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  • Summer Preview Days Are Here!

    Author: Stephanie Stewart Bailey, Museum Specialist, Truhlsen - Marmor Museum of the Eye 

    If you follow us on social media, you might have heard that we are now open for limited hours for our Summer Preview Days. Starting this fall, it will be time to open our doors a little wider for normal business hours. We are excited to be available for your visit, alongside many other museums and businesses in the Fisherman’s Wharf district of San Francisco.

    A large model of a human eyeball sits in a museum gallery. The eyeball is white with a red structure on the side and top mimicking muscles. It sits in front of a sign with a picture of a young, Black girl. Three women stand in the background with their backs to the camera, and they seem to be having an animated conversation with their hands. They stand in front of a green sign that reads: Discoveries.

    Tourists and locals alike have been curiously popping their heads in the door, amazed that we have free admission. Sitting at the front desk we hear their exclamations through the window. Even a small group of preschool-aged children clamored by hand in hand and singing, “Eyeballs, eyeballs, eyeballs!”

    A volunteer sits at the museum front desk. The volunteer is a young white woman with close cropped brown hair, and she wears a green turtleneck sweater. The desk is white and great, and a large white sign hangs above her that reads Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye in purple lettering. Past her, there is a freestanding video screen with an image of a frog's eye projected onto it.

    Over the last few weeks, the museum’s front desk has been operated by a talented volunteer. As she departs to finish up school, we are looking for more volunteers and interns to help us as we fully open. Previous experience is not required, but curiosity is! Learn more by emailing museum@aao.org.

    Two hands hold a cellphone displaying the Museum of the Eye app. The hands have light skin, and the phone is black against a gray background. The app screen reads Museum of the Eye and has several color photographs of people. A purple and white logo is superimposed in the upper righthand corner. it is shaped like a house with columns and has the outline of a human eye in between the columns.

    We have even more updates from behind the scenes. You can now download our new museum app! It will enhance your experience by giving you access to self-guided tours, behind-the-scenes content, the ability to search our collection, a calendar of events and much more! You can use it from home to learn as you go or while you visit us onsite. Check it out for free on Google Play and in the Apple Store.

    Our goal is to provide visitors with a safe and enjoyable experience while exploring the museum’s galleries. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we've added precautions to help safeguard our staff and visitors. Take a look at our health and safety guidelines.

    A woman and a teenage embrace while taking a selfie in front of a mural of eye prosthetics. They are both white with dark brown hair, and the teenager has blue streaks in her hair. They are both wearing gray shirts, and they both wear a face mask. The background mural has an image of several artificial eyes that are white with a variety of iris colors.

     

    We hope you drop by soon during the remainder of our preview days, or later this fall when we are fully open. Make sure to check our updated hours, as they will be changing over the next few months.