Director's Circle Benefits

Go Beyond the Surface

Exclusive Access to the Museum

  • Enjoy exhibition tours with SFMOMA curators when the museum is closed to the public.
  • Take behind-the-scenes museum tours with installation and conservation staff.
  • Explore major exhibitions during exclusive receptions, previews, and private viewing hours.

Special Events and Artist Talks

  • Celebrate at the Director's Circle black-tie dinner with a different guest speaker each year. Past speakers include Martin Puryear, Chuck Close, Frank Gehry, Brice Marden, Ed Ruscha, Richard Serra, Wayne Thiebaud, Bill Viola, and Jeff Wall.
  • Attend Conversation and Cocktails with the museum director. Past speakers include Olafur Eliasson, Brice Marden, and Kerry James Marshall. This year's featured speaker is Kara Walker.
  • Engage with artists and curators at the annual Artist's Salon. Past speakers include Robert Bechtle, Hung Liu, Deborah Oropallo, Pipilotti Rist, and Kiki Smith.
  • Enjoy a tour of a private Bay Area art collection.
  • Receive priority invitations to select museum events, including the 75th Anniversary Gala, the Art Sandwiched In Lecture Series, and the Bay Area Treasure Award Luncheon.

Travel Opportunities

  • Join SFMOMA's director on an international tour designed exclusively for Director's Circle donors. Previous destinations include China, France, Istanbul, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Venice.
  • Travel to art destinations with SFMOMA curators. Each trip has a special curatorial focus such as photography, architecture and design, or contemporary painting and sculpture. Previous destinations include Brazil, Chicago, Mexico City, New York, Seattle, and Washington D.C.
  • Enjoy a day trip featuring guided tours of Bay Area artist studios and galleries.

Additional Director's Circle Benefits

  • Earn recognition on the museum's Donor Wall.
  • Enjoy unlimited free admission to SFMOMA, plus eight complimentary guest passes per year. Receive free admission to more than 30 museums in the U.S. and Canada with your Museum Alliance Reciprocal Membership.
  • Receive priority consideration for museum facilities rental for select private events (available to donors at the $25,000 level and above).
  • Receive catalogues for each of the year's major exhibitions at SFMOMA (available to donors at the $100,000 level and above; all other Director's Circle donors receive one catalogue each year).

For more information about Director's Circle and a complete schedule of upcoming events, contact Jonathan Peterson, director of development, at 415.618.3280 or jpeterson@sfmoma.org.

To find out how to become a donor in the $1,500 to $14,999 range, visit the Artist's Circle page.
Photo: Drew Altizer