San Diego Museum of Art

Exhibitions: the Museum presented a broad range of exhibitions during the year, both at the sdma and mopa space. These were created from the Museum's own collection, as well as borrowed from other museums and lenders. Exhibitions included o'keeffe and moore, korea in color, james balog: photographs from the anthropocene, agents of power: body adornment in african Art, storyteller: work by holly roberts, and Art of the americas.o'keeffe and moore is a one-of-a-kind exhibition comparing the work of two iconic modernists: american painter Georgia o'keeffe and british sculptor henry moore. Although the artists worked on different continents, their careers and contributions to the artistic development of the 20th century reveal many parallels. The exhibition unites the work of these artists for the first time and re-creates their studios in the Museum with their original contents of found objects, tools and furnishings. Visitors were able to explore their working practices and see how the humble objects inspired some of their most important artistic creations. The common ground between these two artists can be found in the inspiration each took from nature and their enduring association with the landscapes that were an essential part of their life's work. The exhibition will also travel to the albuquerque Museum and the montreal Museum of fine arts.korea in color invites visitors to encounter the role Art once played in everyday korean life across four themes related to a traditional korean house: protection and warding off evil spirits at the at the doorstep symbols of abundance and longevity in the garden, scholarly objects and books in the study, and the appreciation of majestic mountains. The four exhibition sections are organized around core elements of traditional korean painting: byeoksa, gilsang, gyohun, and gamsang.james balog: photos from the anthropocene provides and all-encompassing visual exploration of human's impact on planet earth. Spanning decades of work across more than a million miles of travel, balog's photographs trace the current epoch of geological time, knows as the "anthropocene" to reflect the pervasive role people have played in shaping the environment. The exhibition touches on many interconnected issues: climate change, melting glaciers, rising seas, wildfires, air quality degraded by wildfire smoke, unusually ferocious storms and floods, ocean warming, endangered wildlife, and deforestation. Through his riveting imagery, balog delivers a both a personal expression of his artistic perspective of this time period as well as a message to humanity about the need to reflect on its relationship and responsibilities to the changing earth.agents of power: body adornment in african Art: this exhibit highlights the rich and diverse body adornment traditions among peoples across the african continent. Through a selection of maasai, chokwe, zulu, and xhosa works from the San Diego mesa college world Art collection and the San Diego Museum of Art, this exhibition examines how Art that represents the body or is meant to be worn on the body serves as an agent of power. Storyteller: work by holly roberts is a survey of 60 works of Art which traces the career of holly roberts over more than four decades, from the 1980's through today. These works defy boundaries between artistic media, mixing painting with photography. The exhibitions chronological arrangement allowed visitors to see the evolution of her techniques and viewpoints, even as the natural themes and narrative element remain consistent throughout the years. Challenging viewers to rethink the meaning of a photograph and to move away from what a photograph should be and toward the possibilities of what it could be, roberts emerged as a transformative artist with an enduring legacy.art of the americas showcased works created throughout the americas from the 20th and 21st centuries. The presentation spanned a diverse array of perspectives, media, and artistic approached, all delving into core questions about the human experience. Highlights of this installation included work from the Museum's collection which were on display for the first time as well as loans from the Art bridges foundation which will rotate into the exhibition, beginning with a painting by mexican icon, rufino tamayo.the Museum presented smaller exhibitions in its permanent collection galleries, such as jasper johns: works on paper, berenice abbott: changing new york, the artist speaks: cara romero, carlo miranda. In search of sonder, and pearls from the ocean of contentment, along with rotations in the Museum's permanent collection galleries. In the ongoing effort to advance the Museum's goal of making Art more accessible, the Museum continued to offer free admission to ages 17 and under. The Museum continued to offer its smartphone app to provide additional interactive experiences, including the augmented reality feature, which brings Art to life. The app is free to download and can be used at home as well as on the premises. Since its launch, the app has over 77,000 downloads and includes 20 augmented reality experiences, 742 audio stops and 124 videos. In fy24, the app was used offsite in 29 states and 63 countries. These diverse exhibitions and their complementary programs resulted in the Museum welcoming approximately 500,000 visitors in fiscal year 2024.

Programs: the Museum offers a broad range of programming throughout the year. These programs include musical performances, films, educational seminars, classes, family days, and lectures and symposia. In fy 24, the Museum hosted several film festivals in the mopa space including the San Diego international film festival and the San Diego asian film festival in addition, the Museum sponsored a dozen outreach programs within the community. More than 25,000 visitors participated in these programs throughout the year. Many of these programs were free of charge or included in the price of admission.

Collections: the Museum's mission is, in part to care for its collections, which includes more than 20,000 works of Art. The collection is the Museum's greatest asset. Its works of Art are displayed on a rotating basis within the Museum and are frequently lent to other institutions for exhibition elsewhere. The Museum also seeks to acquire Art which will enhance its collection. During fiscal year 2024, the Museum acquired shadi yousefian's fading memories. This piece draws from the idea that memory is essential to our understanding of our present and that one has to let go of the past in order to be fully engaged in the present. In addition, conservation began on works of Art to be featured in future exhibitions, both at the Museum and at other institutions.

Other program services: during the fiscal year ended june 30, 2024, the Museum served an audience of approximately 503,000 visitors from local, regional, national and international audiences. The Museum produced two issues of its member's magazine. The Museum was supported by approximately 6,400 members during the year.