San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)

Neal Benezra. Neal Benezra was appointed Director of SFMOMA in March 2002 and assumed his role at the museum in August of that year. A Bay Area native, Benezra had previously served as deputy director and Frances and Thomas Dittmer Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, a dual position he assumed in January 2000. Previously, he… See full bio.

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Story: SFMOMA was founded in 1935 under director Grace L. McCann Morley as the San Francisco Museum of Art. For its first sixty years, the museum occupied the fourth floor of the War Memorial Veterans Building on Van Ness Avenue in the Civic Center. A gift of 36 artworks from Albert M. Bender, including The Flower Carrier (1935) by Diego Rivera, established the basis of the permanent collection. Bender donated more than 1,100 objects to SFMOMA during his lifetime and endowed the museum's first purchase fund. The museum began its second year with an exhibition of works by Henri Matisse. In this same year the museum established its photography collection, becoming one of the first museums to recognize photography as a fine art. SFMOMA held its first architecture exhibition, entitled Telesis: Space for Living, in 1940. In January 1995 the museum opened its current location at 151 Third Street, adjacent to Yerba Buena Gardens in the SOMA district. The new US$60 million facility was designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Museum_of_Modern_Art)

Evidence of Impact Summary:

The museum has the loyal support of tens of thousands and the museum touches hundreds of thousands annually. The quality of both the permanent collection and the touring exhibitions ensure the SFMOMA will be treasured world-wide. They created free museum days with activities targeted to engage youth and entire families. They developed a school tour program with tours that includes creating an art project IN the gallery space related to a work of art. They have a classroom visit program to teach art concepts and complete an art project. They develop exceptional wall text and audio to accompany exhibits so visitors can learn/understand more. They have an outstanding docent training and maintenance program. They have a substantial public library and learning space on site. They have lots of online information, including suggestions and curricula for teachers.
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Organization Strengths Summary:

Experts think the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's greatest strength is its board which has been able to fundraise incredible amounts in a down economy. They also are in a great location making the art accessible to many and have very knowledgeable staff who are equally accessible to the public.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

Some experts feel the SFMOMA would improve if they could diversify their audience even more to an underserved and younger audience. They will also need to create more space and hire more staff so they can properly showcase their latest art acquisition.
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Neal Benezra was appointed Director of SFMOMA in March 2002 and assumed his role at the museum in August of that year. A Bay Area native, Benezra had previously served as deputy director and Frances and Thomas Dittmer Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Art Institute of Chicago, a dual position he assumed in January 2000. Previously, he spent eight years at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where he was assistant director for art and public programs (1996–99) and chief curator (1991–96). From 1985 to 1991, Benezra served at the Art Institute of Chicago as curator in the department of 20th-century painting and sculpture (promoted from associate curator in 1986). Benezra was curator at the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa from 1983 to 1985, and before that he served as one of the first coordinators of the Anderson Collection here in the Bay Area. Benezra holds both a Ph.D. and an M.A. in the history of art from Stanford University; an M.A. in the history of art from the University of California, Davis; and a B.A. with honors in the history of art and political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Benezra replaced David A. Ross, who stepped down in August 2001.

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