Exhibitions
Global Museum exhibitions changeover every Fall and feature objects from stewarded collections, student research, and community perspectives.
** Installation in progress – see Upcoming Exhibitions for dates
Upcoming Exhibitions
December 1, 2026 – May 13, 2027
In the Main Gallery: What stories can an object tell? What Objects Carry invites students to explore how museum objects connect to identity, memory, culture, and everyday life.
December 1, 2026 – May 13, 2027
In the Global Lab: Discover the beauty of Iu-Mien embroidery and how its intricate designs preserve cultural traditions and connect generations through this cherished art form. Curated by Ashley Saeteurn, MA Candidate, 2026, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Museum Studies.
Current Exhibitions
(After)Lives
Available by appointment
In the Egyptian Learning Alcove: (After)Lives explores ancient Egyptian objects, beliefs, daily life, and funerary traditions. Discover the stories of amulets, tools, coffins, and mummified individuals.
Capacity is limited to 10 to 12 visitors. Photography is not permitted in this space.
Past Exhibitions
Craft or Commodity?
November 16, 2024 – May 14, 2026
Guided by generations of makers before them, human hands wove, molded and carved everything in this exhibit. Student curators explore the interconnected and complex histories of these objects through the lenses of the artisans who crafted them.
Through My Father's Eyes: The Filipino American Photographs of Ricardo Ocreto Alvarado
February 24 – May 4, 2024
Show and Tell: Ordinary Objects, Revealing Stories
April 22 - May 11, 2022
Show & Tell: Ordinary Objects, Revealing Stories featured a collection of treasured memories from nine student storytellers enrolled in Fran Osborne's Museum Studies 730 Exhibition Development course, Spring 2022.
Virtual Exhibitions
Clearly Polluted
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, Clearly Polluted: The Fight for Environmental Justice in the Bay Area investigates environmental racism and its ongoing, disproportionate impact on Black, Indigenous, and people of color, or BIPOC, communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presented in-person, October 29, 2022-December 8, 2022.
View Clearly Polluted
Climate Stories
Climate Stories explores the impacts of climate change on Indigenous communities across the globe and action being taken now, including on the SF State campus.
Things Seen
Things Seen: Experiences of COVID-19 presents a selection of observations and artworks created by Museum Studies graduate students in response to the COVID-19 crisis.