Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presents contemporary art, performances, film, and more. Open Thu-Su from 11a–5p, and Wed 11a–8p with free admission.

Situated in the center of downtown San Francisco, YBCA functions as a dynamic platform to generate ideas and nurture the talents of emerging and established artists. Centering artists as essential to social and cultural movement, YBCA is reimagining the role an arts institution can play in the community it serves.

As part of Free Wednesdays at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, we're presenting a series of intimate in-gallery performa...
08/27/2026

As part of Free Wednesdays at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, we're presenting a series of intimate in-gallery performances—live music from Bay Area bands, offering a sonic juxtaposition to the art on display.

🎵 Coming up on Sep 2, Cindy will perform surrounded by GaHee Park's surreal paintings of ambiguous introspection.
🎵 On Oct 7, DVT (Damani Rhodes, VADIA, and Tongo Eisen-Martin) will meld jazz, poetry, and soul, along with our upcoming exhibition of Dread Scott’s artwork.
🎵 On Nov 4, Ryli will bring their melodic yet melancholic sound to the work of GaHee Park.

Music begins each night promptly at 7. Seating limited, RSVP recommended. → https://bit.ly/4bHPQiJ

And be sure to stop by the Creativity Explored residency in YBCA’s Front Door Gallery for hands-on artmaking before each show.

Photos by Phillip Huante, Cinque Mubarak, Bobby Martinez, and Fiona Duong.

On view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts beginning September 25: “Rael San Fratello: Prototypes and Provocations” is t...
08/26/2026

On view at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts beginning September 25: “Rael San Fratello: Prototypes and Provocations” is the most comprehensive presentation to date of the renowned Bay Area design studio. Working at the edge of experimental architecture and design, Rael San Fratello is known for disrupting the conventions of architecture by tackling topics such as homelessness and immigration, while also incorporating Indigenous craft techniques and sustainable practices.

Founded by Virginia San Fratello and Ronald Rael in 2002, this mid-career survey traces the evolution of their practice—from early experiments merging clothing and construction, to a series of bold projects centered on the U.S.-Mexico border, to their trailblazing work fusing 3D printing with traditional earthen materials.

Playful, restless, and provocative, the studio challenges us to imagine more equitable, adaptive, and humane ways of inhabiting the world.

“Rael San Fratello: Prototypes and Provocations” is organized by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and curated by René Morales.

Explore Rael San Fratello’s innovative designs → https://bit.ly/45OHlyA

Image credits:
Rael San Fratello, “Mud Frontiers," 2019. Courtesy of the artists.
Rael San Fratello, “Cochineal,” 2010. Courtesy of the artists and Emerging Objects.
Rael San Fratello, “Pink Teeter Totter,” 2019. Courtesy of the artists.
Rael San Fratello, R13 Puffer Jacket,” 2004. Courtesy of the artists.

Dread Scott’s work insists on the inseparability of art and radical social transformation. Opening September 25, “Dread ...
08/24/2026

Dread Scott’s work insists on the inseparability of art and radical social transformation.

Opening September 25, “Dread Scott: The Body Politic” is the most significant exhibition of his work to date, bringing together newly commissioned and existing works that explore the structures of power and examine American patriotism.

The exhibition presents recent work including epic body prints, a provocative performance piece, and a series of modified photographs of governmental seats of power. Drawing on the urgency of the present moment, Scott invites viewers to consider their own positions within the systems that his work lays bare.

Learn more about the show and plan your visit → https://bit.ly/4zyfZu2

“Dread Scott: The Body Politic” is organized by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and curated by René Morales.

Image credits:
Dread Scott, “Fight the Power,” 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Cristin Tierney Gallery.
Body printing photos by Jenny Gorman.
Dread Scott, “Obliterated Power (Supreme Court),” 2022. Courtesy of the artist and Cristin Tierney Gallery.
Photo of Dread Scott by Daniele Molajoli.

Sunday, August 23 is the final day for both “Diedrick Brackens: gather tender night” and “Conjuring Power: Roots & Futur...
08/21/2026

Sunday, August 23 is the final day for both “Diedrick Brackens: gather tender night” and “Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Q***r & Trans Movements.” Don’t miss your chance to see these visually stunning exhibitions!

Stop by this weekend: galleries open Fri–Sun 11a–5p → https://bit.ly/4m1waKf

Photos by Fiona Duong and Corey Marsau.

We’re thrilled to be an official ‘A Celebration of The Arts’ destination for this year’s ‘A Very Laufey Day’ (AVLD) on A...
08/15/2026

We’re thrilled to be an official ‘A Celebration of The Arts’ destination for this year’s ‘A Very Laufey Day’ (AVLD) on August 23!

Each year, Grammy-winning jazz-pop singer Laufey puts together a global itinerary for her fans to visit local businesses and cultural venues in their own part of the world—and we’re excited to be an official stop on the list in San Francisco.

Come spend the day with GaHee Park’s surreal and fantastical paintings and catch “Conjuring Power” and “Diedrick Brackens” before they close!

Photos by Fiona Duong, Corey Marsau, and Mahelly Ferreira for Drew Altizer Photography.

Starting this Saturday at 2pm at YBCA: a weekly film series exploring fantasy, identity, and social taboos. The series i...
08/11/2026

Starting this Saturday at 2pm at YBCA: a weekly film series exploring fantasy, identity, and social taboos.

The series is curated alongside the exhibition “GaHee Park: Behind the Curtain,” and tickets include a sweet or salty snack inspired by Park's dreamlike imagery (🍸🍫🐟). Our concessions team shares:, "We wanted the movie snacks to play off the visual language of GaHee Park’s paintings — a bit surreal and full of delicious details."

Come for the film, stay for the snacks, and check out GaHee Park’s paintings, too: all included in one affordable ticket. “Rear Window” kicks off the series this weekend. → https://bit.ly/4bL8R3d

“GaHee Park: Behind the Curtain” gallery photo by Fiona Duong

On Fri. 8/7 from 6–9p, be among the first to see “GaHee Park: Behind the Curtain” at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts! As...
08/05/2026

On Fri. 8/7 from 6–9p, be among the first to see “GaHee Park: Behind the Curtain” at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts!

As you explore Park’s fantastical and surrealist works, enjoy drinks and snacks inspired by visual motifs in Park’s work, from martinis and cocktails, to gummy worms and chocolate ants.

RSVP to step inside Park’s intimate and captivating world → https://bit.ly/44TNt89

Image credits:
GaHee Park, “Woman with Cocktail, Olives, and Caterpillar,” 2025. Photo by Paul Litherland. Courtesy of Perrotin.
GaHee Park, “Memory of a Table,” 2026. Photo by Paul Litherland. Courtesy of Jessica Silverman.
GaHee Park, “Still Life With Tired Moth,” 2024. Photo by Paul Litherland. Courtesy of Perrotin.
GaHee Park “Back to Mountain,” 2025. Photo by Paul Litherland. Courtesy of Perrotin and Jessica Silverman.
All work © GaHee Park.

Beginning August 5, YBCA will host Creativity Explored as part of a new program offering free on-site arts activations t...
08/04/2026

Beginning August 5, YBCA will host Creativity Explored as part of a new program offering free on-site arts activations to visitors. Artists from Creativity Explored (a progressive art studio that supports artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities) will showcase their artwork and produce new pieces in a reopened programming space on YBCA’s first floor.

You’re invited in to explore the art on view, to purchase work on display, and to make your own pieces alongside Creativity Explored’s studio artists: sharing art-making materials, conversation, inspiration, and community.

Stop by YBCA during regular gallery hours (701 Mission St, Thu–Su 11a–5p, Wed 11a–8p), and check out the calendar for accompanying free programs (including a film festival of animated shorts, printmaking night, and a puppet making workshop). → https://bit.ly/4helhEw

Images courtesy of Creativity Explored. Photos by Peter Prato. This program is made possible in part by Yerba Buena Partnership.

07/28/2026

Saturdays at 2p this fall: a new film series exploring voyeurism and theatricality, cocktail charm and social taboos.

Curated alongside GaHee Park’s exhibition of surrealist paintings, the series is a funhouse mirror of themes and motifs found in Park’s artwork. From classics like “Rear Window,” to iconic shorts by Maya Deren and Joan Jonas, to the technicolor epic “The Red Shoes,” it’s a highly personal survey of cinematic inspirations.

Best of all, it’s only $15 to enjoy a movie, themed snacks, and gallery admission. → https://bit.ly/4bL8R3d

Series kicks off August 15!

Co-curated by filmmaker Michael Vass and artist GaHee Park. Trailer edited by Michael Vass.

Video includes clips from:
“Rear Window” (1954). Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
“And Life Goes On” (1992). Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams, Kanoon Parvaresh Fekri, and MK2 Films.
“Goodbye, Dragon Inn” (2003). Courtesy of Homegreen Films, Wellspring Media, and Metrograph Pictures.
“Querelle” (1982). Courtesy of Gaumont and California Pictures.
“Pandora and Flying Dutchman” (1951). Courtesy of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM).
“Trouble in Paradise” (1932). Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
“Yourself and Yours” (2016). Courtesy of Finecut.
“A New Leaf” (1971). Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
“The Music Room” (1958). Courtesy of Aurora Film Corporation, The Criterion Collection, and Cinephile Media.
“The Ceremony” (1971). Courtesy of Art Theatre Guild (ATG), Pushkar Films, and New Yorker Films.
“The Idle Class” (1921). Courtesy of First National Pictures.
“Meshes of the Afternoon” (1941). Courtesy of The Film-Makers' Cooperative.
“Organic Honey’s Visual Telepathy” (1971). Courtesy of Electronic Arts Intermix.
“The Red Shoes” (1948). Courtesy of Eagle-Lion Films and Universal Pictures.

Opening August 7 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: “GaHee Park: Behind the Curtain” Visually captivating and subtly su...
07/24/2026

Opening August 7 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts: “GaHee Park: Behind the Curtain”

Visually captivating and subtly surreal, GaHee Park’s paintings explore fantasy, sexuality, and mortality through ambiguous depictions of private moments. Quiet portraits of domestic solitude merge with uncanny still lifes and gentle seaside landscapes, as Park inverts inner psychology and the outer world.

Insects, snails, and sardines linger, while contemplative women peer into cocktail glasses—who is imagining who?

A film series will accompany the exhibition, showcasing classic and contemporary films exploring similar themes of voyeurism, desire, and social taboo.

Plan your visit and step inside her captivating world → https://bit.ly/4eTEFpd

Image credits:
GaHee Park, “Dream with Still Life,” 2022. Photo by Eric Ruby. Courtesy of Jessica Silverman.
GaHee Park, “Woman with Shadow and Ants,” 2024. Photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of Perrotin.
GaHee Park, “Thoughts at Dusk," 2024. Photo by Paul Litherland. Courtesy of Perrotin.
GaHee Park, “Woman with Dragonfly,” 2021. Photo by Tanguy Beurdeley. Courtesy of Perrotin.
All work © GaHee Park.
Photos of GaHee Park by Michael Vass.

Address

701 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA
94103

Opening Hours

Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+14159782700

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