SAN FRANCISCO (August 2014)—The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco announce the launch of the Global Fellows program at the de Young this August, funded by a generous Christensen Fund grant. Underwriting two fellowships, each lasting a year, this grant will support indigenous artists from Melanesia and Northern Australia, helping to increase visibility of contemporary indigenous art and promote cross cultural exchange.

“Through the work of these artists, the Global Fellows program will educate museum audiences and the broader public about Pacific art and artists and enhance understanding of Pacific cultures and the environmental issues facing their communities,” said Christina Hellmich, curator in charge of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas.

The Global Fellows program invites indigenous artists from different countries around the world to engage museum visitors both online and through onsite programs at the de Young. The project brings art and technology together with indigenous knowledge to examine the relationship of our global community to our shared natural environment.

Beginning November 5, 2014, the inaugural Global Fellow, Leonard Tebegetu, will occupy the Kimball Education Gallery at the de Young. A self-taught artist from Papua New Guinea, Tebegetu has explored through his work the human form in action, on the streets of urban centers and in the smaller communities of his island home. He will share his new work, which also addresses the material consumption of societies locally and globally, in the Kimball Education Gallery through November 30, and online throughout the course of his yearlong residency.

“Art for me was born out of necessity: necessity to rise above my shortcomings, to fend for myself and my young family, and, above all else, to survive the harsh realities our home, Port Moresby. Port Moresby and its realities gave me a wake-up call, put a brush in my hand and sent me on my way to be an artist,” said Tebegetu. “In my artistic journey, I am drawn toward understanding the beauty and spirituality in human forms, whether they are seen in the ceremonies of Papua New Guinea or on the streets of San Francisco. My Fellowship project will focus on the indigenous materials of the Pacific islands and on the connections of people around the globe to the natural environment.”

Tebegetu will be in residency in the Kimball Education Gallery November 5–30, 2014, Wednesdays–Sundays, 1–5 p.m., and Fridays, 1–8:45 p.m. The museum will host a closing reception for the artist on Friday, November 28, 6–8:30 p.m.

This program is co-organized by the public programs department and the curatorial department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, and is made possible through the generosity of the Christensen Fund with additional support from the Jolika Fellows program.

Visiting \ de Young
Golden Gate Park, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco. Open 9:30 a.m.–5:15 p.m. Tuesdays–Sundays; open select holidays; closed most Mondays.

Admission Tickets
Admission to the Kimball Education Gallery is free. General admission tickets for the permanent collection range from $6 to $10; free first Tuesday of the month. Please visit deyoungmuseum.org for more information.

About the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in San Francisco.

The de Young originated from the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition and became the Memorial Museum. Thirty years later, it was renamed in honor of Michael H. de Young, a longtime champion of the museum. The present copper-clad, landmark building, designed by Herzog and de Meuron, opened in October 2005. It showcases the institution’s significant collections of American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from the 17th to the 21st centuries; art from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; costume and textile arts; and international modern and contemporary art.

The Legion of Honor was inspired by the French pavilion at San Francisco’s Panama Pacific International Exposition of 1915, which was a replica of the Palais de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris. The museum opened in 1924 in the Beaux Arts–style building designed by George Applegarth on a bluff overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. Its holdings span 4,000 years and include European painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; ancient art from the Mediterranean basin; and the largest collection of works on paper in the American West.

Media Contacts
Erin Garcia \ egarcia@famsf.org

Clara Hatcher \ chatcher@famsf.org