A Love Letter to Art’s guide to visiting the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) will help you easily plan a fun and memorable experience.
Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM)
736 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
+1-415-655-7800
CJM Website
CJM Instagram
Image: Jessie Square Entrance to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, 2023. CJM, San Francisco.
Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, 94103
Contemporary Jewish Museum Hours
| Mon. | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tue. | Closed |
| Wed. | Closed |
| Thu. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Fri. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sat. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sun. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
Contemporary Jewish Museum Overview
The CJM has a terrific variety of exhibitions ranging from retrospectives on Jewish film and music legends such as Stanley Kubrick and Amy Winehouse to contemporary artists like Cary Leibowitz and Annabeth Rosen.
The museum is located in San Francisco’s Yerba Buena arts district, making it no more than a 5 minute walk to SFMOMA, MoAD, and YBCA (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts). It is nestled between St. Patrick Church and the future site of The Mexican Museum. As you approach the entrance to the CJM, you’ll walk through its vast Jessie Square courtyard, where you will find benches, decorative grass, and a minimalist fountain.
The handsome two-story brick structure was built in 1907 by architect and urban planner, Willis Polk (designed War Memorial Opera House and Filoli Estate). It was used as a power substation for Pacific Gas & Electric, San Francisco’s gas and electricity provider, and aided in restoring power to the city after the 1906 earthquake.
In 1998, architect Daniel Libeskind began working on the building’s decade-long redesign and extension. Inside, the building’s brick façade is met with sharp angles, aesthetic support beams, and diffused natural lighting to complement its stark white—with an occasional painted wall—galleries.
One of my favorite spaces in the museum, the Yud audio gallery, is inspired by the Hebrew letter yud, and occupies the magnificent postmodern cube gloriously hacked into the side of the museum. I personally love the geometric rays of light emanating from its 36 diamond-shaped windows (multiples of 18 are lucky numbers in Jewish culture). Feels like you’re really on a Stanley Kubrick set!
Below are our TOP TIPS and BASIC INFORMATION for visiting the Contemporary Jewish Museum. If there is anything you want to add, feel free to let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the third tab at the top of the page). We love to hear what our readers think!
Contemporary Jewish Museum Tickets
RESERVING YOUR MUSEUM TICKETS ONLINE always saves time, but if you happen to make an impromptu visit to the CJM, purchasing tickets at the CJM’s welcome desk is usually a quick process.
🎫 General Admission: Adults $16; Seniors 65+ & Students with Valid ID $14; 18 & Under FREE.
If you plan on visiting the CJM more than a couple times a year, CONSIDER PURCHASING A MUSEUM MEMBERSHIP, since a basic membership ($75) pays for itself within a few visits, and includes one guest. Memberships also give you discounts on Wise Sons restaurant (10%) and the museum store (10%). The CJM also has wonderful membership add-ons that include private events, tours, and even travel. A museum membership also makes a great gift and is tax deductible.
👍 TIP: The CJM offers SUBSTANSTIAL RECIPROCAL MEMBERSHIPS. Supporter level ($180) grants access to 14 select CAJM museums. Sponsor level ($300) provides ACCESS TO 80+ MUSEUMS, including MOCA, The Hammer, and the New Museum.
FREE ADMISSION: Contemporary Jewish Museum
The following programs provide FREE ADMISSION to the CJM.
🧡 Free First Fridays. The first Friday of the month is always FREE at the CJM.
💛 Discover and Go Library Program. Reserve FREE tickets online w/library card. (may not apply to all Bay Area counties).
💚 SF Museums For All. FREE for Medi-Cal and EBT recipients that are SF residents (show card/ID). Reserve in person or on CJM website.
💙 Blue Star Museum. FREE to military personnel and their families from Armed Forces Day, Saturday, May 18, 2024 through Labor Day, Monday, September 2, 2024. (show applicable ID.) Reserve in person or on CJM website.
💜 Museums on Us. FREE on the FIRST WEEKEND of the month for Bank of America or Merrill card holders (show card/ID). Reserve in person.
QUICK GUIDE: Contemporary Jewish Museum
⭐ EXHIBITIONS: First Light: Rituals of Glass and Neon Art (Closes April 28, 2024); Radiant Practices: Illuminating Jewish Traditions (Closes April 28); L’Chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15 (Closes June 9, 2024); RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped (Closes July 28, 2024); Annie Abigail: We Become [Vessels] (Closes July 28).
⭐ MUSEUM HOURS: Open Thursday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed Monday–Wednesday.
⭐ ADMISSION: General Admission Adults $16; Seniors 65+ & Students $14; 18 & Under FREE. Membership starts at $75.
⭐ DISCOUNTS: Admission is FREE through the following programs: Free First Fridays; Discover and Go (Free w/library card—may not apply to all counties); SF Museums for All (show your EBT or Medi-Cal card/ID); Museums On Us (show your Bank of America/Merrill card/ID) on FIRST weekend of month.
⭐ EVENTS: Purim Party: Esther Runs Hollywood on March 23, 5:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m (Adult General $46; Adult Member $36; Children $20; Child Member $18); Teen-led Printmaking Workshop on March 24, 11:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m (FREE w/museum admission, FREE for teens); Sparking Your Inner Big Bang: A Meditation Circle with Dr. Butterfly Williams for New Beginnings on April 4, 1 p.m.–2 p.m. (FREE w/museum admission); Flowing with the Light Around Us (walking meditation with artist Nkechi Njaka is FREE w/museum admission on April 11, 1 p.m.–2 p.m.); Rockout with RetroBlakesberg on April 14, 2 p.m.– 4 p.m. (FREE concert with Retroband featuring Lebo, Steve and Ezra from ALO, Elliott Peck from Midnight North, and more);
⭐ FOOD: Wise Sons Jewish Deli. Open Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–2 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Outdoor dining & indoor dining (during museum hours)
Contemporary Jewish Museum Exhibitions
Though the CJM does not house a permanent collection, its museum professionals do a wonderful job in providing a wide spectrum of large, well-curated shows by Jewish artists. Most of the CJM’s exhibitions include an interactive component—this was super fun at the Jim Henson exhibition, where you could make AND participate in your own puppet show!
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Currently On View at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s Pick
Upcoming Exhibitions at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
TBD…
Notable Shows at the Contemporary Jewish Museum
👏 Mika Rottenberg: Spaghetti Blockchain, 2022–2023
👏 The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited, 2022
👏 Daria Martin: Tonight the World, 2019–2020
👏 Annabeth Rosen: Fired, Broken, Gathered, Heaped, 2019–2020
👏 Cary Leibowitz: Museum Show, 2017
👏 Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition, 2016
👏 Amy Winehouse: A Family Portrait, 2015
Programs
The CJM’s has a variety of programs for adults and children, including the following below:
Tours
The CJM offers virtual and in-person tours that include: self-guided exhibition tours, school tours (FREE for K–12), and private tours ($100 up to 25 people).
🎧 TIP: If you are an auditory learner like myself, the CJM’s self-guided audio tours will really heighten your exhibition experience, particularly if you are seeing the show alone.
Parking
The CJM does not have its own parking facility, but the museum does have a partnership with parking app, Spot Hero, which will allow you to select and pay for your parking in advance.
You may also want to consider the following nearby parking garages:
- 5th and Mission Parking Garage (833 Mission Street | map | 6 min walk) is a very busy, large parking structure. Rate is $5 per hour.
- Hearst Parking Center (45 Third Street | map | 3 min walk) is a smaller, quieter parking garage. Hourly rate varies. Average $12–$24 per visit. 🚘 TIP: This garage works very well if you also plan of visiting the Palace Hotel/Pied Piper bar (one of my nearby faves below)!!
- The SFMOMA parking garage (147 Minna Street | map | 6 min walk) is another smaller, quieter parking garage. 🙌 TIP: If you plan on going to BOTH THE CJM AND SFMOMA, THEY OFFER A 10% DISCOUNT TO NON-SFMOMA MEMBERS, and a 25% DISCOUNT TO SFMOMA MEMBERS FOR THE FIRST 3.5 HOURS (W/VALIDATION). Rates are $4 per 30 minutes/$26 up to 10 hours.
Public Transportation
Taking public transportation to the CJM is very convenient via Muni (SF bus), BART (Bay Area subway), and Bay Area bus services (AC Transit Transbay, Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans). Both the subway and the San Francisco bus systems operate through the Powell and Montgomery Street stations, which are very close to the museum: Powell St. Station (899 Market Street | map | 5 min walk) and Montgomery St. Station (598 Market Streeet | map | 5 min walk). I recommend using Google Maps for public transportation options and directions.
🚍 TIP: I typically take the AC Transit Transbay bus to theSalesforce Transit Center, and walk to the CJM from there (425 Mission Street | map | 12 min walk).
Dining
The CJM is also home to Wise Sons Jewish deli, which is located near the museum’s entrance.
Wise Sons offers a wonderfulvariety of classic Jewish deli items such as pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, bagels (vegan and vegan spread available), matzo ball soup, babkas. Both indoor (during museum hours) and outdoor dining are available. They also cater and deliver. Wise Sons is open Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–2 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.🍴 TIP: If you can’t decide which cured meat sandwich you want more, order a COMBINED PASTRAMI/CORNED BEEF sandwich (not on the menu).
Accessibility
The CJM is a 2-level museum with elevators and fully accessible bathrooms with baby changing tables and step stools on each floor. Single-stall gender-neutral bathrooms are on the ground floor, near Wise Sons Jewish Deli.
You can store small items at the self-service cubbies next to the ticketing desk. These are open to all visitors, so it’s advised not to leave anything valuable here. Strollers and baby carriers are allowed in the museum, and can be stored here as well.
Gallery stools, wheelchairs, noise-cancelling headphones, and FM assistive listening devices can be checked-out free-of-charge on a first-come-first serve basis at the ticketing desk.
Braille is located on room signage and elevators and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation is available for the CJM’s public programs and private tours (notify the museum at least 2 weeks prior to your visit).
Accessible parking can be arranged with the Jessie Street garage.
Service animals and guide dogs are welcome. Relief area for animals is the grassy area in front of the museum.
For more information on the CJM’s accessibility resources, visit: https://www.thecjm.org/accessibility_information.
Visiting with Children
The CJM is a terrific family outing destination, as the museum usually hosts their main exhibition alongside a much smaller one, which works well with the attention span of children. The museum also has a cool Zim Zoom Family Room, which is named for tzimtzum, a Jewish term used to explain how contraction creates conceptual space where the finite and infinite coexist.
🍴 TIP: Hungry and fussy kids (and parents) can grab a quick and delicious meal or snack atWise Sons (high chairs available), which is located on the museum’s first floor. You can opt to eat there in the restaurant or at one of their outside tables (they have a few), or perhaps even take it to go, and eat across the street at Yerba Buena Gardens, where the kids can explore the park and its really cool fountains.
👶 FYI:Strollers and baby carriers are allowed in the galleries and can be stored at the ticket desk as well. Breastfeeding is welcome at the CJM, and changing tables and step stools for children are located in the museum’s public restrooms on the first and second floors.
Contemporary Jewish Museum Store
The CJM has a wonderful selection of items in their physical (behind the ticket desk) and online store—all of which make fabulous gifts—ranging from menorahs, kiddush cups, books, exhibition catalogs, home decor, jewelry and more. ALL CJM MEMBERS RECEIVE A 10% DISCOUNT on their purchases.
Event Rentals
The CJM’s brick-and-steel-beam details are a chic backdrop for any corporate or private event. The museum offers 6 event rental spaces, including the Richard and Rhonda Goldman Hall, their most versatile space at 3,500 square feet, which also functions as a theater.
Public Spaces
The CJM sits atop Jessie Square, a public plaza named for the building’s first incarnation as the Jessie Street power substation. The 35,000 square foot outdoor public space, built by Handel Architects and Cliff Lowe Associates, is open 24-hours and includes a low terraced fountain, several benches, live grass (dogs allowed), ginkgo trees, and an underground parking garage (Jessie Square Garage). The plaza connects the CJM with St. Patrick Church, and the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences, the SOMA Hyatt, and the future site of The Mexican Museum.
Jessie Square is on Native Ohlone land, which the CJM acknowledges on their website. Oche Wat Te Ou (Reflections), located across the street at Yerba Buena Gardens, is a tribute to the Ohlone burial site. It was created by artists Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and James Luna in 1993.
MORE THINGS TO DO NEAR the Contemporary Jewish Museum
Whether you want to see more art, grab a meal, get drinks, or just chill and relax, there are several activity options located within a few blocks of the CJM.
SEE MORE ART Near the Contemporary Jewish Museum
There’s no shortage of options if seeing more art is what your heart desires as SFMOMA, the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), and Yerba Buena Gardens public artworks are all within a 5 minutes’ walk from the CJM.
🦋 FREE: YBCA (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts | 701 Mission Street | map | 3 min walk) usually has an exhibition featuring local artists that is FREE ADMISSION. There also are quite a few public artworks on display at Yerba Buena Gardens (750 Howard Street | map | 2 min walk), including the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial fountain, Revelation, a powerful work by sculptor Houston Conwill, poet Estella Conwill Majoza (great interview with her in the link), and architect Joseph DePace. The Yerba Buena Gardens public arts program has created a FREE self-guided tour that is downloadable to your phone, which is linked above.
🖤 My FAVORITE thing to do after seeing a show at the CJM is a late lunch/early dinner, THEN COCKTAILS. Wise Sons for lunch is a good and obvious choice, since it is right there. However, since you’re already in the neighborhood, the following are GREAT establishments (all coincidently happen to be in hotels) within a few minutes’ walk from the CJM.
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s Pick
The Pied Piper (2 New Montgomery Street | map | 5 min walk) bar and restaurant at the historical Palace Hotel, is where Maxfield Parrish’s painting, the Pied Piper of Hamlin hangs over the bar. If you enjoy old, grand hotels of a bygone era like myself, then you will most certainly LOVE the Beaux-Arts splendor of the Palace Hotel. Their sky-lit Garden Court Restaurant, is known for their high tea service (Sat only) and the GC Lounge (seating right in front of the Garden Court) is another option for light apps and wine (Tues.–Thur. 4:00 p.m.–9:30 p.m.). 🍸TIP: Go for the cocktails and ambiance. Good for dates, photo ops, drinks with friends, business travelers. If driving, we recommend parking in the Hearst Parking Center (45 Third Street | map | 2 min walk from the Pied Piper & | map | 4 min walk from CJM).
A LOVE LETTER TO ART’s Pick
The Cavalier (360 Jessie Street | map | 7 min walk) is a London-inspired brasserie designed by Ken Fulk, in the Hotel Zetta. Taxidermy, darkened plaid, warm candlelight—such wonderful provocative details—very much English hunting lodge meets patinaed Bright Young Things vibes. Here, I prefer the casual dining area opposite the bar. If you want extra however, Marianne’s, named for Marianne Faithfall, is a private bar located in the restauarnt. 🍔 TIP: Get the Cavalier Salad, the “Marlowe” Burger, and your cocktail of choice. Good for dates, drinks with friends, business travelers, when you want a “good restaurant burger”, general people watching.
If your companions, however, are not of drinking age, there are some fun family-friendly activities nearby as well.
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS Near the Contemporary Jewish Museum
More activities for kids within a couple blocks of the CJM include: Yerba Buena Gardens, Yerba Buena Gardens Children’s Creativity Museum and the LeRoy King Carousel, the Yerba Buena Children’s Garden playground, and the Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center.
🌳TIP: I really enjoy just chilling out and having a bite to eat in Yerba Buena Gardens, where you can either sit on the benches, grass, or on the Metreon’s Dining Terrace (tables and chairs available seasonally). For kids, I would recommend grabbing takeout from one of inexpensive restaurants in the Metreon (the steps from Yerba Buena Gardens lead right into the food court). The park hosts FREE LIVE MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES on many weekends of the year, which is really FANTASTIC in the spring and summer. Such great vibes!!
💌 We hope this guide to the Contemporary Jewish Museum helps you plan a great day experiencing art and other fun activities in San Francisco. If you have any suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
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