The New O.C. Museum of Art Opens in the Heart of Costa Mesa

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VoiceOfOC

The 53,000 square-foot OCMA – designed by Culver City-based firm Morphosis Architects, founded by Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne – completes the arts and culture puzzle that is the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. For decades, the late businessman and philanthropist Henry Segerstrom (one of the men behind South Coast Plaza) had envisioned a visual art museum as part of the Segerstrom Center campus, and finally, in October 2022, his dream is coming true.

But now, the multi-level shrine to modern and contemporary art is finished, and a few special gatherings and civic celebrations have already christened it open. OCMA will officially open to the public at 5 p.m. Oct. 8 with a 24-hour party that will include a drumline procession down the Avenue of the Arts, a rooftop dance party with KCRW DJ Jason Bentley, exhibition tours, fireworks, a late-night “silent disco” with differently colored headphones, art-making projects, “movies for insomniacs,” performances by local arts groups and sunrise yoga.

The O.C. Museum of Art is opening with four new exhibitions, plus an outdoor sculpture on the roof terrace. “13 Women” celebrates the museum’s 60th anniversary, and pays homage to the 13 women who founded the Balboa Pavilion Gallery, the earliest incarnation of OCMA, in 1962.

Free for All
In keeping with the notions of inclusivity and accessibility, admission to the new OCMA will be free to the public for the first 10 years. This includes the 24-hour opening party, and is made possible by a $2.5 million gift from Newport Beach-based Lugano Diamonds.