Teotihuacan was the first, largest, and most influential metropolis on the American continent. In its heyday between 100 B.C. and 650 A.D., the city encompassed an area of 20 square kilometers with a population of more than 150,000. Both the inhabitants of Teotihuacan, its original name, and why the city was abandoned around 650 A.D. are still unknown. When the Aztecs, coming from the north in the first half of the 14th century, discovered its abandoned ruins on the Mexican Central Plateau, they named it Teotihuacan, the place where gods were born, and used it as the setting for their own creation myth.

Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire is a major traveling exhibition organized by the de Young Museum in San Francisco in collaboration with the National Institute of Anthropology and History of Mexico. With more than 250 outstanding objects from the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, as well as important objects borrowed from North American institutions, Teotihuacan: City of Water, City of Fire will provide a comprehensive insight into the art, everyday life, and religion of Teotihuacan, and its influence on other regions of Mexico. The exhibition will explore the archaeological history of the city through sculptures, friezes and murals; domestic objects including vessels and figures, stone carvings, masks, statues of gods and representations of animals; and extraordinary objects crafted out of precious materials including jade, obsidian, greenstone, and onyx.

This landmark retrospective is the first in the U.S. dedicated to the work of Belkis Ayon (1967-1999). The late Cuban visual artist who explored the myth of the Afro-Cuban fraternal society Abakua to create an independent and powerful visual iconography.

NKAME: A retrospective of Cuban Printmaker Belkis Ayón (1967-1999)

Carla Fernandez and Pedro Reyes

Fall Opening Celebration Friday, Oct. 26, 7pm

A collaborative exhibition that looks to envision an alternative future. The exhibition features recent works by two of Mexico’s most prominent artists who happen to be partners in life.

For the first time ever they work on an artistic collaboration in the form of protest posters, accompanied by individual works of sculpture, video, fashion, and photography.

Hosted by multi-talented pianist and comedian Seth Rudetsky, these cabaret-style concerts mix popular song with candid showbiz stories.

Audra McDonald is a powerhouse performer with a breadth of versatility as both a singer and an actress. She has won six Tony Awards, two Grammys and an Emmy, and in 2015 was honored by President Barack Obama with a National Medal of Arts — the highest U.S. honor for achievement in the arts. When she won her sixth Tony in 2014 for her portrayal of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill, the Juilliard School graduate made Broadway history as the award’s most decorated performer. She has made numerous appearances in films and on television, as well as concert and opera stages, and records on Nonesuch Records.

Free