Posts Tagged ‘museum’

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Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass Returns, and the King Tut Show Closes March 28th

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs is heading out on March 28, 2010, so now’s your last chance.

And Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Zahi Hawass is coming back to town to give a talk on March 8th. Deets below.

Dr. Zahi Hawass giving Mayor Gavin Newsom a tour last year:

Click to expand.

FINAL WEEKS OF KING TUT AT THE DE YOUNG
Extended hours, Hawass lecture part of final weeks through March 28.

SAN FRANCISCO—Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs enters its final weeks at the de Young Museum before heading to its next presentation in New York City in April.  The exhibition closes on Sunday, March 28.  The de Young will offer extended viewing hours and a special lecture by noted Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass during the last few weeks.

Extended Viewing Hours
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs will offer extended hours on the following days:
•    Saturday, March 20, 9 am–9 pm, last ticket at 7:30 pm
•    Saturday, March 27, 9 am–9 pm, last ticket at 7:30 pm
•    Sunday, March 28, 9 am–9 pm, last ticket at 7:30 pm
On those days, the Museum Café will remain open until 7 pm.  The de Young’s permanent collection will close at the regular time of 5:15 pm and the Museum Tower will close at 5:30 pm.  Exhibition tickets are available through www.ticketmaster.com.

March 8 Lecture by Dr. Zahi Hawass
Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, Egyptologist and raconteur will deliver a lecture, Mysteries of Tutankhamun Revealed, at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House on Monday, March 8 at 7:30 pm.  Tickets are $15 (general admission) and available through www.ticketmaster.com.  Dr. Hawass’ lecture will share information discovered through the two-year examination of the DNA and CT scans of Tutankhamun and 11 other royal mummies in the collection of the Cairo Museum.  Among the findings are the details of Tut’s health conditions (cleft palate, clubfoot, malaria, bone disease), his family lineage, paternity of two fetal mummies found in his tomb, and the reassessment of stylistic depictions of Tut in sculpture and artifacts found in his tomb.

Organization
The exhibition is organized by National Geographic, Arts and Exhibitions International, and AEG Exhibitions, with cooperation from the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. Northern Trust is the proud cultural partner, and American Airlines is the official airline of the exhibition. The San Francisco presentation is sponsored by Athena Troxel Blackburn, Mrs. Thomas C. Crowley, Sr., Rajnikant and Helen Desai and Beringer Vineyards.

Visiting the de Young
The de Young, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and located in Golden Gate Park, is the fourth most visited fine art museum in the United States.  It showcases American art from the 17th through the 21st centuries, international textile arts and costumes, and art from the Americas, the Pacific, and Africa.

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Target Free Tut Weekend a Huge Success at our de Young Museum

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Check out just a part of the throngs clamoring to see Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at our de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park this Free Target Weekend.

See? The line started at the front, then headed towards the Japanese Tea Garden and then on off to JFK Jr. Drive and points unknown.

Now people, you didn’t expect that the mummy would be traveling around the world, did you? That thing’s not leaving Egypt ever – it never has and it never will. And the iconic funeary mask and Selket – you could see those things back in 1979 but not anymore. And actually, Egypt’s on a museum-building kick these days, so when this traveling show’s over, it’s over - the stuff on this tour won’t ever be coming back to America.

This exhibit packs up on on March 28th, 2010. See you there!

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Our California Academy of Sciences Says Recession, What Recession

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Not literally or anything, but it appeared to be packed this past weekend. And I asked them, I says, “Is this a free day or something?” And they’re all like, no, it’s just a regular old three-day weekend, just business as usual.

Now, I’ve heard all the complaints. Let’s deal with them, below.

Become a member or get your tickets online ahead of time, and then you avoid this line around the building.

Click to expand.

“The CalAcademy is too small.”

All right, I’ll tell you I was never in there at the old building – I understand it had cool stuff that you miss. But some people, especially the NIMBY neighbors in the nearby Inner Sunset area, think the new building is too big, too popular. The Academy couldn’t continue with the old building due to earthquake concerns – what was considered a safe enough building before in the last century is no longer considered safe enough now. Sorry. Damn you, San Andreas Fault, damn you.

 “The CalAcademy is too crowded.”

So they must be doing something right, right? What you’re saying, in a way, is that the CalAcademy is too cheap.

 “The CalAcademy is too crowded with kids.”

Yep, especially when those school buses roll up. Oh well. The Academy has a mission of public education, does it not? That’s for the benefit of California’s kids. Does that directly benefit you today right now? Maybe not. Sorry.

 “The CalAcademy is too expensive.”

Well, this ties in with the first complaint. How can it too expensive if it’s packed all the time? You know how much the Monterey Bay Aquarium is these days? $30. If you live in San Francisco, you’re entitled to something close to 20 days of free admission per year plus a free NightLife entry on your birfday (assuming the stars align and they’re having a NightLife around the time of your birthday.)

“Them free days, they’re even more crowded.”

Well, yeah. Get there early, why don’t you? (Or get there late in the day, when there’s less of a line (tho your chances of getting into the Planetarium and/or rainforest dome will be lower). The Bernard Osher Foundation Third Wednesday of the Month Free program is open to all, so of course it gets crowded those days. But the zip-code based free days are less crowded, so San Franciscans, including you born-and-raised-San Franciscans, you old goats, get six of those not-so-crowded days a year.

“The food’s too expensive.”

Check out the nearby Inner Sunset area for food if you want. It’s walkable. Get yourselves a perfectly cromulent  fat burrito at Gordo’s at 1239 9th Avenue near Lincoln. Get it to-go and have an outdoor picnic.

“The rainforest was closed when I was there.”

Yep, sometimes. Life’s like that. They don’t keep this kind of info a big secret, however.

“There’s no place to park.”

Maybe - that’s by design, in a way. Actually, you’re lucky to have that itty bitty sometimes overloaded underground parking garage whether you use it or not, so count your blessings. Whatever you do, don’t drive into Golden Gate Park, big mistake on busier days. Think Fulton, think Lincoln, think about spending ten minutes walking through the park to get the CalAcademy. That’s not a bug, that’s a feature. And on Sundays, all parking is free in the surrounding Inner Sunset and Inner Richmond areas – it’s totally wide open. Might not be as easy to park as you’re used to, but you can deal. And there’s plenty of bike parking since they added in a bunch of new spaces.

Here’s the thing – you gotta work the system, baby. Plan ahead, try to figure out when the place has fewer patrons, check the schedule,  make a beeline to the Planetarium to get your free show passes as soon as you get in, monitor the rainforest line to see when it’s shorter.

So, if you’re unhappy customer, you gotta think:

1. Maybe your expectations were too high because you didn’t plan ahead (which isn’t the CalAcademy’s fault), or;

2. Maybe the CalAcademy wasn’t for you (which isn’t the CalAcademy’s fault)

And all you NIMBY neighbors, please realize that the CalAcademy was here even before you.

Let’s thank Gaia we’re not saddled with some big hulking wreck that nobody wants to go to.

See you there!

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It’s Shanghai! New Show at the Asian Art Museum Opens Today and Runs to September 5

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Well there was a huge turnout of 100+ souls attending the Asian Art Museum’s recent preview of Shanghai - the whole shebang opens today and runs through September 5th, 2010.

Part of the scrum in Samsung Hall the other day – wouldn’t you just love to get married in this Beaux Art chapel? Rentals available.

Now this isn’t any kind of lost treasures kind of exhibit, but it shows the progression of art in Shanghai over the years. This is from the first room:

Asian Art Museum

I’ll make a point to get in there and look at everything closely.

By the way, the massive paperback catalog /collector’s item they’re selling in the bookstore is amazing – it’s pretty cheap considering it weighs four pounds plus. (And Amazon is selling the hardback for $32.34 delivered.) It would seem to be a good way to get to know a bit about the most populous city in the most populous country in the world.

Or this, this video is a start.

See you there!

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OMG – See the King Tut Show for FREE at the de Young on February 20-21!

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

It doesn’t get any more mega than this – mark your calendar now for the third weekend in February so that you’ll be sure to see Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs for free courtesy of Target. (Believe it or not, San Francisco County yearns for its very own Tar-ghey – such a store would be packed 24-7, srsly. But anyway…)

There are some rules, of course:

“Tickets will be available on site only, with a limit of four tickets per adult for that day. All tickets are first-come, first-served and timed and dated.”  

On the other hand:

“The permanent collections of the de Young will be free to the public all weekend and free programming will include children’s art making, fortune tellers, tarot card readers, belly and sword dancers and a dj spinning in Wilsey Court, as well as a festival of mummy movies screened from noon to 5 pm in the Koret Auditorium.”

Join the commotion involving the Boy King:

Here’s some king bling – the cobra adjusts your attitude and, after you stop squirming, the vulture finishes you off. This is the view I had at the de Young – it’s behind some glass but you can get super close to it:

Click to expand. Respect.

Look at all the fuss they went to so that you and yours can come to town, park for free (probably, it’s really easy to park for free if you’re willing to walk a little to get to the museum – if you’re stuck in traffic or constantly circling, you’re doing it wrong) and see the show for free.

Lots of painstaking work involved:

Check out all the gritty nitty of this special upcoming weekend after the jump.

See you there!

(more…)

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Cal Academy Goes Coffee Crazy – Tomorrow’s NightLife to Feature Ritual, Four Barrel and Blue Bottle

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

The people behind the popular NightLife program at our California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park know that you kids (21 and over) just love your coffee. So tomorrow’s NightLife will be heavily caffeinated:

THE GREAT SAN FRANCISCO COFFEE TASTING

“Coffee should be black as Hell, strong as death, and sweet as love” – Turkish Proverb

This week’s piping-hot party features a coffee (and tea) tasting with an opportunity to learn more about the science of coffee and how it can be harvested and produced sustainably. Some of the Bay Area”s finest local producers, including Blue Bottle, Ritual Roasters, Equator Coffee, Barefoot Coffee, Om Shan Tea, Samovar and Four Barrel Coffee are participating.

NightLife @ The California Academy of Science w/ Coffee tasting and music by Future Universal 

time: Thursday, January 21st, 6pm – 10pm
location: California Academy of Sciences
admission: Tickets are $12 ($10 for Academy members)

You’ll get so hepped up that you’ll just want to dance, dance, dance the night away in the atrium

All the deets. See you there!

FUTURE UNIVERSAL DJs

This week is Future Universal’s much anticipated return to NightLife. They are a collective of seasoned electronica DJs, artists, and promoters based in San Francisco. Focusing on exposing local talent to the world, it acts not only as an event production company, but also a talent agency. Working with local venues and groups, FU’s produced events include Super Ego, Bump, Robotronika and more.

Future Universal DJs on the Main Floor:
Sarah Delush
KidHack
Mario Muse
Matt Haegan

Future Universal DJs in the Aquarium:
Kirin Rider
PETE

Age 21 and over, with valid ID. Tickets are available online or at the door. General $12, Members $10.

Upcoming Installments:

1/28: Music by Aaron Pope and Expedition Medicine with Dr. Matt Lewin

2/4: Music from OM Records’ J-Boogie and Fred Everything and the Insect Discovery Lab

Become a fan of NightLife. Share your comments and experiences and get the latest updates.
Check out our Facebook page

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Artistic T-Shirts Now Available at the 75-Year-Old San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Our corporate overlords at the Gap have teamed up with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to celebrate SFMOMA’s 75th anniversary with artistic T-shirts. Admission is free at the SoMA MoMA for this weekend’s festivities, so you’ll be assured of having plenty of mad money jingling in your pockets: 

“Gap and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art are collaborating to introduce a unique line of eight, limited edition artist-designed T-shirts as part of the museum’s 75th anniversary.

Starting Saturday, January 16, the T-shirts [$24.50] will be available in 13 Bay Area Gap stores [see complete list below], the SFMOMA MuseumStore and online at www.sfmoma.org/museumstore.

The T-shirts are designed by nine well-known artists with Bay Area connections, including Rosana Castrillo Díaz, Simon Evans, Chris Johanson, Kerry James Marshall, Barry McGee, Ed Ruscha, Leslie Shows, and Larry Sultan and Mike Mandel. See “About the Artists” below for more information on individual artists.”

This could be you:

All the deets, after the jump

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First Annual Golden Gate Park Volunteer Fair is Coming February 10, 2010

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Here’s what you should do – turn off the Ricki Lake and volunteer at Golden Gate Park.

Representatives from the California Academy of Sciences, the de Young Museum, the Conservatory of Flowers, the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and the San Francisco Parks Trust will all be on hand to recruit you this coming Feb. 10:  

Become a Volunteer at the Golden Gate Park Volunteer Fair!

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 – 10 AM to 2 PM

Location: Conservatory of Flower’s Orchid Gallery, 100 John F. Kennedy Drive, SF, CA 94118

Representatives of the California Academy of Sciences, de Young Museum, Conservatory of Flowers, San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, San Francisco Parks Trust and affiliated community groups will be on hand at the Conservatory of Flowers to provide information about volunteer opportunities in Golden Gate Park. The fair is a one stop shop for an exciting and meaningful way to meet new people, pursue lifelong passions, educate the public and lend a helping hand in one of the Bay Area’s most beautiful parks! For more information, please contact, Erika Frank at 415-637-4326 or efrank@sfcof.org.

Volunteering at the Conservatory of Flowers is a great way to learn more about tropical plants, meet people with similar interests and share your knowledge and enthusiasm for plants with visitors. We invite you to become a greeter, docent, horticultural volunteer or a children’s Jungle Guide.

Volunteer opportunities

Greeters welcome visitors, check tickets and answer general questions.*
Gift Shop volunteers sell souvenirs to visitors in our Gift Shop in the Special Exhibits Gallery.
Docents provide visitors with information about the plant collections, the Conservatory, and provide guided tours.
Horticultural volunteers work directly with our plant collections and Nursery Specialists.*
Children’s Jungle Guides lead 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade classes on scheduled tours through the Conservatory.
Young Ambassadors are volunteers from high schools and colleges who staff the “Young Explorers Adventure Carts” for children.
Volunteer requirements

The Conservatory is looking for volunteers who can commit to working at least twice a month, or approximately 6 hours a month.

All volunteers are required to have an interview with the Director of Volunteer Services- Erika Frank, complete an application, and go through our Training Program (depending on the position). We provide our volunteers with the training they need for their position, along with ongoing educational and social programs that promote a positive volunteer experience.

We appreciate our volunteers and invite you to join our dedicated and fun group.

Interested volunteers should contact Erika Frank, Director of Volunteer Services, at (415) 637-4326 or efrank@sfcof.org.

* Full training program not required for this position

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NightLife at the Academy of Sciences – Thursdays Starting at 6:00PM, Free on Your Birthday!

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

The popular NightLife program at our California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park is back for 2010, starting tonight at 6:00 PM. 

This is what it looks like.

What’s new for 2010?  

-Special V.I.P. tickets for $59 each.

-Free entry on the Thursday night closest to your birthday! (This special deal starts up February 4, 2010)

All the deets are below.

You can mingle with people on the dance floor…

Click to expand

…or with the animals in the rainforest dome:

via Alumroot

Or go downstairs with your drink and attract a predator or two:

See you there!

WEEKLY “NIGHTLIFE” EVENTS AT THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES RE-LAUNCH FOR 2010 ON JANUARY 14
Every Thursday, visitors ages 21+ can experience the museum at night
Exciting new programming, VIP Tours, and resident DJs are part of 2010 lineup
 
NightLife, the California Academy of Sciences’ popular evening event series, returns in 2010 with an exciting new programming lineup, resident DJs, VIP Tours, and a new birthday promotion.  Every Thursday night, the Academy transforms into a lively venue filled with provocative science, music, mingling, and cocktails, as visitors ages 21 and up get a chance to explore the museum from 6-10pm. Tonight, NightLife’s 2010 lineup begins with performances by The Un-scripted Theater Company, and music by accomplished DJ and producer Michael Anthony.
 
What’s New?
Programming details for each week are available at www.calacademy.org/events/nightlife. Highlights in the upcoming three months include:

January 21: The Great San Francisco Coffee Tasting, with music by Future Universal DJ Collective. Sample the wares of local sustainable coffee roasters including Blue Bottle, Ritual Roasters, Equator Coffee, Barefoot Coffee, and Four Barrel Coffee, and try your hand at “Coffee Jeopardy.”

February 11: Romance and Reproduction, with music by Resident DJ Jeff Stallings.  In honor of Valentine’s Day, roam the Academy and learn about some of the animal kingdom’s most amorous creatures and unique sexual behaviors.  The species with the world’s largest sexual organ? The snake you might find at the center of a “breeding ball”?  Gender-bending clownfish? Find them all at the Academy.

March 25: The Science of Love, and music by Zach Moore & Deckard.  Join Scientific American’s Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina for a fun and engaging multimedia discussion on the psychological, physiological, chemical and social effects of love, including the latest science on emotional intimacy.  

In honor of NightLife’s upcoming first anniversary, the Academy is announcing a new NightLife birthday promotion. Effective February 4, visitors can get into NightLife for free within 7 days of their birthday by showing a valid photo ID at the door. The offer is good for a single admission ticket only.
 
NightLife VIP Tours now offer visitors the opportunity for a more exclusive Thursday evening experience. Tickets ($59 per person) include admission to NightLife, a one-hour behind-the-scenes tour featuring the Academy’s renowned gem and mineral collection and interaction with Academy researchers in the lab, express entry into the building, an open bar in a reserved cocktail area prior to the tour, VIP access to the rainforest, and a reserved pass for the 8:30 planetarium show.
 
NightLife continues to feature a range of San Francisco’s most popular DJ acts, and is now home to three resident DJs, who will each perform once per quarter:

Aaron Axelsen— Live 105 music director, and founder of SF indie club Popscene
Aaron Pope—The Academy’s own environmentalist by day, eclectic and energetic DJ by night
Jeff Stallings— An SF club fixture, whose sets feature Balearic, African, Bedouin and Latin beats

Every Week
Each Thursday evening, NightLife features entertainment and bars stocked with food and drinks available for purchase. Visitors can explore the Academy’s exhibits– from the fish, snakes and other creatures in the aquarium, to the dioramas of African Hall—and attend Planetarium shows and stargazing sessions on the living roof (when weather permits). 
 
In addition, each week includes engaging science programming and activities that introduce visitors to cutting-edge science in an informal, social environment. Programming highlights during NightLife’s inaugural year included sustainable seafood cooking demonstrations with local celebrity chefs, film screenings, performance art, robot demonstrations, chocolate tastings, and talks by filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau, adventurer David de Rothschild, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and other notable figures.
 
Since launching on February 12, 2009, NightLife has been named “Best Steamy Date Night” by 7×7 Magazine, “Best Place to Party Like it’s 1929” by San Francisco Magazine, and “Best Penguin Party” by the San Francisco Bay Guardian.
 
What:   NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences (for adults ages 21+) Featuring music, cutting-edge science, and food and cocktails available for purchase
When:   Every Thursday, 6-10 pm
Where: California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Cost:     $12 per person ($10 for Academy members)
             Tickets available at the door or online at www.calacademy.org/event_tickets/

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At the Legion of Honor Museum – Cartier and America is Fantastic

Monday, January 4th, 2010

The latest exhibit at our Legion of Honor Museum kicked off last month, but I didn’t get a chance to see it out ’til now.

It’s fantastic.

Check out impressions and photos from 7×7, San Francisco Sentinel, San Francisco Museum Examiner Nancy Ewart, and The Richmond Blog 

Hello kitty!

See you there!

“Cartier came to fame as the “King of Jewelers” during the Belle Époque for his beautifully made diamond and platinum jewelry created for the courts of Europe and Americans of the Gilded Age. With an extensive variety of jewelry forms—ranging from traditional white diamond suites to the highly colored exotic creations of the 1920s and 1930s—Cartier made its mark with the ingenuity of its designs and its exquisite craftsmanship. Cartier and America celebrates the imagination and creativity of Cartier in the 20th century. The jewelry and works of art include pieces from the private collection of Cartier.

Sample menu for Cartier weekend brunch (PDF)

Credit Line
Cartier and America is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in partnership with Cartier.
Patron: Diane B. Wilsey

Major Patron: Lonna Wais

Lead Sponsor support is provided by BNP Paribas and Dr. Alan R. Malouf. Cartier Circle support is provided by Mr. and Mrs. Adolphus Andrews, Jr., Mitchell Benjamin and Ricky Serbin, Mrs. Newton A. Cope, Ms. Patricia Mozart, Arlene and Harold Schnitzer, Georges C. and Eleanor C. St. Laurent, Ms. Christine Suppes, and SUSAN/The Grocery Store. Generous support is also provided by the Dorothy and Thelma Carson Trust. British Motor Cars of San Francisco presents the Jaguar XJ as the official vehicle of Cartier and America. Emirates is the official airline, and Taj Campton Place is the official hotel partner of the exhibition.

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