In 2020, what should have been a time of celebration for the de Young’s 125th anniversary was a period of tragedy, grief, and loss from which we are still recovering.

The de Young and Legion of Honor you know and love remain two world-class art museums that offer a friendly, warm welcome to all—but with nearly a full year of lost ticket revenue, we need as many additional donations as possible to help restore us to our full potential.

As we welcome visitors back into the galleries, we continue to serve our communities with authentic, personal experiences of art in their everyday lives. This includes Free Saturdays for Bay Area residents, art talks and community partnerships during Virtual Wednesdays, access programming for visitors with disabilities, and education programs for K–12, college, and lifelong learners.

Any amount makes a difference, and you’ll receive a limited-edition Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco face mask with every donation of $100 or more!




Here are some of the things we are doing to care for our collections and build community around art.

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We’re here for artists.

This fall, The de Young Open filled the 12,000-square-foot Herbst Exhibition Galleries with 877 artworks by 762 Bay Area artists. The exhibition continues the museum’s long-standing tradition of engaging the local community and showcasing the talent of Bay Area artists, who may offer their pieces for sale and retain 100 percent of the proceeds

Curiosity Resources for Families

As schools are distance learning for the academic year, many parents and caregivers are in need of resources that help educate and enrich their children. Curiosity Resources for Families offers children opportunities to utilize their creativity and problem-solving skills in fun and experiential ways. Tailored, at-home versions of this longstanding and popular in-gallery activity are now available on our website, Instagram, and Facebook.

We’re here for
de Youngsters.

Creating and sharing engaging arts education is critical as funding for public arts education dwindles. This year we engaged 17,638 participants with our curiosity resources and de Youngster Studio Demo videos. This January we are providing 1,000 “art studios in a box” for local K–6 students without current access to art supplies to enjoy art making outside the museums.

We’re here for art lovers near and far.

By temporarily closing to slow the spread of COVID-19, we found a silver lining in virtual programming. Since May, thousands of homebound seniors and other visitors who would normally not be able to visit in person have enjoyed Frida Kahlo: Appearances Can Be Deceiving from home with our Virtual Art Talks. In 2020, we united with local community partners and arts organizations to share virtual programming with more than 30,000 online viewers from around the world!

Keeping art safe.

The Museums’ conservators continue to work hard to care for our 120,000-object collection and the de Young and Legion of Honor buildings. Through this series of social media posts, videos, and web articles, we will offer audiences a behind-the-scenes look at our conservation activities, especially focusing on the teamwork and creative solutions necessary to protect both the conservators and the pieces they’re working on.