Oakland, CA – Oakland Roots and Soul Sports Club and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) have come together. The Soccer Club that houses a Men’s Professional Soccer team (Oakland Roots) and Women’s Pre Professional team (Oakland Soul) have partnered with the nonprofit museum on the occasion of their exhibition, Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture, on view from October 19, 2024 to February 18, 2025. This community partnership between Oakland Roots and Soul SC and SFMOMA celebrates the diverse and vibrant culture of athletics and creativity.
“Art and soccer are two of the things in this world that represent and connect cultures without the need for a language,” said Oakland Roots and Soul CMO, Edreece Arghandiwal. “Oakland Roots and Soul have always been about connecting the Arts to Sports in everything we do from gameday experience to local storytelling. It is an honor to collaborate with SFMOMA to help amplify the Get in the Game exhibition.”
As part of the partnership, Muzae Sesay–a beloved Oakland-based artist with deep connections to both SFMOMA and soccer–will create a limited edition jersey for Oakland Roots 2025 season and available exclusively from the SFMOMA Museum Store and at Roots merchandise stands in the Coliseum. Additional details about this landmark collaboration will be revealed in early 2025. In addition to the jersey, SFMOMA and Oakland Roots will develop other apparel items together to be sold exclusively at SFMOMA.
Founding artist of the Roots Residency Program for Oakland/Bay Area artists, Jasko Begovic, also known as Sko Habibi, will have work featured in the Get in the Game exhibition, further drawing connections between SFMOMA and Oakland Roots and Soul SC and emphasizing the common creativity and passion found in both the arts and sports. On November 7, 2024, Sko Habibi will also lead a program in SFMOMA’s Make and Move, a series that pairs movement experiences with art making. The event will take place as part of the museum’s First Thursday Program, during which admission is offered for free to all Bay Area residents.
Further, the collaboration between Oakland Roots and Soul and SFMOMA will extend to the final Roots home game of the season on October 26, 2024, where the museum will have a presence, along with special content telling the deeper stories behind the Get in the Game exhibition.
“We are thrilled to be launching a community partnership with the Oakland Roots and Soul SC around SFMOMA’s Get in the Game exhibition opening this fall,” said Sheila Shin, SFMOMA’s Chief Operating Officer. “The exhibition and the Soccer Club have common aims– to illuminate the powerful role that sports have in our culture, to highlight the role of sports in social change, and to bring people together. I greatly look forward to our collaborations ahead.”
Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture is the centerpiece of SFMOMA’s largest presentation dedicated to a single subject to date, encompassing more than 200 artworks and design objects inspired by sports, athleticism, competition and play. On view at SFMOMA October 19, 2024–February 18, 2025, Get in the Game showcases paintings, sculptures, photographs, video and interactive installations by some of today’s most important artists, together with design breakthroughs in sports gear, gaming and apparel. With an exhibition design that evokes the thrill of entering a stadium, Get in the Game invites discovery of compelling artworks by more than 70 artists and designers who are drawn to the drama of sports and the drive of athletes.
About Oakland Roots and Soul SC
Oakland Roots is a purpose-driven men’s soccer team that seeks to harness the magic of Oakland and the power of sports as a social force for good.
Oakland Soul women’s soccer team serves as an elite pathway to pro soccer, providing a high-quality training environment while empowering players. One day at a time…one game at a time.
About SFMOMA
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary art in the United States and a thriving cultural center for the Bay Area. Our remarkable collection of painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, design and media arts is housed in a LEED Gold-certified building designed by the global architects Snøhetta and Mario Botta. In addition to our seven gallery floors, SFMOMA now offers over 45,000 square feet of free, art-filled public space open to all.
Visit sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.