San Jose Museum of Art

4/9/2013

The feel of a large, modern museum, but with a focus on special exhibits over permanent pieces.

The two exhibits currently shown in my visit were photograph-centric - Eric Fischl and Contemporary Chinese Photography.  Each had their own large space to explore, and different mediums to draw from - in addition to the artwork, videos and art books for perusal.

The Eric Fischl exhibit was an interesting look taking photographs and creating more abstracted images of art with them.  In some cases, there differences are subtle.

The Rising Dragon:Contemporary Chinese Photography exhibit really surprised me - I haven't seen much digital photography as art, and a good number of the pieces blew me away.  The creativity and gravity of some of the photos were breathtaking.

Do I wish the museum were a bit larger and had a bit more to look at?  Yes.  But I still really enjoyed the focus of the exhibits, and the good value for the admission price.

Lots of parking lots available in the general downtown area, although I did enjoy the free Sunday street parking.

6/11/2014

I came here on a Saturday morning on the Bank of America free museum program, I wasn't impressed, I like one Andy Warhol printing.

8/4/2013

I came to see the Annie Leibovitz photo exhibit. Great show and the place was not as crowded as LA and SF museums usually are. Meaning I could actually view the work without bumping into people. The place is small though it has three levels. An hour or so is enough to take it all in.

Perhaps the highlight of my visit was seeing and hearing the uptight soccer moms who brought their kids to the museum get totally freaked out by a piece of queer video art included in the New Stories From the Edge of Asia exhibit.  "Why would they recommend this for elementary school students??.  Haha...hilarious and made my day watching these ladies try to shield their children from looking at the art. Good luck with that.

Overall,  it's a lovely museum with provocative and interesting work. There is lovely  cafe and museum shop also. Close to all downtown transit lines and restaurants.

San Jose needs more art!

5/21/2013

Yesterday in evening come here and found some greeting cards done which was from local artist. I liked them very much and hopefully you will do that. Interesting selection of art books, jewelry and mini museum- really good.

One think I should say this is very restricted place and not so good selection too. It was my good luck I found my choice as well but all are you may not be so lucky...

5/18/2014

Very disappointing.  Long wait to get in because every person was required to fill out their personal information.  Over 1/2 of the museum was closed for renovations.   Nothing related to the art museum in the gift store.

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  Overpriced museum cafe plays trendy music

  Overpriced museum cafe plays trendy music

9/6/2012

I haven't been to the San Jose Museum of Art since I was a kid.  So when I returned to participate in the DIY 8-bit art class only to find 6 children and their parents in the room it seemed appropriate. As a child of the 80's, the 8-bit class was especially fun because those were the video games I was accustom to playing.  The kids had no clue, but I did. :)  

The class was taught by a docent who had graduated SJSU.  I forget her name now, but she was great with the kids.  Even the snotty little kid next to us.   After her explanation, it was on to the hands on stuff.  Using the free paint samples from the local hardware store and glue sticks, each of us created pictures in true 8-bit fashion.  I did a scene from Super Mario Brothers and he did Err from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  The kids did replicas of themselves as 8-bit cartoon characters.  

All in all, it was a fun afternoon and I'd totally do it again.

Plus, when you're done with the class you can peruse the actual museum.

6/9/2013

5 stars for the current exhibits, both fantastic...Annie Leibovitz 'Pilgrimage' and the 'Rising Dragon' exhibit of contemporary Chinese photography.    We joined on the same day and received a coffee table book as a new member gift and tickets to June 20th event, we look forward to future visits.  

Note on parking...avoid the CItyPark open air lot across from Gordon Biersch,  the entrance sign features a foot high '$4' with a 3 inch high 'per hour' underneath.    The Pavilion Garage has $5 flat fee on weekends (which is adjacent),  park near elevator at corner nearest 1st street and you are just across the plaza from Museum of Art.   Very convenient.

9/20/2013

When I go into most gift shops, few items are worth buying because the selection is just uninteresting (cheap, mass produced and plain).  The items in this museum store are not inexpensive, but you'll get quality for the price.  The selection is tasteful and interesting across the board.  They have a section of art books, another for kid's gifts, jewelry, and kitchen related items.  The main part of the store includes general gifts.  Most outstanding about this store is all that items have good style, aesthetics and/or uniqueness.

I had to write this review because some of the other reviews are unreasonable.  Ding the store because you didn't like the museum?  Please.

12/30/2012

I like art as much as the next guy, but it's hard for me to consider a block of Styrofoam painted yellow a work of art. I think San Jose Museum of Art should have more exhibits of Realism. I would also love to see a trompe l'oeil painting because I have never seen one before. All I saw here yesterday was abstract, and some photographs and oil painting recreations of those photographs. That's fine I guess. The docent Alexanna(?) was good at engaging her tour group, but I don't feel much connection to paintings of negative space.

San Jose Museum of Art is three stories, has a public parking lot underneath it (if you just follow the signs as you pass by), and if you need a parking permit, go to Crema Coffee Roasting Co, next to the KQED building and the ice skating rink. Otherwise parking will cost you $5 an hour. The ticket to get into SJMA is $8 for adults but only $5 if you have a student ID.

5/21/2013

The place to go for unique gift items. It's not huge but there is a good variety of fun items sold at good prices. There are items for all age groups too, including toys, art, mugs, water bottles and more.

6/11/2013

...face it,  San Jose will forever and  always be in the shadow of our lovely sister to the north.  That said, we have a lot to offer here, and the San Jose Museum of Art is yet one fine example.  Its a hidden jewel that bears investigating, visiting, enjoying, going back to time and time again.  There's a wonderful cafe and book/gift store there too.  I will  be forever grateful to the generous souls who put their money and good faith toward bringing art to this area, then doing it again by expanding the museum to accommodate more exhibits and events.  

The downtown location is wonderful, and with the re-vitalization of that area, one can comfortably stroll for blocks and blocks, enjoy good food, theater, architecture...and go a little further south and "discover"  the SOFA neighborhood too!!  There's good public transportation, so check out that option as well!!  Keep your eyes and mind open and you won't be disappointed.

11/8/2013

pretty awesome stuff. some local artists, some kids art kits, lots of great gift items.

there are the typical items you would find at any museum store, like art print purses, but also a lot of awesome unique items in a wide price range. you can buy a SJMOA pencil for a buck or a San Jose magnet for a few dollars.

I love that they carry a wide selection of the "Fred and friends" brand (fredandfriends.com) and kikkerland brand (kikkerland.com).

if you have deep pockets, there are fancy kitchenware items and large pieces.

it's pretty small in here, with some breakable items, so keep kids supervised.

7/16/2013

For those that enjoy the arts, it's nice to have a place to go to experience culture in San Jose.  For a large city, the museum of art is pretty minimalist, but they do well to bring in creative and thought provoking displays using different mediums and perspectives.  

For those that aren't familiar with museum etiquette (yes you were at the SJMA when I was), the San Jose Museum of Art is a good starter museum to visit before you spend a day at the Guggenheim, Getty, Louvre, or Pompidou.  I wouldn't be disappointed if you decided paying more than $8.00 to look at art was too much, or that scrolling through your friends facebook albums is art to you and a better use of your time.  Theoretically museums are for everyone, but in reality not everyone should go to a museum.

12/27/2012

If you are the kind of person who feels like museums are too stuffy or reserved, then get to San Jose Museum of Art!  I won't detail how I personally felt about some of the exhibits since they change over time, but I will say that if you're looking for Greek statues and Monets, this is not the place to go.  I think there were about 4-5 exhibits (all contemporary) and most were well displayed, although, there was one piece that was basically a painted board thrown on the floor.  Hmm... I don't want my boyfriend to get the impression all his unfinished projects have become "art."  

Check the website before you go, make sure you are actually interested in the traveling exhibits, because this is a small museum and skipping half of the work here may not make it worth admission.  We visited midday during the week and the docent was kind enough to give us the student rate without requesting IDs -- major points for that.  She also explained a little bit about each gallery, but not in that "I know more about art than you" kind of way.  

As we began to explore I noticed that the galleries flowed nicely and it didn't feel rigid at all, which I sometimes notice about other art museums.  Many of the artists featured here are from California/the West Coast, but not all.  I think the local factor makes the subjects much more relevant to kids like my teenage brother who think art is lame or those who haven't accessed art in a more academic environment.  I think I'll return when I visit home again, as long as there are new exhibits to check out.  If you want to go to a relaxed place where people are encouraged to take notes, sketch, sit and freely experience modern art, then you've found the right place.

3/30/2013

Small venue, but the art is legit. I come here to peel back the veneer of Corporate America which sticks to my soul after a long week. Recently I even became a card-carrying member.

A full contemplation of the exhibits = 1.5 hours.

Good little gift shop, substantial art writings + fun quirky gift items & lovely jewelry. Also one of the few places to get postcards in San Jose.

Fischl's exhibit challenges notions of tension and choice. Caution: nudity. I recommend Raging Opulence by Veca, west side of the second floor. Cozy into a bean bag and let go of those cultural criticisms to allow Veca's vibrant world of color to flood your senses.

2/4/2012

I went here today because it was free admission in celebration of Chinese New Year.

Crowded.  Very crowded.  I haven't been here in years (probably more than 5) and today I realized this museum is small.  Maybe because it was crowded, but my husband and I were there for about 20 minutes because it got a bit stuffy.

I think this place is enjoyable only if you really want to see what's on exhibit.  Before planning a trip here, I would suggest to see what's on display before making the trek over to downtown SJ.  For us at least it was free.  But if you want to see art on display, head to Carmel and walk around Ocean Ave.  They have tons of galleries to pop into and all of them are free!!

10/3/2013

The space is small.  When we visited last month, the exhibits were sparse and uninspired.  Fortunately, we went on a First Saturday (free admission with any Bank of America credit/ATM card).  On the plus side, the shop is nice, and there is a space for kids to play with art supplies.

10/27/2012

-1 star for the very small amount of art that's on display.
-1 star for the strange up and down look i received from one of the ladies giving the tour. She seemed a bit nicer after a while, but she made me feel uneasy and out of place.
-1 star for the "tour" which wasn't much of a tour at all. We walked up to about 4 or 5 paintings, gave opinions on them, and that was it.
-1 star for the cafe being closed.

+1 star for finding one photograph I found extremely interesting.

8/25/2013

A surprisingly nice museum: good building, really good exhibits, nice location good staff. I will definitely return. Great Annie Leibovitz showing.

9/4/2013

They had great exhibits! Many people displayed were people I have learned about or heard about. Very nice and clean museum. Cool little gift shop also

1/4/2014

My view may be distorted, as I have to take into consideration how well it's received by my 3.5-yr-old child. She was not in the least interested in the exhibits. She did however enjoy all the children's activities & stencil art (but she can do all that at Cantor's museum for free with free parking too). My husband remarked, this is not even as good as a preschool's open house. Well, it's not supposed to be like that. We've visited Getty, Norton Simon, LACMA, and a couple in DC. I'm afraid we held really high expectations.

6/14/2012

Pretty decent for a South Bay museum. Definitely worth it if you can get a student discount ($5) or any other discounted admission. I mean I know it's expensive to run a museum but it's pretty small so I'd personally feel better knowing I got a discount.

Visited in early May and I liked a lot of their exhibits.

The Mexicanismo through Artist's Eyes exhibit was super cool. I liked the unique tire sculpture they had in the lobby a lot. I also loved the enlargements of printed receipts using woven fibers, it looked exactly like an insanely huge version of the real paper receipt!

I also loved the To Hell and Back: Sandow Birk's Divine Comedy exhibit. The artist has amazingly detailed sketches of Dante's Inferno destruction in various cities and it was really cool. My friend and I had so much fun trying to figure out which cities he was drawing, among them were San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Tokyo, and London.

And finally, the exhibit I came to SJMA specifically to see: Renegade Humor! I love me some pink and white sprinkled animal cookies and I HAD TO SEE THIS! Just as cute as I expected it to be!

Overall, it'd be nice to visit to see the special exhibits. I'm not as much of a fan of their permanent collections to be honest.

11/20/2011

I went over the summer and was expecting this museum to have more of a collection than what was offered. At the time, it was a showing of the illustrated Bible, which was pretty interesting, but it seemed a bit excessive to show EVERY SINGLE PAGE of this comic.

For parents, the children's area is quite small too, just a tiny room at the basement with some art oriented activities, but that's it.

They also have a collection that does not seem to travel, with some contemporary pieces. The design of the museum is quite nice, as well.

Overall, it's a nice museum, for a fair price, with small collections. Good to visit every once in a while.

8/26/2013 Updated review

The museum store has great gift ideas and reasonable prices!  Definitely worth walking through after viewing the art exhibits.

2/19/2013

I visited two weekends ago, I'd been there in the past and loved the visual arts installation.  This time however was very  disappointing, the main area upstairs was closed while they changed the exhibition and the lady on the counter did not tell us that.  As this are was ~1/3 of the entire gallery we visited the remaining portion in about 40mins.  Not great value for money.

No validated parking either :-(

1/12/2014

If you think dried leaves and fruits are art, then this is the place for you. There is no art here. Wait, there is nothing here. Oh, maybe that was the art! I got it now..the white walls and garbage was the museum. One positive thing is that it has 2 floors, so good exercise.

9/3/2012

I was here once on March 2010.

The student discount definitely helps with the admission ($5) for this size of a small museum. However, small doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad thing for this case!

I am impressed with the variety of artwork to look at! I came here by chance because I didn't get any opportunity to check out art museums, and I'm glad I looked at this one!. There's mix of local and international artists in the museum, and I enjoyed the Juicy Paint exhibition.

Would definitely come back again!

2/3/2011

By far, my favorite museum in the yay area. True, it's smaller than SFMOMA, not as interactive as the Tech Museum, and has less emphasis on culture and history than the de Young.

However, at SJMA, I love that I can take my time with each piece, that I can comb through each exhibit at my own pace and not have to worry about running out of time before I get a chance to see everything. I enjoy the local collections that are featured, as well as the more popular ones.

The number of exhibits and available space is just right... I always end up with brain fatigue at bigger museums -- you know, the same feeling you get when you've just pulled an all-nighter cramming for an exam. Just too much to see and process in too little time.

All the docents and volunteers I've come across have always been genuinely kind and helpful. The student discount is always appreciated. I just wish I lived closer so I could come more regularly!

7/11/2011 Updated review

The museum gift store is located just off the lobby of the San Jose Museum of Art next to the cafe.  The store has a lot of art books and interesting gifts and items.  I would like to return here closer to Christmas for interesting presents for family and those people with everything.

6/20/2012

It's one of my favorite places in SJ.  I used to go here all the time in between classes when I went to SJSU.  It's not very big but this place always has interesting art that makes you think and smile.  Their exhibits change often and have eclectic pieces all the time.  It used to be free but it's a few bucks now.  I think $5-8 or something like that.  Still very reasonable for a museum.

11/29/2013

A regional gem.  The folks who operate the admission desk are welcoming and seem genuinely happy that you are there. The exhibitions are usually quite engaging, and are frequently accompanied by helpful wall text.  It is a feel good and learn something new kind of place, all in an immaculate setting.  I live an hour from the museum, but am happy to make the trip there as often as I can.

10/30/2011

Wow! I was so naive because I thought the musuem was just the small building in the front. No! It extends all the way to the big modern looking building that is "duh" covered with the "san jose art musem" banner.

I am planning on getting a museum membership  just like the one I have at the Tech Museum across the street. This way I don't have to fret over individual admissions charges and I don't have to worry about rushing through exhibits.

I think if the public reframed how they saw museums it might help align with my way of thinking: instead of seeing the museum as a one time whirlwind of sensation, maybe you can consider it a quiet place to free yourself of the material world and its noise.

Outside you are barraged with get rich quick schemes, advertising, and commercial media losing much of its journalistic integrity due to pressure from advertisers.

You need a place to contemplate life and the beauty of the last meal you ate in a place like the Musuem.

There was a great Bill Owens Suburbia exhibit when I was there as well as a wonderful Joan Brown show featuring feminism. San Jose could use a lot more feminism because frankly, a lot of the women here tend to be pretty creepy. Feminism is like a vitamin that is healthy and keeps your mind fit and your spirit strong. The next time you are chased by a bunch of creepy ex-groupies chanting "let go of your anger! do pop kundalini yoga!" then you should go to the museum to regain your sanity. Women who do yoga an dnever show anger are as evil as children of the corn and you will need your sanity to escape the constant pressure to dumb down and be apolitical in the south bay.

the museum is an oasis of culture in a city where business people (For real) go drinking and hang out at a shopping mall for nightlife and culture. It also makes the city less of a punch line for a joke.

Your brain needs food. Fox News, people magazine, and cable tv will not give your brain food. The outside world is hellbent on making your brain soppy, apathetic and non-angry the way fast food restaraunts are intent on wrecking the health of low income children in the inner city. Come to the museum to rejuvenate your brain and protect your anger and intellectual creativity and freedom!

4/16/2013

Haven't been here in a while. I just checked in because my family and I were hanging outside because it was a nice day and my son loves stairs.

12/5/2010

For the size of this museum, it's wonderful space.  I held an event here, and the people we worked with were very professional.

At the time we had our event, the Listening Post was the brand new showpiece. People loved it, and it was a fascinating element.  The Chihuly pieces in the lobby are wonderful...   The pros are that the art they have is solid, and often under appreciated.  The cons are that you have likely not heard of most of the art at this museum.  You need to walk in with an open mind, not expecting to see the known, and you can appreciate it.  

The property was good to work with for the party we had, and it can make for a lovely entrance if you wanted to make this a wedding venue.  The food was also excellent, which was a huge deal. No food in the galleries, which I can respect, but the food offered was better than many options out there in catering.

11/19/2012

Wish I could give it no stars - paid $16 to see little to no art - the main show was just a bunch of painted naked people from South France - big deal - everything else was so subjective and overly modern - took all of 20-30min to get through - big waste of time and money - should have asked for a refund! Don't bother!

3/5/2010

Tucked in the corner next to the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose is this wonderful petite museum. Finally got the opportunity to check out the museum the other weekend. We went on a Saturday afternoon and it wasn't crowded at all. We got here around 2pm and the museum closes at 5pm. 3 hours was plenty of time to explore the entire place, gift store, and cafe.

The staff are laid back and nice. In the lobby area, are three beautiful Chihuly pieces hanging from the ceiling. The exhibits are small but have carry a good variety and information. There are two floors to explore.

What is unique about this museum is that it offers a lot more interactive pieces and hands-on activities throughout the galleries. I mean things that aren't just for kids! It's also pretty tech-savvy too with iPod Touches at several stations. My favorite part was on the second floor, there was a room dedicated to those who would like to spend some time drawing the objects in the middle of the room. It was art class all over again! They had seats and materials all set up for you to use. I'll definitely come back and spend more time here.

The gift store is cool and has unique items. The cafe building is a historic post office. You can't miss it off the corner of Market St.

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  Chihuly

  Chihuly
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  Chihuly

  Chihuly

6/3/2010

I am not exactly a regular visitor to art galleries. I will check out the art museums only when there are some really exciting new exhibits going on.

I have been to San Jose museum of Art a couple times over last few years. Mostly for special events and private parities that happened to be hosted there. I noticed the exhibit changes quite frequently at this museum. During my most recent visit there was this 'Real and HyperReal' theme contemporary media and technology art collection on display. Some of the art works were very impressive. The "Listening Post" is a must see. It this is array of LEDs displaying live streaming text from Internet chat rooms. The other exhibition rooms were as mesmerizing.

This museum is rather small. You could probably finish everything in an hour at most. It might not be the best gallery but is certainly a great venue for parties and events.

8/11/2011

I thought it was cool! I wasn't expecting much honestly, because I'm out of town visitin', but it surprised me. I wasn't familiar with most of the artists, but I have to say all the exhibits they currently had were of interest to me.
Interesting mix of contemporary & some older art.

I liked all of the exhibits I saw today. They were all interesting to me and well worth the $8, ($5 for student)!

2/9/2013

There is some strange contemporary art here!

8/17/2011

I hadn't been here since I took an art camp here the summer before 3rd grade. It has been significantly renovated since then. There is a great kids art area downstairs. I am sure that the exhibits change on a regular basis because the museum is rather small.  The ones that I saw were wonderful. The huge blown glass hanging from the ceiling was incredible. Event the gift shop was interesting to visit. They had some very unique jewelry. While the museum is rather small and you do need to have an appreciation for whatever the visiting exhibit is, I would still say that the San Jose Museum of Art is one of the best museums in San Jose.