Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
- Wednesdays11:00 AM – 8:00 PMJan 16, 2027 – Jul 11, 2027 · Ends in July 2027; exact closing day not announced
- Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday · weekly11:00 AM – 5:00 PMJan 16, 2027 – Jul 11, 2027 · Ends in July 2027; exact closing day not announced
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? at YBCA
A 1992 book about California sits at the center of YBCA’s exhibition—not as a simple celebration of the state, but as a way to examine its landscapes alongside the promises and paradise stories attached to them. That tension offers a guide to a presentation spanning Barbara Stauffacher Solomon’s work as an artist, designer, writer and architect.
California as a promise under review
“Good Mourning California” (1992) considers the state’s landscapes alongside its broken promises and the national myths that cast it as paradise. At YBCA, the book gives visitors a way to connect Solomon’s visual work with her writing: California is both a place she rendered and an ideal she questioned.
The exhibition draws on rarely seen material from Solomon’s estate archive. Together with the book at its center, that material offers a broader view than a presentation focused only on the wall graphics for which she became widely known.
Further reading: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? - YBCA ↗
A practice across disciplines
A third-generation San Franciscan, Solomon (1928–2024) studied painting with David Park at the San Francisco Art Institute and Hans Hofmann in New York, then trained in graphic design under Armin Hofmann in Basel. She later studied architecture at UC Berkeley. YBCA’s biography credits her with introducing Helvetica to the United States after her return to California in the 1960s.
Her more than six decades of work included books, landscape drawings, Supergraphics and paintings of ping-pong tables. That range matters to this exhibition: it presents her not just as a maker of a recognizable graphic style, but as an artist whose work moved between images, buildings, writing and ideas about landscape.
Further reading: Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? - YBCA ↗ · Barbara Stauffacher Solomon - YBCA ↗
Plan a gallery visit
January 16–July 11, 2027
The exhibition is in Gallery 3 at YBCA. Gallery hours are Wednesday 11 a.m.–8 p.m. and Thursday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; the galleries are closed Monday and Tuesday. These are YBCA’s general gallery hours.
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? - YBCA ↗ · Visit - YBCA ↗
YBCA’s general gallery rates
General admission is $10 for adults 18 and older and $5 for students and seniors. Gallery admission is free for YBCA members, youth 17 and under, military personnel and Museums for All participants. Members receive free gallery admission for four people, and everyone receives free gallery admission on Wednesdays.
These are YBCA-wide gallery rates; the exhibition listing does not specify separate ticket terms or whether advance booking is required.
Visit - YBCA ↗ · Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? - YBCA ↗
Some free tickets are obtained onsite
For Museums for All, YBCA offers free admission to Medi-Cal and EBT cardholders. Bring the benefits card; tickets must be obtained at YBCA’s ticketing desk. Employees of other museums with current, valid staff ID receive free general admission for themselves and one guest, with entry tickets obtained onsite.
The Visitor Services desk is in the Grand Lobby of the Gallery & Forum Building and handles tickets to YBCA-curated programs. For ticket questions, call 415-978-2787 during gallery hours.
Visit - YBCA ↗ · Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? - YBCA ↗
Visitor support at the galleries
YBCA says all public entrances are accessible. The Gallery & Forum Building entrances at 701 Mission Street and Garden Esplanade have electric push-button doors; elevators serve both buildings. Wheelchairs are available first-come, first-served, and large-print exhibition guides are offered. One caregiver accompanying a visitor with accessibility needs is admitted free.
Getting to Gallery 3
Address and travel options
The exhibition is in Gallery 3 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. YBCA lists public transit, car, bicycle and walking as ways to reach the campus. Its visit information does not provide route numbers or parking specifics; the map links can calculate directions from your starting point.
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? - YBCA ↗ · Visit - YBCA ↗
Gallery entrance
The main entrance to YBCA’s galleries and forum is at 701 Mission Street. The Gallery & Forum Building also has an entrance at Garden Esplanade; both have electric push-button doors. YBCA says all public entrances are accessible, and elevators serve both buildings.
Before you make a plan
When can I visit the exhibition?
It runs January 16–July 11, 2027. YBCA’s galleries are open Wednesday 11 a.m.–8 p.m. and Thursday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m., and closed Monday and Tuesday.
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: Why? Why Not? - YBCA ↗ · Visit - YBCA ↗
How does Museums for All admission work?
YBCA offers free admission to Medi-Cal and EBT cardholders. Bring the benefits card and obtain tickets at the venue’s ticketing desk.
Is gallery admission free on Wednesdays?
Yes. YBCA lists free gallery admission for everyone on Wednesdays.
Location & Google Maps
Gallery 3, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.