Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture

Exhibition
October 19, 2024–February 18, 2025
Floor 7

Art about athletes? Check.

Art created by athletes? You bet.

Football helmet design from the 1920s to today? Yep.

Opportunities to play artworks, including a 22-person foosball table? Absolutely!

At its heart, Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture offers a collection of stories that show how sports impacts our culture and our psyches. They’re the type of stories that fuel our collective passion for “the game.”

Discover the depth of swimmer Diana Nyad’s determination through an unexpected portrait angle. Feel the pressure Billie Jean King faced through a reenactment of her legendary “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match. Celebrate Kobe Bryant’s legacy as an NBA superstar and cultural icon in lustrous ceramic.

This exhibition taps into the spirit of why you love sports through what we know best: art, design, and interactive experiences. It’s time to get in the game.

Read more about the exhibition in From the Court to the Canvas.

Exhibition Preview

Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture (installation view, SFMOMA); photo: Matthew Millman, courtesy SFMOMA
Holly Bass, NWBA (Jordan), 2012; © Holly Bass, courtesy the artist
Get in the Game (installation view, SFMOMA); photo: Matthew Millman, courtesy SFMOMA
Hank Willis Thomas, Guernica, 2016; courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; © Hank Willis Thomas; photo: courtesy Jack Shainman Gallery, New York
Get in the Game (installation view, SFMOMA); photo: Matthew Millman, courtesy SFMOMA
Get in the Game (installation view, SFMOMA); photo: Matthew Millman, courtesy SFMOMA
Get in the Game (installation view, SFMOMA); photo: Matthew Millman, courtesy SFMOMA
Sam McKinniss, Ameriquest Field in Arlington, TX, Sept 3 2006, 2022; courtesy the Labora and Hartland Mackie Family Collection

Full List of Get in the Game Artists and Designers

Lead support for Get in the Game is provided by Bank of America.

Presenting support is provided by Dana and Bob Emery.

Major support is provided by Charles and Ivette Esserman, Mary Jo and Dick Kovacevich, KHR McNeely Family Fund, and Stephanie and Mark Robinson.

Significant support is provided by Mary Jane Elmore, Susan Karp and Paul Haahr, Kate and Wes Mitchell, Jessica Moment, Nancy and Alan Schatzberg, Carlie Wilmans, and Anonymous.

Meaningful support is provided by Ethan Beard and Wayee Chu and Maryellen and Frank Herringer, and Susan Swig.

Additional support is provided by The Sanger Family Architecture and Design Exhibition Fund and the Diane and Howard Zack Fund for Architecture and Design.

Header image: Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture (installation view, SFMOMA); photo: Matthew Millman, courtesy SFMOMA

 

Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture Staff Credits

This exhibition was made possible through the collaboration of individuals across the museum and beyond. Thank you to the current and former team members who shaped the development and production of the exhibition, and to the many others who supported this work.

Conservation, Registration, Collections Management, and Archives and Art Resources: Michelle Barger, Lauren Dare, James Gouldthorpe, Andrew Haller, Jennifer Hickey, Jennifer Hing, Allison Revello, Jennifer Torres, Dale Verga, Sriba Kwadjovie Quintana, and David Rozelle.

Curatorial: Hyoeun Kim, Adrian Martinez, Daryl McCurdy, Ann Marguerite Tartsinis, Jessie Turner, Tanya Zimbardo, and research support by Jenny Dally, Amara Lawson-Chavanu, and Gabriella Shypula

Design: Paul Armstrong, Fernanda Carlovich, Bosco Hernandez, and Caroline Holley

Education, Community Engagement, and Visitor Experience: Kevin Carr, Brianna Jilson, Nicole Meshack, and Fengxue Zhang

Exhibition Project Management: Angelo Hallinan and Angie Wilson

Fabrication and Facilities: Autumn Bree, Brian Caraway, Juli Gamble, Frederick Gums, Brandon Larson, Sita Laville, Kayla Pierce, and Brian Weinstein

Installation, AV, and Framing: Joe Blake, Johnny Brewton, Alexander Cheves, Lily Clouse, Alex Dangles, Srimongkol (Jack) Darawali, John Davis, Ximaps Dong, Bink Galbraith, Derek Gedalecia, Sean Horchy, Travis Kerkela, Claire LaMont, Martin Malvar, Evan Mulitauopele, Ryan Onstine, Svetlana Pantenkova, Jeanine Parrish, Olivia Reich, Rico Solinas, Syl Sutton, Adam Tompkison, and Jesse Walton

Legal: Mei Li and Adine Varah

Marketing and Communications: Clara Hatcher Baruth, Noah Biavaschi, Claire Bradley, Sylvia Castillo, Cristina Chan, Komal Desai, Cassie Eng, Stephanie Gianni, Hayley Goebel, Rebecca Herman, Colin Howard, Julie Lamb, Alexandra Nguy, Océane Qiu, Heather Sanchez, and Andrea Wang

Philanthropy: Kellee Dawkins, Cole Ferraiuolo, Richard Havens, Daniel Johnson, Melissa Lang, Julia Lyckberg, Tess Remick, Suzy Varadi, and Misty Youman

Publications: Kari Dahlgren, Amanda Glessman, and Clare Jacobson