Museum of Craft and Design

This museum is in the Dogpatch neighborhood and walking distance from Chase Center and Oracle Park. On Wednesdays, they have something called "Pay What You Can Wednesdays" where you can check out the museum for free. They have a donation box at the exit of the museum.The current exhibit is titled "Neon as Soulcraft", which was my first time seeing an entire exhibit devoted to neon lights. As someone who likes reading descriptions at museums, I spent about 30 minutes, so it's something that won't take too long. I really enjoyed the combination of art and science, and appreciated how they provided background information on the artists and their inspiration. I won't go too in depth so that you can check out the exhibit for yourself!*Verdict: The lady at the entrance was so friendly! She took the time to explain what "Pay What You Can Wednesdays" was and offered to answer any questions. There's a new exhibit every few months, so I look forward to coming back in the future!

Yes, as many people have noted, this is a small museum.However, the current Designing Peace exhibit pushes the viewers to consider how design (of any kind) can create peace. It challenges us to rethink things we know. I appreciate how the works in this exhibit include art, craft and design from all around the world. Pushing, perhaps, some of us out of our comfort zones in order to consider our neighbour and our responsibilities and place in the world. I quite enjoyed this thought-provoking show.The museum is spacious and bright, and has a very accessible set of washrooms. I went in December and there was a small amount of visitors coming in and out - and we still had enough room to move about. Near the front entrance is their gift shop filled with goods of all kinds by local makers. Admission is reasonable for the calibre of work and the space. For those who do not frequent such museums may think this is too expensive, but I think it is suited. However as an option, they do offer Pay What You Can admissions on Wednesdays!

Our second time here and it is worth the trouble to find the museum. The neighborhood is a lot of fun as well. I have no problem with the fees ($10 for adult, $8 for 65+) and there is a lot to take in. You can easily spend and hour or two in this small space if you stop and read. The gift shop is worth the trip as it has some really nice things. We will return the next time we are in SF (early 2024, I hope).

I visited (and Yelp bookmarked) the Museum of Craft and Design on March 8, 2018, not long after my parents, brother, brother's partner, brother's daughter, and I visited the David Ireland House (https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-david-ireland-house-san-francisco-2?hrid=tBClXofkO-nYNZrVG4SdVA&utm_campaign=www_review_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)).Yes, it was during the Dreaded 11 Days, and yes, I believe the David Ireland House is haunted, but no spectral harm befell me that rainy late-winter day in San Francisco, and I was soon spending my forty-_____ birthday alive and well in Chicago. Almost six years later, I now live frightfully close to the David Ireland House.This all has everything to do with the Museum of Craft and Design. See, I had just seen the odd life's work and living space of a beloved San Francisco conceptual artist; and now I was visiting a craft-and-design museum with an architect, two product designers, and a future spectacular artist. I couldn't help compare what I had seen with a museum dedicated, at least partially, to the same subject.Like usual, the artist won.I don't want to get into questions of ability and pedagogy and how they're related and often in tension, and the museum's gift shop is lovely and contains some really nice books and sketches and small pieces of art. But the museum is a disappointment, and not just because I had just been to another larger museum.It's a small space, so I wasn't expecting much, but they waste a great deal of the available space. This might be a design choice on the museum's part, and it is all the rage even in San Francisco restaurants and coffeehouses with expensive by-the-foot commercial leases to use the available space as inefficiently as possible. Still, that's a design choice, and it's a bad one. I would have liked to see more exhibits.If it billed itself as an art or craft or design gallery, it would probably garner four stars. As a museum, it's too small and uses its limited space poorly.

Cool little museum with some design elements and some robots. Worth a walk through to enjoy.

I guess I'm not a crafty person because I don't shop at Design Within Reach...or even Daiso. I was kinda surprised to discover that this museum was relocated from an even smaller space. Why? Because it still felt small for a single eyebrow-raising $10 admission, just two rooms, each dedicated to a design theme. One was focused on scents so it was interactive to some degree - meaning you're supposed to smell stuff.The other room was an exhibit of art objects that provide context in the spaces they are specifically placed. That was it. The large gift shop was almost a third room in itself with plenty of knick-knacks to consider for your own home. If you are inclined toward thoughtful design planning, there are elements to enjoy here, but I think it's definitely for a niche audience. Me not do much.RELATED - Exploring Dogpatch? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2LXfohU

This is a small venue, with a great mission & thought provoking artwork. The exhibit they hosted was called Designing Peace. I appreciated the craftwork, message & artistry on all the pieces. It brought me to tears hoping to create a better future for our kids. This is Juxtaposed with a space for kids to share their voices thru crafts. The staff is super friendly. This place is a hidden gem!

Small museum but enjoyed the exhibits that they had. The docents were very nice and helpful and a great gift shop with local artisans featured. We spent about 45 minutes and went on the Wednesday pay what you like day. Worth a visit if you've never been.

While the content is very interesting and I enjoyed the exhibits, it sure is depressing. I had misunderstood the concept of this museum, as I thought there would be more "craft" and less "trauma victim" clothing. Again, great exhibits, but don't go here if you're planning on smiling for the next hour.I liked the interactive exhibit at the end where you write notes and put it on the timeline. I also found the "police brutality" outfit very interesting.Service was fine and we got in free due to a coupon for being broke.

I came here on a free museum day and thankfully I did. I don't think it's worth the entry fee. Perhaps I'm not super artsy, but we went through the museum which is only ~2.5 rooms in about 30 mins. Come by if you're looking for something to do, but otherwise I think there's other museums that are more worth it in the city. Staff is super kind though and otherwise it's very clean and street parking can be found easily.