Another San Francisco treasure is the Cartoon Art Museum. I don't think enough locals know about this little haven of drawings. Whenever I mention it to someone, they look at me with a rather glazed stare. While the museum is conveniently located across from Yerba Buena at Fourth and Mission, it is on the 2nd floor of the Print Center building which prevents foot traffic from noticing its presence. A shame, for sure.
The Cartoon Art Museum is a one-off for the West Coast. It was founded in 1984 by a few Cartoon Art enthusiasts and began as a travelling exhibit occupying local museums and corporate spaces. Fortunately, in 1987, the museum was sprung from the clutches of high-rise hallways with an endowment from Charles Schulz and Malcolm Whyte.
The museum has a permanent collection of over 11,000 pieces of art ranging from magazines, comic books, animated movies, sculpture and video. And these works date back from 1730 to the present. In other words, you get more than a glimpse of the history of Cartoon Art. Yet, the museum is small so you won't be overwhelmed.
There's a great little shop in the museum that has every kind of book on Cartoons that anyone could possibly want as well as a plethora of stocking-stuffer pressies. Also, for those who are more serious about Cartoon Art, there is a research center. Call 415. CARTOON for more information.
Hours are:
Wednesday-Friday, 11am-5pm
Saturday, 10am-5pm
Sunday, 1pm-5pm
You can park right across the street at the Mission Street Garage. It's one of the cheaper ones around.
Susan MacTavish Best
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