Moving San Francisco Lunchtime Talks
2nd Wednesday of the month through June 2026
2/11, 3/11, 4/8, 5/13, 6/10 at noon
San Francisco City Hall, North Light Court and Ground Floor, 1Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Pl.
Free and open to the public
Every second Wednesday throughout the run of Moving San Francisco, join a wide range of Muni experts including historians, current and former operators, riders, artists, writers, and more for an in-depth and unique take on the different themes highlighted in the exhibition. Moving San Francisco: Views from the SFMTA Photo Archive 1903 - Now is an exhibition that celebrates the history of Muni and the evolution of our city . It will be on view through June 18, 2026.
Meet in the North Light Court of City Hall.
schedule
February 11: Moving San Francisco Exhibition Tour with Jackie Im (SFAC) and Jeremy Menzies (SFMTA)
March 11: Everything Cable Cars with ZH Leonard and Val Lupiz
April 8: 120th Anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake with Angelo Figone and Rick Laubscher
May 13: Caring for the Archive with Carmen Magana and Grant Ute
June 10: The Art of Muni with MUNI Raised Me artist collective and Kevin Sheridan
Program Details
Wednesday, February 11 | 12:00 p.m. | Exhibition Tour
Join SFAC Acting Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs Jackie Im and SFMTA Staff Photographer Jeremy Menzies for a walkthrough of Moving San Francisco: Views from the SFMTA Photo Archive 1903 - Now. On display on the Ground Floor and North Light Court at City Hall, the exhibition focuses on the City's iconic public transportation system and through this lens, tells the story of San Francisco and the people who live and work here.
Wednesday, March 11 | 12:00 p.m. | Everything Cable Cars
Join artist ZH Leonard and cable car gripman Val Lupiz for a talk about San Francisco's favorite mode of transit--the cable car! Invented here 150 years ago and named a National Historic Landmark in 1964, the cable car continues to carry tourists and residents alike up the hills of California and Hyde Sts. Read a brief history of the cable car here and come out to hear from our guest speakers!
Wednesday, April 8 | 12:00 p.m. | 120th Anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake
Saturday, April 18, marks the 120-year anniversary of one of the nation's worst natural disasters--the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed most of San Francisco. Join transit historians Rick Laubscher and Angelo Figone for an in depth look at the impact of the earthquake on transit then and how transit agencies plan to safely endure these kinds of disasters in the future.
Wednesday, May 13 | 12:00 p.m. | Caring for the Archive
The SFMTA Photography Department traces its origins back to 1903 and the United Railroads of San Francisco company. Since then, a lineage of photographers have captured images of transportation in San Francisco from streets and intersections to vehicles, facilities, and people. At over 200,000 images, the archive is one of the largest collections of images focused on transit in San Francisco. Come hear from former SFMTA photographer Carmen Magana and transit historian Grant Ute about their work in the archive.
Wednesday, June 10 | 12:00 p.m. | The Art of Muni
For the final lunchtime talk, join artist collective Muni Raised Me and Muni's Historic Fleet Superintendent Kevin Sheridan for a lively conversation highlighting the more creative side of Muni.
about the Guest Speakers
Jackie Im is a curator, writer, and editor based in Oakland, CA. She currently serves as the Acting Director of Galleries and Public Programs for the San Francisco Arts Commission. She is also the co-founder and director of Et al. in San Francisco, alongside Aaron Harbour. Im has organized exhibition at SFAC Galleries, Oregon Contemporary, the Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art (SF), Alternative Space LOOP (Seoul), The Lab (SF), Important Projects (Oakland), among others.
Rick Laubscher is a fourth-generation San Franciscan who fell in love with streetcars as a child, when his mother took him downtown on an “iron monster” through the Twin Peaks to see the circus. He worked as a broadcast reporter in San Francisco, then as a corporate executive, where he began his advocacy for vintage streetcar service. He serves as the President and CEO of Market Street Railway, a nonprofit working to preserve historic transit in San Francisco.
ZH Leonard is an interdisciplinary artist whose texts, performances, and installations explore the function of memory, the edges of articulation and utterance, and fluctuations of visibility. Their works incorporate vocabularies of printmaking, fiber, cinema, and sound. They have exhibited and performed in galleries, venues, and basements throughout the Bay Area. They live in San Francisco and are a proud member of CounterPulse Workers United, IWW, IU 630.
Valentine "Val" Lupiz is an SFMTA cable car operator. Born and raised in San Francisco's Mission District, Lupiz decided to be a gripman the moment he first saw a cable car when he was just eight years old. He is now a proud gripman of 24 year. Lupiz is also know for his long-standing tradition of decorating the cable cars for Christmas.
Carmen Magana was the SFMTA Staff Photographer from 1985-2009 and was instrumental in helping to digitize the SFMTA Photo Archive.
Jeremy Menzies is the SFMTA's Staff Photographer and oversees the functions of the Photo Department and Photo Archive. He is responsible for documenting the present day work of the MTA and also caring for the 123 year old photo collections. Menzie's has a BFA in Filmmaking from the San Francisco Art Institute and prior to joining the SFMTA worked in film archives and libraries in San Francisco and New York City.
MUNI Raised Me is a growing community of San Francisco born and raised artists who grew up tracing home among the hills, fog, and bus routes of the city. They are perhaps best known through their project Altared SF , a decommissioned Muni bus turned interactive installation built to commemorate, mourn, and celebrate our living ancestor: San Francisco. You can see photos of the bus here.
Kevin Sheridan is Muni's Historic Fleet Superintendent.
Grant Ute is an author and transit historian. He coauthored San Francisco's Market Street Railway (2005), Alameda by Rail (2007), and San Francisco's Municipal Railway: Muni (2011).
Program Partner
