SFMOMA, MoAD and YBCA Bring Art Outdoors on a Monumental Scale as Part of Yerba Buena Partnership’s Illuminated Program
Media contacts:
Yerba Buena Partnership: Peter Bartelme, 415-999-0579, pb@prstrategies.com.
SFMOMA: Clara Hatcher Baruth, 415-357-4177, chatcher@sfmoma.org
LINK TO B-ROLL AND PHOTOGRAPHY HERE - CREDIT YERBA BUENA PARTNERSHIP
SFMOMA, MoAD and YBCA Bring Art Outdoors on a Monumental Scale as Part of Yerba Buena Partnership’s Illuminated Program
95-Foot-High Open-Air Projections on the
Historic Humboldt Bank Building at Market Street and Yerba Buena Lane
Enliven the Neighborhood and Enhance Civic Engagement with Art
Media Artist Jennifer Steinkamp’s It’s a nice day for a white wedding. (2008) from SFMOMA’s Collection Will Launch the Series in Late August
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, (August 25, 2026) — The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) are partnering with Yerba Buena Partnership to bring major artworks outdoors in the form of towering open-air art projections at Market Street and Yerba Buena Lane, one of the city’s most active and visible corridors. The series is part of the Partnership's Yerba Buena Illuminated program, announced today by the neighborhood community benefit district.
Yerba Buena Illuminated is presented by Yerba Buena Partnership with support from the Office of Mayor Daniel Lurie and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. The installations can be experienced nightly from twilight until 10 p.m.
“Arts and culture are helping to drive our recovery, and public art can be a major draw for downtown—supporting local businesses and bringing people together,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “This installation will be a powerful symbol of the vibrancy and creativity that defines San Francisco and yet another reason for San Franciscans and visitors to enjoy the public spaces, cultural institutions, and all the Yerba Buena area has to offer.”
“Great cities invest in beauty, and Yerba Buena Illuminated is a beautiful example of San Francisco doing just that,” said Matthew Goudeau, Executive Director of Arts and Culture for the City. “Bringing a piece like Jennifer Steinkamp’s out of the museum and onto Market Street is exactly the kind of bold, public-facing art the city needs and wants right now. It meets people where they are, making extraordinary art accessible to everyone.”
This week, Jennifer Steinkamp’s digital artwork It’s a nice day for a white wedding. (2008) from SFMOMA’s collection will be presented outdoors for the first time on a 95-foot-high and 46-foot-wide segment of the historic Humboldt Bank Building, notable for its Beaux-Arts–style façade. The artwork’s title is inspired by Billy Idol’s 1982 hit song White Wedding but in contrast to the lyrics’ darker undertones, this installation brings a cascade of red, white, and yellow wedding flowers to life. Steinkamp, a Los Angeles–based artist, has been using computer animation to render organic and abstract forms from nature in motion since the 1980s. She experiments with the illusion of light in her installations to alter the viewer’s typical perspective of an object within its physical environment, inviting an immersive experience of space and time. Installations curated by MoAD and YBCA will also debut in 2027 as part of the program.
“Beautiful artwork like this inspires us all. To have three world-class museums provide their curatorial expertise is truly a gift,” said Scott Rowitz, Executive Director of Yerba Buena Partnership. “This giant art site serves as a gateway to Yerba Buena’s unparalleled collection of museums and galleries and to view the more than 60 public art pieces throughout the neighborhood.”
"Embracing opportunities to bring artwork into the community and foster connections with the broadest possible audience is core to SFMOMA's mission. We are thrilled to launch this exciting collaboration that helps spotlight the Yerba Buena arts district as a hub of cultural activity for our local residents and visitors from around the globe," said Christopher Bedford, SFMOMA's Helen and Charles Schwab Director.
"Yerba Buena Illuminated emphasizes that our part of Downtown San Francisco has deep and longstanding roots in art, culture, and creativity. MoAD is delighted to partner with this initiative to further our mission that art and artists of the African Diaspora belong at the center of the local and global cultural conversation. This program makes art even more accessible and inspiring, and continues to draw audiences to the world-class institutions in Yerba Buena,” said MoAD Executive Director and CEO Monetta White.
“YBCA has worked at the intersection of art and public life for more than three decades. This partnership gives us an exciting opportunity to extend that work onto Market Street by commissioning new work specifically for this highly visible public site. Artists are central to the daily life of a city, and we’re excited to create new encounters between contemporary art and the people who live, work, and move through downtown San Francisco,” said Essence Harden, Senior Curator at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.
“Dynamic works of art transform our downtown into a vibrant and inviting destination that draws people out to our public spaces and small businesses,” said Anne Taupier, Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “Having the neighborhood’s premier museums and cultural institutions collaborate on Yerba Buena Illuminated underscores the neighborhood’s role as a vital arts hub in our downtown. It’s exciting to see these prestigious institutions expand their programming in this way.”
Yerba Buena Partnership is a community-based nonprofit organization providing services to enhance the overall experience in the downtown San Francisco Yerba Buena neighborhood — the city’s renowned arts and entertainment destination — for all who live, work and visit. Since 2008, the Partnership has implemented programs involving cleaning, safety and hospitality, marketing, economic development, public art and public space improvements around Yerba Buena Gardens, from Second to Fifth and Market to Perry streets. The neighborhood boasts iconic destinations such as SFMOMA, YBCA, MoAD, Children’s Creativity Museum and Moscone Center, along with premier hotels, Academy of Art University and dining and entertainment venues. Yerba Buena is also located within the larger Filipino Cultural Heritage District.
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About SFMOMA
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. Our remarkable collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified building designed by the global architects Snøhetta and Mario Botta. In addition to our seven gallery floors, SFMOMA now offers over 45,000 square feet of free, art-filled public space open to all.
About Museum of the African Diaspora
San Francisco’s Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) is a contemporary art museum whose mission is to place the contemporary art and artists of the African Diaspora at the center of the global cultural conversation. MoAD is one of only a few museums in the United States dedicated to the celebration and interpretation of art, artists and cultures from the African Diaspora. The Museum presents exhibitions highlighting contemporary art and artists of African descent and engages its audience through education and public programs that interpret and enhance the understanding of the African Diaspora’s impact. Founded in 2005, the Museum continues to be a cultural beacon where the African Diaspora shapes contemporary art. General Information For general information, the public may visit the Museum’s website at moadsf.org or call 415.358.7200. MoAD is located at 685 Mission Street (at Third), San Francisco, CA.
About YBCA
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is San Francisco’s home for bold, daring, and breathtaking art. Across contemporary art, performance, dance, film, and public programs, we present essential artistic voices from across the world, while celebrating the vibrancy of Bay Area culture. Embodying the independent and unconventional spirit of our city, YBCA has been the creative heartbeat of San Francisco for more than thirty years. For more information, visit ybca.org.