Museum of Photographic Arts

Department of Visual Learning:In 2016, MOPA combined its Exhibitions department and Education department into the Department of Visual Learning. By doing so, they have fully integrated the concept of teaching visual literacy into every component of the museums planning and production.Education:MOPAs education and outreach programs have served thousands of children and adults. MOPA is a learning center both on and off site, offering a variety of programs across the intensity continuum to youth, students, adults, families, and seniors.School programs enable students to participate in tours, classes, and related educational activities. Free services to educators include exhibition previews, gallery educator-led tours. MOPA offers intensive youth programs to increase visual literacy; these programs are designed to foster a lasting impact on students and long-term relationships with the school. These programs include multiple sessions, and the projects are intended to demonstrate how to incorporate photography with other subject areas. Each year, MOPA presents an exhibition of juried works by youth from throughout San Diego County and Tijuana. The annual youth exhibition offers an opportunity to showcase and support young photographers and filmmakers.As part of MOPAs life-long learning goal, MOPA provides educational programs for adults, including lectures, film programs, and instructional classes. MOPA partners with a variety of local film festivals and groups to feature films. The Seniors Exploring Photography, Identity, and Appreciation (SEPIA) initiative is a series of programming offered for senior citizens; some of which is specifically geared to adults suffering with Alzheimers and dementia. The initiative encourages seniors to be engaged with art and their community by promoting art-based dialog and opportunities to create photographic images. In its ongoing effort to increase access to all, MOPA offers bus reimbursements, program scholarships for teachers, educator-led tours and curricula for teachers, and free activities for families.Collections and Exhibitions:The collection of MOPA encompasses the full spectrum of the photographic medium, as well as materials and documents related to the history and process of these art forms. Since its beginning, MOPA has maintained an archive of such materials as an important adjunct to its exhibition and education programs, and as a singular asset for the community. This reflects its curatorial tenet that although art objects are carefully preserved within the museum space, the collection as a whole is held by the public, representing who we are and what we value as a culture.The collection attempts to trace the entire history of photography: its aesthetic movements and technological advancements. Processes from Daguerreotypes, salt prints, Woodbury types, albumen prints, ambrotypes, and tintypes, through such contemporary processes as 20 x 24 Polaroid photographs and laser holograms, are collected for their aesthetics and their importance to the historical periods of their derivation. The collection is strong in its Daguerrian holdings, as well as mid-twentieth century Soviet Russian photography. And while the entire collection illustrates the complex and varied history of the medium, its major areas of strength are in modern and contemporary work, specifically in social documentary photography and photojournalism. Contemporary color and black-and-white photographsmany by artists MOPA has exhibitedare actively collected from all over the world.MOPAs collection reflects the central role photography plays in our image-based culture, both as an expressive medium and as a documentary record. Holdings include almost 9,000 photographs that span the history of photography, as well as 22,000 items in the Edmund L. and Nancy K. Dubois Library.Edmund L. and Nancy K. Dubois Library:A significant part of MOPAs permanent collection, the Edmund L. and Nancy K. Dubois Library holds more than 22,000 items, all related to photography. From monographs to magazines, and encyclopedias to exhibition catalogs, the Dubois Library is a unique collection of resources that supports the Curatorial and Education departments and is available for public use. The exhibitions are often complemented with a library exhibition of related materials and a pathfinder of resources available in the Dubois Library for study.Visitor Engagement:Everyone is welcome at MOPA. Our goal is to ensure each visitor has a positive and enriching experience, and our guest approach recognizes that a comfortable and welcoming environment is part of that experience. MOPA launched the first Pay What You Wish admissions program in Southern California in March of 2015. A donation is suggested, but visitors are able to contribute any amount they want even if they choose complimentary admission. This program makes MOPA accessible to everyone and removes the financial barriers to visitation.As an industry leader in visual learning, MOPA continuously want to improve the guest experience. By carefully analyzing years of data related to the future of museums, and studying their own visitor patterns, the museum has found that participants desire more meaningful educational opportunities. As such, MOPA has integrated an education-focused approach in its programs and exhibitions. The success of these efforts and further analysis have led to a new visitor engagement plan, which began July 1, 2019.Trained visual engagement specialists with a background in education and learning were hired. Every visitor to MOPA should get the same benefits that program participants receive. Staff offers visitors personalized opportunities to learn about the art and interact with the Museum through programs and membership activities. By providing these connections, the Museums visual engagement specialists will help facilitate a meaningful, immersive learning encounters that supports the Museums efforts to inspire, educate, and engage the broadest possible audience.The translation of all materials to Spanish has been ongoing since 2011, thereby offering the full MOPA experience to Spanish speakers; Spanish-language translation is on MOPAs outdoor signage and all text throughout the galleries. Tours of the current exhibitions are offered in American Sign Language each exhibition cycle. ASL tours and Spanish-language tours are also available at any time, with advance notice.To better serve our audiences physical needs, MOPA provides a wheelchair, portable seating, a variety of different types of gallery seating, and elevator access for seniors and visitors with special needs. All exhibition wall text and object labels are large print, and an electronic viewing aid is also available at the front desk. A quiet, more private space has been designated as a family-friendly zone for nursing mothers and families with autistic children.Retail Operations:MOPAs retail functions serve all of our visitors, class and tour participants, and the community at large. We showcase mission-driven products and events that enhance the museums visibility and local, regional, and national reputation.