SFO Scores Maximum Points with New Pinball Exhibition

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SFO Scores Maximum Points with New Pinball Exhibition
 

SAN FRANCISCO —  Pinball: From Bagatelle to Twilight Zone, a new exhibition at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), explores the history of this twentieth-century icon of amusement found in barrooms and arcades across the United States.   The exhibition traces the evolution of pinball from a countertop marble game developed in the 1870s to the sophisticated, feature-filled playfields of the 1990s. The more than 36 pinball machines and backboxes on view depict pinball’s rise in popularity as advancements such as player-controlled “flipper bumpers,” drop targets and spinners changed it from a game of chance to one of skill. 

Among the highlights in the exhibition are a Parlor Bagatelle game (c 1887), one of the earliest forms of pinball; Humpty Dumpty (1947), the first pinball game to feature player-controlled flipper bumpers; and Flipper (1960), which introduced a new era of pinball machines with its stainless steel rails and tapered backbox.

All objects are from The Silver Ball Ranch, Collection of Richard and Val Conger, Sebastopol, California, and from the collections of the Pacific Pinball Museum, Alameda, California.

Images from the exhibition are available for download at: http://www.flysfo.com/web/page/about/news/pressres/exh-pinball.html. 

Pinball: From Bagatelle to Twilight Zone is located pre-security in the International Terminal Main Hall, San Francisco International Airport. The exhibition is on view free of charge through April 2010.

In conjunction with the exhibition, during the first two weeks of January, the San Francisco Airport Museums and Pacific Pinball Machine will present free-play pinball, where members of the public will be able to test their skills on classic pinball machines.   Machines will be located in the International Terminal from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please contact Tim O’Brien, Curator of Exhibitions, San Francisco Airport Museums, at (650) 821-6787 for complete schedule and more information.

San Francisco Airport Museums

The San Francisco Airport Museums program was established by the Airport Commission in 1980 for the purposes of humanizing the Airport environment, providing visibility for the unique cultural life of San Francisco, and providing educational services for the traveling public. The Museum was granted initial accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 1999, reaccredited in 2005, and has the distinction of being the only accredited museum in an airport. Today, the San Francisco Airport Museums features approximately twenty galleries throughout the Airport terminals displaying a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions, as well as the San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a permanent collection dedicated to the history of commercial aviation.

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About San Francisco International Airport

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop links with more than 30 international points on 25 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with more than 65 cities in the U.S. on 20 domestic airlines. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com. SFO was voted “North America’s Best Airport” in 2008 by passengers for its outstanding customer service and amenities.