Frequently Asked Questions

This website was created to provide inclusive and accessible exhibition content by working with the tactile QR system that can be found on floors 4, 5, and 6, and select galleries on 3. The structure and design of the website are built to be accessible to the widest possible audience. The layout of the content is built to be navigable by a screen reader, and the text is designed for maximum legibility.

The accessible content that can be found on this website includes:

• All exhibition text, including section and artwork label information.  This allows someone to have this content read to them or to zoom in on their preferred text size.
• Visual descriptions for all artworks and images.  A visual description uses words to convey what an artwork looks like.
• Gallery overviews for all galleries.  These are visual descriptions for gallery spaces, specifically written to provide orientation and navigation information.
• Guided tactile descriptions for all tactile experiences, including tactile maps and touch objects.  A guided tactile description is written to be read while touching a touch object or relief. It describes textures and physical features and points out landmarks to help you navigate what you are feeling.
• Transcripts for all videos made by the museum.  A transcript is a written version of all the words spoken in an audio or video recording, such as a gallery audio guide or artist interview.
• Sound description for select artworks. Sound description uses words to convey what is heard in a video or artwork with audio.

QR codes are squares with barcodes that you can scan with your mobile device. They will take you to pages on this site.

Tactile QR codes are QR codes you can identify by touch. Each are paired with a cane detectable floor strip aligned with its location on a wall or table. Wall-mounted QR codes provide gallery and artwork information and are located to onright at gallery entrances or thresholds. Tabletop QR codes indicate a tactile point of interest, including tactile maps and touch objects, and can be found near the bottom left of the surface.

Using a mobile device, point your camera at the QR code, which will open a link directly to the accessible website.

For iPhone users who are blind or have low vision, an effective way to scan a QR code is to open Apple’s built-in Code Scanner rather than using the Camera app. You can try saying “Siri, open Code Scanner,” or use iPhone Search or the App Library search field and type “Code Scanner” to open it directly. Once it opens, point your phone at the QR code and it should recognize it automatically and take you to where the QR code points. After you have opened Code Scanner once, it also remains available in the App Switcher like your other recently used apps, which makes it faster to get back to when you wish to scan another QR code.

Helpful tip: if you use Code Scanner often, you can add it to Control Center, so it is always easy to reach. Open Settings, go to Control Center, find Code Scanner in the list of available controls, and tap the add button next to it. Once done, to open Control Center with VoiceOver running on an iPhone with Face ID drag one finger down from the top edge until you hear the second tone or feel the second vibration, then activate Code Scanner. On any iPhone, you can also tap the status bar and then swipe up with three fingers to open Control Center. Code Scanner will then be in your list of widgets ready to use.

Gallery entrances and thresholds are natural landmarks that are easy to find by sight or touch. Placing QR codes at the entrances and thresholds lets us share information as you may need it and gives you a consistent sense of where QR codes are as you move through the space.

Since all tactile QR codes are placed to the right of each gallery entrance so you can find them from any direction. There is no required path through the galleries, but the directional cues in the gallery overviews, as well as the "Previous" and "Next" links, can help guide your visit.

A touch object is a physical object designed to be handled, helping you understand an artwork through touch. The following artworks have touch objects displayed in the same gallery as the artwork they represent:

• John Chamberlain, Crissum-Kiss in City Gallery on Floor 4
• Ellsworth Kelly, La Combe III in Kelly South Gallery on Floor 5
• Ellsworth Kelly, Red White in Kelly North Gallery on Floor 5
• Sol LeWitt, Zig-Zag in Open Cube Gallery on Floor 5

This reinstallation project represents a major step forward in SFMOMA's commitment to access and inclusion. We are continuing to build on what we have learned here to improve accessibility across other areas of the building, exhibition programs, and educational offerings.

The recent reinstallation of the Fisher collection galleries in 2026 on floors 4, 5 and 6 allowed SFMOMA to develop a solid foundation for inclusive design and accessibility at a large scale. We can now continue to build on what we have learned and apply it to future exhibitions and projects across the museum.

Please visit SFMOMA’s accessibility webpage to learn about other accessibility offerings and features at the museum.

We deeply appreciate any feedback you would like to share with us.

You can reach out to interpretivemedia@sfmoma.org or 415.357.4000 with any feedback about the website or any of the accessibility offerings you experienced during your visit.