The extraordinary San Francisco Bay Area museums and alternative exhibition spaces offer a special opportunity to view important works of art in person.

Art History / Contemporary Art Live! provides an opportunity for students to visit a variety of art spaces to explore technique and ways of seeing that are not possible by viewing reproductions in books, slides, or on the computer.

Students learn historical and social context during which the artworks were made. They discuss meaning as well as style.

The experience informs and carries over into students' own artistic practices. Bay Area artists visit the class to present and discuss their work.

Participants are asked to attend Oakland First Friday (aka Art Murmur) to check out the vibrant Oakland art and gallery scene.

Planned venues to visit
Most of the following museums and exhibition spaces are housed in architecturally significant buildings.

• Asian Art Museum -- One of the largest museums in the Western world devoted exclusively to Asian art and culture.
• Cartoon Art Museum -- The only museum in the western United States dedicated to all forms of cartoons and comics.
• Contemporary Jewish Museum -- Offers diverse audiences new perspectives on Jewish culture and art through innovative exhibitions.
• Oakland Museum of California -- One of the largest collections of California art in the world.
• Palace of the Legion of Honor -- A replica of the Beaux-Arts Palais de la Legion d'Honneur in Paris, this museum specializes in European artworks.
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) -- Champions the most innovative and challenging art of our time.
• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts -- A dynamic multidisciplinary contemporary arts center.
• de Young Museum -- This architecturally stunning museum is the fourth-most-visited art museum in North America. Among its many holdings, it houses one of the finest survey collections of American painting.

Art History is paired with Drawing/Painting.