Museum of the African Diaspora and Mission Corridor: The Cultural Gateway

Why is it significant?

Pause outside the sleek glass entrance of the Museum of the African Diaspora, nestled at the base of the St. Regis tower at Third and Mission Streets.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Pause outside the sleek glass entrance of the Museum of the African Diaspora, nestled at the base of the St. Regis tower at Third and Mission Streets. Opened in December 2005, MoAD is one of only a handful of contemporary cultural museums in the world focused exclusively on the art, culture, and shared history of the African diaspora. Rather than operating as a conventional ethnographic storehouse, MoAD is an agile, provocative contemporary art gallery presenting rotating exhibitions of painting, photography, film, and sculpture by artists of African descent from across the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, and Africa.

Look through the soaring three-story glass atrium to view the monumental three-story photographic mosaic 'I've Known Rivers', designed by artist Chester Higgins Jr. The monumental artwork incorporates over two thousand individual portrait photographs submitted by community members from across the globe, uniting to form an unforgettable portrait of a young African woman. It serves as a visual metaphor for the museum's core philosophy: that all human life originated in Africa and that all people share in the collective diaspora of human creativity.

MoAD's location in the heart of SoMa's cultural district represents a hard-won victory for inclusive urban redevelopment, ensuring that diverse global narratives are celebrated alongside European and American fine art institutions. Taking time to absorb this physical setting connects you directly with the generations of master builders, civil rights pioneers, and community advocates whose perseverance shaped San Francisco into a global capital of artistic diversity and cultural freedom. Taking time to absorb this physical setting connects you directly with the generations of master builders, civil rights pioneers, and community advocates whose perseverance shaped San Francisco into a global capital of artistic diversity and cultural freedom.

Step inside the bookstore to browse rare international poetry anthologies, political essays, and independent artist monographs from across the diaspora.

Walk north along Third Street across Market Street to New Montgomery Street, entering the historic Palace Hotel.