Page 39 - Adelante Magazine February 2025

Travel

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Our favorite museum last time was the Asian major museums on Golden Gate Park, which We had planned to go to another art and his-
Art Museum https://about.asianart.org/ had plenty of parking when they opened at 10 tory museum that is affiliated with the de Young
and it did not disappoint, featuring a wide range a.m. in another location, the Legion of Honor, but
of artists in both the special exhibits and the found the traffic too difficult to make the effort.
permanent collection. The Japan section had de Young Museum
examples of the ancient tradition of ceramics https://www.famsf.org/visit/de-young is a world- SATURDAY
and a video demonstrating how modern artists class museum for every kind of art from the Alcatraz https://www.nps.gov/alca/planyour-
utilize materials to create new pieces (see classic masters of painting to innovative and visit/index.htm is managed by the National
photo of contemporary example). There experiential contemporary works. You should Park Service, which calls The Rock "the most
were also examples of the use of bamboo for start with an audio tour on your phone and ask infamous island in the world." Leaving from
baskets, 18th century tapestries and folding about docent-led ones. We loved the "Art and Pier 33 (you can park across the street or
screens, 6th century art venerating the kami War in the Renaissance" section, including the further away for cheaper options), the ship
spirits of the native shamanistic Shinto religion, "Battle of Pavia Tapestries," commemorating goes back and forth frequently, but you should
and the armor of soldiers. Korea featured Roman Emperor Charles V's 1525 victory over plan at least 2 hours for highlights of the cell
17th/18th century porcelain vases that re- French king Francis I, which took decades of house and there is plenty to see in half a day if
flected Confucian values of simplicity. China artistic collaboration to produce. The museum's you can do some climbing or hop on the tram.
was represented by sculptures of Buddhist African section had especially fantastic ritual The audio guide tells you about everything
deities, Manchu armor, and hanging scrolls masks, such as the Elephant Society one of from the most notorious inmates and attempted
with calligraphy. wood and cloth from early 20th century Nigeria escapes to the industrial factories and the
(see photo). The exhibit and video about American Indian occupation 1969-1971. Get
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art LGBTQ+ artists symbolically defying Uganda's the "Discover Alcatraz" brochure for $1 when
https://www.sfmoma.org/ is of the nation's most harsh treatment by creating works out of rub- you arrive. See the photo of a typical cell.
respected collections of contemporary and bish was fascinating.
20th century art. Level 4 features contempo- We look forward to our next visit, since there is
rary sculpture and painting, especially abstrac- California Academy of Sciences so much more to do in San Francisco.
tion, while 5 has a sculpture garden. We spent https://www.calacademy.org/ is the ideal place
most of our time on Level 6, which had Yayoi to take whole extended families, from infants to
Kusama's "Dreaming of Earth's Sphericity, I grandparents to learn about every aspect of
Would Offer My love," an infinity room of mir- science. The California section is aimed at chil-
rors and colored lights. Our other favorite piece dren of all ages who want an interactive intro- Japanese Ceramic - 1
was in the German 1960s section, Sigmar duction to everything from Indigenous
Polke's "Untitled" (see MOMA photo), which knowledge and firefighting to the place of coral Museum of Modern Art - Sigmar Polke- 2
shows a sorcerer conjuring a spirit in a magic in the world and the life in swamps. Of course
circle, like an artist reaching into physical and elsewhere there are dinosaurs and a clear de- Africa Horned Mask - 3
potential realities to create art. He employed piction of evolution and why homo sapiens
unusual materials like decorator fabrics, me- emerged from this. Everyone should try to
teor dust, and rare minerals to blur the distinc- schedule a presentation in the planetarium and Rain Forrest- 4
tions between the mundane world, maker and the Steinhart Aquarium is worth waiting in
material, and fixed categories of art. sometimes long lines. We especially enjoyed Alcatraz - 5
the Rainforest dome, but gave up trying to take
FRIDAY a picture of the butterflies (see photo).
We spent several hours at each of the two

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