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BAM/PFA General FAQ
BAM/PFA New Building Project FAQ

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BAM/PFA General Frequently Asked Questions

How can I find out more about accessibility for people with disabilities?

For information on wheelchair access, disabled parking, sign language-interpreted tours, assistive listening devices, and other services, please see our Special Needs Access page.

Are wheelchairs available at BAM/PFA?

A wheelchair is available at no charge at the museum’s Bancroft entrance.

How do I arrange a group visit or tour of the BAM/PFA galleries?

To arrange a self-guided group visit, email sgvisits@berkeley.edu. To schedule a guided tour, call the Education department at (510) 643-1002. More details are available on the Guided Tours page.

Does BAM/PFA rent its facilities for private events?

BAM/PFA galleries, theaters, and meeting rooms are available for special events, classes, and receptions. Please see our Facilities Rental page for more information.

Does BAM/PFA have a lost and found?

BAM/PFA Galleries
To find out if a lost item has been found in the galleries, and to make arrangements to retrieve lost property, call BAM/PFA Security at (510) 642-5188.

PFA Theater
For lost and found items in the PFA Theater, please visit the box office (open one hour before the first showtime of the day) or phone the theater manager at (510) 643-2197.

UC Berkeley Campus The campus Lost and Found office is located at 2427 Dwight Way and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Phone: (510) 642-4936.

How do I find parking around BAM/PFA?

See the Parking page for a map and details about public parking in the area.

Is photography permitted in the BAM/PFA galleries and PFA Theater?

Photography by the public is prohibited in the galleries and theater due to copyright restrictions applicable to many works of art and film.

How can I make a delivery to BAM/PFA?

All deliveries should be brought to the BAM/PFA loading dock, located at 2625 Durant Avenue between College Avenue and Bowditch Street, just east of the Durant entrance to the museum. Directions and Map

How can I submit proposals for exhibitions at BAM/PFA?

Please see How to Submit Exhibition Proposals.

How do I make a gift of art or film to BAM/PFA?

Please see our Donations page for information on donating works to the BAM/PFA collections or PFA Library. All donations to BAM/PFA are tax-deductible.

Can I reproduce works from BAM/PFA exhibitions and collections?

Questions regarding reproduction of works in the BAM/PFA art collection can be directed to Genevieve Cottraux, gcottraux@berkeley.edu. Questions regarding reproducing works on loan for exhibitions should be directed to Peter Cavagnaro, Media Relations Manager, pcavagnaro@berkeley.edu. Film and video from the BAM/PFA collection may not, under any circumstances, be reproduced. For questions regarding the reproduction of film and video stills, please contact the Library & Film Study Center.

Does BAM/PFA offer art and film appraisal services?

BAM/PFA does not provide appraisal services. For film and video appraisals, the Library & Film Study Center can recommend experienced professionals. BAM/PFA cannot recommend specific art appraisers. This partial list of Bay Area art appraisers is offered for reference purposes only:

Butterfield & Butterfield, (415) 861-7500
G. B. Carson, (510) 526-1930
Hobart Associates, (415) 292-3362
Lyon Appraisals, (650) 617-1065
C. L. Wysuph Associates, (925) 256-4071

How can I find out more about art conservation?

The museum does not have a conservator on staff. Local conservators in private practice include:

Painting conservators:
Niccolo Caldararo, (415) 453-9064
Pauline Mohr, (510) 333-7316
Patricia O'Regan, (510) 527-7027

Paper conservators:
Heida Shoemaker (510) 644-3852
Julie Goldman, (415) 640-4339
Zukor Art Conservation, (510) 653-7915

Object conservator:
Tracy Power, (415) 824-8762

Textile conservators:
Meg Geiss-Mooney, (707) 763-8694
Hannah Riley, (510) 390-6233

How can I find out more about film preservation?

Please see our Film and Video Preservation page for information about PFA’s preservation activities. The PFA Library is a good source of general information about film preservation.

Who do you recommend for framing?

We cannot recommend a specific framer, but local framers include:

Barbara Anderson Gallery & Framing
2243 5th Street, Berkeley
(510) 848-3822

Frame-O-Rama
2999 College Avenue, Berkeley
(510) 644-2356

The Framer’s Workshop
2439 Channing Way, Berkeley
(510) 849-4444

Something Special
3347 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley
(510) 658-9050

Storey Framing
1645 Hopkins Street, Berkeley
(510) 524-3422

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BAM/PFA New Building Project Frequently Asked Questions

Where will the new BAM/PFA building be located?

The museum’s entrance will be on Center Street, with additional frontages on Addison and Oxford Streets. The new downtown museum site will anchor Berkeley’s Arts District and will link the west campus entrance with the active downtown arts and commerce districts. Just a block from the Downtown Berkeley BART station, BAM/PFA will count as its neighbors the Berkeley Repertory Theater, Aurora Theater, Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, and the Bancroft Library’s Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life.

How will the new building relate to the former UC Berkeley printing plant?

The Art Deco-style former printing plant—unoccupied since 2004—will be repurposed to serve as gallery, education, and office space, including some areas created by excavating a basement level. This building will be integrated with an approximately 30,000-square-foot new structure that will include the PFA Theater, Library and Film Study Center, collection study area, special-event space, café, and back-of-house operations. The new BAM/PFA will be approximately 82,000 square feet.

Who is designing the new building?

The new building is designed by the New York City-based firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R). Among DS+R’s recent architectural achievements are Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art; the redesign of Alice Tully Hall, a concert and film facility at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, in New York City; a 95,000-square-foot expansion of The Juilliard School, which is also part of DS+R’s ongoing work for Lincoln Center; and the High Line, an urban park on a 1.5-mile stretch of elevated railway in New York’s Chelsea District.

Who is the architect of record?

Architect of record for the new BAM/PFA is EHDD of San Francisco, a nationally recognized architecture firm with a long track record with the University of California, Berkeley, and with exceptional expertise in educational facilities, buildings for science, museums, and zoos.

What is the impetus for the new BAM/PFA building?

The impetus behind the creation of the new building is safety: A 1997 survey found that the museum’s existing facility—a 101,000-square-foot reinforced concrete structure—does not meet current seismic standards. A seismic bracing of the building completed in 2001 elevated it from a “very poor” seismic standard to “poor.” This upgrade has enabled BAM/PFA to remain open while it plans and constructs a new facility. The campus has committed to elevating all campus buildings to at least a “good” seismic rating.

What will happen to the current Mario Ciampi-designed art museum on Bancroft Way?

The campus will determine the future use of the Ciampi building, which will likely provide academic and support space for campus units with existing space deficits. Reassignment of the building for these uses could become an impetus for the campus to install interior shear walls, improving the seismic safety of the building. However, such renovations would be incompatible with the open gallery space that is vital for the museum’s exhibition program.

Will the PFA Theater be part of the new building?

Yes. One of the many benefits of the new facility is that the PFA Theater will once again be an integral part of the museum, alongside its galleries, education spaces, and administrative offices. Patrons will experience BAM/PFA’s film program in a structure designed specifically for film presentations. Both the current PFA Theater space at 2575 Bancroft Way and the previous film theater, housed downstairs in the current building, are classroom/lecture spaces that were modified for presenting film in a theater setting.

How will the new BAM/PFA building be funded?

The budget for the new downtown museum project is $100 million, all of which will come from private, non-state sources. To date, approximately $85 million has been committed, and BAM/PFA is working in partnership with the University to raise the remainder.

When will the new BAM/PFA building open?

The new museum is targeted for completion by late 2015.