ILLUMINATE SF

MUSEUM + GALLERY EVENTS

Discover illuminating exhibitions and events relating to light art works and artists, innovation and technology.

INSTALLATION: BUCKYBALL BY LEO VILLAREAL

When: March 5 - February 26, 2017

Where: The Exploratorium, Embarcadero Pier 15

Experience Buckyball, a towering 25-foot illuminated sculpture that features two nested, geodesic spheres comprised of 4,500 LED nodes arranged along a series of pentagons and hexagons. Inspired by geodesic dome made popular by futurist and inventor Buckminster Fuller, Buckyball is the creation of New York-based Leo Villareal, who is celebrated in San Francisco for his monumental public sculpture The Bay Lights. Buckyball is animated by custom software programmed by Villareal to display over 16 million distinct colors that will enliven the Exploratorium's free outdoor public space in both daylight and moonlight. The Exploratorium is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (every day in July and August). Every Thursday the Exploratorium reopens from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. for adults only (18+).

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DE YOUNG DOCENT TOUR

When: Weekly; check the Museum's Visitor Information Desk or online calendar

Where: de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, Golden Gate Park

Now is the time to visit James Turrell's sublime subterranean installation Three Gems, which has just undergone an exquisite lighting restoration. Best known for his visionary work with light, the artist created Three Gems as a permanent installation by Mr. and Mrs. Osher for the museum's Barbro Osher Scuplture Garden. The "skyspace" is in the form of a stupa, or dome, built into a hill within the garden and featuring a view of the sky altered by lighting effects that change with light and weather conditions outside. The garden is free to enter during museum hours, and the artwork is featured in the Highlights of the de Young docent tour, free with ticketed admission to the museum.

Key companion for your museum visit: the free de Young app allows you to hear de Young curators tell the stories behind some of the museum's most fascination works of art. Download it for free at the Apple App Store.