San Luis Obispo Museum of Art
The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA) is an art museum in San Luis Obispo, California. The building is west of the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.
 The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art exterior showing the mural Meter & Time by MOMO. Photo by Brittany App. | |
  Location in California | |
| Established | 1952 |
|---|---|
| Location | 1010 Broad Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 |
| Coordinates | 35°16′50″N 120°39′51″W / 35.2806°N 120.6641°W |
| Website | sloma.org |
History
[edit]The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art was established in 1952 as the San Luis Obispo Art Association. This was co-founded by Elaine Badgley Arnoux, who was also its first president.[1]
In 1967, the association moved to its current site within the Mission Plaza block.[2] The following year, it added the Gray Wing gallery. A second expansion in 1984 introduced the Nybak Wing. The institution underwent two name changes: in 1997, to the San Luis Obispo Arts Center, and in 2011, to its current name, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art.[3]
Programs and events
[edit]The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art offers tours, educational programs, and community events, including artist talks and hands-on activities.[4][5] It also participates in countywide arts initiatives.[6]
Permanent collection
[edit]Established in 1998, the museum's permanent collection includes works by Elaine Badgley Arnoux, Phil Dike, Emil Kosa Jr., George Papashvily, Henry Fukuhara, Beth Van Hoesen, Doron Gazit, Mildred Bryant Brooks, and Ralph Bacerra.[7]
Exhibitions
[edit]Two rotating galleries exhibit regional, national, and international artists.[8] Notable past exhibitions have shown artists including Anila Quayyum Agha, Neil Mendoza, Alyssa Monks, Camille Hoffman, Faig Ahmed, and Mark di Suvero.[9][10][11][12][13][14]
Public art
[edit]The San Luis Obispo Museum of Art organizes public art projects, including rotating murals, large-scale installations, and collaborations with local organizations.[8]
Rotating mural program
[edit]The museum commissions artists to paint the museum’s exterior walls with temporary murals annually. Notable projects include Meter & Time by MOMO, SLO(W) Rainbow by Leah Rosenberg, Calafia was Here by Erin LeAnne Mitchell, and Pacificaribbean by Juan Alberto Negroni.[15][16][17][18]
Lawn installations
[edit]The museum's outdoor lawn hosts annually rotating installations, displaying large-scale sculptural works. These have included Tidewalker by April Banks, David by Adam Parker Smith, and Mamma Mobius by Mark di Suvero.[19][20][21]
City collaborations
[edit]Through an ongoing partnership with the City of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art has facilitated several public art projects.[22] These have included Along the Way by Rachel B. Hayes, The Greys in Between by Anila Quayyum Agha, and Seven Sisters (Celestial Subduction) by Maria Molteni which was painted on the back of the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo.[23][24][25]
References
[edit]- ^ "Bio & Artist Statement". Elaine Badgley Arnoux. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Middlecamp, David (2021-07-31). "Here's how downtown SLO got an art museum next to Mission Plaza in 1960s". The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ^ Linn, Sarah (January 10, 2017). "SLO Museum of Art unveils plans for new $12 million, three-story home". The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-02-06.
- ^ "Second Saturdays: Free Family Art Activities". Downtown San Luis Obispo, CA. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Rosas, Adrian Vincent. "SLOMA receives grant funding for April Banks collaboration and Second Saturday events". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "Experience Art After Dark". SLO County Arts. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Pemberton, Patrick S. (October 12, 2012). "San Luis Obispo Museum of Art's permanent collection aims to tell story of art on the Central Coast". The Tribune. Retrieved 2025-03-13.
- ^ a b Dambrot, Shana Nys (2023-08-24). "Fast Times at SLOMA - LA Weekly". Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "Renowned Artist Anila Quayyum Agha Explores Cultural Boundaries Through Art". Cal Poly Events. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Starkey, Glen. "Neil Mendoza's SLOMA exhibit, Pretty Rubbish, comments on consumer culture". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Guide, Visitors (2022-09-16). "SLO Museum of Art presents Alyssa Monks: Be Perfectly Still, a Retrospective". San Luis Obispo County Visitors Guide. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Starkey, Glen. "New York artist Camille Hoffman's new exhibition See and Missed at SLOMA is joined by her new public art piece". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Donelan, Charles (2022-04-12). "Review | 'Faig Ahmed: Collision' at San Luis Obispo Museum of Art". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Starkey, Glen. "Internationally renowned artist Mark di Suvero installs sculpture, new paintings at SLOMA". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Guide, Visitors (2024-08-07). "San Luis Obispo Museum of Art presenting new mural by MOMO". San Luis Obispo County Visitors Guide. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "Second in a series of murals outside the SLO Art Museum being painted". KSBY News. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "Painter creates new mural at San Luis Obispo Museum of Art". KSBY News. 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "San Luis Obispo Museum of Art's first outdoor mural by Puerto Rican artist now available for viewing". KSBY News. 2021-01-10. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Herrera, Samantha. "SLO Museum of Art's Outlandish exhibit highlights water's importance in BIPOC communities". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Alexander, Charlotte (2023-04-18). "City and SLOMA Introduce "David"". SLO Review. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ Donelan, Charles (2021-09-28). "Mark di Suvero's 'History and Its Shadow' Exhibition Takes On SLOMA". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "City of SLO and SLOMA will continue public art partnership after unanimous vote". KCBX. 2023-07-28. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "Tulsa fabric artist Rachel B. Hayes has two new installations in SLO". New Times San Luis Obispo. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "The Greys In Between in San Luis Obispo, CA". Public Art Archive. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
- ^ "Artist creating mural behind Fremont Theater". KSBY News. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2025-03-20.