Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Open Wednesday-Sunday from 11 am-5 pm. Free admission every Wednesday and second Sunday.

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.

After an exciting opening weekend, audiences are cheering for “Harvey Milk Reimagined”! Local News Matters raves: “Micha...
06/03/2025

After an exciting opening weekend, audiences are cheering for “Harvey Milk Reimagined”! Local News Matters raves: “Michael Kelly is commanding in the title role.” Don’t miss your chance to see this vibrant conducting, powerful staging, and a first-rate cast in this new and unconventional take on an opera. Tickets are still available June 6 & 7 → https://bit.ly/4i1QMOB

Courtesy of Opera Parallèle. Photos by Cory Weaver.

05/29/2025

Across the city, people are excited for “Harvey Milk Reimagined”! Follow the Opera Parallèle cast and crew as they perform selections from the opera and tell us more about the show.

Don’t miss your chance to see performances at YBCA from May 31 thru June 7 → https://bit.ly/4i1QMOB

Video by Corey Marsau

🌟 “Harvey Milk Reimagined” opens this weekend! Before the big day, learn more about Opera Parallèle’s journey rewriting ...
05/29/2025

🌟 “Harvey Milk Reimagined” opens this weekend! Before the big day, learn more about Opera Parallèle’s journey rewriting the opera and read Michael Kelly’s reflections on stepping into the title role.

Get the full story in the San Francisco Chronicle → https://bit.ly/4mvNMhb

Photo by Scott Wall.

On what would have been Harvey Milk’s 95th birthday, we spent a wonderful day with the “Harvey Milk Reimagined” cast as ...
05/24/2025

On what would have been Harvey Milk’s 95th birthday, we spent a wonderful day with the “Harvey Milk Reimagined” cast as they performed selections from the opera at City Hall and in the Castro, as part of Harvey Milk Day.

See the opera yourself at the Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA, from May 31–June 7, presented in partnership with Opera Parallèle. Get your tickets today → https://bit.ly/4i1QMOB

Photos by Corey Marsau

🌈 Honor Harvey Milk’s legacy with us!We’ve created a special map featuring key sites across San Francisco that celebrate...
05/21/2025

🌈 Honor Harvey Milk’s legacy with us!

We’ve created a special map featuring key sites across San Francisco that celebrate Harvey Milk’s life, activism, and impact that you can use for the chance to win 2 free tickets to “Harvey Milk Reimagined.” Here’s how:

🗺️ Download the map via our website or pick one up at our front desk
📍 Use the map to visit any landmark
📸 Snap a photo or selfie at the site
📲 Tag YBCA in your post or DM us your pic
🎟️ Entries close Wednesday, May 28. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted directly by YBCA.

So, what are you waiting for? Grab a map and start exploring → https://bit.ly/4dtsWee

Witness Hip Hop history in “The Bronx Revolution and the Birth of Hip Hop,” an electrifying, one-of-a-kind experience fe...
05/14/2025

Witness Hip Hop history in “The Bronx Revolution and the Birth of Hip Hop,” an electrifying, one-of-a-kind experience featuring the pioneers who built the culture.

With performances by Grandmaster Caz, Grandwizzard Theodore, MC SHA-ROCK, BGirl Rokafella, and more, the evening is a rare chance to see these icons take the stage in the Bay Area—live and unfiltered.

Join us for this unforgettable event, from June 20-21 at YBCA → https://bit.ly/4ki3qL6

FYI: If you’re making plans to visit us, our gallery building will be temporarily closed the last week of April for a sp...
04/21/2025

FYI: If you’re making plans to visit us, our gallery building will be temporarily closed the last week of April for a special event.

Starting this Sunday, our building hours will be:

📅 Closed Sunday, April 27-Thursday, May 1
🖼️ Regular hours resume on Friday, May 2

Visit our calendar to see what’s happening in May at YBCA → https://bit.ly/40Nh6Fs

From May 31–June 7, YBCA and Opera Parallèle proudly present “Harvey Milk Reimagined,” a groundbreaking revival honoring...
04/15/2025

From May 31–June 7, YBCA and Opera Parallèle proudly present “Harvey Milk Reimagined,” a groundbreaking revival honoring the life and legacy of Harvey Milk, the civil rights hero and the first openly gay elected official in California. This bold new staging marks the beginning of Pride Month 2025 and commemorates what would have been Milk’s 95th birthday.

In addition to the performance, you can explore a special commemorative display in the Blue Shield of California Theater at YBCA lobby. Organized with The GLBT Historical Society, the display showcases personal artifacts, campaign materials, and photos from Harvey Milk’s life and career.

Join us in celebrating an icon of courage and hope. → https://bit.ly/4i1QMOB

04/11/2025

“The Only Door I Can Open” is curated from prison, which means that the curators and some of the artists have never seen the show in person.

Through this emotional tour led by Empowerment Avenue’s Christine Lashaw, co-curator Chantell Jeannette-Black and artists Elizabeth Lozano and Sarah Montoya share their reactions, the meaning behind their artwork, and reflections on how we can all advocate for change in the treatment of incarcerated women.

Watch their powerful words and visit the exhibition at YBCA to witness their stories firsthand Wednesday-Sunday from 11 am-5 pm. → https://bit.ly/3ZGPUsV

Video by Corey Marsau

04/05/2025

What does it mean to create art in confinement? “The Only Door I Can Open” brings the experiences of incarcerated women to life through a recreated prison room cell, alongside paintings, murals, and audio stories that reveal what it’s like to live under constant surveillance.

Created in partnership with Empowerment Avenue, this exhibition brings the art and stories of incarcerated women into the public eye, challenging us to listen, reflect, and advocate for change. Visit YBCA Wednesday-Sunday from 11 am-5 pm to witness their powerful work. → https://bit.ly/3ZGPUsV

Video by Corey Marsau

Celebrate Arts Education Month with us by giving a round of applause to the incredible YBCA teaching artists bringing cr...
03/30/2025

Celebrate Arts Education Month with us by giving a round of applause to the incredible YBCA teaching artists bringing creativity to Bessie Carmichael Elementary and our Free Art Workshops!

Through classroom workshops and programs, Joyce Nojima, Kim Epifano, and Fred Alvarado engage students in hands-on art-making, storytelling, and cultural exchange. As Epifano shares:

“One of my favorite highlights from the workshops is seeing the students grow and learn through the stories and cultures being shared with each other. The relationship with the second-grade teachers for all of these years has been rewarding. The collaboration with them and their students, as well as how receptive they are to what I do has been great. I learn something from the teachers every year by witnessing their skill and care in educating their students.”

Thank you to our teaching artists for fostering curiosity, confidence, and community one project at a time!

Photos by Senior Manager of Educational Programs Rea Lynn de Guzman

For formerly incarcerated artist Cedar Annenkova, her bed “was a magical place where avenues to elsewhere were offered.”...
03/24/2025

For formerly incarcerated artist Cedar Annenkova, her bed “was a magical place where avenues to elsewhere were offered.” With her mural “Flight to Freedom” she hopes to show a bed as a way of escaping into the realm of the night sky and its possibilities:

“There was a time the only door I could open was to the dreamscape of my imagination. My bed, a small, thin vinyl covered slab of synthetic material became not only sanctuary, but my starship through which to escape afar, beyond the concrete and steel that constantly encroached every visible angle. This mural gives tribute to this gracious reprieve by utilizing linen bed sheets as my canvas.”

Experience Annekova’s work at YBCA and create your own dreamscape painting à la “Freedom to Flight” with watercolors during our Free Art Workshop this Wednesday from 2-4 pm.

Cedar Annenkova, “Flight to Freedom,” 2025. Photos by Charlie Villyard and Corey Marsau. → https://bit.ly/3yAeb8U

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

Website

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