Plan Your Visit
Fort Point National Historic Site
Exhibition Hours
June 6 – October 13, 2025
Fort Point National Historic Site
Final Weekend, Friday through Monday
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Free Admission
Black Gold: Stories Untold is open during Fort Point’s public hours. Rangers begin Fort Point closing procedures at 4:30 p.m., please plan accordingly.
Plan to spend 90 to 120 minutes to visit the exhibition, explore Fort Point, and discover our public programs.
Getting to Fort Point
Fort Point National Historic Site is located at 201 Marine Dr, San Francisco.
Public Transportation
Muni Route 28 (19th Ave.)
Disembark at the Golden Gate Bridge parking lot and travel down a flight of wooden stairs directly to the fort (follow signs to Fort Point).
Walking
A free shuttle is available to the Presidio via Presidio GO. From there, the Crissy Field Promenade Trail takes you directly to the fort (the walk is approximately 1.5 miles).
Parking
Limited free parking is available near the fort and at the Golden Gate Bridge parking lot. Additional parking can be found near the Warming Hut Park Store and Crissy Field.
Upcoming Programs
Celebrated Exhibition Black Gold: Stories Untold to Reopen for Final Weekend
October 10 - 13, 2025
Untold Stories Performances Scheduled for Sunday, October 12
12 to 1 p.m.
Sunday, Oct 12, Docent Tour
Discover the artworks, learn more about the artists and the historical figures that inspired their creations. This comprehensive tour of the exhibition invites you to reflect on Fort Point, the African American experience from the Gold Rush to the restoration-era post Civil War and how the artists make it resonate with our present times.
1 to 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct 12, Untold Stories Performances
Actors will impersonate historic figures highlighted in Black Gold: Stories Untold, performing monologues within the exhibition spaces. The cast will feature Sam Ademola as George Washington Dennis, Rotimi Agbabiaka as Frederick Douglass, and Edris Cooper as Mary Ellen Pleasant. Untold Stories are written and directed by Rotimi Agbabiaka.
Two performances at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Past
Free Community Day in collaboration with the Museum of African Diaspora
September 13, 2025
Celebrate Black Gold: Stories Untold artists and harpist, composer, and author Destiny Muhammad.
12 to 2 p.m.
Introduction to the Exhibition and Conversations with the Artists
Meet the artists Demetri Broxton, Cheryl Derricotte, Trina Michelle Robinson, and Bryan Keith Thomas during introductory tours of the exhibition led by docents.
Picture by Robert Divers Herrick. Installation view of “Heirloom” Gilded Box by Bryan Keith Thomas.
12 to 2 p.m.
Beading Workshop with Demetri Broxton
Local artist Demetri Broxton demonstrates his beading technique and design. You can take materials and instructions to make your own at home!
Picture by Tinashe Chidarikire.
1 to 4 p.m.
Performances by Destiny Muhammad and Guests
1-1:30 p.m. and 2-2:30 p.m.: Vignette monologues of ‘Classic Black: The Voices of African Americans in 19th Century San Francisco’ with guest poet and author, Devorah Major, and actor, Brian Maurice Freeman.
3-3:30 p.m.: A duet with guest poet and author Tshaka Menelik Imhotep Campbell with a new work by Campbell, ‘Black Gold’, and Muhammad’s poem with music ‘Future Past Present NOW’, commissioned by the HUEMan Kind Festival.
Free Family Saturday in collaboration with the San Francisco Public Library
August 30, 2025
Join us to enjoy an afternoon of ART, READING, and STORYTELLING in Black Gold: Stories Untold at Fort Point. All events are free. No registration is necessary.
Noon to 5 p.m.
San Francisco Public Library Bookmobile
Visit the SFPL Bookmobile, talk with passionate librarians, and pick up your library card just in time for back-to-school! Explore the wonderful curation of books selected by SFPL staff librarians, which illuminates the role that African American communities play in California’s cultural, social, and political landscape. The reading list is here.
1 to 3:30 p.m.
Storytelling in the Exhibition Spaces
Experience the magic of spoken words in resonance with the artworks and discover lesser-known stories about the historical figures featured in Black Gold: Stories Untold.
Three performances with performer, art educator, and storyteller Clara Kamunde.
1 to 1:30 p.m.
Storytelling with Clara Kamunde
The Hatmaker and the Monkey
Stories migrate across geography, culture, and generations - as they travel through time and place, they adapt to time and place, mirroring/reflecting particular points of view and values.
This is a story told in many different cultures, but with different endings, which begs the question: What narratives do we choose to remember, what do we choose to forget, and why?
The story echoes Untold Histories/Hidden Truths by Mildred Howard and By Land. By Sea. By Star. by Umar Rashid.
2 to 2:30 p.m.
Storytelling with Clara Kamunde
Potawatomi
The hero’s journey is a theme in stories from around the world. As with the stories of individuals celebrated in Black Gold: Stories Untold, resilience, struggles, and triumphs are an essential part of that Journey. This Native American (Anishinaabe) origin story presents this theme in four journeys of exploration.
The story echoes the individual and collective stories of African Americans in California who navigated challenging cultural, social, and political landscapes and shaped the future of the Golden State.
3 to 3:30 p.m.
Storytelling with Clara Kamunde
The Narrative of My Future Self
Stories reflect or promote particular points of view or specific sets of values, and contemporary art narrates the present, in dialogue with the past and the future.
What do you value? What will you carry with you into the future, what will you leave behind? How would you want to be remembered?
Reflections on Man Moving Up, by Yinka Shonibare, By Land. By Sea. By Star. by Umar Rashid and However Far the Stream Flows, It Never Forgets Its Source by Demetri Broxton.
Public Opening Celebration Day
June 7, 2025
Join us on opening day to view Black Gold: Stories Untold and enjoy an engaging lineup of public programs, including artist talks, music, and performances. All events are free. No registration is necessary.
12 to 2 p.m.
Artists Showcase
In this series of short talks, Black Gold artists Adam Davis, Cheryl Derricotte, Trina Michelle Robinson, Bryan Keith Thomas, and others share the inspirations for their works in the exhibition.
12:30 to 1 p.m.
Artist Trina Michelle Robinson in Conversation with Fort Point Park Ranger Erick Cortes
Robinson and Cortes will discuss how the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers—African American US Army regiments active from the Civil War until the 1950s—have shaped the creative and interpretive work they do in their respective fields.
2 to 3 p.m.
Living History Performances
Writer / Director Rotimi Agbabiaka as Frederick Douglass and a cast of actors will embody the historic figures highlighted in Black Gold, performing monologues within the exhibition spaces. Cast will feature Sam Ademola as George Washington Dennis, Michael Asberry as Mifflin Wistar Gibbs, Edris Cooper as Mary Ellen Pleasant, Khary L. Moye as James Beckwourth, Dedrick Weathersby as Stephen Spencer Hill, and Courtney Williams as Victoria Anne Shorey.
3 to 4 p.m.
Musical Tour with Banjo Player Hannah Mayree
Mayree, founder of the Black Banjo Reclamation Project, will lead the audience through the exhibition with a live performance responding to the artworks, ultimately inviting the audience to join together in song.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The exhibition features contemporary artworks that explore the experiences of Black Americans in Northern California from the Gold Rush to the post–Civil War Reconstruction period.
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You can view a detailed timeline of historic events related to the exhibition here.
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Due to the closure, we are unable to accommodate field trip / group visit requests.
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No. Both Black Gold: Stories Untold and Fort Point National Historic Site are free to the public.
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It is on display both indoors and outdoors on the second and third levels, accessible only by stairs.
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The exhibition takes place on the fort’s second and third floors. These can be reached only by stairs and are not accessible to all. If you or someone in your visiting group has limited mobility, uses a wheelchair, or has difficulty climbing stairs, they will not be able to visit the exhibition.
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The fort is right at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, and so the weather is often windy and colder than elsewhere in San Francisco. Dress in layers to visit comfortably.
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Dogs are not allowed inside the fort unless they are trained service animals.
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No food and drinks are allowed inside the fort.
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Inside this storied fortress you will find multiple educational exhibits, both indoors and outdoors, on the story of the fort, those who served here, and California maritime and military history more broadly. A store selling books and souvenirs is on the ground floor.
Park Service rangers are stationed throughout the fort to offer detailed interpretation of the site. The Black Gold: Stories Untold exhibitionoccupies indoor and outdoor spaces on the second and third floors, and docents will be present to welcome guests and answer any questions about the artworks.
