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Journey through five decades of San Francisco's iconic cultural hub at the edge of the Bay.
Fort Mason Center for Art & Culture stands as one of America's most remarkable stories of cultural reinvention—a former military port transformed into a thriving waterfront campus where art, ideas, community, and creativity converge. Set against the spectacular backdrop of San Francisco Bay, this nationally recognized landmark welcomes one million visitors annually, where its distinctive warehouses, piers, galleries, and theaters host a boundless range of experiences that spark connection and ignite the civic imagination.
You're Invited invites you to step into fifty years of Fort Mason's groundbreaking programs—from art exhibitions and experimental theater, to festivals, music classes, and civic forums. Featuring more than 200 full-color photographs and an introduction by KQED's Alexis Madrigal, this documentary history offers an intimate portrait of a beloved institution. Refashioned from an army post into a creative harbor by a clutch of visionaries in the 1970s, Fort Mason has gone on to touch countless lives and nurture generations of artists, performers, and innovators who have shaped the cultural life of the Bay Area and beyond.
Rich with history, yet constantly evolving, Fort Mason remains a vibrant beacon of artistic possibility, a springboard for dreamers, and a living model of how culture can enrich public life. Join the story of this extraordinary community at the edge of the Bay—you're invited.
Alexis Madrigal is a journalist in Oakland, California who co-hosts KQED’s current affairs show Forum and is a contributing writer at The Atlantic. Formerly he served as editor-in-chief at Fusion and as a staff writer at Wired as well as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley’s School of Information and the Center for Science, Technology, Medicine & Society. He is the author of The Pacific Circuit: A Globalized Account of the Battle for the Soul of an American City and creator of the podcast Containers. He lives in Oakland, where he is the proprietor of Local Economy, a community space, and host of the Oakland Garden Club newsletter.
Marijane Kubow is a seasoned arts and culture professional with two decades of experience in program management, exhibitions, and publications. She currently serves as Curator of Exhibitions and Publications at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco. Her nearly nine-year tenure at the organization reflects a deep commitment to fostering vibrant cultural programming in the Bay Area. Prior to joining Fort Mason Center, Marijane spent over eleven years as Project Director at McCall Associates, a New York-based design studio. This experience immersed Marijane in the highest levels of arts publishing and exhibition design, shaping the curatorial sensibility and institutional expertise she brings to her work today. She holds a Bachelor's degree in French Language and Literature from Barnard College, Columbia University.