A World of Art in San Francisco: Museums, Murals & Community

Program Registration: 3:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 5:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will learn from the Group Leader and a series of local experts who will give lectures and lead field trips. Program-related travel and transfers will be via private motorcoach unless noted otherwise. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We have set aside some free time in the schedule for your personal independent exploration. The Group Leader will often be available during free time to accompany informal outings, activities, or meals that have been excluded from the program cost. You are welcome to join if you like, with any associated costs on your own.

At the hotel.

We will be joined at the hotel by an art historian for an expert-led class on the de Young Fine Arts Museum. The original de Young was constructed in Golden Gate Park for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. In the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, it suffered significant damage, and the newly constructed de Young was unveiled in 2005. Following our lecture, continue getting to know your fellow participants, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

At the hotel.

We will be joined at the hotel by a local expert for a lecture on the Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum. The Legion was a gift of Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, a Francophile. This structure is a replica of the Palais de la Legion d’Honneur in Paris. The building, completed in 1924, is dedicated to the memory of 3,600 California men who died in French battlefields during WWI. Among its treasure is a robust Rodin collection, substantial European paintings, and the Skinner Organ with its 4,500 pipes. Donors include Archer M. Huntington, Samuel H. Kress, M.H. De Young, and the Spreckels family. Following our lecture, we will board our motorcoach and travel to the Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum for a self-directed visit of the exhibits that interest us most.

We will have lunch at the museum cafe.

We will reboard our motorcoach and travel to the de Young museum for a docent-led visit of the permanent collection followed by some free time for self-led exploration. We will then return to the hotel via motorcoach.

At a local restaurant.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will be joined at the hotel by our expert instructor for a lecture on the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Learn about the founders, collectors, curators, and artists behind SFMOMA. From modern art patron and pioneer Grace McCann Morley, SFMOMA’s founding director, to the movers and shakers who have reinvigorated the museum for the 21st century, we’ll study the personalities and philosophies that have created this landmark West Coast institution. Next, we will depart on foot and walk to SFMOMA for a self-directed visit to the museum. Take this time to view the exhibits and collections that interest you most.

At the museum.

After lunch, we will board our motorcoach and travel to the Asian American Art Museum for a docent-led visit of the museum’s permanent collection. When private collector Avery Brundage left his Asian art treasures to the de Young Museum in the 1960s, he helped launch a half-century-long cultural rapprochement between San Francisco and Asia. The de Young of that day expanded to accommodate the collection. When the 1989 earthquake made that building obsolete, city voters passed a bond measure to convert the Civic Center’s Beaux Arts library into a museum for Asian art and culture. “Asia is not one place,” says its vision statement. “The ideas and ideals that we call Asian are countless and diverse.” Highlights include a Bronze Age ritual vessel in the shape of a rhinoceros, a Korean Buddhist painting recently created within the museum, and a comprehensive collection of jade carvings. Following our visit, we will return to the hotel via motorcoach.

At the hotel.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will be joined at the hotel by a local expert for a lecture on African American art and the Museum of the African Diaspora. One of only a few of its kind in the nation, MoAD focuses exclusively on presenting art that is representative of the people and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora. The museum features contemporary and emerging artists through a variety of rotating exhibits. Following our lecture, we will walk on foot to the Museum of the African Diaspora for a docent-led field trip to view the current exhibits.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

Free time. Take this opportunity for personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.

On your own.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will be joined by a local expert for a lecture on Chicano culture and art. We will learn about the rich history of Latin American culture and its impact on San Francisco, as well as the social and political experiences that are influencing the art being made today. Following our lecture, we will board our motorcoach and travel to the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Established in 1977, MCCLA is committed to increase access to the arts as a vital component of community development. The cultural center aims to present “present the best representative sample of contemporary and ancient artistic traditions of Latin America and to develop in the community a high degree of sensitivity and understanding of Latin American culture.” During our field trip, a docent will lead us through the center’s current exhibit.

On your own.

Following lunch, we will be joined by a local expert for a walking field trip through San Francisco’s Mission District. This area first became an outdoor canvas for local artists expressing outrage over social justice issues in the mid-1980s. Artists have continued the tradition focusing on themes that cover current political and social issues. As we walk through this area, we will see hundreds of murals on fences, doors, and building walls. We will end our walking field trip and reboard our motorcoach to return to the hotel.

At a local restaurant.

At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel.

In our last class, we will be joined by a local expert for a discussion on public art and the role art plays in our culture, society and lives. Following our lecture, we’ll wrap up our program by reviewing the experiences we've had during our visits this week with our experts and group leader. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!