Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Los Angeles
- 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2!
Color is the entry point for SFMOMA’s family CoLab activation inspired by Sigmar Polke: visitors are invited to experiment and see what develops, without a specified technique or promised finished project.
An open-ended color prompt
The activation draws on Polke’s fascination with myths and magical themes. SFMOMA frames the activity as experimentation with color, making the invitation to explore the main confirmed detail about what participants will do.
The event listing does not name materials, steps or a finished work. Families looking for a particular kind of art-making project should check for updates rather than assume a specific process or takeaway.
Further reading: CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗
Part of a wider Polke program
SFMOMA presents the activation in conjunction with Athanor NOW, an international festival focused on Polke’s work. Its stated concerns include ecology, alchemy, materiality, politics and technology. Athanor NOW describes its broader project as revisiting Polke’s 1986 Biennale installation through current artistic and scientific perspectives; that context extends beyond the activity SFMOMA has announced for this session.
The Dec. 6 event is its own listing as Part 2. SFMOMA also lists a separate Polke activation and family art walk on Nov. 29; that earlier program is not part of the Dec. 6 schedule.
Further reading: CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗ · Athanor NOW ↗ · Ways of Seeing: Fourteen Artists · SFMOMA ↗ · For Families + Young Learners · SFMOMA ↗
A related exhibition one floor below
The related exhibition, Ways of Seeing: Fourteen Artists, is listed as ongoing on Floor 4, below the Co-Lab on Floor 5. Its monographic galleries include Sigmar Polke alongside Dan Flavin, Philip Guston, Roy Lichtenstein, Agnes Martin, Joan Mitchell, Elizabeth Murray, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra and Cy Twombly.
Audio, video and written panels draw on the artists’ own words, and a multimedia timeline follows the creation and public presentation of the Fisher Collection. The exhibition is included with general admission, so visitors can combine it with the family program on the same museum visit.
Further reading: Ways of Seeing: Fourteen Artists · SFMOMA ↗ · CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗
One listed activation
SFMOMA lists one 11 a.m.–2 p.m. activation for Dec. 6, rather than multiple timed sessions. The Nov. 29 family art walk and activation is a separate program listing.
Sunday, December 6, 2026 · Floor 5, Co-Lab
- CoLab activation: experiment with color and see what emerges, inspired by Sigmar Polke's fascination with myths and magical themes.
Plan the visit
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026
The activation is scheduled for 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Pacific on Floor 5. That is the listed program window; no separate activity duration is given.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗
Museum admission is required
The activation is free with museum admission, not free museum entry. SFMOMA lists general admission at $30 for adults, $25 for visitors 65 and older, and $23 for full-time students with ID. Members and visitors 18 and younger are listed as free. Every visitor, including those eligible for free admission, needs a ticket; general admission tickets are valid all day.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗ · SFMOMA · Visitor's Guide ↗ · Guidelines for Visiting SFMOMA ↗
The museum’s child-supervision rules apply
SFMOMA identifies this as a Family Program but gives no activity-specific age recommendation. Children 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Strollers are allowed unless a program says otherwise; wagons and metal-framed baby carriers are not allowed in galleries. Single strollers may be borrowed at coat check on a first-come basis.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗ · Guidelines for Visiting SFMOMA ↗
Check for updates before going
The listing does not specify materials, capacity, a separate activity duration or whether the activation requires a separate reservation or timed ticket.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗
Getting to SFMOMA
Entrance and transit
The event is on Floor 5, Co-Lab. SFMOMA’s visitor entrance is at 151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, a few blocks from Montgomery Street BART and other public transportation.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗ · SFMOMA · Visitor's Guide ↗
Parking
The SFMOMA garage is at 147 Minna Street and is listed as open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Rates are $4 per 30 minutes, $26 for up to 10 hours and $35 for up to 24 hours. SFMOMA members receive a 25% discount and nonmembers a 10% discount, validated at the Haas Jr. Atrium on Floor 1. Discounts apply only to the first 3.5 hours; after that, the listed rate is $26 for up to 12 hours. If the museum garage is full, SFMOMA identifies the Yerba Buena Garage at 5th and Mission and the Moscone Center Garage at 255 Third Street as nearby alternatives; their rates are not given here.
Access and mobility
SFMOMA says its entrance and floors are accessible to visitors using wheeled devices or with mobility difficulties. The Third Street accessible drop-off entrance has electric push-button doors; an elevator from Floor 2 serves gallery levels 2 through 7, including Floor 5. Manual wheelchairs, cane chairs, lightweight gallery stools and adjustable canes are available free at Floor 1 coat check on a first-come basis in exchange for ID.
The garage has nine accessible parking spaces. A professional personal care attendant accompanying a paying visitor who requires care is admitted without charge; the attendant’s ticket must be obtained onsite at the ticketing desk.
Before you make a plan
Does the CoLab activity cost extra?
No. SFMOMA lists it as free with museum admission, but every visitor needs a museum ticket, including visitors eligible for free entry.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗ · SFMOMA · Visitor's Guide ↗ · Guidelines for Visiting SFMOMA ↗
Is there a separate reservation for the activation?
The event listing does not say whether separate registration or a timed ticket is required. Check the current event and ticket information before visiting.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗
What age guidance does SFMOMA give?
The program is labeled a Family Program, with no activity-specific age recommendation. Children 13 and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
CoLab Activation: Sigmar Polke: The Magic of Materials, Part 2! · SFMOMA ↗ · Guidelines for Visiting SFMOMA ↗
Is Floor 5 accessible?
SFMOMA says its floors are accessible to visitors using wheeled devices or with mobility difficulties. An elevator from Floor 2 serves gallery floors 2 through 7, including Floor 5.
Location & Google Maps
SFMOMA, Floor 5, Co-Lab
151 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.