two months.

Visit the museum’s website for more information on admission costs and reduced ticketing options. The special exhibits are free with a suggested $5 admission fee.

Exploratorium

Closed Mondays. Sundays, 10 a.m. to noon (members/donors only); noon to 5 p.m. for everyone. Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, 6 to 10 p.m. for 18+.

Experience After Dark at Pier 15. Every Thursday evening, immerse yourself in more than 700 interactive exhibits. For people 18 and older. The museum advertises a carefree environment with new themes each night. Here is information for reduced admission.

The Chinese Historical Society of America

“We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family.”

What’s on now at San Francisco museums, September 2026

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