The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) recently re-opened after a remodel of more than three years. It wasn’t my favorite of the museums and galleries in San Francisco, but we would go occasionally to catch an exhibition in which we were interested or just to wander and admire the building itself.

My husband and I played hooky last week (we took the day off, but playing hooky sounds so much more fun) and went to see what three years of remodeling looked like. At first I was disappointed, some of the architectural features I enjoyed in the past were gone – like the entryway staircase which wound up and up from the ground floor to the top level galleries. After feeling underwhelmed by the lobby, we took the elevator up to the top floor and worked our way down from there. This is a great way to see a busy museum or gallery – get yourself to the farthest point from the entry when it opens and you’ll beat most of the crowds.

After wandering through our chosen exhibits, snapping an iphone photo here and there of pieces which caught my eye, I began to relax into the museum space itself.  One of the best parts of SFMOMA is their use of outside space – many of the floors have terraces where visitors can step outside to adjust their vision, grab some air, appreciate the building itself, the view, and outdoor art pieces.

I started admiring shapes and negative space – as a former animator, I can still hear the voice of one of my college instructors who first drilled the idea of negative space into our heads. Even when making animated movies with a focus on storytelling, negative space and silhouettes add more interest and encourage the eye to travel around the frame, making the action easier to read.

After I got over my initial disappointment, and also got over myself in order to appreciate my surroundings, I saw art in every direction.

I even found inspiration after we left the museum and headed to the carpark.

Another lesson in getting out of my own way… how can we see and capture what’s around us if we can’t see beyond our own judgmental eye. Playing hooky now and then helps too.

cheers,
kim