Sarah Roberts, associate curator of collections and research, SFMOMA
SFMOMA celebrates its 75th anniversary based on the 1935 opening of its previous home on Van Ness Avenue, but the museum actually has roots reaching back to the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. How did the museum come together, and what vision did its first director, Grace McCann Morley, bring to her role as missionary for modern art on the West Coast? Roberts considers how Morley, along with civic leaders, key collectors, and impassioned artists, brought the museum to life and examines the impact of the museum’s first years on the art scene in San Francisco.