The Voice of East Bay Living

The latest current exhibition  at the De Young museum is called Jewel City .This exhibition revisits the vital moment when San Francisco hosted the Panama Pacific International Exhibition which celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal, the reconstruction following the great earthquake and the World's Fair.  At the time, it covered 76 city blocks and contained more than 11,000 paintings,sculptures,prints and photographs from all over the world. In spite of World War One approaching, many European artists were able  to participate. The current exhibition has reassembled more than 200 works which were on display for this amazing event. View this exhibit at the De Young museum until January 10, 2016.

This wonderful exhibit t races the evolution of fashion in the 20th century. These fashions worn by American women reflect the nations tastes and transformations during the decades between 1910 and 1980. Significant looks from French couture houses include designs by Lanvin, Vionnet and Schiaparelli and Charles James. Additional attention is given to the pioneering generation of American women designers in the 1930s through the 1950s, such as Bonnie Cashin, Elizabeth Hawes, and Claire McCardell. These beautiful gowns are on exhibition at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco through July 19, 2015.

The Children's Creativity Museum is a hands-on multimedia arts and technology museum for kids of all ages, located at the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco. It aims to foster Creativity, Collaboration, and Communication. The museum is well known for its technology-based exhibits which allow youth to produce their own media through various creative processes, digital arts, live performance and music production.  ^I took my granddaughter there last week and I had as much fun as she did! Museum Hours: Tuesday- Sunday 10am-4pm Location: 221 Fourth St.  San Francisco CA 94103

Every Friday night from 5pm to 9pm, the  Oakland Museum  is the place to be.  Off the Grid  offers a wonderful display of activities for the entire family. There are gourmet food trucks, a live band, dancing and half-price admission to the museum for adults (18 and under get in for free!). ^Above:   Dukes of Manouche  and Streatery food truck menu from April 17th Off the Grid event at Oakland Museum ^Above: The main entrance to OMCA

Every Spring, the de Young Museum presents the Bouquets to Art . This amazing exhibition presents the best floral designers in the Bay Area whose individual floral designs follow the themes of the paintings on exhibition. ^Sheila Sabine - Out and About - de Young Museum in San Francisco

Did you know that the new    Exploratorium  in San Francisco is considered the most important science museum since the mid-twentieth century? It is described as a scientific fun house and an experimental laboratory rolled into one. At a recent visit with three young girls - ages six, ten and twelve - they were fascinated with the dissection  and lecture of a cow's eye. Yes, a real cow's eye.  I chose to check my emails on my iPhone at this point. They loved every minute, including the very hip Seaglass restaurant located on the first floor of the museum with stunning  views of the bay and multi-cultural menu served cafeteria style. It is worth a visit for all age groups.  Visit  GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at ssabine@grubbco.com

Yes, it is true that in the Bay Area we are exposed to  some great  art.  However, the best is yet to come when you visit the Met in New York City.  Founded  in 1870, it is the largest art museum in the U.S. with over two million art works, second most visited in the world next to  Le Louvre in Paris. Situated next to Central Park it takes up over two million sq. ft. Visit  GlassSabine.com Contact Team Glass Sabine at  ssabine @grubbco.com 

After being closed for over two years for a $58 million renovation, the museum opened its doors last week to an excited crowd of fans. The original museum was built 41 years ago -a terraced and walled concrete structure that became an instant national landmark. Some of the new features include a re-grouping of the permanent collection, visitor feedback stations where people can record their own life in California, do self - portraits , vote on what is or is not real art, a new gourmet cafe, an additional 5,600 ft. of airy high ceiling galleries and many more upcoming exhibits. Judith Glass, a former art docent at the museum was thrilled to see pieces of the permanent collection that now had room to be displayed. She also thought that there were a alot of new magical spaces. Go to http://museumca.org/