Now celebrating its one-year anniversary, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s flagship La Jolla location, after being closed for four years for remodeling, has much to boast about – and look forward to.
“Since reopening we’ve welcomed 120,000 visitors to the museum to visit our galleries and see our exhibitions, or who joined us for special events,” said Edie Nehls, MCASD’S chief advancement officer. “The first year, our curators were especially focused on underrepresented artists.”
Promoted as a space where people “can see themselves and their reality reflected in the art of our time,” one of the key goals of the reconfigured and reinvigorated MCASD at 700 Prospect St. is to advance new scholarship for under-examined women artists.
Toward that end the museum, which reopened on April 9, 2022, held four exhibitions of famed contemporary female artists in its first year: “Niki de Saint Phalle in the 1960s,” showing how the mosaic artist “laid critical groundwork for feminist visual art and performance”; “Griselda Rosas: Yo te cuido,” the Tijuana-born artist’s “decidedly skillful and profoundly beautiful” textile drawings and sculptural installations; “Celia Alvarez Munoz: Breaking the Binding,” the first career retrospective of this conceptual artist featuring over thirty-five artworks including large-scale immersive installations, photographic series, and book projects; and “Alexis Smith: The American Way,” the first retrospective of the California artist in 30 years. Smith is renowned for her mixed-media collage works drawing heavily on film, literature, and pop culture.
Pointing out MCASD La Jolla has “over 5,600 works of art in its collections,” Nehls noted, “we have about 5% of our collection, about 200 works of art, on view right now in our collection gallery.”
Another first for MCASD in its post-remodel inaugural year was the re-creation of the museum’s full-service cafe, now known as The Kitchen. The new eatery offers breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday. With seating for 80 guests exclusively outdoors, the 2,420-square-foot- courtyard, Gartner Court, is set against the backdrop of a historic former residence designed by 20th-century architect Irving J. Gill. Comfortable and charming, yet contemporary, best describe the appeal of The Kitchen’s new garden café.
Nehls said another highlight of the museum’s first year after reopening was its introduction of the Prebys Play Day Experience, a fun and free family day honoring the late philanthropist. Spilling out onto terraces and throughout galleries, Prebys Play Days, on the second Sunday of each month, including free admission, tours especially created for multi-generational participants, at-your-own-pace guides, hands-on art activities, an accessible food program, and transportation.
‘It’s meant to be an inter-generational day where families are welcome to come, youth can experience artmaking, and families can engage in art activities together, play together,” said Nehls adding, “We have welcomed about 500 people a day for the Prebys Play Day Experience.”
Looking ahead, Nehls said MCASD offers free admission to active-duty military. “We will be creating special educational tours and some programming for active military and their families,” she said.
MCASD La Jolla also has an artmaking workshop program for people over age 55. “We are excited to draw people in to experience artwork, spend time on our ocean-view terrace, and enjoy a drink and a nibble,” said Nehls.
The refurbished museum has also been successful in renting out its various spaces to the public for events of all kinds including wedding receptions, birthdays, fundraisers, and special events.
“The museum was created for the people of San Diego, by the people of San Diego,” noted Nehls. “It reflects not only the people who gave money to expand the museum, but those who gifted their works of art to make the museum come to life. It is inspirational to me to see how much people care about arts and culture in San Diego.”
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO
A few of the achievements from the past 12 months following the grand reopening of The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building, after being closed four years for remodeling/expansion:
- More than 120,000 visitors found insight, inspiration, and ideas in a new space of gathering and community.
- The quadrupled gallery spaces have allowed MCASD to display historic holdings.
- 75 percent of visitors accessed the museum through free entry programs, including free Second Sunday and Third Thursday of each month.
- Thanks to the Qualcomm Foundation and their long-standing support, more than 6,500 people under 26 received free admission.
- In the past year, workshops, camps, and showcases have engaged nearly 2,000 K-12 students from 35 schools.
Photo by Thomas Melville
