Centennial Weekend Celebration: Free Saturdays
Legion of Honor, 2019. Photograph by Gary Sexton
Marching band, performances, art activities, and lots of cake!
We invite you to the kickoff of the Legion of Honor 100. Join us to celebrate our long history of rich cultural exchange and the Bay Area’s diverse artistic communities. Experience the museum like you never have before!
This Free Saturdays at the Legion of Honor includes one-of-a-kind collaborations with local artists and organizations, including an organ concert with the SF Ballet, a sweet feast with Cake Picnic, and limited edition screenprints with ARTivate. This day also marks the launch of our new curatorial series “A Closer Look,” and special sessions of sketching in the galleries.
The Centennial Weekend Celebration, November 9–11, is part of our year-long series of free public programs and special events coinciding with the Legion of Honor 100, commemorating the history of the museum and looking forward to its next century.
Schedule
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SMARTBOMB Musical Performances
9:30 am – 3 pm
Court of Honor + Galleries 6 + 14Enjoy a full day of musical activation from SMARTBOMB, featuring special vinyl DJs from the community and live ambient and electronic performances. Focusing on the theme of past and present music, these spaces will create a shared sound of the moment and spark a dynamic dialogue for the intrigued ear. Learn more.
Photograph courtesy of SMARTBOMB
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100 Years, 100 Portraits
9:30 am – 12:30 pm
Court of HonorGet an iconic portrait with one of the Legion of Honor’s most photographed sculptures, The Thinker. Portraits will be shot by Alexa Trevino, a Mexican-American portrait photographer based in the Mission District. Trevino was most recently featured in The de Young Open 2023!
Photograph courtesy of Gary Sexton
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Centennial Remarks + Cake Cutting Ceremony
11 – 11:30am
Court of HonorJoin us for a historic gathering kicking off with a visit by the George Washington High School marching band, an Ohlone welcome by Gregg Castro from the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone, and centennial remarks presented by FAMSF Director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell as well as local government officials and French dignitaries. Complimentary Legion of Honor 100 birthday cupcakes will be available for all attendees!
Photograph courtesy of Gary Sexton
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Cake Picnic with Elisa Sunga
10 am – 2:30 pm
Front lawnCelebrate the Legion of Honor’s 100th birthday with the most cakes we’ve ever seen! This sweet feast will showcase a selection of cakes that are art pieces in their own right. Learn more.
Photograph courtesy of Angela Jazmin Studio
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Community Stitches + Patches with Sew Frisco
11:30 am – 3:30 pm
Court of HonorSew Frisco is excited to celebrate 100 years of the Legion of Honor with a collection of stylish embroidered patches. Each patch is a nod to a century of excellence and distinction, seamlessly blending timeless tradition with modern design.
Photograph courtesy of Sew Frisco
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Screen Printing with ARTivate
11:30 am – 3:30 pm
Front lawnCreate your own limited edition Legion of Honor 100 silkscreen print using ARTivate’s mobile art bike! Get a poster designed by ARTivate or FAMSF Teaching Artists inspired by the Legion of Honor building and collections. Learn more.
Photograph courtesy of Amy Berk
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Sketching in the Galleries
11:30 am – 3:30 pm
Galleries 4 + 18Experiment with materials and enjoy the collections from a creative perspective. This activity is available to all skill levels. Materials will be provided, including gallery stools.
Photograph courtesy of Gary Sexton
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Oddity Musical Performances
Noon + 2 pm
Court of HonorOddity, from Oakland, CA, is a sonic storyteller exploring the intersections of jazz, hip-hop, and neo-soul, with influences ranging from Billy Strayhorn to D’Angelo.
Photograph courtesy of Oddity
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Pop Up by Tarts de Feybesse
1 – 3:30 pm
Court of HonorEnjoy complimentary croquembouche by French bakery Tarts de Feybesse. Husband-and-wife duo Monique Lopez Feybesse and Paul Feybesse combine their high French baking techniques, and French and Filipino-American cultural heritages, with a Bay Area flair.
Photograph courtesy of Tarts de Feybesse
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A Closer Look: Collecting European Paintings for San Francisco
1 pm
Gunn TheaterJoin curator Emily A. Beeny in taking “A Closer Look” at our European paintings collection. This talk explores the history of the collection through artwork highlights and the colorful characters — collectors, directors, and curators — who brought them to San Francisco. Learn more.
Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, The Empire of Flora (detail), ca. 1743
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Museum Directors in Conversation on Rodin + San Francisco
2:30 pm
Gunn TheaterJoin Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and Amélie Simier, director of the Musée Rodin, Paris for a lively discussion on the inimitable French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). Learn more.
Auguste Rodin, The Thinker, 1904
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Organ Concert with the San Francisco Ballet School
4 – 5 pm
Galleries 8, 10, 12 + Court of HonorJoin us for the day’s grand finale — an organ concert takeover! This special concert features Jonathan Dimmock on the Spreckels organ, alongside ballet performances in the Rodin galleries and Court of Honor. Learn more.
Auguste Rodin, The Three Shades, 1898
Ticket info
All programs are free and open to the public. Entry to the permanent collection galleries and the special exhibition Mary Cassatt at Work is free. Exhibition tickets are limited, first come, first served.
Free Saturdays admission is generously underwritten by Diane B. Wilsey and programming is supported by the Koret Foundation.
Complimentary admission to Mary Cassatt at Work is generously underwritten by Bank of America.
Legion of Honor 100 Celebration Sponsor
Contact info
Public Programs
publicprograms@famsf.org
415.750.7694
