Assignment 2b M. H. de Young

For our second field trip I choose the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and is know to most as the de Young. It's a fine arts museum and was named after the early San Francisco newspaper man M.H. de Young. The museum opened in 1895 and the structure was recently rebuilt in 2005.

When you walk through the park to get to the museum you are surrounded by beautiful things, from a lovely plaza, to nature, or just looking to your left you can see the newly remodeled museum of natural science and the Steinhart aquarium. To your right you see the 144foot observation tower that allows you to see all the way to the Marin headlands, and the historic Golden Gate Bridge. When you walk inside the copper courtyard of the de Young and enter the actual museum you are surrounded by beautiful art, and nature’s beauty in the surrounding courtyards. The museum itself is filled with countless pieces of priceless art and was the last museum to host The Treasures of Tutankhamen exhibit in the late 1970s.

I recently visited the de Young museum specifically to see the exhibit of Chihuly, the world renowned glass blower. This exhibit was simply breath taking; it is hard to put into words the art that this man creates. All his pieces are blown glass, and they consist of 10ft long tubes or balls with a diameter of 3ft. I'm not sure how he does it but it certainly was worth the lines to see. This exhibit was seen by all different kinds of people; I was in the gym yesterday and over heard an older lady telling her friend about the exhibit, he is popular with everyone.
The de Young has art that attracts all different kinds of people from all different walks of life. It is a meeting place in San Francisco for the tourist and the local, the entire family enjoys this museum as their destination. I really like the Museum because I feel it has something to offer for everyone. I'm not that into art but I still love visiting the de Young and I feel my view is shared by many. In San Francisco there are so many Museums to see, but this is bright and colorful, full of life, not old and boring like some of the more common museums are.

I would love to meet M.H. de Young, and see how he inspired such an amazing place to become a San Francisco land mark. He was a famous newspaper man who has left behind and amazing destination for many to enjoy for years and years to come.

I feel that the de Young Museum is connects to our study of humanities because it is a local landmark. The Museum is full of art from around the world, and on any given day there are visitors from around the world as well. It puts art on a different pedestal, one of fun, beauty, and connections.

From Nicolette’s blog about Yosemite last week, I learned about all the wonders of nature she enjoys, and Yosemite is just the place she likes to be outdoors. I also learned that Muir Woods and Ansel Adams we humbled when the visited Yosemite, and that it is a reflection of the political and cultural evolution that has taken place in California.

Wikipedia - M.H. de Young
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco