2013 is the Year of the Bay in San Francisco in celebration of the America’s Cup yacht race and the opening of a new Bay Bridge span. This exhibition is curated by Boom editor Jon Christensen and features more than 150 objects from the California Historical Society’s collections as well as the interactive website yearofthebay.org. For more information, visit californiahistoricalsociety.org.

The Los Angeles Natural History Museum has been collecting memorabilia, photographs, and artifacts for generations to put together this incredible 14,000-square-foot exhibit. With contemporary design, powerful storytelling, and multi-media installations, “Becoming L.A.” demonstrates the complex relationship between the people of Los Angeles and their environment. It will cover major historical eras such as: pre-Spanish landscape; Mission Era; Mexican Rancho Era; the early years of the American Period; the emergence of a new American city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; and L.A. as a global city of the 21st century. For more info, visit www.nhm.org

Curated by Professor Emeritus of History and Ethnic Studies Elliot R. Barkan and Museum Director Eva Kirsch, “The First Generation of Chicano Muralists” embodies the spirit of cultural revolution. Look through the camera of Elliot Robert Barkan in CSU San Bernardino’s complex and powerful display. For more info, visit www.museum.csusb.edu

This exhibition, comprised mostly of photographs, offers an extensive coverage of the history of dance in California. For info, visit www.mpdsf.org.

This exhibition features beautiful and vibrant sheet music covers of many songs written about San Francisco since 1849, from the city’s Gold Rush times. For info, visit www.mpdsf.org.

“Beg, Borrow, and Steal” works with the premise best expressed by the Picasso quote “Good artists borrow, great artists steal.” This exhibition includes both trendsetting and revolutionary artists such as Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, and Richard Prince, and the talented, younger Los Angeles artists, such as Amy Bessone, Richard Hawkins, and Sterling Ruby, who re-appropriated their imagery and style into something new. For info, visit www.psmuseum.org.

A Sacramento native, Ray Eames was a groundbreaking female furniture designer, architect, and artist. This exhibit highlights her early work before she met her husband, Charles, and emphasizes her impact on American culture and history. For info, visit www.californiamuseum.org.

This exhibition explores past and future visions of what Los Angeles could and should be. From buildings, parks, and transportation to full-scale plans, multiple designers and architects take a look at the city’s potential to re-shape and renovate itself. For info, visit http://aplusd.org.

This exhibition features the works of Franz Bischoff, who, after moving from Michigan to California, began painting still life and landscapes of the Western United States, including regions of California such as Monterey and Laguna Beach, on porcelain. For info, visit crockerartmuseum.org.

The Sonoma County Museum presents the work of Gertrud Parker, known internationally for her sculptural work and as an influential force for folk arts and crafts in the Bay Area. This retrospective of her career as an artist also highlights her work as an art collector. For info, visit sonomacountymuseum.org.