September 3, 2021
Balboa Park, Plaza de Panama
San Diego 92101
United States
After a three-year closure for a transformative construction project, Mingei International Museum will reopen September 3, 2021, with a dynamic slate of exhibitions, commissioned artworks and public programs. Mingei’s inaugural exhibitions, Global Spirit—Folk Art from the Ted Cohen Collection and Humble Spirit / Priceless Art, are both drawn from the Museum’s notable collection of folk art, craft and design from around the world. Located in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park, the Museum’s grand reopening will reveal an additional 10,000 square feet of exhibition and programming space, a new theater, education center, art library, restaurant, coffee bar and museum store. The free Commons level (main floor) of the Museum will be open and free to the public at all times. With a significant art installation of permanent collection objects, Shop Mingei, restaurant ARTIFACT at Mingei, CRAFT CAFÉ, and outdoor courtyard, this “living room for the Park” will provide ample gathering space and a warm welcome to Park visitors.
San Diego-based, nationally recognized architect Jennifer Luce, Founder and Principal of LUCE et studio, led the project focused on accessibility, functionality and full integration of Mingei’s mission-based commitment to art, craft and design throughout the building.
“As an institution, we approached this project as a combination of three essential and interrelated components connected to our mission: Access, Art and Architecture,” said Director and CEO Rob Sidner. “We are confident that the new Mingei will be a cultural anchor in Balboa Park and a source of inspiration for the San Diego region and our national and international visitors.”
Large-scale icons of Mingei’s collection will also return home, with Niki de Saint Phalle’s beloved mosaic sculpture, The Poet and His Muse, welcoming visitors through the new West Entrance. New, site-specific commissions by six women artists—Petra Blaisse, Claudy Jongstra, Christina Kim, Jennifer Luce, Sharon Stampfer and Billie Tsien—will be installed throughout the building, in formal and conceptual dialogue with the architecture and collection. Selections from the permanent collection will also be on view in Mingei’s new, free Commons level in a presentation that establishes a connection between the museum’s roots in the early-20th-century Japanese mingei movement and its collecting mission around the concept of “art of the people.”
“For over 40 years, Mingei International Museum has celebrated and exhibited local artists, craftspeople and designers, supporting the notion that design and creativity contribute to the betterment of everyone’s life,” said Board Chair Courtenay McGowen. “Our reopening exhibitions celebrate the spirit and artistry of everyday objects, something that feels even more relevant after so much time at home.”
The September 3 reopening kicks off a month of celebratory activities and programs that include the second annual San Diego Design Week; hands-on art-making activities; performances in the galleries and theater; building and exhibition tours and artist lectures. Entry into the Museum Labor Day weekend, Friday, September 3 through Monday, September 6, will be free for all.
Read the full press release featuring exhibition information, commissioned works, architectural details and access programs here.
About Mingei International Museum
Located in San Diego’s Balboa Park, Mingei International Museum collects, preserves, and exhibits “Art of the World, Art of the People,” including folk art, craft and design from all eras and cultures of the world. The Museum opens a window on the great world, revealing similarities and distinctions of individuals and cultures through enduring expressions of human creativity. The Museum also provides the opportunity for an ever-increasing number of people of diverse ages and backgrounds to explore and express their own creativity. A nonprofit institution funded by admission, individuals, and regional support, the Museum offers inspiring exhibitions and diverse community and educational programs to more than 100,000 visitors a year.
Exhibition photos are available for download here.
Renderings and building photographs available here.
Media contacts
Mingei International Museum
Toni Robin, TR/PR Public Relations (local)
tr@trprsandiego.com / T 858 483 3918
Liz Gwinn (national)
liz@lizgwinn.com / T 646 460 2095
LUCE et studio
Rachel Judlowe
rachel@judlowe.com / T 917.608.8855
