San Francisco Fun | Hidden Art Museum in a Historic Church

Art can happen anywhere, and today I’m sharing a museum that’s tucked away inside a landmark 106-year-old church. The Romanesque-style Saint Joseph Church was built in 1914 and had been vacant since the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. In 2018, it was transformed into an art space by Ken Fulk, who is not only an interior designer but also a writer and curator. 🎨 The museum is now called Saint Joseph’s Arts Society. It’s more than just a museum—it hosts art exhibitions, performances, charity galas, and private parties. It also provides a space for emerging artists and members (there’s a membership fee). So calling it just a museum doesn’t quite capture its essence. It’s really a hybrid of art, design, and a membership-based institution. 🏛️ From the outside, it looks like a regular church. You need to ring the doorbell to get in, and staff will let you in. The guy who opened the door for me today reminded me so much of Fez from *Euphoria* 😂. He was dressed similarly and spoke in a laid-back manner, often adding “yo” to his sentences. I thought I’d walked into the wrong place at first, but he was super chill and nice! 😎 He gave me a quick overview of the layout and told me to explore at my own pace. The venue is two and a half stories high. To the right of the entrance is a small storefront for the French brand Buly 1803 (I’ll share more about it in another post). Straight ahead is the main exhibition hall on the first floor, and to the left is a tiny bookstore. The staircase is right next to it, leading up to the second-floor gallery. 📚 The stairwell walls are a beautiful smoky pink, painted with a special technique that makes them look stunning. The second floor currently features handmade sculptures with no text descriptions, which is perfect for letting your eyes and heart interpret the art. The first floor has lots of furniture and home decor—I’m not sure if they’re permanent or temporary, but it makes sense given that the founder is an interior designer. The overall style is quite vintage. When I finished touring, the first things that came to mind were the movie *Eyes Wide Shut* (less creepy) and the Prada Fondazione in Milan. 🎭 The current exhibition is free, and there are no restrictions on how you view the art. When I visited, I was the only guest (maybe this place is still a hidden gem?), which made for an amazing experience. 🌟 Saint Joseph’s Arts Society Address: 1401 Howard St, San Francisco #SanFrancisco #SanFranciscoBayArea #SanFranciscoAdventures #SanFranciscoTravel #SanFranciscoFun #SF #SFLife #BayArea #BayAreaExploration #ArtExhibition