The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) is a visual arts museum that opened October 2022 in Costa Mesa. The museum's collection comprises more than 4,500 objects, with a concentration on the art of California from the early 20th century to present. Exhibits include traditional paintings, sculptures and photography, as well as new media in the form of video, digital and installation art. In addition to its contributions to the field of contemporary art, the museum has also organized and hosted exhibitions of modern art and design. Due to a generous endowment, admission to OCMA is free for at least the next 10 years.

A 1.64-acre parcel of land on part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus was given to the Orange County Museum of Art in 2008. The facility will be wholly owned and operated by the Orange County Museum of Art as an autonomous organization within Segerstrom Center for the Arts. OCMA is located in Costa Mesa adjacent to the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, with extensive frontage along the Avenue of the Arts.

OCMA presents critically acclaimed exhibitions such as Picasso to Pollock: Modern Masterpieces from the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Mary Heilmann: To Be Someone, Birth of the Cool: Art Design, and Culture at Midcentury. The museum’s art exhibitions attract more than 40,000 visitors annually. OCMA's collection includes nearly 2,500 art objects that focus on original artwork made in California from the early 20th century to the present. Approximately 15,000 children and adults also participate in award-winning education programs.

Exhibits at OCMA include traditional paintings, sculptures and photography as well as new media in the form of video, digital and installation art. Each month the museum hosts events such as special activities for children, Thursday evening lectures and artists' talks. In 1984, the museum launched its California Biennial, which focuses on emerging artists in the state.

Exhibitions & Details

The inaugural year of programming builds on OCMA’s legacy as one of California’s most important institutions for visual arts by bringing back the California Biennial, which will be curated by Elizabeth Armstrong, Essence Harden and Gilbert Vicario. In a salute to OCMA's 13 female founders, the opening collection exhibition will be Thirteen Women, organized by Zuckerman, who has lent her curatorial excellence to over 200 exhibitions throughout her career.

The Orange County Museum of Art will include: Five inaugural exhibitions including the California Biennial; a Fred Eversley survey; a site-responsive project on landscape architect Peter Walker; a newly commissioned outdoor sculpture by Sanford Biggers; and a collection exhibition to honor the 13 women who founded the museum 60 years ago. A roof terrace, equivalent in size to 70 percent of the building’s footprint, which serves as an extension of the galleries, with open-air spaces that can be configured for installations, programs and events. Grand public stairs on the outside of the building curving toward the entrance and linking the museum to Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and the Julia and George Argyros Plaza while creating an inviting public gathering space for pedestrians and visitors Verdant, the museum’s café, and a coffee bar located on the first floor, developed by Executive Chefs Ross Pangilinan and Nick Weber OCMA’s store, the MIND, located in the museum’s lobby, operated by Emmanuel Renoird and Nicolas Libert, creators of the concept store Please Do Not Enter.

 

OCMA's Exhibits

OC Museum of Art Exhibit Goals

The Orange County Museum of Arts campus will celebrate the diversity of its artists and visitors. Under the direction of CEO and Director Heidi Zuckerman, OCMA will forward its mission to enrich the lives of a diverse community through modern and contemporary art, presented through innovative and ground-breaking exhibitions and programs.

A Community Space

The OC Museum of Art is using a generous $2.5 million donation from Logano Diamonds to offer free admission to the museum for (at least) the next 10 years.