Museums

MOCA - Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

MCASD is a museum providing public access to contemporary art, artists, and the creative process. A forum for the exploration and understanding of contemporary art and ideas; and a laboratory for artists to experiment with new forms of creative expression. MCASD engages regional, national, and international audiences including the binational constituency of the San Diego/Tijuana region.

The mission of the two Museums is to serve diverse audiences through the exhibition, interpretation, collection, and preservation of art created since 1950.

With two locations, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the region’s foremost forum devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of our time, presenting works across all media created since 1950. Located in the heart of downtown San Diego and in the coastal community of La Jolla.

SDMA - San Diego Museum of Art

In 1926 the San Diego Museum of Art, the region’s oldest and largest art museum, was founded. As San Diego County’s first and largest art institution, the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) provides access to original art works of the highest caliber and is thus the community’s primary resource for enjoying and learning about art. Whether in conjunction with the Museum’s collections or a major traveling exhibition, special guided tours, classes, lectures, concerts and other related programs allow museum visitors to gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of the art on display.

SAVC - Spanish Art Village Center

Built for the 1935-36 California-Pacific International Exposition. The artists at Spanish Village invite you to stroll through the historic studios and enjoy and afternoon of art!  We are a community of over 250 artists from the San Diego region.  These working studios enable visitors to meet the  artists, see demonstrations of art being created and enjoy the unique Spanish Village atmosphere.

Free admission to 37 working artist studios/galleries who host over two hundred independently juried local painters, sculptors, metalsmiths, jewelry designers, clay artists, gourd artists, photographers, printmakers, fiber artists, basket makers, mixed-media artists, glass artists, enamel artists and many more arts.

MIM - Mingei International Museum

The museum reveals the beauty and use of  folk art, craft and design from all eras and cultures of the world. Explore Southern California’s largest and richest collection of mingei – art of the people. Experience the superb collections and stunning exhibitions – reflecting a joy in making by hand useful objects of timeless beauty that are satisfying to the human spirit.

MOPA - Museum of Photographic Arts

Since its founding in 1983, the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) has been devoted to collecting, conserving and exhibiting the entire spectrum of the photographic medium. The museum’s endeavors consistently address cultural, historical and social issues through its exhibitions and public programs.

The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film and video.

MOM - San Diego Museum of Man

The museum’s collections and permanent exhibits focus on the pre-Columbian history of the western Americas. Showcasing materials drawn from Native American cultures of the Southern California region, Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Maya, and the Andean civilizations such as the Moche. The museum also holds a collection of Ancient Egyptian antiquities and several others from around the world. Total holdings number over 72,000 artifacts across all collections, together with some 37,000 historical photographs, mainly of Native Americans.

The museum also includes a hands-on Children’s Discovery Center for younger visitors.

MRM - San Diego Model Railroad Museum

The Museum opened to the public in 1982 in the Casa de Balboa on the site of the old Electric Building
At 28,000 square feet, the museum is the world’s largest operating model railroad museum. This unique museum contains four enormous scale and model layouts, built by separate clubs, which depict railroads of the Southwest in O, HO, and N scales. In addition, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum features a Toy Train Gallery with an interactive Lionel layout for children and state-of-the-art theater lighting.