Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)

Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) Where the African Diaspora shapes contemporary art.

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) showcases the history, art and the cultural richness that resulted from the dispersal of Africans throughout the world. By realizing our mission MoAD connects all people through our shared African heritage


With a robust schedule of exhibitions, education and public programs, MoAD generates and sustains a high level of public interest in and engagement a

mong multigenerational and multicultural audiences both within and beyond the museum. MYMP Teen's Blog: http://moadyouth.blogspot.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MoAD-Youth-Media/161349530586745

This Thursday, come through to MoAD for Downtown First Thursdays — free admission from 4 to 8pm! Walk through UNBOUND: A...
06/02/2026

This Thursday, come through to MoAD for Downtown First Thursdays — free admission from 4 to 8pm! Walk through UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe and soak in the energy of one of SF's most dynamic arts neighborhoods.

And don't miss the street party on Second Street between Market & Howard.

RSVP today: https://www.moadsf.org/event/downtown-first-thursdays-june-4

COMING SOON to MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA—Demetri Broxton: Ancestral Echoes — Crops of Empire, the second exhibition...
05/21/2026

COMING SOON to MUSEUM OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA—Demetri Broxton: Ancestral Echoes — Crops of Empire, the second exhibition in the museum’s 2026–2027 Emerging Artist Program.

Demetri Broxton is a mixed media artist of Louisiana Creole and Filipino heritage whose work explores ancestral memory, cultural identity, and spiritual resistance within the African Diaspora. His layered textile-based pieces combine archival photographs, screen-printed fabrics, and sacred materials like cowrie shells, beads, coral, and mirrors; drawing from African diasporic spirituality, New Orleans culture, and global Black histories. Trained in painting at UC Berkeley (BFA) and Museum Studies at San Francisco State University (MA), Broxton merges studio art with research-driven storytelling.

His current series, Ancestral Echoes, reimagines historical portraits into spiritual icons that honor the labor and lives of African Americans who cultivated crops like cotton, to***co, sugar, and rice. Through hand-embellishment and ritual process, he transforms painful histories into sites of reverence and healing.

Ancestral Echoes — Crops of Empire opens at Museum of the African Diaspora on June 10, 2026 and is on view through August 16, 2026.

To learn more about Demetri Broxton: Ancestral Echoes — Crops of Empire and MoAD’s Emerging Artist Program, click the link in bio.

On Day Three of ENGAGE!, join us for Writing Toward Infinitude: Reflections on Blackness, Art and UNBOUND — a graduate s...
05/20/2026

On Day Three of ENGAGE!, join us for Writing Toward Infinitude: Reflections on Blackness, Art and UNBOUND — a graduate student panel moderated by Dr. Jacqueline Francis.

Taking place Saturday, May 30 from 11:00am–12:30pm at California College of the Arts, this conversation brings together emerging voices engaging the themes of Blackness, contemporary art, and the expansive ideas explored throughout UNBOUND.

Featuring Tyah-Amoy Roberts (), Jasmine Narkita Wiley (), Irene Ross, Sophia Sanzo-Davis (), Chloe King (), moderated by Dr. Jacqueline Francis ().

Co-presented with California College of the Arts () and in collaboration with UC Berkeley Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies ().

MoAD Mix: Juneteenth Edition — The Freedom Function With Gold Beams featuring Tayleur Crenshaw and DJ Kream."What does i...
05/19/2026

MoAD Mix: Juneteenth Edition — The Freedom Function With Gold Beams featuring Tayleur Crenshaw and DJ Kream.

"What does it take to get free?"

The Freedom Function draws inspiration from historic rent parties and the enduring power of gathering. Come ready to jump into spades, UNO, and dominoes, test your knowledge with Black trivia, and move through a night shaped by music, conversation, and collective energy — or jump on the People's Mic and share something with the community.

Enjoy soul food, wine, and a signature cocktail in the Juneteenth tradition of the red drink. Whether you're here to play, vibe, or simply be in community — joy is the practice and freedom is something we create together.

Guests are encouraged (but not required) to wear red. Come through and bring your people.

Thursday, June 18 | 6–9 PM | Free with Museum Admission Suggested $5 donation at the door goes directly to cash prizes for game winners.

RSVP today: https://www.moadsf.org/event/moad-mix-juneteenth-2026

Join us for Day 3 of ENGAGE! and experience a day where Black thought, art, and science come together at CCA.We’re closi...
05/19/2026

Join us for Day 3 of ENGAGE! and experience a day where Black thought, art, and science come together at CCA.

We’re closing out our three-day symposium with a day that brings together science, art, and the full expansiveness of Black thought — hosted at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

The day’s keynote speaker is Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein — theoretical physicist, Black feminist scholar, and author of The Disordered Cosmos and The Edge of Space-Time. Dr. Prescod-Weinstein’s work lives at the intersection of dark matter, cosmology, and Black feminist science studies, asking what it means to dream, to theorize, and to imagine while Black. Her keynote will bring that vision to life and we can’t think of a more fitting way to close ENGAGE!

In addition to the keynote, Day 3 features a graduate student panel on writing and Blackness in conversation with Dr. Jacqueline Francis, an artist panel with Oasa DuVerney, Michi Meko, Rodney Ewing, and Delphine Fawundu, and a closing happy hour to connect with the community that made this weekend possible.

Tickets are going fast — grab yours before they’re gone and join us at CCA from 10AM to 5:30PM: https://www.moadsf.org/event/engage-thursday-5-30-26-moad

ENGAGE! Day 2 invites you into a full day of workshops, performance, healing, conversation, and artistic exploration at ...
05/16/2026

ENGAGE! Day 2 invites you into a full day of workshops, performance, healing, conversation, and artistic exploration at MoAD.

On Friday, May 29, step into one of three immersive workshops — a Figure Drawing Session led by Cornelia Stokes, Inaugural Assistant Curator of the Art of the African Diaspora, a Movement Workshop, or an Orishas Workshop — then spend the rest of the day going deeper.
Throughout the day, experience tarot and astrology readings, harp performances by Maya Nixon, guided tours through UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe, Nia Healing Dance with Stephanie Parker, and A Seat at the Feet of the Orisha with Reyna Brown.

VIP guests will join artists Oasa DuVerney, Rodney Ewing, and Michi Meko for an intimate artist engagement and champagne toast before the whole weekend closes with a DJ reception.
Friday, May 29 · 9:30AM–7:00PM Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco

Limited capacity remains for select experiences. Reserve your spot today!

“Growing up in South Florida in the early nineties meant witnessing regular scenes on the evening news of Haitians who l...
05/14/2026

“Growing up in South Florida in the early nineties meant witnessing regular scenes on the evening news of Haitians who looked like me and my family desperately trying to make it to the shores of Miami, hoping to outrun the Coast Guard and law enforcement to get to safety. Dark Shores is a reflection, hallucination, apparition of those moments. It is an imprint on my mind and heart that never goes away.” — Didier William

Didier William’s work exists in the space between memory, migration, identity, and imagination. Through layered compositions blending painting, carving, collage, and printmaking, William reimagines Black diasporic histories while exploring the complexities of immigration, visibility, and belonging.

On view now at Museum of the African Diaspora, Dark Shores (2024) is featured in UNBOUND: Art, Blackness & the Universe — an exhibition moving between the earthly and the astral, the historical and the speculative.

View William’s work in conversation with Harmonia Rosales, Michi Meko, and others across the exhibition through August 16, 2026. Learn more and plan your visit today (link in bio).

Join us on Saturday, May 23 from 1–4 PM at Museum of the African Diaspora for Salon Day with Beauty Plus, celebrating Em...
05/10/2026

Join us on Saturday, May 23 from 1–4 PM at Museum of the African Diaspora for Salon Day with Beauty Plus, celebrating Emerging Artist Program recipient Jasmine Ross and her solo exhibition Beauty Plus.

Enjoy a conversation on Black-owned beauty supply culture and today’s beauty industry featuring Jasmine Ross, Annie Jackson, Jamaya Moore, and Franchesca Hashim, moderated by Cornelia Stokes, followed by hands-on shade matching with e.l.f. Cosmetics makeup artists.

Guests will also receive curated beauty supply goodie bags valued at $200+.

RSVP Today: https://www.moadsf.org/event/artist-talk-activation-salon-day-with-beauty-plus

Free with MoAD Admission | $15 General Admission | $7 Senior/Student

Join us on May 28, 2026, from 6:30–8 PM at MoAD for the launch of ENGAGE!: Art, Blackness & the Universe with a special ...
05/08/2026

Join us on May 28, 2026, from 6:30–8 PM at MoAD for the launch of ENGAGE!: Art, Blackness & the Universe with a special Book Launch program celebrating When Home is a Photograph: Blackness & Belonging in the World by author and professor Leigh Raiford.

In conversation with artist Sadie Barnette and curator Key Jo Lee, the evening will explore Blackness, belonging, memory, and the ways photographs shape how we understand home and identity. The discussion will be followed by a reception and book signing.

RSVP Today: https://www.moadsf.org/event/book-launch-when-home-is-a-photograph-blackness-belonging

Free with Museum admission or for ENGAGE! attendees.

Mark your calendars. On Saturday, October 3, 2026, MoAD returns to the San Francisco Ferry Building, Grand Hall for the ...
05/06/2026

Mark your calendars. On Saturday, October 3, 2026, MoAD returns to the San Francisco Ferry Building, Grand Hall for the Afropolitan Ball — our signature annual gala celebrating art, culture, and the global African Diaspora.

Building on MoAD's landmark 20th anniversary, this year's Ball looks boldly toward what's next — honoring the artists, thinkers, and visionaries who are defining the future. Expect an immersive evening of extraordinary performances, exceptional cuisine, and powerful community, all in support of MoAD's mission.

Learn more today: https://www.moadsf.org/event/afropolitan-ball-2026

Join us for the event of the year and secure your seat or table today. For additional details, please contact [email protected].

Address

685 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA
94105

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 8pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

+14153587200

Website

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