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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SFMOMA MuseumStore unveils dramatic expansion June 14

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s MuseumStore nearly space, adding depth and variety to numerous product offerings

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2002 - The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)’s MuseumStore opens its newly expanded store on June 14, nearly doubling its size and enhancing its position as the Bay Area’s premier retail destination for contemporary art-, architecture- and design-related products. The remodeled store -- almost 6,000 square feet -- will unveil multimedia and interactive displays to showcase products and will offer greater depth and variety in its many product categories, most notably, furniture, design objects and contemporary crafts. The store will also expand its offerings in artist-designed jewelry; art, architecture and design books; educational toys and books for children.

“The MuseumStore is truly an extension of SFMOMA,” said Irma Zigas, director of special projects. “Our buyers possess the same integrity and educational goals as the curators who put together an exhibition for the Museum. We support the work of young and innovative artists and offer the community a wide selection of top quality merchandise that represents the best in each product category,” she said. “As a result, our visitors can continue their museum experience in the MuseumStore and take a piece of SFMOMA home with them.”

Flagship among museum stores
Since opening its doors in 1952, the SFMOMA MuseumStore has always been more than a typical museum store. By introducing a wide range of exclusive, sophisticated and modern products commissioned from all over the world, the store has stretched beyond its original line of art books and jewelry.

In keeping with the MuseumStore’s tradition of providing cutting-edge designs from emerging as well as established artists, many of the offerings in the expanded store are exclusive to the Bay Area, and even the United States. Highly styled European designs are prevalent throughout the store including new furniture selections from Swiss architect and creator of the Museum’s landmark building Mario Botta; a new line of men’s jewelry created by Germany-based Mannerschmuck; the “T Chair Polish” steel chair, a U. S. exclusive from Belgian designer Xavier Lust; square-shaped wine glasses from ARS Temporis, rubber photo albums from Mona Lisa and the adaptable metal kiosk magazine rack and table from Mobles 114 Barcelona.

In addition to foreign designers, the SFMOMA MuseumStore remains committed to representing the best of Bay Area design as well. An exclusive collection of porcelain dessert/salad plates and mugs has been commissioned from ceramicist Susan Eslick. Annually since 1996, Michael Osborne, principal of San Francisco’s Michael Osborne Design (MOD) and his team have created a new design for SFMOMA-branded products. The 2002 collection, a colorful interpretation of the commercial barcode, currently includes t-shirts, notebooks, mugs, caps, scarves and ties. For the MuseumStore expansion, brightly striped umbrellas join the barcode collection.

For children, Plan Toys’ “Tree House” -- a Swiss Family Robinson version of the traditional dollhouse -- features families from various ethnic backgrounds.

New multimedia and interactive displays The expansion for the MuseumStore was developed with a Bay Area team of design professionals: architects LMS, designers Re:Design and acoustical and audio-visual system consultants Charles Salter and Associates. San Francisco designer Michael Mabry created a unique signage system of icons, gallery-inspired wall labels with product information, store directory and “Arty,” a new graphic mascot for the children’s section.

The MuseumStore’s new space expands into the former Education Center on the building’s Minna Street side. To link the old and new sections of the store, a large screen will run across the North side and project high-resolution images of store merchandise including prints, posters and design objects.

There will be three video monitors throughout the store showing available VHS tapes and DVDs on a continuous fifteen-minute loop. This new video system will also allow for a more interactive shopping experience: if a customer wants to preview a specific tape or DVD, the selection can be inserted into one of the VCRs for a personalized screening.

The store’s color scheme is also new: white with maple wood accents dominates the design, with additional glass to add depth. The light-colored emphasis lends an open, airy feeling to the space and is harmonious with the Nordic birch paneling that appears throughout the rest of the Museum.

The expansion will also add a third entrance off SFMOMA’s atrium, adjacent to the elevators. The entrance will feature a corridor of illuminated pedestals and specially designed panels along the walls to display exhibition-related merchandise and Museum publications.

A new jewelry display greatly expands the store’s current jewelry capacity. Additional registers provide customers with speedier checkout.

As a division of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the MuseumStore is a not-for-profit operation, generating sales revenues that support the ongoing exhibitions and programs of the Museum.

The MuseumStore remains open throughout the renovation and remodeling. The store is located on the ground floor of SFMOMA, 151 Third Street, San Francisco, between Mission and Howard Streets. Summer store hours (May 25 through September 2) are daily 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. On Thursdays, the MuseumStore is open late, until 9:30 p.m. For further information, please telephone the MuseumStore at 415.357.4035 or visit the MuseumStore online at www.sfmoma.org.

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Note to editors and reporters:
An exclusive, invitation-only pre-opening event will take place at SFMOMA on June 13. Media interested in attending this event and/or a “sneak peek’ of the new MuseumStore prior to the opening can contact Lauren Petersen at 415.561.0888 or info@landipr.com.

Artist renderings, photographs and slides are available on request.

About SFMOMA MuseumStore The SFMOMA MuseumStore, a division of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, exists to educate and serve a varied audience with a unique mix of quality products, significant publications and exhibition-related merchandise. In addition to being the leading art bookstore in the Bay Area, the MuseumStore is one of the Bay Area’s premier international destinations for contemporary art and design products. All income earned is used to support the Museum’s programs and exhibitions. The SFMOMA MuseumStore now has three locations: the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art at 151 Third St., Four Embarcadero Center on the Lobby Level, and the Departure Level at the new SFO International Terminal. For more information, call the MuseumStore at 415.357.4035 or visit www.sfmoma.org.

About SFMOMA The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is internationally recognized as the premier art museum in the Bay Area. SFMOMA is a private, not-for-profit institution supported by its members, individual contributors to the Donor Circle, corporate and foundation support, federal and state government grants and admission revenues. Annual programming is sustained though the generosity of Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund and The James Irvine Foundation. For more information, visit www.sfmoma.org.

About LMS Architects Based in the Bay Area for more than 20 years, LMS Architects is responsible for high-performance architecture that integrates rigorous aesthetics, appropriate technology and environmental sensitivity. Working with educational facilities, commercial buildings, housing and residential areas and interiors, LMS’ clients include the California College of Arts and Crafts, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Baker & Hamilton Building and the Thoreau Center for Sustainability. For more information, visit www.lmsarch.com.

About Re:Design
Re:Design focuses on brand development through design for retail, restaurants and select residential projects. Based in San Francisco, the firm has proven expertise in all aspects of interior and architectural design, including space planning; furnishings and fixture design; materials and finish selections; storefront and signage packages, art selection and process planning. Re:Design’s clients include Banana Republic, Gap, Chevy’s Fresh Mex, Zao Noodle Bar, Bay Area Discovery Museum and Gymboree Inc. For more information, visit www.redesignsf.com.

About Charles Salter and Associates
Since 1975, Charles M. Salter Associates Inc. (CSA) has provided acoustical consulting and audio/visual system design services. With a staff of more than 40, CSA is involved in more than 700 projects per year in seven major service areas: architectural acoustics, engineering acoustics, environmental acoustics, audio/visual system design, sound system design, acoustic simulation, public presentation and expert testimony. For more information, please visit our web site at www.cmsalter.com.

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