The San José Museum of Art (SJMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum in downtown San Jose, California, United States. Founded in 1969, the museum holds a permanent collection emphasizing West Coast artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is located at Circle of Palms Plaza, beside Plaza de César Chávez. A member of North American Reciprocal Museums, SJMA has received several awards from the American Alliance of Museums.
The San José Museum of Art is the largest provider of arts education in Santa Clara County, serving over 45,000 children per year. The permanent collection focuses on contemporary art by US West Coast artists, with a growing emphasis on the art of the Pacific Rim. The collection includes more than 2,600 artworks in various media, including sculpture, paintings, prints, digital media, photographs, and drawings.
Founded in 1969 by a group of artists, the art museum was first known as the Civic Art Gallery. Ann Marie Mix and Susan Hammer were co-founding trustees of the museum. The group sought to save a historic structure slated for demolition and revitalize it as a community art gallery. The early arts organization was referred to as a “gallery” before establishing a permanent collection of artworks. Bed Bug Exterminator San Jose
Collections
The San Jose Museum of Art’s permanent collection has grown over the years to include 2,600 art objects as of 2019. Artforum reported that senior curator Lauren Schell Dickens oversaw the acquisition of works by California-born live simulation artist Ian Cheng and German moving image artist Hito Steyerl in the late 2010s. The San Jose Museum of Art has several works by the painter Hung Liu, a Chinese-born contemporary artist and professor of art at Oakland’s Mills College.
Exhibitions
The San Jose Museum of Art held major exhibitions for artists Leo Villareal in 2010 and Richard Misrach, Guillermo Galindo, and Tabaimo in 2016, under the tenure of Susan Krane. In 2018, the museum presented a large-scale solo exhibition of Vietnamese photographer Dinh Q. Lê. Later that year, SJMA held Other Walks, Other Lines, an exhibition of international artists “who examine not only where we walk, but how and why” that included artwork from the Dutch artist Lara Schnitger and a work commissioned by the museum from Philippine artist Lordy Rodriguez.
Restaurants and Pubs
- Elyse is located at 151 S Second St, San Jose, CA
- Angelou’s is located at 21 N 2nd St, San Jose, CA
- Cash Only is located at 78 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA
- Rec Room is located at 1 E San Fernando St, San Jose, CA
Check out other attractions like San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles