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de Young Museum to Host 31-Hour Celebration in Golden Gate Park
9/29/2005 A Celebration of World Art and Culture Inauguration of New de Young to Include Midnight Tours, Performances by San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, Opera, Poet Laureates, American Conservatory Theater and a Multitude of Multicultural Artists
On October 15 and 16, 2005, the de Young museum will celebrate its return to Golden Gate Park, in a new facility designed by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron and Fong & Chan Architects in San Francisco. Landscape architect Walter Hood of Hood Design has created an enchanting indoor-outdoor environment for museum visitors to enjoy. The new de Young will provide San Francisco with a landmark art museum to showcase its extensive collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, modern and contemporary art, international textiles, art from Central and South America, the Pacific and Africa.
For its inaugural weekend, the de Young will be open FREE TO THE PUBLIC, NONSTOP, from noon on Saturday, October 15 until 5 p.m. on Sunday, October 16. This 31-hour “museum marathon,” beginning outside at 10 a.m., is designed to welcome all kinds of visitors to the de Young, and celebrate its diverse collections with entertainments ranging from Chinese fan dancers to jazz bands in the Sculpture Garden. Sunday, October 16 has been designated as Family Day, with special hands-on, interactive activities for visitors of all ages. The 16th will also include a program of ceremonies to inspire local people with the spirit of their ancestral heritages.
The program will emphasize the museum’s mission to find a common ground through art and to build bridges to connect people, cultures, ideas and traditions across time and geographical space. The new museum seeks to be a public conversation with art, a panoramic, exuberant, public meeting point where the museum experience is special for everyone.
The Opening Weekend program will include gallery tours, music, dancing, food and a full schedule of performances by local groups throughout the museum grounds*. To memorialize the occasion, a photo opportunity station will be located near the historic sphinx sculptures.
Complete calendar of performances and activities
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