Exploring such issues as race, class, gender, history, technology and art itself, the changing exhibitions in this low-slung, modern-istic building (1993, Fumihiko Maki) reflect the cultural diversity and experimental élan of the Bay Area. Designed to resemble an ocean liner-its tall flagpole suggesting a mast and the angled Mission Street facade recalling a stern-the $44 million structure contains a 6,700sq-ft performance space, two cavernous first-floor galleries and a sculpture plaza. Upstairs, a high-tech gallery accommodates film, video and multimedia installations, while an open terrace overlooks the large downstairs gallery and spacious lobby. Galleries host temporary exhibitions of work by emerging and established artists.Immediately south of the galleries stands the 750-seat Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater (1993, James Stewart Polshek and Partners). Exposed steel cross beams emphasize its boxy, geometrical design, accented by red and yellow flourishes around the lobby and entranceway. The theater hosts local and touring performance groups that share the center's goal of promoting multiculturalism.