I Walked In as a Tourist and Left Feeling Like I Belonged Somewhere I’d Never Been Before

Selling Our Soul to The Arts

I arrived in SFO as a tourist, but the moment I walked into SFMOMA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, it felt like I belonged there. I was suddenly in the company of over 50,000 artists’ works.

The Grand Atrium’s minimalist geometry draws you in immediately, creating a quiet sense of reverence before you even encounter the art. The museum stands as a true testament to what the city represents, a global hub for art and culture, bringing together artists from across the world.

I had gone there with my teenage boys, and I felt their personalities shift the minute we entered the museum’s space. They immersed themselves in the bold, electric colors of the structures and became deeply introspective around pieces that demanded attention.

There was a stillness in the galleries that felt alive. I’m sure that was what we were feeling. At times, I wondered what it would mean if the art was observing us as much as we were observing it.

One of the most striking moments was encountering Henri Matisse’s Femme au Chapeau (Woman with a Hat) from 1905. The portrait of Amélie, his wife, painted with green streaks across her face and blue, pink, and yellow shadows around her skin caused a scandal in its time for its chaotic and unsettling portrayal of feminine beauty. And yet, here I was, celebrating a vision of femininity that goes beyond convention.

As you walk floor by floor, there are endless opportunities to introspect. The giant “Living Wall,” a vertical garden, gently pulls you back into yourself. The plants breathe in their quiet beauty, and you can’t help but marvel at the miracle of our existence.

A good artist does not impose meaning, they create space for interpretation. Even when I stepped into the artsy bathroom, I found myself breathing deeper, as if the space itself demanded a slower rhythm.

I kept thinking about the quiet authority art holds in our lives. It moves us to action by sparking ideas and stirring something deep within us. It reminds us that creation is not reserved for artists alone, and that beauty is something we are all capable of bringing into the world.

Art can arrest us without force and command respect without noise. It may not always pay the bills, but what would life be without words, sound, art, and the artists who weave them together for us? I felt grateful for the curators, the institutions, and the resources that make it possible for ordinary people to access the legacy of human creativity in one place.

The Sacred Democracy of Creativity

Among the many exhibits was a powerful installation by a Brazilian artist who stacked thousands of Brazilian currency notes into a circular form. The piece captured both our collective fascination with money and the destructive consequences of devaluation through corruption and failed policy.

We saw Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait with her lover and husband, Diego Rivera, alongside art made from every imaginable material, stunning photographs, bold color combinations, and unexpected textures. We were also lucky to see Yayoi Kusama’s installations, with their unusual geometry and polka dots, aptly titled Dreaming of Earth’s Sphericity.

There was a photo of a man dressed as a king on a couch in what might have been a living room. It made me ask myself: Don’t we all get to be kings in our own homes? Do we not all seek sovereignty in our private worlds?

Throughout the museum, there were spaces where visitors could create too. People sat doodling filling small pieces of paper with funny, imaginative, unfiltered expressions of joy and curiosity. Even there, creativity felt democratic.

KAWS and Alejandro Cartagena

Through SFMOMA’s social media, I learned that KAWS had finally arrived in 2025. I had seen his giant sculpture at Barcelona’s MOMA and even took a picture with it. Brian Donnelly, who goes by KAWS, is known for his iconic characters with X’s for eyes that feel both playful and haunting.

I also recently discovered that Alejandro Cartagena’s exhibit, Ground Rules, is being showcased. His work explores housing, labor, migration, and climate through portraiture, landscapes, collage, and vernacular photobooks. It’s impossible not to connect with his exploration of human movement and what it takes to survive this brutal life.

Places like SFMOMA remind us of the importance of the humanities in our lives. And as for going back to visit, I’m working on a manifestation. One of my own doodles or a handwritten poem will sit in an exhibit box, something a 20-year-old stranger might read 200 years from now and feel less alone in this giant world.

NOTE: Alejandro Cartagena’s exhibit thumbnail copyright: circuitgallery.com. 

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