Teddy Roosevelt won’t spring into action and fall in love with Sacagawea. Nor will miniature Roman soldiers stab you with their tiny swords — as far as we know.
But there’s plenty of life during the night at Bay Area Museums, making for perfect outings on summer evenings. Nearly every major museum – from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Asian Art Museum to the Computer History Museum in Mountain View and the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose — has some sort of nighttime programming, from cerebral lecture or film series to full-on cocktail parties, usually themed to a current exhibit.
So, get out of the house and explore a museum’s after-dark side. Here are a few to try:
Night at the Jewseum: Contemporary Jewish Museum
Four nights a year, inside the big, blue, off-kilter box that is San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum, there’s a party going on. It’s called “Night at the Jewseum,” and it’s designed for the after-work, over-21 crowd, with art, music, activities and performances related to current exhibitions and Jewish holidays. The event takes place quarterly (last time, visitors created Rube Goldberg-style contraptions!), and the next one will be Sept. 13, themed around the upcoming exhibit, “Lew the Jew and His Circle: Origins of American Tattoo.” You can totally get temp tats, record the occasion in a photo booth, check out cool flash art, munch snacks and sip special cocktails. The museum has other evening lectures and special event, check the website for details.
Details: Free with museum admission, or $5 after 5 p.m.; adults 21 and older; 736 Mission St., San Francisco; www.thecjm.org.
Full: Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive
By virtue of being part film museum, BAMPFA naturally has regular nighttime film showings in its Barbro Osher Theater, flicks you won’t see elsewhere, such as “The Other Side of Hope” by Aki Kaurismäki or “The Passenger” by Michelangelo Antonioni. Plus on the second Sundays all summer, there are free family-friendly movies like “West Side Story” shown at 4 p.m. on the giant outdoor LED screen at Addison and Oxford streets. Bring a lawn chair and hang out.
But be sure to check out the museum’s “Full” series too. Every full moon, BAMPFA hosts a live performance by musicians, dancers, spoken-word artists and other performers on the avant-garde side, often highlighting work by women and artists of color. The next one, on July 27, is an experimental musical performance called “Affirmative Action.” (Update: That presentation has been cancelled. A chamber music performance by local music collective After Everything will be presented on July 27, instead.)
And if you’re hungry, try the mushroom, tomato, gruyere quiche at the museum’s café, Babette, voted best museum café by the East Bay Express.
Details: “Full” is at 7 p.m. on every full moon night; included with $13 general museum admission; 2155 Center St., Berkeley; www.bampfa.org.
Booze & Brushes: San Jose Museum of Art
What a combo, right? Let the creativity flow at San Jose Museum of Art’s occasional casual painting class. You don’t have to be good at art, just good at having fun. All art supplies are provided, and an instructor will guide you through the process. You’ll get a complimentary adult bev, plus there’s a no-host bar. The class only holds 30 people, so booking in advance is recommended.
Details: Booze & Brushes; 5 p.m. Aug. 16; $50, $30 for museum members; 110 S. Market St., San Jose; www.sjmusart.org. The museum also holds Third Thursday Film Nights. Next one is Robert Arneson’s “Five Times for Harvey,” a tribute to the late gay rights activist Harvey Milk; 7 pm., Aug. 16; $5 after 5 p.m.
Exploratorium After Dark
Grown-ups like to play, too. And one of the best places to do it – with live music and a cash bar, no less – is at the Exploratorium’s super cool After Dark events, held every Thursday night. It’s for the over-18 crowd, and each installment showcases a different topic. Coming up in the next few weeks are “Bounce,” where you learn about kinetics and motion with trampolines and pogo sticks. And “Pets,” exploring how pets affect humans (yes, there will be cute animals on site!) The best part of the After Dark events is that you get to play with the museum’s regular mind-bending exhibits like the fog bridges and huge kaleidoscopes without a bunch of pesky kids hogging all the good stuff. (No offense, kids).
Details: 6 p.m. Thursdays; 18-and-over; $19.95 at the door, with discounts online; Pier 15 on the Embarcadero (at Green Street), San Francisco; www.exploratorium.edu.
Friday Nights @ OMCA
Join in the groove at a cool, free, family-friendly urban block party every Friday night at the Oakland Museum of California. They shut off 10th Street next door to the museum, line it with Off the Grid food trucks, music and dancing, free art workshops for all ages, story time for kids – plus they let you wander around the galleries on the cheap. If you come with your whole crew, you can even reserve a picnic table, or for a really big bash, book the Blue Oak Café through OMCA’s Event Services department as a private party lounge.
Details: 5 p.m. Fridays; block party is free, with half-price gallery admission for adults, free for visitors 18 and under; food truck and cash bar prices vary; 1000 Oak St., Oakland; www.museumca.org.
