Important Update from YBCA on COVID-19

As our city and the country responds to the rapidly evolving situation related to COVID-19, YBCA is committed to supporting all efforts to contain the spread of this virus. Following directives from our Mayor and our Governor, we have proactively responded by prioritizing the health and well-being of our community, and postponing and reimagining events and programs. To this end, we have shifted the majority of our staff to work remotely and beginning at noon today March 13, YBCA will be closed to the public through March 31. We will alert you immediately if this date shifts. 

While YBCA has no known cases of the virus currently among its staff, visitors, or volunteers, we cannot think of a more socially engaged action to take right now than to consider those of us who desperately need the spread of this pandemic to be slowed.

Over the last few months we have been building toward the March 27 opening of Come To Your Census: Who Counts In America?, an art and civic experience, to mobilize the Bay Area around the urgent, long-term impact of the 2020 Census. While we are postponing the planned March 27 public event, we invite you to join us on our digital platforms for a participatory experience that will feature the works of the participating artists and their personal stories to help us feel connected in these uncertain times.

In the face of a growing sense of isolation and powerlessness, YBCA is committed to offering inspiration and hope. And, we will stay vigilant in ensuring that we do not lose sight of what is at stake with the 2020 Census. As a forum for art-driven civic engagement, YBCA is poised to work with artists through this challenging time in order to inform and inspire our community. While we may be undertaking a temporary public closure of our buildings, we are not pausing or postponing our important work in  support of our community. We invite you to tune in to KQED Forum on March 27 at 9 AM PT for a special segment about the 2020 Census to explore what’s at stake for our community and to learn more about this city-wide arts driven campaign.

As this public health crisis continues to evolve, we will follow up with updates to our scheduled programming and events. In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and the most vulnerable among us. Working together, we can move through this challenge and toward community strength and well-being. If you have any questions regarding the status of YBCA’s open hours, programs, and events as circumstances continue to develop, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected].

Deborah Cullinan,
Chief Executive Officer,
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts