sfmoma audio tour

• Columns & Editorials
• Letters & Guest Essays
• Arts Feature
• Beer, Wine & Spirits
• Food Events
• Restaurant Review
• Fill out the 2024 ballot
• Best Of Arts & Culture
• Best Of Beauty, Health & Wellness
• Best Of Cannabis
• Best of Everyday Services
• Best Of Extras
• Best of Family Products & Services
• Best Of Food & Drink
• Best Of Goods & Services
• Best Of Home Improvement
• Best Of People & Places
• Best Of Recreation
• Best Of Romance
• Readers’ Poll Winners
• Submit an Obituary
• Writing Your Tribute
• Upcoming Events
• Submit an Event
• Promote Your Event

LATEST ARTICLES

Local black travel experts promote..., the 411 on 4/20: then..., exhibit inspired by black movers..., willows & pine honors oakland..., new pizzeria three.one four opens..., sites like listcrawler: 10+ listcrawler alternatives to use in 2024, best delta 8 thc gummies of 2024: flavorful edibles for pain relief, relaxation and energy, local black travel experts promote global adventures, exhibit inspired by black movers and shakers of the ‘great migration’, soul searching on mahawam’s ‘hot pressed’, . a peek at sfmoma’s game-changing new audio tour.

On how the new app embraces the democratization of art discourse.

At first, the new SFMOMA audio-tour app may take you by surprise. It introduces itself like a new friend with a rather charming voice, and explains that this audio tour experience will be unlike any other you may have had in the past. It knows precisely where you are at all times and tailors the tour to your location. “Oh, that sounds creepy,” says an upbeat woman’s voice. “But it’s not!” Very quickly, you’ll likely warm up to it. It feels a lot like being in the movie Her , except instead of Scarlett Johansson, the people in your ear are artists, curators, actors, dancers, comedians, professional podcasters, and other intriguing figures. They walk through the museum with you in an impressively immersive experience that blends podcast-inspired sound design, geolocation technology, and topnotch storytelling. As the app, which was made available for free download last week, puts it, “I am the love child of people who know art and people who know tech.”

You’re likely aware that, when SFMOMA reopened on May 14 after three years of renovation, it assumed the title of Largest Contemporary Art Museum in America. (For now, until the New York MoMA expansion opens). It boasts seven floors of art and a massively expanded collection of works.

But you may be unaware that, as far as audio tours go, SFMOMA’s new app is kind of a game changer.

As users roam the museum, short explanations for nearby artworks pop onto the screen. To create them, SFMOMA lead mobile content producer Stephanie Pau did an audit of all of the museum’s existing audio-tour content and trashed everything that was boring. Then, she and her team interviewed hundreds of people who might have a unique take on a piece of work — everyone from an accomplished dancer who relates to the gracefulness of an Isamu Noguchi sculpture to the actual subject of a famous portrait.

But the more noteworthy features are the “immersive tours,” which range from fifteen to forty-five minutes. These podcast-like journeys guide visitors through the galleries, delivering a specialized perspective and infusing a rich dimension of personality that traditional art-historical guides typically lack.

Some of these guided strolls are definitely more worthwhile than others, though. “German to Me” takes place on the sixth floor, with the paintings of German painters such as Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter. German-American radio producer Luisa Beck expertly weaves her personal narrative together with German history, artist information, and astute descriptions of the pieces to create an affecting exploration of post-war German identity.

Other highlights are “Strange Tools,” a tour in which philosopher Alva Noë uses artworks to illustrate a short lesson on the way that art can challenge the extent to which perception becomes automatic. The charming Avery Trufelman of 99% Invisible offers some enjoyable contributions as well, including a tour that takes place in the neighborhood surrounding the museum.

Some of the tours are obviously made for people who might feel alienated in an art space, and whether you enjoy them will largely depend on your sense of humor. One of the best is “I Don’t Get It,” which features comedians Kumail Janjiani and Martin Starr from the show Silicon Valley and, fittingly, starts off at Marcel Duchamp’s urinal sculpture. The only tour that’s actually difficult to listen to is the one meant to sound like commentating at a sports game — obnoxious horns and all.

But the goal was to offer something for everyone. “We are always thinking about the context of the Bay Area, of the city, of the diversity of the people coming into the museum and what they’re bringing with them,” Pau said, “and how we can respond to that in a way that makes the art relevant to them not just always driving home this art-historical slant.”

Location-informed museum audio tours are not an entirely new concept. But the difference with this one is that, thanks to a special spatial survey of the museum done by Apple, the location recognition is super precise. The app knows exactly how far away from a painting the user is standing. So, directions such as “See that painting to your left?” and “Meet me in front of the Rothko” make the tour feel seamless and allow users to keep their phones in their pockets the entire time.

Being at the center of San Francisco, it makes sense for SFMOMA to come up with such a tech-savvy experience. And visitors hoping to resist the pervasiveness of that tech culture will likely want to avoid the app altogether.

To produce the content, SFMOMA teamed up with Antenna International, one of the largest and best audio-tour companies in the world. Detour, a San Francisco startup that makes similarly immersive outdoor tours of the Bay Area, also helped to produce much of the content as well as design the platform. Detour’s work is generally well-executed, but some of their tours — like one of the Tenderloin neighborhood and one of West Oakland — verge on urban tourism, arguably turning residents into zoo attractions.

In the museum, though, the tours’ collective effect is mostly one of democratizing the authority to speak about art and whose perspective matters. And at an institution like SFMOMA, deposing the role of the art historian is no small coup.

“A lot of the old-school way of doing things is, ‘There is one way to read this work of art; there is one valid institutional way to view this piece,’ and we wanted to just completely break that open,” Pau said. “Seeing that art is a reflection of and part of this wider sphere of what’s happening around us in the world.”

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

-PAID ADVERTISEMENT-

Featured Local Savings

Copyright © Weeklys All rights reserved.

OUR PUBLICATIONS Cannabis Chronicle East Bay Gilroy Dispatch Good Times Santa Cruz Healdsburg Tribune Hollister Free Lance King City Rustler Marin Pacific Sun Metro Silicon Valley Morgan Hill Times North Bay Bohemian Press Banner Salinas Valley Tribune South Valley Watsonville Pajaronian

ADVERTISING Advertise Legal Notices Obituaries Sponsored Content Writing An Obituary Submit an Obituary

COMPANY INFO Job Opportunities Privacy Policy

Best Delta 8 THC Gummies of 2024: Flavorful Edibles for Pain...

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then   View saved stories .

• Backchannel
• Newsletters
• WIRED Insider
• WIRED Consulting

The SFMOMA’s New App Will Forever Change How You Enjoy Museums

Released on 05/05/2016

[Narrator] This is the new SFMOMA.

For three years it's been closed to the public

undergoing a major expansion.

The renovated museum is among the most

considered gallery spaces in the world

not to mention America's largest repository

of modern art.

The redesign nearly tripled its prior gallery space

and that means there is a lot more to see.

And yes, that's exciting,

but it can also be a little overwhelming.

To help guide you through the museum

SFMOMA teamed up with Apple

and a company called Detour to develop an app

that totally re-imagines the audio tour experience.

To get started, just select the tour you want,

press play, and slip your phone in your pocket.

[Audio Tour] Look up at the white mobile,

it's tentacles hovering silently

above this spaceship entry hall.

Do you see it?

Take a walk beneath it.

See how it changes.

[Narrator] That's Avery Trufelman

from the podcast 99% Invisible.

She's just one of the people you will hear from

on the new audio tours.

Here's another favorite, it's Philippe Petit,

the French tightrope walker.

[Philippe] Now, go left and walk all the way

through the next gallery.

[Narrator] Mix things up.

The museum recorded powerful commentaries

from podcasters, comedians, sportscasters and artists.

[Philippe] You will see Picassos and Matisses

and other early modern artists

but don't lose yourself to these.

Keep going straight ahead.

OK, come into this corner gallery

and see whether any of the works in here

invite you to stop and look.

(gentle electronic music)

[Narrator] For half a century, audio tours

required punching numbers into key pads,

but SFMOMA's app is nothing like that.

The museum's immersive tours flow uninterrupted

from piece to piece, gallery to gallery,

one room to the next.

[Philippe] I'll let you know where to go

as we walk.

No need to keep looking at your screen.

Go slowly, a lot like me.

I do something ridiculous once for the museum.

[Narrator] The app uses the museum's wifi

to keep tabs on where you are

and guide you through each space.

You've really got to experience it for yourself,

but it feels really navigable.

These immersive audio tours aren't perfect.

Stray from the path, the voiceover fades out

and you get some nice elevator music instead.

The app can tell you where to go

to resume the tour

but if you wander too far astray

it can have some trouble getting you back on track.

Plus, sometimes the beauty of the gallery experience

is just wandering around, getting a little lost

and stumbling upon that one piece

that totally captivates you.

The ideal audio tour is one

that adapts to spontaneity

and doesn't prescribe a predetermined path.

That is a pretty big ask

but it's one that SFMOMA is actively working toward.

In the meantime, this app

is a giant step in the right direction.

Starring : Scott Dadich

Featuring : Robbie Gonzalez

Director : Junho Kim

The Surface Book Really Is the Ultimate Laptop

Gear Review | Apple iPad Pro

Gear Review | WIRED's Creative Team Tests Apple's iPad Pro and Pencil

Coravin's Wine Gadget Lets You Drink One Glass Now, Save the Rest

How Oculus Cracked the Impossible Design of VR

The Untold Story of Magic Leap, the World's Most Secretive Startup

AR, VR, MR: Making Sense of Magic Leap and the Future of Reality

Is It Art? The Rise of Made-for-Instagram Exhibits

Why Vintage Tech Is So Valuable To Collectors

This LEGO Artist Builds Masterpieces Using All Black Bricks

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• What Is Cinema?
• Newsletters

See How SFMOMA Is Re-inventing the Museum-Tour Audio Game

By Louisa Strauss

Watch this video on The Scene.

A museum audio guide may conjure up memories of stuffy commentary from a clunky wand on a lanyard, but SFMOMA is updating its approach for the digital age, as its hometown is wont to do. On May 14, when the doors of the museum reopen after three years and a $305 million expansion, visitors can download the SFMOMA app to guide them through the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in the country.

With nearly three times more gallery space than before, SFMOMA will be a massive labyrinth of masterworks, and its app provides a sleek road map. In the video above, created by Wired , take a tour around the galleries and preview the app that answers if walls (of art) could talk.

The app, developed with Apple and a start-up called Detour, elevates traditional audio content with the latest in location-aware technology. It knows which floor of the 10-story addition you are standing on and which gallery you’re headed to, and adjusts its audio accordingly and seamlessly. No more punching in numbers—the app allows your phone to stay in your pocket, so your eyes can stay on the art.

Traditional recordings are replaced by the voices of the unexpected—podcasters, comedians, sportscasters, and artists. Philippe Petit, the French tightrope walker, leads you past works by Picasso and Matisse, inviting a hypnotic stop in front of a Mark Rothko color field. Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani of Silicon Valley debate Dadaism, and the San Francisco Giants’ anchors give a play-by-play of the museum’s collection, now bolstered by nearly 3,000 pieces of promised art.

A Historic Exhibition at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

By Brooke Baldwin

By Bess Levin

By Kase Wickman

Louisa Strauss

Cocktail hour.

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

By Rachel Tashjian

By Paul Chi

By Bryn Lovitt

Detour’s high-tech audio tours veer into museums for the first time

Indoor voices.

By Casey Newton , a contributing editor who has been writing about tech for over 10 years. He founded Platformer, a newsletter about Big Tech and democracy.

Share this story

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Almost two years ago, Andrew Mason introduced Detour , an aptly named departure from his previous job as the co-founder and CEO of Groupon. Today the app, which is available on iOS , offers richly produced, location-aware narrative tours of 10 global cities. To date, all of the tours have been outdoor experiences. But now Detour is dipping indoors: the company announced today that its technology can now be used to build tours of interior spaces, beginning with the newly renovated San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. And the company says it is opening its platform for the first time so other creators can begin building tours of their own.

Whereas most audio tours consist of a simple audio file, requiring you to pause to control your pace, Detour uses the phone’s gyroscope and accelerometer to measure your position and adjusts the audio accordingly. Background music continues to play as you amble along; it’s recorded and played separately from the vocal track. If you’re with friends, the app syncs audio between your phones so that you hear the same thing. Detour’s outdoor tours are linear jogs along a set path, and most take about an hour.

The best indoor location-tracking experience I've had

Outdoors, Detour relies on GPS to position you as you walk; indoors, it uses Wi-Fi and iOS’ Core Location feature to track your movements. The experience only became possible with the release of iOS 9 and its improvements to Core Location, Mason says. Detour worked with Apple to map SFMOMA for the app, and the result is the best indoor location-tracking experience I’ve had. The app is designed to be used without looking at the screen, giving you clear turn-by-turn directions as you move through the galleries.

Inside SFMOMA, which reopens to the public May 14th, you can take tours hosted by a variety of engaging narrators. There’s one from comedians Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani, stars of HBO’s Silicon Valley , and from Errol Morris, the Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. With Mason at my side, I took a tour narrated by Phillipe Petit, the French high-wire artist who famously walked a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. An impish Petit led us through a series of contemporary art galleries, drawing connections between artists from Diego Rivera to Mark Rothko.

In some ways it was like any other audio tour. But Detour’s producers incorporate interviews with a variety of subjects; in the tour I took, you hear from a woman who met Rothko as a young student. She describes the growing self-doubt he had begun to feel regarding his giant two-tone canvases. Later, when Petit informs you that Rothko committed suicide at the age of 66, it stings: the tour is an emotional experience as much as an informational one. "They take you through the museum and create a narrative that ties together a bunch of the artworks," Mason says, "instead of just getting beleaguered with this onslaught of facts and historical anecdotes as you go from painting to painting."

An onslaught of facts and historical anecdotes

The SFMOMA tour itself can be downloaded for free inside the iOS app, or used on an iPod Touch that the museum rents to visitors. The platform will open to a small group of additional partners in coming weeks, with plans to let everyone get access eventually. The platform includes access to Descript, a Mac desktop app the company built to script its audio tours . Right now it’s only being used to build tours, but Mason sees a day where it’s used to create all sorts of audio experiences, including podcasts.

When I first wrote about Detour in 2014, I asked Mason why he hadn’t built an indoor version. At the time, his answer was simply that he didn’t really like museums. "There’s so much — you don’t know where to start, and you get fatigued," he says. But he says he’s warming up to them — in part because the Detour app lets museum-goers take a less rigid path than traditional audio tours, if they choose, with the app surfacing new audio clips as museum-goers enter new galleries. SFMOMA created tours for both people who are new to contemporary art and people who have a deep background in it, making the museum more broadly accessible. "That was something we really focused on — creating a variety of different experiences," Mason says.

When Groupon was two years old, it already had 35 million users and turned down a $6 billion acquisition offer from Google. But it seemed to flame out as quickly, and today is valued at one-third of that price on the public market. Detour is a much more modest app — and that’s part of why I find it so likeable. It’s a tool for telling stories, built by curious people with a talent for telling them. I’m still not totally sure where Detour is going, but I like watching its path develop.

What happens after your country runs on 99 percent renewable electricity?

Biden signs tiktok ‘ban’ bill into law, starting the clock for bytedance to divest it, a morning with the rabbit r1: a fun, funky, unfinished ai gadget, framework won’t be just a laptop company anymore, microsoft needs to win back trust.

More from Apps

How to live your life in text files

Vudu’s name is changing to ‘Fandango at Home’

Apple unbanned Epic so it can make an iOS games store in the EU

Yep, Apple’s breaking iPhone web apps in the EU

TheBetterVacation.com

Everything about tourist attractions

SFMoMA – tickets, prices, discounts, free entry, what to see

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) is the largest museum of modern art in the United States.

SFMoMA has about 170,000 square feet of galleries featuring Picasso, Henry Matisse, Chuck Close, Jeff Koons, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, and many more legendary artists.

This article covers everything you must know before buying tickets to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Top SFMoMA Tickets

# SFMoMA ticket

Table of contents

What to expect, where to book tickets, how do online tickets work, san francisco museum of modern arts ticket prices, sfmoma tickets, how to reach sfmoma, sfmoma timings, how long does sfmoma take, best time to visit sfmoma, one-hour masterpieces tour, 4 to 5 hours tour of sfmoma, sfmoma thursday nights, sfmoma for free, sfmoma audio guide, sfmoma reviews, sfmoma restaurants, sfmoma store.

Witness one of the greatest collections of modern and contemporary artists in the modern world, with over 47,000 works of art.

See the unique and eye-catching Snøhetta building expansion, which expanded the 80-year-old collection space by threefolds.

Traverse through time as you explore the diverse collection, a harmonious blend of avant-garde masterpieces and contemporary gems, with world-class artists such as Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Jasper Johns, and many more.

Immerse yourself in the iconic Fisher Collection, the greatest private collection of postwar and contemporary artifacts sourced from Doris and Donald Fisher, the founders of GAP Inc.

Learn about the evolution of modern art and about the significance of the SFMoMA, one of the first museums in the world to recognize photography as a fine art.

Savour artisanal coffee and California-fusion cuisine, or indulge in fine dining at the Sightglass coffee bar, Café 5, or In Situ.

Tickets for San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA ) are available online and at the museum ticket counter.

Online ticket prices tend to be cheaper than tickets at the attraction.

When you buy online, you can avoid the long queues at the ticket counters. 

Because the San Francisco Museum holds some exhibitions for a limited time, tickets may sell out during peak days.

Booking early helps avoid last-minute disappointments.

Visit the ticket booking page San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) , select the preferred date, time slot, and number of tickets, and buy the tickets immediately.

Once you purchase tickets, they get delivered to your email address.

There is no need to get printouts of the ticket. 

Show the e-ticket on your smartphone at the entrance and walk in.

Please carry a valid ID with you.

For San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA): Entry Ticket , an adult ticket for all ages between 25 and 64 costs US$30.

A Young Adult ticket for all ages between 18 to 24 years is priced at US$23.

Seniors above 64 years are charged US$25.

Visitors under 18 are not charged any entry fee but need to have a free ticket and should be accompanied by an adult.

Federal employees with federally-issued IDs also get free entry.

The Museum gives free entry to everyone on 10 September, 21 October, and the first Thursday of each month.

Back to Top

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art tickets give you access to all the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions at the museum.

You will also have access to a downloadable Audio Guide.

The Museum is wheelchair accessible, and you can spend as much time as you want.

Surcharged special exhibitions will not be a part of this tour and can be seen for an additional fee.

Ticket Prices

Adult ticket (25 to 64): US$30 Youth ticket (19 to 24): US$23 Seniors ticket (65+): US$25 Child ticket (0 to 18): Free entry

Visual Story : 13 must-know tips before visiting MoMA

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is located in the famous Bay Area.

Address: 151 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, USA. Get Directions .

The museum is well-connected by public transportation.

Market St & 3rd St bus stop is a five-minute walk from the museum.

Mission St & 3rd St bus stop is a four-minute walk away from the museum.

Montgomery Street Station is a seven-minute walk away.

Union Square/Market St Station Northbound L station is a 10-minute walk away.

Cars for rent and taxis for hire are easily available in San Francisco.

Put on Google Maps to navigate to the SFMoMA.

SFO’s Museum of Modern Art has its garage on Minna Street, a few steps from Third Street’s main entrance.  

The parking is open from 7 am to 11 pm daily.

Several other parking spots can be found in the vicinity.

From Friday to Tuesday, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art opens at 10 am and closes at 5 pm.

On Thursday, SFMoMA continues to stay open till 8 pm.

The art museum remains closed on Wednesday.

This premier Art Museum in San Francisco is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

Most visitors spend up to three hours exploring the numerous artworks displayed on the seven floors of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Staying longer at SFMoMA

Tourists who have been to numerous art museums say that art fatigue sets in after approximately 2 to 3 hours of roaming around.

However, it is possible to overcome art fatigue and spend more time at the most prominent art museum in the USA.

• Be well-rested and well-fed before your visit
• Buy the  SFMoMA ticket  online so that you don’t waste your time and energy waiting in long lines
• Visit one of the cafes and take a break

The best time to visit SFMoMA is when they open at 10 am on weekdays.

Visiting early in the day helps you avoid the crowd and explore the exhibits peacefully.

SFMoMA gets more than 1.25 million art lovers yearly, and it can get crowded during peak summer months.

What to see at SFMoMA

All of the SFMoMA exhibits are fantastic and equally breathtaking, but it is humanly impossible to see all of them in one go.

If you need a quick list of masterpieces, following what the Director of SFMoMA recommends is best.

We have a long list if you can spend four to five hours in the Museum.

Ground floor : Let’s start with the intricate Richard Serra’s behemoth walk-in sculpture Sequence, and then let us climb up.

Second Floor : You can spot Matisse’s Femme au Chapeau, along with artworks by Robert Rauschenberg.

Third Floor : Welcome to the floor dedicated to photography. Look at Alexander Clader’s “motion Lab” apart from one-of-a-kind clicks.

Then, step outside on the large terrace with a vertical garden and grab a coffee at Sightglass coffee bar.

Fourth Floor : Halfway through the Museum, check out the progressive works of Ellsworth Kelly. Up next, you’ll see Agnes Martin’s spirit-raising artworks.

Fifth Floor : You can head to the Fisher Collection with its minimal pop art, Chuck Close, and many more. Then, step into Café 5 to save yourself from art fatigue.

Sixth Floor : Full and energized, look at the Fisher Collection with mind-blowing post-war German masterpieces.

Also, feast on the Museum’s famous sequence gallery dedicated to Gorge Baselitz and many more.

Seventh Floor : Almost out of time! Let’s run through contemporary pieces by Cindy Sherman and more.

Before you head out, visit the new Museum Store to buy a souvenir.

SFMoMA entrances

The SFMOMA has three entrances.

The  main entrance  is on Third Street between Mission and Howard. 

The  second entrance  is the entry on Howard Street between Hawthorne and Third Street.

Regular visitors can use either the main or second entrance to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

After-hours and educational group tours use the Joyce and Larry Stupski Entrance at Minna Street.

Thursday night is the next best time to visit San Francisco’s Modern Art Museum.

The museum is open on Thursdays till 9 pm, with many special events lined up.

If you stay late in the museum, you can end the day with a Michelin-starred dinner at In Situ, the in-house restaurant.

The regular SFMoMA ticket gets you to Thursday night as well.

45,000 sq feet of art-filled space at SFMoMA requires no ticket.

Many artworks on Floor 1 and 2 offer a great introduction to the art of our time, and visitors can explore it for free.

Besides, visitors can also access some of the temporary exhibitions at San Francisco’s Modern Art Museum for free.

SFMoMA Free Day

Occasionally, SFMoMA announces Free Family Day with many hands-on activities and movie screenings.

On such days, up to two adults may each claim a free ticket, and they can be accompanied by a visitor 18 years and younger.

You can’t book these free tickets online but claim them at the venue on the free entry day.

The museum hasn’t yet announced the next  free family day .

You can’t buy/rent an audio guide for this SFO Art Museum.

However, you can explore SFMoMA with the help of their mobile app, which has beautifully produced stories about the artworks on display.

The apps haven’t been rated well by the tourists who have used them before, but you have nothing to lose.

SFMoMA audio guide is available for both Android and iPhone .

Note: Don’t forget to charge your mobile and bring your earphones.

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a  highly-rated  tourist attraction.

Check out two SFMoMA reviews we selected from Tripadvisor, which give you an idea of what to expect at this attraction.

Great stop for modern art lovers

I love Modern Art, and this Museum had a little of everything. Photography, Sculptures, Paintings, Videos and Music exhibits, Architecture, Light Art, etc. It was well worth my time and money. – Netia1128 , Denver, Colorado

Outstanding Museum

This is a must-see for anyone in San Francisco. From Warhol to Lichenstein, it is the major Modern Art home on the West Coast. The only competition – Getty in Los Angeles. – Aphmann , Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom

Art and food go along very well, so SFMoMA’s three restaurants are always full.

Steps Coffee

Stop by to enjoy illy coffee, tea, desserts, pastries, and more in a lively setting surrounded by art.

Located inside SFMOMA on floor 2, right off the Roman Steps in Schwab Hall, this space includes a community bookshelf, puzzle table, and charging stations.

Steps Coffee opens from 9.30 am to 4.30 pm, Friday to Tuesday, and Thursday from 11 am to 6 pm.

The Coffee shop remains closed on Wednesday.

Have a fine-dining family-friendly experience in this quiet café and sculpture garden on the 5th floor.

The restaurant offers rich coffee, wines, and seasonal ingredients.

It is open from Friday to Monday from 11.30 am to 4 pm.

This café remains closed on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays.

grace on floor 1 is a restaurant with a welcoming gathering place for the community.

Enjoy French American fare, drinks, and art in a casual indoor/outdoor setting.

Sunday to Monday: 11.30 am to 5 pm Tuesday:  11.30 am to 9 pm Thursday to Saturday: 11.30 am to 9 pm.

grace is closed on Wednesday.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art can be a maze for first-time visitors.

The exhibits are spread over seven stories, and there is much to see and do.

With the help of a floor plan, you won’t waste your time trying to find what you want to see.

A floor plan can also help you find other tourist facilities such as washrooms, restaurants, shops, etc.

Map of Level 1

Map of Level 2

Map of Level 3

Map of Level 4

Map of Level 5

Map of Level 6

Map of Level 7

It is better to download the floor plan (pdf) for your visit.

The museum’s store is curated as carefully as the exhibits and has excellent books, toys, home décor, and many more.

Your every purchase supports the exhibits and education programs. 

We recommend you stop by the Museum Store on floors 1 and 2 before you leave.

Sources # Sfmoma.org # Wikipedia.org # Tripadvisor.com # Snohetta.com The travel specialists at TheBetterVacation.com use only high-quality sources while researching & writing their articles. We make every attempt to keep our content current, reliable and trustworthy .

Popular attractions in San Francisco

# Alcatraz Island # San Francisco Zoo # California Academy of Sciences # Monterey Bay Aquarium # San Francisco aquarium # Exploratorium # De Young Museum # San Francisco Bus Tours # Madame Tussauds # San Francisco Bay Cruise # San Francisco Ghost Tour # The Tech Interactive # San Francisco Dinner Cruise # SFO Go Car Tour # Legion of Honor Museum # Walt Disney Family Museum # Museum of 3D Illusions # 7D Ride Experience

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Check out all the things to do in San Francisco

This article was researched & written by

Sri Venkat Mamidi

Sri Venkat Mamidi finds staying in one place boring. He travels to learn about different people, cultures, beliefs, religions, and other things he doesn't know yet. For him, traveling is not about escaping the daily routine but finding out who he really is. Favorite Cities: New Orleans, Budapest, Cape Town.

Edited by Rekha Rajan & fact checked by Jamshed V Rajan

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

FireStorm Internet runs this website to provide the most accurate and up-to-day information about tourist attractions.

Our Address

FireStorm Internet, 203, 30C, Bollineni Hillside, Perumbakkam Main Road, Nookampalayam, Chennai, India. Pin Code: 600126

About Us The Team Contact Us Affiliate Disclaimer Content Policy HTML Sitemap Privacy Policy Terms of Service

Helicopter Tours Food Tours Ghost Tours Stadium Tours Hop On Hop Off Tours Zoo Tickets Madame Tussauds Linq High Roller Summit One Vanderbilt

© 2024 FireStorm Internet

• Season Pass

Search Museum Next

Subscribe to the latest museum thinking.

Fresh ideas from museums around the globe in your inbox each week

• Consent * I agree to the Privacy Policy

Film: Making a Location Aware Audio Guide for SFMOMA

How do you create a revolutionary location aware audio guide for a museum?

This presentation was made by Keir Winesmith, Head of Web + Digital Platforms, SFMOMA at MuseumNext Melbourne in February 2017.

in May of 2016, after a three year closure, an expanded SFMOMA reopened. To coincide with the opening the museum launched a gorgeous, immersive, location-aware, audio-first app.

This being San Francisco, where there’s a cultural expectation of risk taking and an embrace of failing forward, they built the app as a partnership with a young start-up, using unproven technology, in a half-finished building site, with voices and stories rarely heard in a museum and, two weeks from opening, it still didn’t work. Every bit of this project, the partnerships, the technology and the content, were risky.

A lot happening in the last two weeks, including the development of a workaround for a previously undiscovered iOS bug, and the museum got the app onto devices the day before opening. Since the launch the museum has fielded a lot ‘how on earth did you do that?’ questions from peers. Here’s how.

Keir Winesmith   :  Hi everyone. That is what it looked like, actually, inside the museum, in one of the more finished spaces. This is the refurb of one of the older parts of the building, when we started working on something that was supposed to work indoors. I was wondering, could I flip from the presentation timer to the notes? Is that possible [over the back]? They were showing … yeah, great, thank you. So, I’m going to cover a few things today: I’m going to cover the SFMOMA context; like why we did it and where we were; I’m going to talk about what we actually built, and the way we did it … I’m going to try to answer the question ‘Does it work?’ and talk a little bit about what comes next.

So, when we started working on SFMOMA’s location-aware app, we started looking around the city for different ways that we could tell this story. How could we make the SF in SFMOMA stand out? When I arrived at San Francisco from MCA in Sydney, the first frame of that video you just saw was how the building looked; we’d just knocked it down … and I had this idea of what I call just-in-time storytelling, this idea that we would provide relevant content to someone in the moment that they needed it, and I wasn’t sure exactly how to do it, I wasn’t sure how we were going to do, and who we were going to work with to make it happen, but I did inherit something that was really valuable, which is this incredible psychographic study of San Francisco. So I can give you that, because it’s a little bit different to maybe this context. So we looked, as we were closing, at the whole city, and a lot of the tourist population, we learnt that the city was very smart, and it was art-interested but not necessarily art-knowledgeable, and so what does that mean? That means that something like 80% of people who live in San Francisco or visit San Francisco are considered arts-interested. So that means that they’re interested in film or literature or the visual arts, performing arts, music … so that’s a really big chunk, it’s higher than most places. So that really encouraged us, we thought, there’s an audience here, we can triple in size and still be sustainable; SFMOMA, for the five years before we closed, was largely a five and a half to six and a half, 100,000 people visiting every year; very stable.

But we wanted to be three times as big, just about, and we wanted to grow our audience to make us survive in a city that we love and have been in for a long time. We wanted to do the SF in SFMOMA. So we then started looking if those arts-interested people, like who really gets modern and contemporary art? Who really … who’s our audience? So, the big wedge is people who were somewhat … a tiny bit confident about the visual arts, and the thin wedge is people who are highly confident about the visual arts. You know, the stuff that we do. And then the really, really thin wedge is people with a visual arts degree. And so we largely programme for them, which makes it really hard to stay open, and I would guess that in most of the cities that most of you work in, it is really similar, and it may be science knowledge if you’re a science museum, it may be history knowledge if you’re a history museum. Definitely in San Francisco, it’s art knowledge. So we knew that in order to attract that larger cohort, that bigger group, we needed to do something that was relevant to them, we couldn’t speak in the way that we have spoken in the past. We’re pretty good at wall labels, we’re pretty good at intro text, we’re pretty good at publications … if you measure them by their scholarly aspect, we’ve been pretty good at telling that authority voice in a kind of deep, I’m sure masculine baritone, that says, you will understand the power of this work; here is the knowledge that you must have.

And working with our curatorial peers over a number of years, we have been working on that voice, trying to move from telling this story of the artwork to telling a story about the artwork, that gives you, the audience, a way in. We are pitching you a reason to look at that work. And we got good at that, we got better at that, it was a real … it was a serious intent of the opening of the new museum, was to sort of change that voice, make it more welcoming, make it more approachable, make it more understandable. But it was still us speaking, and it was still that authority, it was still that feeling that you get when there’s a joke and you don’t know the punchline, or there’s a language and you don’t know all of the words. And that’s a lot of what we hear from people who are giving these post-visit surveys, is that sometimes they’ll laugh at the art because they don’t have the language or the skills to talk about it. And so, if we’re going to be sustainable and relevant in our city, we need to talk about the art in a different way. We need to do the [Bay Area] for the work that we’re doing. And so this project is one of many projects the museum did that’s a direct response to that need.

So, what did we build? We built something that was location-aware, and we built it for three reasons: navigation. This is a new museum that not even we had been inside; we did it because we wanted a phone-in-pocket experience, we wanted people to look at the art, we wanted people to listen, but look with their eyes, we didn’t want people looking at their screens unless they were taking great Instagram photos and promoting us for free. If they’re having an art experience, we wanted them to be present with the work. And we wanted to enable what we call ‘multi-gallery stories’; so this is this idea that you can take someone on a narrative through the museum that’s going to be relevant to them in their voice. And what does that mean? Relevant to them in their voice? So we decided … because it was San Francisco, and there’s a lot of fun, interesting and smart people around … to not be the only people speaking in our tours. I think I’ve done in the order of 50 museum audio guides as part of this … the research that led into this project … and almost all of them were terrible. I built three before this one … they were all terrible, too. I’m just going to say it out loud. And they’re almost always the dry voice of authority; sometime dressed up with a really energetic [attar], or a local historian or someone, with a really great tone, and really engaging tone, but it’s almost always the same nuggets, pearls of wisdom that we’re dropping from on high that you could scoop up and suck in.

And so we’ve taken a really different approach to that; so we’ve got a diverse set of voices throughout, because we know that people are looking for different things. So, on my right, on the right of the screen, is [unintelligible 00:06:57] who were comedians from the [HPO] series, Silicon Valley, which is incredibly popular in San Francisco. They are sardonic, irritating, hilarious comedians in real-life and in the show. They make fun of each other, primarily, these two, and they’re also confused about modern and contemporary art, which the majority of our audience is also confused about modern and contemporary art. So we paired them with one of our curators, and they walk you through a tour that [we feel, I don’t get it]. It’s 20 minutes, it takes you in 16 galleries, and they’re baffled throughout. Like, there’s a urinal on its side, next to that really beautiful painting? I get the painting, that’s a pretty thing, but why is the urinal there? And along the way, the curator gives them feedback and chats with them, and by the end, they’re kind of having ahah moments, you’re like, oh, wait, so the urinal is in response to this? Oh, that makes sense, hah, that’s kind of cheeky, isn’t it? And so they’re discovering the work in a way that is really attainable for anyone in … for most people in our audience.

Then we spoke to Philip [Petee], who we asked on Facebook; we just messaged him on Facebook, we had a …. hey, we’re doing an audio tour about unbalanced artists; would you like to narrate it for us? And he, within an hour, said yes, and within a week had recorded his content, and it is kick-arse; he can read anything and it sounds great. The person on your right is Errol Morris, documentary filmmaker … one of the problems we have for this sort of immersive storytelling … and think of it like a podcast you walk around inside … is that some of the work we have up is up for a really short period of time. So the first two, they take you through our permanent collection, parts of it … Errol Morris takes you through our photo floor. So the photography collection rotates every three months, so how do you do deep storytelling for something that’s up for three months? Well, in our case, you get Errol Morris to talk about the themes of looking at photographs. And so we know he’s going to tell a story about looking at portraiture. Not which portrait he’s going to look at or talk about, but just the idea of looking at a face coming out of the frame at you. And so we trigger that content when you move into any gallery that has a face in a photograph.

He talks about landscape photography; there’s always a landscape photo somewhere in the museum, and so we can navigate you through any of our shows … photography, and his voice is there with you as he tries to unpack the looking that happens when you look at this sort of work. And we’ve done it in five languages, and there’s about 20 hours of content in there. We also took a chance on what we call nearby audio, so these immersive walks are very subjective, the production value’s a little bit like radio lab … when I first pitched this idea to the director, I said, it’s kind of like the film ‘Her’, [amidst This American Life] and he said ‘Uhuh’, but then after a lot of demos, he really got it, and is now a big fan. So we also took this sort of radio approach to our storytelling, so on your right … sorry, on my right, on your left, is Kiki Smith’s Lilith, so this is a sculpture that’s hanging from the wall, with two piercing blue eyes sticking out at you, and it’s Lilith, you know, the person Adam was with before Eve … and we then grabbed an [aerial] dancer and we hung her from the wall in exactly the same position as Kiki Smith, and we recorded her describing the feeling of fragility and power that happens when you are presented up on the wall like this. And so we have her talking about that, then we have a curator explaining some of the art historical notes, and the artist, who is actually a crazy person, but is wonderful, talking in this really expansive way about this particular work.

And so you’ve got these three voices all in dialogue, and then we [coast back to the end], so that person’s been hanging there for the whole audio [to stop]. Still hanging there, kind of sweating now, describing what it feels like to be hung off the wall like that. So we took that approach. We know that people get more out of museums if they have it as part of a social experience, so we made it social; you can sync groups together and they all hear the same thing at the same time, and we give you a timeline; if you want to, after you leave … and the thing that’s most popular about that is people take photos, and they want their photos; if you don’t give them their photos, they will find you where you sleep. It’s possible because of this partnership that we made with Detour, so Detour is a really smart but very small outdoor touring company, and they made some production tools that for us were the key to this project. It’s an audio word-processor that allows you to edit text that’s editing the audio in real time, and allows you to place that audio in space.

So think of it like there’s a … you’re walking through a new city with two friends; one of them’s playing a guitar track, the other one knows where to go and is telling you a story. So the music track just plays the whole time, so if you want to spend five minutes looking at something, that’s fine, you’re still there. As soon as you move again into the next gallery, the next bit of the story kicks in. And because you’re with a friend, they know where you’re going, they know where you’re going next, and they only tell you the commands on where to turn left and where to turn right when it is the moment to get those commands. And these direction tools allow that to be possible. And does it work? I mean, well, getting a little bit deeper about it, does it work? But when we look at the analytics, it doesn’t always work. Some of the times it works, and some of the times it doesn’t.

So German, to me, is this very subjective, kind of like radio lab in many ways, it’s a story of a German-American radio producer, who interviews her mum and her grandmother, who are both still living in Germany, about living through the war and growing up in post-war Germany, through the lens of work by people like [Polker] and [Richter], who were on the walls. And so she takes photos of Richter and talks about and asks them about their childhood, and what it was like to grow up through the war, when these paintings were being painted, and they reflect on their identity and she reflects on hers, and so it’s really like a self-discovery of modern German identity through familial relations, as told as you walk through space looking at paintings … and that is not something that museums traditionally do, it’s certainly not something that we’d ever done before, and what blows me away is that big bar on the right … that’s all the people who make it to the end. It’s 40 minutes. So a bunch of people at the very beginning say, uh, this is not for me, I’m not interested … and then the drop-off rate is very low throughout, and an enormous number of over 80% of people make it to the end, of forty minutes of very personal audio.

The one next to that is called Play by Play. My boss and I were convinced there’s a massive overlap in the [Venn] diagram of people who love modern and contemporary art and people who are sports-mad, but they don’t actually [hit], it turns out. So as you can see, a huge chunk of people just leave straight away … you can also see the numbers. That says ‘160 people left straight away.’ You can see the other numbers … ‘1,600 people made it to the end.’ So the numbers are even very different, so Play by Play is this sports analogy looking at contemporary art; so taking sports stars and sportscasters to talk about contemporary art. We thought it would be a slam dunk, it’s very funny if you know a lot about both worlds. It turns out people don’t know a lot about both worlds. This isn’t in the app anymore, we’ve taken it out.

So some of the times it works and some of the times it doesn’t, but if you’re going to do something chancy, it does not do you any favours if you don’t go in knowing you’re going to evaluate, go in costing the evaluation, do the evaluation, and then respond to it, make change. And that’s one of the things that we did at the beginning, SFMOMA actually took an early decision to kill two big projects in order to pay for evaluation on all the projects we did do, and leave enough money to tinker with them and improve them over time. So, three months after opening, we started our evaluation phase, and we’ve just finished all of that, before Christmas, and we’re already making changes to all of the digital projects that my team and I worked on as part of the opening. But in the process, we killed some darlings. Because it’s not good enough to take risks. Take risks, measure them, and make change based on the outcome. I think that’s critical.

And is it working? Yeah, I mean, yeah, it’s working. This is the average session length during a particular period last year of how long people [were] actually experiencing the app. That says 120, that’s 120 minutes. The average session length is 116 and a half minutes. So that’s from the first bit of content listened to to the end of the last bit of content. It’s a little bit bloated, some people have lunch in the middle … but largely, you can see it’s pretty consistent through time. We had a show, you can see, in early August we had a new show open, and that had a peak, people were really engaged with that new show, but it’s largely flat. It means that most of the people using the app, and this is 60,000 people who’ve used the app, listened to over two million minutes of audio since we opened in May last year. Seven hundred and eighty thousand individual clips have been listened to. They’re listening to it for a long time, we’ve got a few completionists. Someone has listened to all of the tours, and Tweeted us about them, and cried. So some of that really works, and even in that, we’re also not counting anyone who listens to less than three bits of content, because we think we’ve failed there, and so they don’t fit in our metric of success. So it’s sort of working.

So how did we do it? We partnered with a company called Detour; it being San Francisco, the first thing that we did when I started the museum and a couple of others came from elsewhere is basically step away from the contractors that we currently had, and started doing the thing that you do in San Francisco, which is take smart people to lunch and hope they’ll do something for free for you. And so we took a bunch of different smart people to lunch, and one of the people we took to lunch was Andrew Mason, who founded Groupon, left Groupon, founded Detour, and he came to us wanting us to do outdoor content for Detour, and we were seeking him out trying to get him to work indoors. And so they brought their indoor project that they had in their minds, they brought it forward two years, and then we together approached Apple and tried to convince Apple to help support real-time indoor location using Apple’s indoor-location, core-location tools. We sat down with Apple and we said ‘Where does this work the best?’ Because we’d tried light, we’d tried sound, and we’d tried beacons, and none of them were accurate enough for us to get the sort of storytelling that we wanted to do.

So, we sat down with Apple and the guy … I can really distinctly remember this … he kind of cocked his head on the side and he said ‘Well, we were kind of hoping you …’ And so, when Apple hasn’t done it yet and no-one’s done it yet, it was a little bit risky, and it didn’t always work, especially at the beginning. So now it’s out and it’s got all of these beautiful, superlative, very positive reviews, and for the first four or five months that we were open, we had almost solely four- and five-star reviews on Apple iTunes. And so we decided to do the thing that you really shouldn’t do, which is, instead of waiting for the evaluation and fine-tune the product, we started to keep taking more risks. So we made this kind of non-linear spatial kind of walking tour that wasn’t a linear path from space to space, it was like you walked into any one space, and we used the backing-track feature in Detour to basically trigger these environmental audios that were the story of Bruce Connor, who’s a … at least in San Francisco … a famous American artist who worked across all sorts of mediums pastiched together, and some people call him the founder of the [music] video … and so we wanted to honour him by making something really experimental and kind of crazy, with a re-imagined floorplan, so this is the floor that Bruce Connor was placed in, we changed the walls, we added new walls, we added this little [sinarettes] and [theatre-ettes]. We sent all of the updated floorplans to Apple, and they were supposed to process them and get back to us really quickly. We ended up having to string new wi-fi access points into this part of the museum, because it was one of the old parts of the museum, that didn’t have the same coverage as everywhere else. I had to sneak under a crawlspace and just put wi-fi access points wherever I could, to try and improve the reception.

But … it didn’t work, actually, and we started to get one-star reviews and two-star reviews. We started getting hammered. We went from all four or five to all one or two in a week, because we pushed too hard, and once you’ve committed to location being sublime … and we had committed to location being sublime, to the point where people would feel anxiety … which we never expected … people would feel anxiety, because for the 15 minutes before that, the storytelling was so on-point and so seamless, it was like someone was in their ear and knew exactly what to tell them, that they took a phone call or sent a text or looked out a window for a bit, and forgot what their command was next, forgot what their next bit of navigation was, and expected this thing in their ears to go like, oh, you’ve finished with that phone call, as we were, we were just heading down a corridor to the left. And so people were feeling really anxious, and so we didn’t expect that. And if a location doesn’t work, if you bet everything on it, you actually have a brick in your hand. And so we created a brick for some people some of the time.

So it is dangerous, and we have pulled back, so we’re kind of not doing that anymore, and we’re increasing the rate that we re-survey the museum, and we’re increasing the rate that we have an ordered run on the wi-fi to see if anything has changed, because if something changed, it throws you into the street … you’re walking along, and you’re three-quarters of the way through, ‘I don’t get it’, and you’re laughing with your friends, and all of a sudden, you literally can’t get to the next bit of content. And that’s a problem. So we started this project when the museum was an idea, and we finished the project when it’s this shiny, new reality, and we managed to get some of our more attractive members of staff to pose for it, and thinking about where we go next, a lot of what we’re doing is taking the evaluation that was just finished to improve the product, and looking at the questions that we’re getting and improving our processes around keeping it up to date … because it is … we have created a monster. And doing things like giving away headphones to people who’ve downloaded the app but don’t have headphones with them, so we ordered 10,000 headphones like the ones you see in this picture, to give out, and we’re even thinking about financial incentives and other incentives.

We do this thing whenever we do evaluation of an interpretive or investigative space: we ask you ‘When you arrived, did you feel like SFMOMA was for you?’ and then we ask you ‘When you left, now, as you leave, do you feel like SFMOMA is for you? Is it relevant to you?’ And it’s just a slider, you just use your finger. And then we also ask you ‘Is modern and contemporary art a thing that you get, understand, is it for you?’ And we ask you when you leave the same thing. And we look at is there a delta. You know, have we made a difference, has the visit made a difference? And in general, the visit … unquestionably, the visit makes a difference, but what we’re seeing is, the people who use the app, the visit makes an enormous difference; like of 40% more than the average [unclear 00:22:45], like a crazy big difference. And those people are more likely to come back, more likely to be members, and more likely to bring a friend. But when the app sucks, when it doesn’t work, when you have technical difficulties, it’s evens. We’ve made no difference at all. And so for us, we need to fix the technology, but we need to get it in more people’s hands, because if we want to be relevant, and we want to be sustainable, then we need to use the tools that we’ve created that we have statistically proven are changing people’s connection with the museum, and connection with the work that we put on the walls, [and you get in] more people’s hands. So that’s kind of where we want to go next.

So my name’s Keir, and I’m going to stay here for a bit and answer questions.

Female voice:  Questions, down the front.

Female voice:  Yeah, thank you very much, that was really interesting. I’ve got loads of questions that [I’m interested in] [unintelligible 00:23:39] why, now. I’m interested in the ideation process for the content itself, because you talked a lot about putting the SF in SFMOMA, and all the knowledge you had about that audience. For the concepts, did they come from your extraordinarily creative team alone, or did you go out and source some of those ideas? Aside from the experts who you already knew were great storytellers, did you go to the audience beyond that, and …

Keir Winesmith:   That’s a really good question. So I get asked two questions usually … the first one … and it’s always the same question, which is ‘How did you do it?’ And when it’s nerdy technical people, they’re like, ‘How did you build it?’ or ‘How did you convince someone to build it for you?’

Female voice:  Yeah.

Keir Winesmith:    And when it’s kind of content-focused people, it’s like ‘How did you convince the curators to let you do this?’ And so it wasn’t an active convincing the curators; we brought them along throughout, and so when the museum was closed, we had these massive maquettes … about half the size of this room was filled up with models of the building that we were building, with magnetic walls … they were all about this high, you know, kind of two wingspans … with every painting that was going to be on view when we opened stuck to the wall. And we would meet with the curators for each of the shows, and they would walk us through the narrative of every show, and talk about specific works and specific vantages and specific connections, and so we took that internally, and we came back … we called them ‘hooks meetings’ … and then we came back and presented what we thought were like the great stories for the different shows and the different artworks, and then working with them we kind of picked out the ones that would really sing, and then together, we generated ideas about who would be a great person to speak to that.

And a good example was, there’s this beautiful work that’s basically about a couple in crisis, and the way that it’s been painted is, it’s kind of set up like a film set, or like a stage set, and they’re in different parts of the stage set, and both of the parts represent their thoughts, and so the curator talked a lot about this, the way this relationship is depicted, and said, you know what, you should get a set producer or a set designer to talk about this work. And so we were kind of led by … then we met the set designer, and we talked about it and the ideas of the curator, and they came out with a bunch of their own ideas, and so, led by the curatorial intent, then with our group focusing on a story that would be a hook, we then found someone who’d be a great person to speak to that hook, and then in the end, it went back to the curator to say, did we get it?

And so it’s certainly not a thing we just did and said, hey, it’s all done now. We absolutely involved our peers throughout.

Female voice:  And did the audience … did any audience members contribute ideas around that too, or …

Keir Winesmith:    We’ve done two projects in the past, before my time, that were focused on getting audience voices in front of other audience, and both of them were both success and failure. Both of them were incredibly successful in getting audience voices, and total failures in that audiences have no interest in other audience voices. Then I challenge anyone to find me a project where that’s not the case. But people love leaving a mark, have no interest in other people’s marks. Yeah. I think the trick to that is expertise, I think people are really interested in expertise, not necessarily where it comes from, but expertise. So …

Female voice:  Thanks.

Keir Winesmith:   Just sing out.

Female voice:  Hi, thank you so much for that presentation. I’m from the National Gallery of Singapore, and we also have a location-based app for audio tours, so we’d love to talk to you later about how we’ve done our app.

Keir Winesmith:   Sure.

Female voice:  But my question is about tour retention. You showed a slide earlier about a tour that had a 40% rate of users completing the tour, so how does that compare to the tour completion rate for your other tours?

Keir Winesmith:   It definitely varies from tour to tour. So, we have one about how the building is built, and how it’s designed, and it has a lot of stairs in it, it takes you up through the stairs … it’s narrated by a producer from 99% Invisible, a really great design podcast … [I encourage] you to check out [Avery Truffleman] … and most people make it to the end, well over 50% of people make it to the end. Whereas we have another tour, actually the Philip Petee tour, has this big … it’s like pretty much most people make it through, but there’s a big drop off at the first set of stairs. And so, we’re really curious, is it the content just before the stairs, is it the fact that you have to go up the stairs, and you’re kind of like, oh, it’s been good, but maybe I can try something else now. And so now that we’ve got this really … great analytics, and enough people have used enough of the tours, we really know what is and isn’t working, we’re now diving into the particular moments to understand why there’s these sudden peaks and troughs of use. But overall, the vast majority of people finish the vast majority of tours, which is something that we didn’t expect, we expected more like a drop off of a sensible curve, but it’s more like a U-shape. Most people make it to the end if they don’t leave right at the beginning, for the ones that are working, and the ones that aren’t working have these very pronounced moments where they’re not working, and so we’re thinking, do we actually make that one end there? And can we change it, or do we leave that bit out and bring you to the end earlier? So we’re starting to re-do some of the content based on how it’s being used.

Female voice:  One more question, up in the middle.

Male voice:     Hi, super-quick question, actually, just in relation to what you just said. In regards to stairs, are the tours accessible for people in wheelchairs and things like that, and how does it deal with that if you’re telling someone to go upstairs?

Keir Winesmith:   Luckily, the stairs are all adjacent to elevators, and so we have this sort of joke, because the stairs are really architectural, and quite beautiful, there’s a lot of signage inside the museum that says ‘Take the stairs, they’re beautiful.’ And they’re just about the most photographed thing in the museum at the moment. But every tour is designed so you can do it in a wheelchair, and so [it always] says ‘Take the stairs, or if you don’t or you don’t want to, the wheelchair … it’s on your left’, and they always converge back into the same trigger point, and so the next bit of content will trigger either way. And I know this because five weeks before the museum opened, I tore my Achilles tendon, and so I was working on a walking tour, and I was in a wheelchair at first, and then on crutches, and so I did all of my testing either on crutches or in a wheelchair.

So I advise not doing that when you’re building something that’s an immersive walking experience. OK, the last point I just want to make about accessibility is, SFMOMA really genuinely takes museum accessibility seriously. We’re not as good at it as we should be, and I don’t think anyone’s necessarily that good at it, but in talking with our blind and partially-sighted peers, they [sited] the shared audio-experience, so we have 15 or 20 of the artworks, of the most-viewed artworks, have a little short description, sort of a 90-second description of what the artwork looks like, for blind and partially-sighted, and it plays before the narrative, and so you can do a kind of … essentially blind-and-partially-sighted tour of the museum. But what people have reflected to us is the fact that you can sync means that what is largely an isolating experience, what [unintelligible 00:31:38] calls ‘Visiting a museum is like following around some friends who are having fun’ if you’re a blind person, and so we can sync, and everyone can be hearing the same story at the same time, and that’s been a … I think that’s a huge gift that’s not obvious.

And so we want to do more of that work, we’re starting to make all of our interactives have blind-and-partially-sighted sort of modes, so you can plug in headphone, and you can swipe left and right and hear the content, and hear the work described, and I think too often, visual arts organisations focus on themselves, so they look White, they look educated, and they don’t necessarily look like their audience, and so I think that’s something that as a sector we need to address, and we’ll need to start with every project we do.

Thanks, everyone.

• How Are Museums Making Money Online? February 19 2022
• Mary McGillivray, the TikToker Who Is Making Art History Accessible February 11 2022
• Making the Most of NFTs Without Pressing “Mint” May 28 2021
• Making museum websites accessible: adventures in alt text with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art March 16 2023
• Making Museums Accessible to Those With Disabilities January 22 2022

Related Content

Personalising the audio tour experience through ai at the smithsonian american art museum.

Smartify CEO and Head of Product, Thanos Kokkiniotis, explains how the company has been working with the team at the Smithsonian American Art Museum to...

How the Creative Use of Museum Audio Tours is Attracting New Audiences

They say an image can convey a thousand words. But what about the context behind that image? Here’s how audio tours are helping to deepen...

Museum of Making Opens in Derby

A major new museum this week in the historic English city of Derby. Occupying the building of one of the world’s oldest industrial facilities, the...

• Graphic Design , User Experience

SFMOMA’s Audio Tour Experience Reimagined

• May 6, 2016

SFMOMA Before & After Photos

In partnership with detour, and supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, the SFMOMA has created an app to guide viewers through the building, and supplying them with an interactive artistic experience unlike any other.

Ultra-interesting audio content read by well-known podcasters, athletes, and other famous voices is combined with cutting edge technology to guide visitors a new experience created for the previously renovated museum. Instead of using precious viewing time to fiddle with confusing buttons like most museum apps, this one stays comfortably in your pocket, no hands required!

Public radio host Marianne McCune greets you when you first open the app, “The guides will tell you where to go. They’ll wait for you, because they know where you are too. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][awkward pause] Oh, that sounds creepy—it’s not.” Using a virtual museum map created by Apple, the app uses your phones location technology to adjust the audio according to whatever section a visitor may be viewing.

Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani, from HBO’s Silicon Valley, and Philippe Petit, a French high-wire walker are just a few of the big names to grace the app’s endless gallery tours. In the words of SFMOMA’s head of digital platforms Keir Winesmith, “[The tours] range from philosophical to emotional, and hilarious to strange.”

In more practical cases, finding directions to the nearest bathroom is one of the many functionalities the app features.

Upgrading their audio tour experience, the SFMOMA, considered to be the newest mind-blowing gallery spaces in the world, has reimagined the basic app-based museum tour into a new more powerful and immersive experience. Available for a free download May 14, the SFMOMA app is coming soon to a phone near you.

Latest Blog Post

Incitrio Branding & Marketing Agency Creates Ecommerce Websites

Incitrio Ecommerce Design & Programming Overview Did you know that Incitrio designs and programs ecommerce websites? Whether you’re setting up an ecommerce version of your

• Advertising
• Business & Marketing Trends
• Cause Marketing
• Content Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Global Marketing
• Graphic Design
• Incitrio News San Diego
• Innovation San Diego
• Online Marketing
• Online Marketing 2.0 San Diego
• Social Corporate Responsibility
• Social Media
• Trade Shows
• Uncategorized
• User Experience
• Website Design

More Blog Posts (FPO)

Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing & Why It Matters

Creating and implementing a solid marketing strategy can be daunting, time consuming, and full of opinions from different departments and leadership positions. Most marketers are

Quality Over Quantity: The Power of Account Based Marketing

Account-based marketing is so popular and incredibly present among companies. ABM is a strategic form of business marketing that focuses on a company (account) and

With Trust in Social Media Going Down, Marketers Need to Rethink Their Strategy

Social Media is currently in a strange place. And with the most recent issue being trust, thanks to Facebook, consumers are having a really hard

Free Strategy Consultation. Meet with a specialist to talk through your specific challenges and discover if Incitrio is right for you.

Give us your toughest Marketing ROI challenges

© Copyright 2022-2023 Incitrio | Brand Intelligence Agency All Rights Reserved

• Switzerland
• New York City
• The Bahamas
• Travel Tips
• Work With Us
• Russell (The Other One)
• Get to Know Us

SFMOMA: Modern Art in a New Setting

After closing for three years for renovation, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) reopened to the public in 2016.  The expansion included 170,000 square feet of gallery space including the outdoor SFMOMA sculpture garden.

I was excited to see what all the fuss was about, so Russell and I visited the museum in November 2016.  Let me share some of my favorite parts and also some tips to help you make the most of your visit.

Note: This post contains affiliate links.  Please see disclosure for more information.

“Lilith” by Kiki Smith

“quantum cloud vii” by antony gormley, “geometric apple core” by claes oldenburg and coosje van bruggen, morris louis’s untitled work, “woman shaving her leg” by george segal, cy twombly’s untitled, richard serra sfmoma, sfmoma sculpture garden, sfmoma oculus bridge, dining options at sfmoma, sfmoma hours and admission prices, sfmoma free admission, how to get to sfmoma, text sfmoma, expert tips for visiting sfmoma, my favorite artwork at sfmoma.

As with all modern art museums, there will be some pieces that you love and some pieces that you just don’t quite get.  At SFMOMA, there were definitely far more pieces that I loved and I even enjoyed some of the ones I didn’t quite get.  

The sculpture of “Lilith” caught my attention and then when I read the background I was drawn to it even more. The character of Lilith appears in many different theological backgrounds, including, according to Jewish folklore, the first wife of Adam.  She refused to be her husband’s subordinate and as punishment she was expelled from Eden and Eve took her place.  I love that the sculpture  captures her rebelliousness and strength.

“Quantum Cloud VII” shows the body as a swarm of chaotic energy.  I like how you can clearly make out the human figure but you also see the chaos.  I guess this piece spoke to me because sometimes my mind is going so fast and I have so many things I want to do.  The sculpture is a great visual representation of that and a good reminder to try to stay centered.

I loved Antony Gormley’s sculpture Sound that is on display in the crypt of the Winchester England Cathedral .  He also created “ Another Place ” which is an amazing art installation at Crosby Beach in northwest England.  It includes sculptures modeled after the artist which get completed covered by water at high tide.  I would like to see it for myself one day!

I loved the colors in Morris Louis’s Untitled work which was part of his Floral series.  It is a large piece that will capture your attention.  I like how at some points the colors are very distinct and at other points, they blend together.

“Woman Shaving Her Leg” is another interesting piece.  I would have never thought that I would have seen a sculpture of a woman shaving her legs.  I think that is what makes it so unique and memorable.  George Segal has a few other pieces in SFMOMA including the one pictured below in the SFMOMA Sculpture Garden.

Cy Twombly’s Untitled was another piece that stood out to me.  It’s a large blackboard with chalk writing.  I don’t think there was any method to the madness, the writing looks like scribbles to me.  I know it sounds simple but one of his similar works went for $70M at auction .

The Richard Serra SFMOMA piece is actually part of the galleries which you do not need a ticket to see.  We actually didn’t even see it until we were on our way out, but you can’t miss it.  I love how Serra’s artwork is so interactive.  I have been a big fan ever since I saw his work at DIA: Beacon .  To see the artwork, you need to walk through it.  It’s an interesting feeling – wondering what is around the next curve.

The old museum had a sculpture garden on the roof, but the new museum has the Pat and Bill Wilson Sculpture Terrace on the third floor and another outdoor terrace on floor 7.  In the new SFMOMA Sculpture Garden, you still get some nice views of the city and there are several sculptures.  

The wall covered in ivy on the third-floor terrace is what stands out though.  I later learned that it is the largest public living wall in the United States and has more than 19,000 plants and 21 native species.

The SFMOMA app is an audio tour with a few extra features.  The app is only available on iOS so if you don’t have an iPhone you can rent a device at the Member Services Desk on the second floor.  You can download the app for free to help you plan your day at SFMOMA.    The app uses your location so that you can only play the audio tour when you are in the museum.

The app has some suggested gallery walks that you can follow or you can play the audio tour information for specific works of art that you would like to see.  Some pieces of art have special detailed audio descriptions available for those that are visually impaired.  It also has the option to sync your audio with others, that way you can all stay together.

In addition to being an audio tour, the app helps you to create a timeline of your visit.  You can add photos and notes to help remember what you saw and other details.  Unfortunately, I did not find out about this feature until after my visit.

Inside the museum, you can visit In Situ, which was created by Corey Lee, chef-owner of the Michelin three-star restaurant, Benu.  You can opt for drinks and snacks in the lounge or a full meal in the dining room.  The NY Times has called In Situ the most original new restaurant in America .  Just like the museum, the restaurant is closed on Wednesdays.  

If you are looking for something more informal and family-friendly, you can try Cafe 5 on the fifth floor.  The cafe’s menu features high-quality seasonal ingredients and you can even enjoy a glass of wine if you like. The museum also has a coffee shop, Sightglass, located on the third floor.

If you would like more budget-friendly options, you can find plenty of restaurants within walking distance of SFMOMA.  We went to Ayola.  The food was delicious, but there is limited seating.

SFMOMA opens at 10 am Thursday – Tuesday.  The museum is closed on Wednesdays, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.  They usually close the museum at 5 pm but stay open until 9 pm on Thursdays.

If you plan on visiting SFMOMA on a weekend, you may want to book your tickets online or through the SFMOMA app in advance.  Tickets are for timed entry and admission for adults is $25.  Seniors can get in for $22 and students with IDs pay only $19.  Those that are 18 and younger get in free, but must still have a timed ticket.  You can get these tickets online if you purchase in advance or the same day at the museum.

SFMOMA advises you to arrive 30 minutes before the time on your ticket to allow for time to check your coat and pick up a visitor’s guide.  Once you enter the museum, you may stay as long as you like or until the galleries close!  

The museum is also part of the San Francisco CityPass and the San Francisco GoCity Card.  If you are planning to visit some of the other top attractions in San Francisco, you may be able to save some money.  Click here to get more information about the San Francisco CityPass or here to get more information about the San Francisco GoCity card.

Alternatively, if you also plan on visiting the California Academy of Sciences, you can save with this combination ticket.

Unfortunately, SFMOMA no longer has free admission the first Tuesday of the month.  Instead, they have a free family fun day about once a year.  The next family fun day will be announced soon.  Admission to the galleries on the first floor is always free.

Taking public transportation is the easiest way to get to SFMOMA.  You can either take the BART or the MUNI to the Powell or Montgomery Street Stations.  The CalTrain has a stop at 4th and King Streets, about a 20-minute walk from the museum.

I would not recommend driving as there is limited parking near SFMOMA.  You can try the parking garages along Third Street at either Jesse or Folsom Streets.

Yes, now you can actually text SFMOMA and they will respond back with a photo of artwork, the artist, and the date.  You just need to text “send me” followed by a keyword to 572-51.  I texted “send me rainbow” and instantly the museum sent me a picture of Frank Stella’s “Untitled (Fan Protractor Variation)” from 1967.  Of course, standard text messaging rates apply.  Try it and let me know what you get.

Have you visited the new SFMOMA? What were some of your favorite pieces?  I would love to hear what you thought.

– Anisa

Pin for Later

• Download the App and use the timeline feature to remember your visit.
• Take public transportation to visit SFMOMA, parking close to the museum is limited.
• Plan to spend at least 3 hours at the museum.
• The Oakland Museum of Calfornia across the bay has an interesting collection of modern art as well.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means we will receive a small commission for some purchases made using links in our blog with no additional cost to you.  Please be assured we would not promote any product unless we believe that our readers will also benefit.  The commission does not influence the editorial content of this site.

Two Traveling Texans is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Last Updated on July 27, 2023

About the Author

Anisa  

Anisa is an experienced international traveler with extra pages in her passport and stamps from 41 different countries across 5 continents (and counting). She was born and raised in Texas. After a 13 year stint in NYC, she moved to England to live with her husband.

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

Sign Up Below to Download our  FREE Travel Planning Checklist

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA)

• Copy Link copied

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

It had been a long wait for modern art lovers, but after a three-year closure and a $305 million renovation and expansion, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) reopened in May 2016, and was it ever worth the wait. A new 10-story addition from the renowned Norwegian design firm Snøhetta integrates seamlessly with the existing black-and-white-striped atrium tower, giving San Francisco ‘s SoMa neighborhood some serious eye-candy. It’s also now the largest modern and contemporary art museum in America, with nearly triple its previous gallery space. New to the already impressive collection are selected works from the esteemed Doris and Donald Fisher Collection, featuring significant American and European artists of the 20th and 21st centuries such as Andy Warhol, Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder, Georg Baselitz, Barbara Hepworth, and Henry Moore, among many others. Gifts of painting, sculpture, drawings, media arts, and architecture made to the museum since 2009 also rotate through various galleries, while the entire third floor is dedicated to the Pritzker Center for Photography. Visitors take a breather in the tranquil sculpture garden with enormous living wall, or in the fifth floor Cafe 5. Along with offering free entry to visitors 18 years old and under, SFMOMA invites you to try In Situ, the museum’s signature 150-seat lounge and restaurant, helmed by Michelin-star chef Corey Lee, with a menu of dishes culled from the recipes of some 80 chefs from around the world.

More Recommendations

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, or SFMOMA, which reopened in 2016 after a three-year closure and expansion, put the city back on the global art map, with three times the gallery space, 19 special exhibitions, 260 postwar and contemporary works from the Fisher Collection, and a new light-drenched building by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta. Today, the museum has 33,000 works in its collection, thanks in large part to gifts from the Fisher Collection—so it’s best not to go it alone. This being San Francisco, the museum is also leading the way in the intersection of digital innovation and art. The SFMOMA audio app combines immersive audio storytelling and location-aware technology. Bring headphones, download the app, and listen to artists, comedians, playwrights, and others as you make your way through the galleries. Or if you’d rather take a tour with a docent, call ahead to book an expert-led private tour of the Fisher Collection. Ask about access to the restoration room, where works of art are painstakingly brought back to life. And whether you are touring with a digital or human guide, hit pause long enough to enjoy lunch and a glass of wine al fresco in the fifth floor sculpture garden.

Have you been here? Tell us about it below!

After being closed for three years, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art reopened in spring 2016 with a just-added 10-story expansion by the Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta. The new space provides room for some of the collection’s larger pieces, like Richard Serra’s monumental Sequence and mobiles by Alexander Calder, to shine. The museum’s collection covers the best of modern and contemporary art in the United States, Europe and beyond, but it places special emphasis on Californian artists. From photographers of the American West to the latest works incorporating technology, the museum brings a decidedly San Francisco perspective to its mission.

This is a cool place to visit in San Francisco and if you buy a city pass you get free admission! You can find more info on the city pass by searching for it on google. Bring a camera and shoot away, but there are certain exhibits that you’re not allowed to photograph.

Brancusi at SF MOMA

SF MOMA is great for contemporary art. As a bonus is located near Yerba Buena Garden and it is housed in an amazing building.

Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco (SF MOMA)

Note from AFAR: After a three-year renovation, the museum is open once again, now with 7 floors and 7 miles of gallery space. One of my favorite museums in San Francisco is the Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). In addition to the main exhibition, the museum always displays supplementary art and photography exhibitions, which are almost always amazing. There are five floors, every floor beaming with innovative, contemporary art. Modern art spans a wide domain, so there is something for the art lover at every age. One of the crowning glories of the museum is the architecture itself, so you’ll be amazed even before you step in. It’s easy to maneuver through the rooms and passages for hours and hours.

The perfect place for a solo or date night. A must when new exhibits are in.

Information on this page, including website, location, and opening hours, is subject to have changed since this page was last published. If you would like to report anything that’s inaccurate, let us know at [email protected].

SFMOMA Introduces Audio Tours en Español Both Spanish And English Tours Available On New Mp3 Players

Starting this week, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) offers audio tours of its permanent collection in Spanish as well as English. Both versions are available on new lightweight, random-access MP3 players that allow visitors to customize their visits, selecting the language and artworks of their choice and setting their own pace and direction through the galleries.

“SFMOMA is committed to serving as wide a range of visitors as possible. Spanish speakers are an important part of our community; we are very happy to offer this new pathway to increased enjoyment and understanding of modern and contemporary art,” explains John S. Weber, the Leanne and George Roberts Curator of Education and Public Programs.

Since 1995 the Museum has offered a digital audio tour of its permanent collection of painting, sculpture and photography. The tour, entitled A Few Notes on Modern Art , features lively commentary, with curators, artists, critics and historians describing more than 100 works in the Museum’s collection. The audio tour includes such masterpieces as Henri Matisse’s Femme au Chapeau (Woman with the Hat), 1905; Diego Rivera’s The Flower Carrier, 1935; and Frida Kahlo’s Frieda and Diego Rivera, 1931.

In addition, more than 20 segments of the tour offer special explorations of the connections between 20th-century art and music. These segments feature classical music by such composers as Claude Debussy and Carlos Chavez, jazz numbers by Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck and rock music by pop icon Nico and the Velvet Underground, all reproduced in high-quality stereo sound.

The SFMOMA audio tour is available for rental in the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Atrium for $3 on a first-come, first-served basis. For groups of 10 or more, it may be reserved in advance by calling 415/357-4197. (Private guided tours in Spanish are also available for groups by advance reservation.)

The audio tour was created by the SFMOMA Education Department, produced by Antenna Audio of Sausalito, California, and made possible by generous grants from the Acacia Foundation and the Flora Family Foundation.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Bob Heil, Whose Innovations Enhanced the Sound of Rock, Dies at 83

A groundbreaking audio engineer, he provided the large-scale systems that brought tours by the Who and the Grateful Dead to life.

By Alex Williams

Bob Heil’s career as a groundbreaking sound engineer who brought thunder and rich sonic coloring to tours by rock titans like the Grateful Dead and the Who began behind a pipe organ in a 1920s movie palace.

Mr. Heil, who helped usher rock into its arena-shaking era by designing elaborate sound systems that allowed rock juggernauts of the late 1960s and ’70s to play at volcanic volumes, first learned to appreciate the full spectrum of musical tones as a teenager, when he took a job playing the massive Wurlitzer pipe organ at the opulent Fox Theater in St. Louis.

“We had to voice and tune 3,500 pipes, from one inch to 32 feet,” he said in a 2022 video interview with the audio entrepreneur Ken Berger. “Voicing taught me to listen. Very few people know how to listen. Listening, you’ve got to mentally go in and dissect.”

Mr. Heil died on Feb. 28 of cancer in a hospital in Belleville, Ill., his daughter Julie Staley said. He was 83. His death was not widely reported at the time.

Although he worked behind the scenes, Mr. Heil was enough of a force that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland credited him with “ creating the template for modern rock sound systems” In 2006, the Hall installed a public display containing his mixing boards, speakers and other items.

“The concert business became what it is today because he made the experience so much better for the customers,” Howard Kramer, who at the time was the Hall of Fame’s curatorial director, said in an interview that year with The Houston Chronicle. “No one made the leaps in live sound that he did.”

Mr. Heil got started in the business in 1966. Up to that point, top rock ’n’ roll bands often had to rely on feeble sound systems that were drowned out by screaming fans. That roar, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones wrote in his 2010 autobiography, “Life,” was often so deafening in the band’s early days that audiences could hear nothing more than the drums: “We used to play ‘Popeye the Sailor Man’ some nights, and the audience didn’t know any different.”

Mr. Heil gave rock shows the sound arsenal they needed. “We were the first company back then to build a package P.A .,” he said in a 2008 interview with the audio magazine TapeOp. “You could come to Heil Sound in 1972 and leave the facility with a complete system: snakes, road cases, everything — even a modular mixer.”

He also put a distinctive stamp on 1970s rock with the Heil Talk Box, an effects pedal that transformed guitar parts and vocals into an interstellar drone. Joe Walsh used it in memorable fashion on his hit “Rocky Mountain Way” in 1973, and the Talk Box was a signature of Peter Frampton’s monster-selling 1976 double album, “Frampton Comes Alive!”

Mr. Heil’s career took a major turn in 1971, he told Mr. Berger, when a manager for the Who frantically called him in St. Louis, asking if he could get his crew to Boston the next day. The opening show there, part of the band’s tour in support of its hallowed album “Who’s Next,” had been a disaster, with one newspaper noting that the band’s “soaring brand of rock could not be heard” under the venue’s “miserable conditions.”

Roger Daltrey, the band’s lead singer, threatened to fly back to England until Mr. Heil arrived with his rig. When Mr. Daltrey “did the sound check,” Mr. Heil recalled, “it was OK, because it was a monster P.A.” He would work with the Who for the next decade.

Robert Gene Heil was born Oct. 5, 1940, in St. Louis, the elder of two children of Robert and LaVerna (Bills) Heil. His parents owned a clothing shop in the small town of Marissa, Ill., about 40 miles east of St. Louis.

As a youth, Bob not only played the accordion and the organ but also became a ham radio enthusiast, which gave him an early opportunity to fiddle with electronics. After graduating from Marissa Township High School in 1958, he spent time studying at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and the St. Louis Institute of Music.

In 1966 he opened Ye Olde Music Shop in Marissa, where he rented Hammond organs and repaired instruments for professional musicians. He also began to design his own audio systems.

Before long, he was supplying them to country acts like Dolly Parton and Little Jimmy Dickens as they came through St. Louis. His big break came in 1970, when management of his old employer, the Fox Theater, called him and told them of a crisis: The Grateful Dead was set to play there, but the band’s P.A. system had been confiscated by authorities in a drug raid.

On a subsequent call with Mr. Heil, Jerry Garcia, the band’s lead guitarist and vocalist, “almost dropped the phone” when he learned that Mr. Heil had a sophisticated system featuring an amplifier by McIntosh, the high-end audiophile brand, Mr. Heil told Mr. Berger. Performing Musician magazine later called the resulting concert “the night that modern live sound was born.”

In addition to his daughter Ms. Staley, Mr. Heil is survived by his wife, Sarah (Benton) Heil; another daughter, Barbara Hartley; a stepson, Ash Levitt, the president and chief executive of Heil Sound; a sister, Barbara Schneidewind; and seven grandchildren. Both daughters are from his first marriage, to Judy Mortensen, which ended in divorce.

By 1980, Mr. Heil had grown weary of life on the road, so he created a new line of headsets and microphones for the ham radio industry. At one point, Joe Walsh, another ham enthusiast, told him he wanted to use one of his microphones onstage.

Mr. Heil protested that the microphones were not concert quality. Mr. Walsh disagreed. “I was at his house and went downstairs to his little studio and he proved it to me,” Mr. Heil told TapeOp. “So I had to start listening all over again.”

Alex Williams is a reporter in the Obituaries department. More about Alex Williams