Yerba Buena Center For the Arts
Categories: Performing Arts, Museums, Art Galleries [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMA701 Mission St
(between 3rd St & Opera Aly)
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 978-2787
- Hours:
Tue-Wed 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Thu 12:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Fri-Sun 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street, Garage
- Good for Kids: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
9 reviews
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
"I wish i could post the picture of the frame they did for us.....it came out absolutely fabulous.....it was just a bunch old 1930's and 40's…" read more »
89 Reviews for Yerba Buena Center For the Arts
The seats are narrow with hardly any legroom and sound wasn't consistent both times I've been there - I expect better from such a new facility.
Such a great place in the city.
-wonderful galley exhibits
-amazing dancing performances
-interesting films
-live theater (xoxo)
-beautiful gardens
A fantastic resource for parents with young children.
Five stars for this wonderful performing arts space and garden. The events I've attended here:
Live Dangerously: An evening celebrating freedom of expression with SF poet laurette's reading Alan Ginsberg's poem Howl and displaying the censored works of Lawrence Ferlenghetti
Israel in the Gardens: A whole day festival outside with music, food and local businesses celebrating Israel's 60th Anniversary.
Breaks: Marc Bamuthi Joseph's multimedia performance - tribute to hip hop and revisits themes of dual consciousness, identity/ self discovery and expression. Preeminent hip hop artist and essential performer / educator of our time.
For some unknown reason I've never ever gone to a gallery exhibition at the Yerba Buena Center. I'm a frequent visitor of SFMOMA and I've even been to several events at the Yerba Buena, yet no gallery show.
Well finally I made it, and now I can write a review. Yerba Buena is great and verges on being awesome. The gallery space is quite large as it extends to the second floor. The space is helped out a lot by it's high ceilings and wide spaces. The only criticism about the gallery section is that it gets lost in the background of Yerba Buena. Since the signage is only a flat painting on the wall and the gallery is right beside the exit, you'd think that this place only hosts shows and events. But the art here is typically good.
Right beside the gallery is an open community gallery. Although it's quite small, it is visible through the glass exterior. This space allows a chance for the community to be engaged with the Yerba Buena so that their work may also be shown. When I visited, the work consisted of mainly high school and elementary student work.
The event hall is quite big with its wooden flooring and high ceiling. There was a good sound setup and enough video screens for the event. I'm not a huge technology guy, but in terms of presentation it was well thought out.
Yerba Buena's design is very good. It has a contemporary community vibe to it. Lively and fun, it doesn't feel like the Yerba Buena is taking itself too seriously. Check out the Yerba Buena gardens for a nice nap or an outdoor eat.
This review is only for the Orchestra Pit of the Nouvellus theater, not for the performer: I saw Marc Bamuthi Joseph there tonight, and he was fantastic.
Bottom line: Orchestra Pit is the Armpit of the Nouvellus theater.
The seats on the side are best described as obstructed, which means they're charging you more for inferior views. MOREOVER, and this is really bad, the speakers are mounted BEHIND the pit. I could hardly hear anything at all. The only sound was coming from the on-stage monitors. Terrible.
Never buy pit, unless sound quality is unimportant, and you don't mind an obstructed view.
I ended up moving back and sitting on the steps after about three minutes.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot - they rip you off in online purchase fees. They charged 7 bucks! for a 20 or 30 dollar ticket! You do the math. Someone's way greedy here, methinks.
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Update 6/24/08: I wrote to the box office about the above problems, and they were very courteous and generous in offering either a refund or complimentary tickets to an upcoming performance.
I still wouldn't recommend sitting in the Orchestra Pit, however, for the above reasons.
If it is still on at the time you read the review....... check out the fake handbag exhibit. .......So clever.
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Almost always has an interesting exhibit/instillation. I've seen everything from Black Panthers memorabilia to old skateboards and punk records. The actual skateboarding bowl during one exhibit was an exciting touch.
I hate drum circles but I once caught a piece here that featured a life-sized teepee (sp?) with a circle of televisions featuring drummers. Excellent po-mo work.
The place is so great/diverse I even got the chance to write an article about the R. Crumb exhibit. Fabulousness.
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This review is on the galleries only.
The exhibitions can be a hit or miss so I recommend going online to see what the current exhibitions are before going. The galleries are rather small so plan on visiting the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) across the street as well. The Yerba Buena Gardens are a nice place to have a picnic lunch if it's a warm day.
TIPS: The galleries are free on the first Tuesday of every month.
Discounted admission to seniors, students and teachers.
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I work here. Been here for the past 3+ years. We have some pretty cool exhibitions. We had an indoor giant skating (skate board) bowl. That was extremely popular. I wasn't working here at that time. I did get to see it though.
I attended my first Artists Ball in 2006. Got to see Gaopele sing live in person. This was also Gavin Newsom's first date with Jennifer Siebel. This was when he was still drinking. He was effed up this night. I remember him staring at my toes while in a group photo with my friends. I am so glad he stopped drinking. I hope he will be here again this year. Please show your support to YBCA and buy tix to this year's Artists Ball. I hear it's going to bigger and better than 2006. Can't wait to find out who will be singing here this year. Lots of 5 star restaurants will be handing out samples of their food.
Before working here, I never went to any kind of performances. Working here has really opened me up to the wonderful world art. I now know a lot of the local theaters, artists, performances, and the likes.
We have some AMAZING clients who come here year after year. Smuin Ballet, ODC, Lamplighters, SFP, Lines Ballet and we used to have 42nd St. Moon just to name a few.
For ODC, I have watched The Velveteen Rabbit. Well the first half hour anyways. My lunch break wasn't that long. I wish I could have stayed longer. These always sell out pretty quickly. School teachers tend to bring their kids year after year. It's a must see. If you want to see this or have missed out on this in the past, I suggest buying tix in August or even September.
For SFP, I recently saw (CND) Compania Nacional de Danza. That was awesome! It also was a completely sold out show.
For Lines Ballet, I haven't seen anything yet. But I will in soon when they show Shaolin Monks in May/June. They were here last year. The tix sold out right away. So fast and upon popular demand, they added more performances. Those sold out too. I'm looking forward to this performance. Tix on sale now. Get it while you can!
For Smuin Ballet, I also haven't seen anything from them yet. I want to see The Christmas Ballet. If you sit in the first few rows of the Orchestra, it "snows". Pretty cool huh? I'm making sure I'm "snowed" on.
You can rent our facilities.
phone: 415.321.1357
fax: 415.495.2118
email: events@ybca.org
something interesting's always going on here.
EXHIBITS: they have great exhibits that are worthy of competing w/SF's bigger museums. the dalai lama exhibit is neat, & the biolife exhibit is even cooler. i remember visiting the oaklandish exhibit a year ago, & it really gave me a sense of oakland pride. their exhibits are thoughtfully curated, & there are usually interactive pieces that let you immerse urself into the experience.
DECOR: nice, modern, clean.
EVENTS:~i saw the taiko drum performance here, which was awesome! the heart-pounding drums filled the small space in a thunderous way.
~i've seen the smuin christmas ballet here twice & it is fabulous!! great venue for a delightful dance gem that gets u in the perfect holiday mood. much less intimidating than sf ballet & more intimate & special.
~i've been dying to see the dance-along nutcracker here, but i'm always unavailable. tell me how it is!
~the yelp holiday party this year was so hilariously fun, i can't even tell u. my friends & i had a blast, & it was a perfect venue for the event! the main hall got so crowded at times we felt like we were in a nightclub, but the upstairs exhibits were a delightful, rewarding retreat. the back room reminded us of a high school gym, which was a good thing, & made us feel giddy remembering high school dances. the energy was pumping, & the crowd was palpably excited. fun time for all!
OVERALL: a truly great center for the arts & a wonderful part of the city's art scene. wow, yelping about it makes me realize how much i appreciate it!
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I was given the opportunity to visit this nice art center for the recent Yelp Holiday Event. I've never been here before, but I want to return. I liked the open layout of the space! They had a very interesting exhibit upstairs with plants, experiments and a view of the crowd below. I admit that I don't recall the name of the exhibit.... I'd had a teensy bit to drink.
However, down below, there was an exhibit about the Dalai Lama, which also tied into the betterment of the world. That was a really lovely exhibit, also. Again, still tipsy, but really enjoying the wonderful paintings, sculptures and objet d'art that were all geared towards the life of the Dalai Lama. There was even a box with his shoes in it!
All in all, I had a fantastic time and really got to experience the space inside the art center. It was very experiential. Is that a word? Well, hell, it is NOW!!
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Like many others, went here for the Yelp Holiday party. A very nice venue, but pretty darned cramped in places. So it was difficult to enjoy the venue as far as venues go (how can they actually allow that many people in such a small space - thankful there were no emergencies oh crap I'm getting old), but the actual art was amazing. The best part was the video projected on clay. Really inspiring, very cool. Would love to see some of the dance performances Food Gnome X mentions, so I'm sure we'll be back.
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"Wowwww...This place is nice!"
That's exactly what I said when I first walked in. It was for the Yelp holiday party which there were at least 1500 of us in there already! It was quite difficult to indulge in the arts when you got "Livin' on a Prayer".....wait...was it "Jessie's Girl".......no, it was "Smooth Operator" ....wait it was ALL OF THAT thumping in the background.....
Also, to the artist who did the String art for us to pull at arm's length to link us all....I screwed up....It was me who broke the string...and I'm sure I wasn't the first guy to do it! I was most fond of the psychiatrist and her dog Hologram corner...I did have a blast at the Yelp Holiday Party! Peace, Love, & YELP!
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YBCA is one of the nicer places in SF, it's refined without being pretentious and is an oasis of beauty within the hubbub of the Mission district. I've been to a handful of parties here, from a charity event, company holiday party, to the Yelp Holiday party on Dec 5. Fortunately I've been here with fewer than 1000 people. It's a very open and airy environment that you just can't appreciate with a large crowd inside, but the fact that you can fit several hundred people in here is a testament to its spacious interior and efficient design.
The Dalai Lama exhibit is rather small but inspiring.
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Bummer. Thats the only way I can describe the phone call I just finished with their facility staff. What a great place for a wedding we thought on the way home from the Yelp! party, and they rent themselves out on a regular basis too! So off we go like chumps pouring over the website and talking to their nice coordinator person. But here's the deal: want to rent out the YBCA? Okay, that'll only be 10,000 dollars. 10,000 DOLLARS! ARE YOU CRAZY?! Well fine, its a huge space, high class and all of that, and while not EXACTLY in our budget, its not that far off, we might be able to sacrifice something else (a small mammal maybe?) and swing it. Oh, and by the way, all of our labor is handled by a union. WHAT?!?! Yeah, that'll be probably another 10,000. WHATWHATWHAT?!?! A $10,000 UNION TO TURN ON THE LIGHTS?
WTF STFU.
Oh forget it.
Its nice though.
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This is my ultimate top event space. We filled the forum with 500 attendees for a charitable event. The outcome was astonishing for it's second year running.
The space is large and accommodating for any type of an event. Although it is architecturally boring. There isn't much character to the buildings in the center as well as the inside. In that aspect it's fine because for the most part you want to add your own character.
This location truly has everything. Theaters, Forum, Restaurants, hotels, clubs, art, gardens, and the list goes on...
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The Yelp! Holiday Party event here last night was an incredible success!
Beautiful exhibit, great place for a party - nice docents, and beautiful gardens/park.
Check out "The Missing Peace" exhibit info here:
http://www.ybca.org/ti...
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Dude, the seats are so close that I could smell what people ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Joking aside, it is a wonderful place to go to see amazingly talented people. The location is perfect as it is right across the street from the SF MOMA. So, you can always pay the center a visit before or after you get your artsy fix. The YBCA is another reason to get more involved with the community as well. Many of the events held bring in people that you wouldn't normally meet and to find commonalities facilitated by the activities and events from one place -- definitely deserves 5 stars.
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YBCA, what can I say. This has been my employer for the last 6yrs and it holds a very special place in my heart. I have gone from working as a preparator to the administration offices and I feel as though I have grown with this organization. We are always questioning the boundaries of art and concept. For a long time I only attended the galleries, but since I've started working closer to the other curators I have found myself attending many more wonderful performances and off the wall films. If you haven't been here yet I don't know where you've been, but I would suggest widening your horizons by attending more of our mind tickling events.
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I came out here a few weeks back for the Dali Lama (Tenzin Gyatso with some work representing Mao Zedong) and the BioTechnique exhibits and enjoyed the collection of up and coming artist. Some of it I had seen already in NYC already which was nice to see they getting the exposure in SF. I was a little disappointed in the BioTechnique because several of the pieces were "not working" or unflattering as living works of art and wasn't very impressed with the background put into it.
Regarding the space, I think it's a great size to stop in for a few hours between activities or just to hang out in the gardens but I never enjoy getting around this area, especially around the holidays.
Definitely check it out and Thank you! for the free coat check.
Mr took me to see the grand opening of Dalai Lama Arts last Friday.
It was pretty interesting. Coat checks are free (tips pls.) Security are very tight,they won't allow you to take pictures.
My fav's and must see Laurie Anderson (clay & visual projector), Yoko Inoue (waterbottle collection), Katarina wong (fingertips arts), Long-Bin Chen (phonebook sculpture) our fav! & El Anatsui (bottlecap collection) and yeah the big inflatable buddha. (had the urge the jump up & down).
Stop by the Bio Technique collection on the second floor, it's like a little shop of horrow, quite a sight.
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I like the YBCA very much. The curators here compile some of the most thoughtful and interesting shows I have ever seen. From the Black Panthers exhibit, to the impressively massive Robert Crumb show, to even local artist series, this is definitely the museum I go to most often. It's architecturally stunning as well.
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This was the last museum that my sister and I visited for the Yerba Buena Free4All. It as cool to see how plants were alive based on special generators or techniques that didn't require soil. The most interesting exhibit was the BioTechnique. There were x-ray pictures of tree frogs with additional limbs or misfigured bodies. The bones of the tree frogs had a teal and maroon dye. Very cool.
By the end of the day, I was so tired that I had to sit down and relax my feet. The museum was a decent size, but I wish there were more to exhibits to see.
I love seeing shows at YBCA, as the theater is small and you can see and hear well from any seat in the house.
I recently saw "HMS Pinafore" by the Lamplighters there (delightful production), and since I had bought tickets on Goldstar, I wasn't sure where we would be sitting. Turns out we were high up in the balcony, second to last row.
The sound was crystal clear, and we could see everything, including the expressions on the performers' faces. I have seen several Smuin Ballet productions here, and my experience has been the same. The only caution I would put out there is that there is that the stairs in the balcony can be a little tricky as there are no railings, so that could be an issue for someone who needed extra assistance.
So nice to stand on the balcony during intermission and get a breath of fresh air. The only thing I would change about the space is putting a bathroom on a second floor, but the first floor one is large so the wait is not long.
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I don't know why it's taken me so long to write a review for Yerba Buena. It's one of my favorite places to see art in San Francisco.
Their shows are consistently well thought out and well executed. They usually showcase less traditional, more experimental, cutting edge and up and coming contemporary artists as well as local artists.
They've hosted classics such as The Beautiful Losers exhibit focusing on the "Mission School" (straight outta SF) where they built an actual skateboarding park in one of the galleries and invited local skaters to use and interact with the piece. The show went on to tour the country.
This next show: "DARK MATTERS" Jul 28-Nov 11, 2007 is a wonderful showcase of various video installations each one extremely fascinating both visually and conceptually. Make sure you spend some time with Listening Post by Ben Rubin and Mark Hansen in the first gallery to the left. It's amazing!
I love Yerba Buena because they take risks in the work they show and give contemporary artists a venue within which to show their work. and it's always free the First Tuesday of every month!
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I like the spacious feel of the art museum, and they bring some interesting and eclectic artists through -- both visual and performing.
It's a cool complex with some great views of downtown throughout.
Definitely a good place to take out-of-towners (especially parental types), because it has gardens, restaurants, museums, etc.
Let me just say this: they give you discount admissions if you're a public transit rider. $5 entry to the galleries. Yup. That's $2 off for showing your Muni-Pass-toting pride. And even cooler: they even gave the discount to my friend who had a Boston "Charlie Card".
Current Exhibit: Dark Matter: Listening Post was seriously engrossing. I sat there watching it for 20+ min, even slightly passed its cycle point. And Libraries of Dust was just down right creepy / disturbing, but still visually stunning.
The photography exhibit upstairs seems to have inspired the movie Amelie. Its all about "found" photos. Also very cool.
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This is a great institution that has really good activities in addition to its museum. Recently I participated in their gallery walk which was 6 smaller galleries in the vicinity that opened up their spaces for free. There was wine and appetizers and the art was diverse, interesting and in some cases very affordable.
This whole center is really fantastic. The theater where I got to see the Stephen Petronio Company performance for the Yelp Elite event was awesome. Cozy movie theater like quality with killer sound. For a minute i was convinced that Rufus Wainright was actually there singing the songs that the dances were choreographed to. The live girls choir that backed up his recordings were fantastic, and the dancers were definitely gifted. Their main focus is live art, and with a motto like "Join us and experience life---amplified", how can you go wrong?
I would come back to the theater to see another show, but building aside, I didn't even know how much Yerba Buena had to offer. Right next to Moscone and the Metreon, this square block has a garden, an ice skating rink, a bowling alley, a children's playground (apparently with a squishy floor, but i haven't seen that yet), a cute bar B, fountains, art sculptures, and great views of the downtown skyscape.
I work around the corner, and am now tempted on a nice day to grab my lunch and sit outside, watching life happen.
A somewhat hidden gem, worth checking out.
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Went here to see "Da Vinci, an Exhibition of Genius". So inspiring, he was an Inventor, Architect, Engineer, Scientist, Psychologist, Mathematician and Artist, yet wasn't educated and couldn't write properly.
Not sure if you're allowed to, but I stepped inside his "room of mirrors" an octagonal room where you can peek through a hole and see the human body from every angle imaginable. It enabled him to paint from different perspectives and allowed the subject to relax, possibly opening up the window to their soul. I would love to have one of these in my home for getting changed. Yes, those jeans did look too tight on my behind and I admired the back of my new hair cut!
Such a relaxing place, I don't know why I didn't spend more time here when I used to work in the area :(
This was museum 4 of 4 that we saw Sun 5/6/07. This was free for BofA/MBNA customers so we saved $6 each. If I had to pay it wouldn't seem worth it, but free hell ya.
They had Robert Crumb a cartoonist. Just ok for me.
Black Factory
and something else.
Not really that great and we finished in about an hr. They have a 2nd floor but still not much to see.
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Updated 11/10/07:
went for FREE Yerba Buena Free4All. Saw exhibits: BioTechnique & Dark matters: Artists see the Impossible. Just ok.
Separate men/women bathrooms available on the first floor.
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I saw the HMS Pinafore here, a Gilbert & Sullivan Production, during my stay in San Francisco. It was an absolutely delightful night! Hilarious and entertaining, I would love to see it again! Very well-done and great actors!
YBCA is the "other" contemporary art museum, plus three performance venues, across the street from SFMOMA.
The highlight is the theater, a cube-shaped 750 seat performance space, comfy inside with catwalks and lighting banks for decor. Black instead of foofy means it's dark during the show. The design, shape, and modest size guarantee good sound and sight-lines. Performers tell me it's got a great stage set-up. There's also the "forum," a slightly smaller flex space cube, and a much smaller screening room.
The programming comes from several sources but it's always innovative and relevant. You might see a dance, jazz show, poetry reading, orchestra concert, perhaps a corporate event or a wine tasting. It's all world class professional stuff, just , a little new or esoteric to fill the symphony hall.
Plus a decent parking scene, public transportation, downtown / SOMA location, nearby bars and restaurants, and strolling around the gardens. Whatever is playing, just turn off your computer and cell phone a couple hours and go.
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The exhibit on Mexican street graphics was simply outstanding. All kinds of signage, lettering, paintings. All hand done, yet with exquisite attention to detail--or if not, at least a very refined sense of sloppiness. The show setup seemed improvised, with a lot of work hanging on wooden dividers. But this totally fit with the mood. I didn't even check out the rest of the center, because I have a time limit on how much art I can absorb--anything more than an hour and my brain reels from too much stimuli.
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This is a great spot and could be a great theater. I just wish there was more! For some reason I used to attend events here all the time years ago and then not so much. The Steve Petrionio event was fantastic.
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Sweet little theater in which to see performances & art shows. I've seen ODC here before and a ballet. In the summertime they put on free lunchtime shows in the gardens, it's always a great time! Last year I saw a Rosa Parks homage dance thing with teenage girls, they were so talented!
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This is a great venue. In all my years i have never been in this performance space, although I have been to the exhibit /museum space many times.
The Yelp Elite field trip to watch the Stephen Petronio Dance Company was lots of fun. I think it was most interesting to see so many Yelpers so sober!
Oh the dancing was fun too..great asses all of them! Damn I need to do so more squats! I could care less for what's his face's music...you know Rufus Wainright. He's just not my cup o' tea. But the San Francisco Girls Chorus were in TOP form! Great and lovely voices!
Thanks Yelp for hosting another great Elite Event! Jessica and Nish always the hostesses with the mostestes!
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Love this very versatile center. Ice skating ! The Zeum ! Theatre! There are so many things to do here.
In the past year, I've seen the Smuin, ODC and Shaolin Monks/Lines perform here. I've had seats close to the stage and on the 2nd story. I loved every minute of the shows. The only thing about the venue is jeez it gets crowded in the ladies' room. Can't someone figure it out! It takes 2 women minutes for every guy 30 sec to use the bathroom. Subtract 3 stalls from the men's add it to the women's...voila! Perfect venue. I should patent that formula.
Since I can't post my review for ODC anywhere or maybe I can and I'm just too lazy to look. I'll just paste it here.
What an amazing night! The ODC is outstanding dance company...such a unique experience. Every act seemed to get better and better. The Analyzing Grace sequence was my favorite part of the program. The innovating choreography and fine lines was stimulating and simply breathtaking.
The important thing to note about YBCA is that it has two distinct parts, in two different buildings, so don't forget to check them both out.
First there's the Performing Arts Center, at 3rd & Howard, a concert hall where I had the pleasure of seeing a bizarre and esoteric Diamanda Galas concert.
Then there's the galleries at 3rd & Mission, essentially a museum of rotating exhibits. The current exhibit is an excellent collection of art inspired by the Dalai Lama--perfect for an urban Zen wannabe like myself. I especially liked the video mosaic with the 120 monks saying prayers. The mingled audio is supposed to sound like a waterfall, but to me it sounded more fitting for the last 20 minutes of 2001--an otherworldly murmur-chorus. And the little glass-walled gallery that juts out into the street is modern design at its best. There's also a second floor where the current exhibit is a showcase of Anna Halprin, the 87-year-old "Performance Art" pioneer. Not really my thing so I only skimmed. Note the little theater up here where they screen various art films.
Lastly, don't forget to take a quick stroll around the gardens after your visit, it's a great place to contemplate the profound art or theater you just saw.
