The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park turns 100 years old this month.
To celebrate its golden anniversary, the SDMA will hold multiple special exhibits and events throughout the year, and partner with local organizations, like the San Diego Ballet, to commemorate the museum’s storied history.
“It’s such a once-in-a-lifetime experience not just for our community here, but also the staff,” Associate Director of Membership and Development Operations Kate Merena said. “We are an encyclopedic museum, which means we sort of have a little bit of [everything].”
The museum will hold a birthday bash on February 28, complete with cake, art-making and live music.
Unfortunately, the museum’s major anniversary coincided with the introduction of widely despised new parking fees in Balboa Park. Earlier this year, the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership noted a 20% to 50% decrease in visitation. BPCP Executive Director Peter Comiskey has called for parking fees to be eliminated. The City of San Diego made some concessions but the issue is still up in the air. The BPCP is tracking visitation impacts.
The SDMA’s Merena hopes the public will get to see the centennial exhibits, which were the result of several years of planning and research, assisted by San Diego History Center archives.
Available on the first floor (through July 26) is Local Visions: Reimagining the Façade, showing local artists’ takes on the iconic facade at the museum’s entrance. Additionally, SDMA 100 Years is a visual walk through the museum’s history through photographs and other materials.
Other exhibitions opening later this year include Cafes and Cabarets: The Spectacular Art of Toulouse-Lautrec, based on a major collection of delicate artwork acquired by the museum in the 1980s, and Forging a Legacy: 15 Years of Landmark Acquisitions.
Inspiration from Toulouse-Lautrec will also be seen in the Parisian bohemian theme of the April 24 kickoff dinner for SDMA’s annual Art Alive fundraiser.
The SDMA was founded in 1926, when it displayed contemporary art and older works. During World War II, it was converted into a hospital when Balboa Park was requisitioned by the Navy. The museum expanded during the 1960s and ’70s, making acquisitions and gaining new gallery space.
Notable events from the museum’s history include: popular exhibits of the works of Dr. Seuss, an exhibit of The Muppets, Fabergé Eggs and a visit from Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2023, SDMA merged with the Museum of Photographic Arts.
In collaboration with the SDMA, San Diego Ballet is presenting programming inspired by the museum’s history. The program, Perspective: Celebrating 100 Years at SDMA, runs from February 13 to 15 and features choreography inspired by the first paintings displayed at the museum in 1926.
The Ballet will also partner with the museum for the rest of season. And The San Diego Shakespeare Society is partnering with the museum for a Romantic Shakespeare performance on Valentine’s Day.
SDMA has an expansion plan for its future, according to Merena. The goal is to get rid of some outdoor gates and put up galleries in a space between the museum and The Old Globe theater where the community can socialize for free. Sociologists call this a “third place.”
Meanwhile, want to be a visual part of the centennial? The public can submit their memories of the museum to be displayed on a TV screen near the SDMA 100 exhibit. SDSun
