Exhibition Press Release

SFMOMA Showcases Special Exhibition For Rooftop Garden

Exhibition dates: April 03 - October 26, 2008

Release date: April 2, 2008

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From April 3 to October 26, 2008, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) presents the special exhibition A Rooftop Garden for SFMOMA. With construction of the museum's new 14,400-square-foot Rooftop Garden currently under way, this exhibition offers visitors an experiential glimpse of SFMOMA's expansion. A horizontal projection on the second-floor landing mimics the span of windows that will eventually overlook the completed garden from the fifth-floor galleries, transforming an opaque wall into a virtual portal. The projection, conceived by Rooftop Garden architect Mark Jensen, paints an atmospheric portrait of the nascent outdoor space, conjuring specific visual elements related to the design as well as abstract suggestions of the changing seasons, weather, and hourly light that will influence the mood in the garden.

The Rooftop Garden will be constructed on the roof of the SFMOMA Garage on Minna Street, just behind the museum building, and will be linked to the museum's fifth-floor galleries by a glass and steel bridge. Once completed, the garden will serve as a venue for special events as well as an exhibition space for artworks in SFMOMA's collection.

Designed by San Francisco–based Jensen Architects, the garden will be an integral part of the museum's exhibition space. A panoramic window will replace the entire back wall of the museum's fifth floor, providing a dramatic view of the garden from inside the galleries. Visitors will be able to move between the museum building and the garden through an enclosed passageway that also can be used for the display of art. Outside in the garden, sculptures can be installed in two open-air spaces or within a luminous glass pavilion. The garden will also be dotted with seating areas and elegant plantings.

Jensen Architects' design team is Mark Jensen (principal), Dean Orr, Gretchen Krebs, Steven Huegli, and Orit Goldstein-Mayer. The collaborating landscape architect is Conger Moss Guillard Landscape Architecture. Their design team is Kevin Conger (principal) and Rayna Deniord.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Rooftop Garden is made possible through the generous support of the following leadership gifts: the Mimi & Peter Haas Fund; Barbara and Gerson Bakar; the Jean and James Douglas Family; Patricia and William Wilson III; and Carolyn and Preston Butcher.

Media Contacts

  • Libby Garrison, 415.357.4177,
  • Robyn Wise, 415.357.4172,
  • Sandra Farish Sloan, 415.357.4174,

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San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Museum hours: Open daily (except Wednesdays): 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; open late Thursdays, until 8:45 p.m. Summer hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day): Open at 10 a.m. Closed Wednesdays and the following public holidays: New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas. The Museum is open the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year's Day.

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Admission prices: adults: $18; seniors: $13; students: $11; SFMOMA members and children 12 and under: free. Admission is free the first Tuesday of each month and half-price on Thursdays after 6 p.m.

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Visit our Web site at www.sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.

SFMOMA is supported by a broad array of contributors committed to helping advance its mission. Major annual support is provided by Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, the Koret Foundation, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund. First Tuesdays are always free, thanks to AT&T. KidstART free admission for children 12 and under is made possible by Charles Schwab & Co.

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