Exhibition opening celebration - Motown Madness!

Enjoy Free Admission and the opening of our new exhibitions, J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere: Sartorial Moments and the Nearness of Yesterday, and Gordon Parks: Photographs at His Centennial as MoAD joins the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and UC Berkeley Extension Gallery for Third Thursdays in Yerba Buena.

MoAD's Summer Season Kickoff Weekend starts with Motown Madness, an exhibition opening celebration. MoAD will be the scene for Motown beats by Top Shelf (live Band) and DJ Craft Spells, and background film (Shaft) surrounded by the iconic photographs of Gordon Parks, Life magazine’s first African American staff photographer, and one of America’s finest photojournalists. The 3rd Floor (main) gallery will feature the first West Coast showing of the works of J. D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, a Nigerian national treasure whose images focus on preserving cultural traditions in the face of Nigeria’s change from colonial rule to independence.

Check-in at MoAD to pick up a wristband for special Third Thursday happy hours at participating bars and restaurants.

The third Thursday of each month in downtown San Francisco’s Yerba Buena neighborhood will be a monthly outing full of arts, food, and drink! Wander the blocks around Yerba Buena Gardens to soak in art and music. More at Third Thursdays in Yerba Buena

- Part of MoAD's Summer Season Kickoff Weekend

Come to 3rd on Third to learn more about MoAD's oral histories project, an unprecedented effort by an international museum to collect, publish, and archive "first voice" narratives about people of African descent.

3rd on Third partner, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) will bring its newest volume in I’ve Known Rivers (IKR), the Bayview Hunters Point Oral History Project to Auntie April's at 4618 3rd Street, San Francisco.

On Thursday, June 20, the Bayview will come alive with a community-wide arts celebration. 3rd on Third, a reference to the third Thursday of the month and the event location, Third Street, will feature a myriad of activities for the whole family. The event will include an unveiling of 6 new StreetSmARTS murals by local artists, pop up galleries, outdoor performances, a special children’s zone with free art-making activities and food vendors. The fun kicks off at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m. More information at 3rd on Third Arts Celebration.

- Part of MoAD's Summer Season Kickoff Weekend.

Be one of the first to view J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere: Sartorial Moments and the Nearness of Yesterday and Gordon Parks: Photographs at his Centennial, receive interpretive materials, and connect with fellow teachers at Open House. Admission to the museum is complementary all day for Educators. This in-depth training – led by Dr. Sylvester Okwunodu Ogbechie – is designed for members of MoAD’s guide program and educators (self-defined).

RSVP required to education@moadsf.org

- Part of MoAD's Summer Season Kickoff Weekend

Celebrate Juneteenth and Black Music Month at MoAD with a Family Free Day presented by ScholarShare.

Enjoy Free Admission on the opening weekend of our new exhibitions, J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, Nigerian Photographer: Sartorial Moments and the Nearness of Yesterday, and Gordon Parks Photographs at his Centennial. Create sidewalk chalk art with Jamie Treacy (1-3pm) in front of the museum. Participate in an interactive workshop for families on Jazz as a Metaphor for Democratic Participation with Dr. Wes Watkins, founder of the Jazz & Democracy Project. Using the interactive Whackin’ The Blues™ activity, live musical performance featuring Rhonda Benin, and exclusive interviews with today’s jazz masters, Dr. Wes Watkins, will reveal key facets of the jazz process, and what this tells us about participating in the democratic process. This workshop will be in the MoAD Salon from 12:30-2pm. Following the workshop, Rhonda Benin and her band will present, There Ain't No Jazz Without the Blues, a musical experience that demonstrates the evolution of jazz from the blues sounds of the Mississippi Delta. Ain't No Jazz Without the Blues will be in the MoAD Salon from 3-4:30pm. In our Education Center, join us for a family art activity -- make your own musical instrument to take home with you with teaching artist Zena Allen. Drop in to our Education Center between 12-4pm to participate. In the Wells Fargo Heritage Center, view the documentary Juneteenth to learn all about the special celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation during its 150th anniversary.

FREE DAY sponsored by ScholarShare College Savings Plan

- Part of MoAD's Summer Season Kickoff Weekend

Museum of the African Diaspora and Frameline37 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival co-present Born This Way.

In silhouette cast by the light of a solitary candle, two women speak softly about their inability to express their love in public—because in a country where they arrest people for making love, discretion is the most important skill one can master. Such is the life of the gay men and lesbians of Cameroon, an African nation where homosexuality is punishable by up to five years in prison. But filmmakers Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullmann have found their way into the underground gay and lesbian community here and have discovered some signs of hope and change.

$10 General Admission | $8 Frameline Members

This screening will be held at the Castro Theater, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco. For more information click here.