Out There :: Colorful Museum Encounters

Pressies from around the world and down the block toured the new San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) last week, set to open to the public on May 14. It was magical and more than a little otherworldly to be in the museum's sleek new HQ for most of a full day. Arts & Culture has two weeks' coverage of the museum's new incarnation coming up, don't miss it. But in the meantime, and in-between time, here's our $120 (two cents times six graphs, adjusted for inflation).

Hurrahs for SFMOMA opening with no fewer than 19 exhibitions, over 19,000 works of art, described economically in welcoming brochures of many languages. Hello to old favorites and new acquisitions in the multitude of galleries. Welcome to the works of the Campaign for Art . And to the Fisher Collection , here for 100 years and we hope many more, especially for how it enriches the museum's holdings in works on paper and California art. Kudos to Elise S. Haas Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture Gary Garrels for his excellent installation of the Fisher riches. The art on the walls is, as it should be, pre-eminent, and feels like it has room enough to breathe.

Particularly satisfying are whole galleries devoted to single artists, such as the Alexander Calder Motion Lab, the Agnes Martin chapel, the stunning rooms devoted to Ellsworth Kelly, Cy Twombly, Styll, Rauschenberg, Richter, Polke, Kiefer, Bradford- the list of worthies goes on and on. Sweet to see the William Kentridge Preparing the Flute model theater again, doing its little version of Die Zauberflote.

Salutations to senior curator of photography Sandra Phillips and the Pritzker Center for Photography for recognizing the importance of that art expression to the museum's collection. As well we enjoy some intriguing contemporary art galleries that even make room for visionary filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul. God knows we also love architecture and graphic arts exhibits. Really there's too much on offer to catalog here. Trust us, read our coming pages. We'll have more to say about the building in future paragraphs. For now, the seven full floors of galleries and public spaces offer plenty of art to see. The terraces are nice. Dashing up the narrow, winding staircases is trippy, feels like getting lost in your weird Uncle Al's art attic. Fun but serious.

Congratulations to Helen and Charles Schwab Director Neal Benezra, and we hate the expression "and his team," but you know what we mean. Props to Snohetta for a beautiful monster, a momentous achievement, a civic pride. Big bonus points for making museum admission free for all 18 and under. And for free access to ground-floor galleries for everyone. Out There thinks museums should be free for all, period, but we'll get to that later. Meanwhile, more at sfmoma.org.

Further festival

There was lots on offer as the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFIFF) steamed through its second week. OT's datebook was suddenly full of San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) invitations to nightclubs and restaurants. Centerpiece Party in honor of James Schamus' Indignation at Slate Bar, Persistence of Vision Award reception honoring Aardman Animations and Peter Lord at Beso Bistronomia. Mel Novikoff Award Reception honoring Janus Films & the Criterion Collection at Cafe Flore. Glamorous filmie occasions were snapping and popping all over town, but mostly in the Mission and Castro Districts.

The screening of Stephanie Soechtig 's Under the Gun, the Epix documentary on gun violence in America at the Victoria Theatre, was, as expected, a little grueling, but moving and important. Katie Couric, an executive producer, narrates and appears. The intimate afterparty transpired at Lolinda.

So we've been a berry busy lemur, including attending opening night of this San Francisco Ballet season's closing attraction, Onegin. We'll have to catch up later.