SoMa Museums

In 2016, I spent some time exploring the part of San Francisco known as South of Market (or SoMa).  I spent a good deal of that time at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  While I was planning for my time in SoMa, I discovered that there were a number of small, interesting museums in the neighborhood.  So I planned to check some of them out in 2017, which is exactly what I did on Day 4.  I think the photo above is indicative of the non-traditional nature of the museums I visited that day.

First was the Contemporary Jewish Museum, which had some fascinating exhibits by Jewish artists.  Next was the California Historical Society, which held an exhibit that I absolutely loved on the Summer of Love.  Finally, I checked out the Museum of the African Diaspora.  They were also getting into the spirit of the Summer of Love there.

But that’s not all.  In my introduction to the 2017 sightseeing season in San Francisco, I mentioned that I took in a couple attractions on Day 4 that were potentially shocking.  I bookended Day 4 with those only-in-San-Francisco experiences.

San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley

Only in San Francisco would you find a historical monument to gay leather culture.  It’s a culture that flourished in South of Market for decades.  The monument is located on Ringold Street, better known as Ringold Alley because it really is just an alley.  For years it was an after-hours meeting spot for gay men.

Contemporary Jewish Museum

Okay, let’s bring the temperature down a bit.

The Contemporary Jewish Museum has no permanent collection.  Instead, the museum presents temporary exhibitions of works by contemporary Jewish artists.  I really enjoyed the exhibits on display the day I went there.

Roz Chast:  Cartoon Memoirs

I really liked this exhibit of work by an artist whose cartoons have been published in The New Yorker since 1978.

The 613 by Archie Rand

I was absolutely fascinated by this exhibit.  The artist created 613 individual visuals to go with 613 traditional rules for Jewish life.  Each of the paintings does not relate specifically to the associated text.  The connection is meant to be more abstract.

The 614th.

When I was done with my visit to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, my friend Bill joined me for the rest of the day.  We headed one block up Mission Street for Day 4’s next attraction.

California Historical Society:  On the Road to the Summer of Love

I LOVED this exhibit.  I’ve mentioned before how I’m mildly obsessed with the ’60s.  And San Francisco was one of THE places to be in the ’60s.  Probably San Francisco and London were where it was happening most.  This exhibit gave a fantastic history of the Summer of Love and the events leading up to it.

During 2017, as the whole city was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, the de Young Museum had a major exhibition focusing mostly, but not exclusively, on the fashion and design of the ’60s.  It was cool, but not nearly as informative as the smaller and not at all hyped exhibit at the California Historical Society.

Oh, On the Road to the Summer of Love.  It took me a second to get the reference in the title of the exhibit.  “On the Road”, of course, refers to the Beat Generation classic by Jack Kerouac.  It is a reference to how the beatniks of the ’50s led the way to the hippies of the ’60s.  This was especially true in San Francisco, West Coast headquarters for the Beats and pretty much birthplace of the hippies.  Allen Ginsberg was a direct link between the two movements.

I’m excited that Lisa Law, who took the photograph above, has discovered my blog.  She documented the counterculture of the ’60s in her photography.  You can see more of her work at her site, Flashing on the Sixties.

Museum of the African Diaspora

Directly across the street from the California Historical Society is the Museum of the African Diaspora.  It wasn’t quite what I thought it was.  I thought it was more of a history museum.  But it’s primarily an art museum.  Actually, it’s quite like the Contemporary Jewish Museum.  It doesn’t have a permanent collection.  And in this case, it features contemporary work of African artists and artists of African descent.

The Ease of Fiction

The exhibit The Ease of Fiction presents the work of selected African artists living in the United States.  The title refers to the stories we tell ourselves and the stories we are told about culture and identity.

Todd Gray: My Life in the Bush with MJ & Iggy

Todd Gray was Michael Jackson’s personal photographer in the ’80s.  He also photographed his Iggy Pop.  They were briefly roommates in the ’70s.  He uses his pictures of Michael Jackson in much of his art, such as the picture above.

Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’

One of the MoAD’s contributions to the citywide celebration of the Summer of Love 50 anniversary was the exhibition of the 2013 documentary Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin’.

The Gladioli of El Carmen

This installation by artist Angie Keller celebrates the cultural legacy of Afro-Peruvian women living in El Carmen, a small town in Peru.  Like the women, the gladiolus has its roots in sub-Saharan Africa.

Love or Confusion: Jimi Hendrix in 1967

The MoAD’s other contribution to the Summer of Love celebrations also featured Jimi Hendrix.  And why not?  It featured photographs of Jimi taken during the Summer of Love, when he broke out as a major star.  He’s still considered the greatest guitarist of all time.

San Francisco Armory

The last sightseeing stop of the day was the San Francisco Armory, not in South of Market but in the nearby Mission District.  The Armory, built in 1913 is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Earlier I mentioned that I bookended the museum visits with a couple potentially shocking sites.  So what’s so shocking about a historic armory?

In 2006, the Armory was purchased by Kink.com, producer of BDSM porn.  Only in San Francisco.

Only in San Francisco!

[Factual information is primarily gathered from Wikipedia, so you know it must be true.]