San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Why do people visit museums?

I asked myself this question as I was wandering through various galleries at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA). Here are just some of the ideas that came to my mind:

- To appear cultured when you go back to the office on Monday and a co-worker asks you what you did over the weekend
- To be exposed to novel things and different ways of seeing the world
- To get inspiration for your own artistic endeavors
- To check out the stuff they call modern art, that looks like stuff you could do if you just put your mind to it and work in a large enough scale to be impressive

I visited the photography exhibit at the museum, but it did not impress me because the photos were too documentary. Also, some of the photos that were blown up in a large format and hung on the wall did not even look that professional! I was disappointed.

Then there are always those paintings hanging on the wall that lead you to wonder why they call that art. For example, painted squares of canvas often pass for art. You just need self confidence to call it such and others to support you. In addition, there was a urinal on a pedestal that was supposed to be art and people were spending time looking at it and studying it. Art is such an ambiguous concept.

Currently they have an exhibit on participatory art going on. Some fun exhibits included microphones that captured what you said and replays it at a later point in time, usually in combination with what someone previously spoke into the mike.

The museum store at the SFMoMA is definitely worth a visit because it carries many unique items and gifts. It's also a great place to buy San Francisco souvenirs.

BTW, I hope you enjoy my video. If you're wondering what the black forms are in 2 of the photos, those are black poodles circling a baby in the middle by German artist Katharina Fritsch. Aren't the poodle behinds cute?