Get to Know

The Women Shaping San Francisco Arts and Culture

Barbara A. Wolfe Curator-in-Charge of European Painting at the Fine Arts Museums and Chief Curator of the Legion of Honor

Emily A. Beeny curates not one museum, but two! Her expertise on European painting helps shape the collections of both the de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor. 

Emily is marking the Legion of Honor's centennial by bringing a fresh and inclusive lens to its collection that spans centuries and cultures. Visitors can look forward to new exhibitions that reevaluate overlooked women artists, including Mary Cassatt at Work, on display beginning Oct. 5, 2024. This first major U.S. presentation of Cassatt's work in a quarter century aims to prove that behind her seemingly traditional family portraits was a radical modernist.

The Legion is really San Francisco’s jewel box: a place full of treasures, stories, even secrets. I’m eager to find ways to bring more of that magic alive for our visitors." - Emily A. Beeny

Head of Contemporary Art and Senior Associate Curator, Asian Art Museum

Abby Chen has made the Asian Art Museum an essential platform for emerging, established, and historically underrepresented voices from Asia and the Asian American community. She leads the largest curatorial team at the Asian Art Museum, and helped acquire works by Bernice Bing, Zheng Chongbin, Jenifer K Wofford and Rupy C. Tut, among others. Chen’s next major exhibition, a collaboration with award-winning designer Jenova Chen, will debut in spring 2025: a first-of-its-kind immersive gaming exhibition. 

Visit the Asian Art Museum

Helen Hilton Raiser Curator of Architecture and Design and Head of the Department for Architecture and Design, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher is here to show that modern art isn't only found in galleries; rather, modern art is all around us in unexpected, even seemingly unartistic places. The upcoming Get in the Game exhibit, which she co-curated, will examine how sports permeate culture, bring people together, and offer a critical lens for conversations about gender, race, national identity, and the human body. This highly anticipated exhibit debuts on Oct. 19, 2024, and will be on display through Feb. 18, 2025.

Explore SFMOMA

Caroline H. Hume Music Director, San Francisco Opera

With a resume that includes the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, and Houston Grand Opera—to say nothing of her international engagements—Eun Sun Kim brings an unbelievable amount of experience and a global perspective to her job as the Music Director at San Francisco Opera. This season, opera lovers can look forward to Kim conducting Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute and the U.S. premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s last opera, Innocence.

See An Opera in SF

Executive Director, Edge on the Square

Edge on the Square is a new contemporary art hub in the heart of Chinatown, led by Executive Director Joanne Lee. Since its inception, Edge on the Square has collaborated with more than 50 BIPOC artists and 30 local merchants and vendors. The hub hosts exhibitions, music events, and cultural gatherings year-round. Their third annual Contemporary Art Festival (Sept. 7, 2024) will feature an array of original art experiences, ephemeral installations, family-friendly activities, creative performances, panel conversations, culinary delights, and interactive exhibitions.

Executive Director, Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco

Jenny Leung is known for her commitment to cultural diversity, equity, and arts access, as well as for expanding the Chinese Culture Center's programming. She also led the efforts to purchase the Center's future home on Chinatown's Grant Street. CCC’s current exhibition, Perilous Playground, is now on view at its Visual Art Center and Design Store near Portsmouth Square. The multidisciplinary exhibition presents innovative work in film, video, new media, sculpture, and mixed media by local and international artists.

Artistic Director and Executive Director, American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)

Thanks to this award-winning duo, A.C.T. is rolling out a blockbuster season of plays. Following the success of the world premiere of BIG DATA, A.C.T. will be staging the Pulitzer Prize finalist play Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord (through May 5), the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical A Strange Loop (April 18 – May 12), and the five-time Tony Award-winning production The Lehman Trilogy (May 25 – June 23).

See A Show in SF

Executive Director, ArtSpan

As the leader of ArtSpan, Joen Madonna is responsible for organizing one of San Francisco's most popular cultural events: SF Open Studios, which connects audiences to local art and artists. Themed From Disco Days to the Tech Craze: 50 Years of Championing Local Arts, the 2024 edition will expand from June through November, with the main event occurring Sept. 19-Oct. 13.

Since its launch in 1975, SFOS has grown into a month-long, citywide celebration of art with more than 800 participating artists. Art lovers can gain unprecedented access to local creators during the event, as galleries, studios, and workspaces open their doors for all to explore. The event has attracted more than 100,000 visitors! Will you be among them?

“San Francisco is a magical place that reinvents herself with the desires and drive of her people." - Joen Madonna

Artistic Director, San Francisco Ballet 

Tamara Rojo's inaugural season at San Francisco Ballet has already been a record-breaker. The premiere of Mere Mortals and revival of Swan Lake were such hot tickets that both runs were extended.

Early in Rojo's tenure, the Ballet received a historic $60 million donation that will be used to fund new works, attract top talent, and revolutionize what audiences can expect from the nation's oldest professional ballet company.

San Francisco Ballet's current season runs through May 5, 2024. After a summer hiatus, the company will return in December with The Nutcracker.

See A Ballet in SF

Founder, Jessica Silverman

Jessica Silverman is more than a gallerist; she's an entrepreneur! Since founding her eponymous art gallery in 2008, she has built a national reputation and been a champion of Bay Area artists. Her gallery, now located in Chinatown, will feature the works of local artist Chelsea Ryoko Wong this summer. The exhibition will feature large-scale figurative paintings inspired by California landscapes and communities.

Visit SF Art Galleries

CEO, Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

CEO Monetta White has led MoAd's successful efforts to expand its global reach and digital audience, creating new opportunities for Black curators and artists. This year’s exhibitions include “!!!!!”, a solo exhibit showcasing works by acclaimed British visual artist and painter Rachel Jones. On view through Sept. 1, Jones’ new body of work continues the artist’s exploration into Black interiority and personhood.

Visit MoAD