San Diego African American Museum of Fine Art
SDAAMFA answers the question: “Where do you go to experience African American art in San Diego?” The “Museum Without Walls” features online virtual exhibits that are easily accessible to all people. Additionally, the museum reaches out into the community with important physical exhibitions, such as its 2021 Say Their Names memorial exhibition of Black people who have died at the hands of those perpetuating injustice and systemic racism. The Museum’s mission is to present and preserve the art of African Americans globally and to broaden the knowledge and understanding of the visual arts in Southern California generally and San Diego specifically by collecting, preserving and displaying works of art by and about African Americans.
The Women’s Museum of California celebrates the experiences and contributions of diverse women by collecting, preserving, and interpreting their stories. Formerly located in Liberty Station, the Museum transitioned to a “Museum Without Walls” in 2021 and now operates both online and in-person locations throughout San Diego County. The Museum’s Archive collection is housed inside the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park, and its Education Center is located at the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in Southeastern San Diego, where it hosts interactive workshops centered on the history of the women’s movement and the power of grassroots activism. During Museum Month, you can explore the Museum’s digital exhibits, as well as join the Museum and artist Katie Ruiz to help create a community art installation, the Pompom Project. The art, to be made with many small pompoms to create a piece based on a women’s symbol, will be displayed outside the Jacob’s Center.
Dedicated to advancing San Diego’s Creative Industries, Vanguard Culture provides quality arts journalism, cutting-edge events, and professional development opportunities that create arts jobs, bring diverse communities together and inspire collaboration among industry professionals from the visual, performing, and culinary arts. During Museum Month, you can explore their programs online, including The History of Joy, a four-part series of cinematic performances inspired by real-life stories of struggle, beauty and triumph. Each segment is accompanied by creative interpretations of the theme by some of San Diego’s most innovative organizations in dance, theatre, opera, puppetry, visual arts, and more. It was inspired by the 8 pillars of joy outlined in The Book of Joy, written by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Doug Abrams.
