Kickstart your 2024 with these visual arts events in San Francisco
“Guernica in Sand” by Lee Mingwei, 2006-present. The exhibition “Lee Mingwei: Rituals of Care” opens at the de Young Museum in February. Photo from johnmacdougallafp/Instagram
Holiday buzz may be over and you’ve done your long list of New Year resolutions, but if you don’t feel like having any downtime after the busiest days of the year, these visual arts events in the Bay Area are a creative kickstart for 2024.
San Francisco Art Week officially starts in January featuring Bay Area artists and get this: Filipina American and conceptual artist Stephanie Syjuco is part of the talented ensemble participating in the event.
Not just an event, but also an art feast, we’ve curated a guide to visual arts events in San Francisco this 2024.
San Francisco visual arts events
Legion of Honor
- Centennial celebration: November 11, 2024 – Further details to be announced at www.famsf.org
Celebrating 100 years of art bliss, Legion of Honor aims to snag 100 artworks in celebration of their 100 years.
De Young Museum
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- “Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style”: January 20 – August 11, 2024
- “Lee Mingwei: Rituals of Care”: February 17-July 7, 2024
- Fee: $15-$30
If you have a penchant for interactive art and fashion, De Young Museum is bringing virtual dressing rooms perfect for their theme, “Fashioning San Francisco: A Century of Style.” Get up close with the designs of McQueen, Dior and Rodarte to name a few.
San Francisco Art Week & Fog Design + Art
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- San Francisco Art Week: January 13-21, 2024
- Fog Design + Art and Fog Focus: January 18, 20, 21
- Fee: $30 for advance reservation and $35 at the door entrance
January starts with a bang for the people around the city as San Francisco Art Week officially struts into the scene. With centralized schedules featuring art institutions from all across the region, Fog Design + Art fair is back with a new program highlighting rising galleries and artists — the Fog Focus.
San Jose Museum of Art
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- “Christina Fernandez: Multiple Exposures”: June 7 – September 22, 2024
- Fee: $8-$10
These visual arts events don’t just display art on canvas, San Jose Museum of Art is here to showcase the brilliance of photography.
Highlighting Christina Fernandez, the artist focusing on migration, the magic of photography and labor, it’s not just an exhibit but also a storytelling visual.
Asian Art Museum
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- “Into View: New Voices, New Stories”: January 19 through the fall
- “Phoenix Kingdoms: The Last Splendor of China’s Bronze Age”: April 19-July 22, 2024
- $20 fee
Spotlighting its contemporary acquisitions exhibit “Into View: New Voices, New Stories,” Bay Area gems Barry McGee, Filipino American Stephanie Syjuco, Cathy Lu, Ruby C. Tut, Michael Bang and Jenifer K Wofford take centerstage.
Meanwhile, the “Phoenix of Kingdoms: The Last Splendor of China’s Bronze Age,” will let you into the ancient world as artifacts from two mysterious kingdoms back in China’s Bronze Age will be present.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
- “Zanele Muholi: Eye Me”: January 18-August 11, 2024
- “Creative Growth: The House That Art Built”: April 6-October 6, 2024
- Kara Walker in the Roberts Family Gallery: July 4, 2024 – free of charge
SFMOMA is heading the art scene with “Eye Me,” a major West Coast exhibition by South African activist Zanele Muholi. Immerse yourself in black queer art making diversity the real centerpiece of this visual arts event.
You may also like: Fil-Am artist Pacita Abad’s retrospective at SF MoMA comes with free admission and workshops
Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco
- “Look Me in the Eyes: Hayv Kahraman”: January 16-April 21, 2024
- “Cost of Living: Saif Azzuz”: January 16-April 21, 2024
This exhibit features Iraqi-born Havy Kahraman. His solo show takes a deep dive into the experiences of refugees as he battles against erasure.
In addition, Bay Area artist Saif Azzuz’s “Cost of Living” will display her creations made of materials in connection with refurbishing — semiprivate mesh, construction fencing and barbed wire highlighting the new realities of shelter systems in the Bay Area.
Berkeley Art Museum Pacific Film Archive
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- “A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration”: April 13-September 22, 2024
- Fee: $10-$14
“A Movement in Every Direction: Legacies of the Great Migration” is not just an art show but a journey through the ongoing repercussions of Black Americans shining the spotlight on talents like Carrie Mae Weems and Mark Bradford.
Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis
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- “Shiva Ahmadi: Strands of Resilience”: January 28-May 6, 2024
- Fee: Free of charge
Delve into the world where female power reigns as “Shiva Ahmadi: Strands of Resilience” challenges traditional norms.
Cantor Arts Center
- “Day Jobs”: March 6-July 21, 2024
Now home to over 100 Asian American masterpieces, Cantor Arts Center is starting the year with “Day Jobs.” It’s an exploration of how work impacts the sustenance of visual arts.
While 2024 is a new year to start with positive vibes, it is also a year to immerse yourself and awaken the artist (or even the art critic) in you by visiting these visual arts events in San Francisco.
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