We showed up. We spoke out.
Yesterday, our Executive Director and CEO, Jessica Hanson York, addressed City Council with a clear and urgent message:
Arts funding is essential.
These proposed budget cuts will devastate programs, limit community access, and impact the cultural life of San Diego. The arts are not optional. They drive tourism, power our economy, and serve San Diegans every day.
But we’re not done. This budget will be finalized on June 9. Our community will continue to show up and make their voices heard.
If you live in San Diego, now is the time to act. Contact the Mayor and your City Councilmember and urge them to restore arts and culture funding at artsandculturesd.org.
Mini Mingei has always been a space to make together.
This spring and summer, as a gesture of support for our community, Mini Mingei is now FREE for all families. 🧡
At Mingei, we know that current times can feel like a bit of a pinch for family budgets. We also believe that creating moments of joy and connection through shared making is essential.
Our doors are open to provide a welcoming, low-cost space where you and your little ones can explore creativity and discover the beauty of crafting together!
🗓 Free Mini Mingei dates:
🔹April 3
🔹April 17
🔹May 1
🔹May 15
🔹June 5
🔹July 17
🔹August 7
🔹August 21
🔗 RSVP and learn more at Mingei.org/Whats-On
From a rice field to our museum wall. 🌾
Tomorrow, “Farm to Craft: Grains in Global Folk Art” opens at Mingei, tracing how cultures across the globe transform grains and harvest traditions into tools of function and forms of artistic expression.
Among the works on view is a 19th-century Japanese rain cape, made of hand-beaten rice straw and cotton, used to keep the wearer dry.
Too delicate to simply hang, it required a thoughtful, custom mount. Our Exhibition Designer, Jerry Maloney, began by carefully measuring the piece, cutting the mount to size from plexiglass, and drilling precise holes to stitch monofilament supports directly to the cape. Rare earth magnets were secured with epoxy, allowing the mount to be safely and seamlessly installed.
Watch the full process unfold with support from Preparator Davie Leroi and Associate Registrar Emily Brown.
Come see the finished result in person beginning tomorrow!
Plan your visit at Mingei.org/visit 🌾
Rain Cape (Mino). Unidentified Maker. 19th century. Japan. Rice straw, cotton. Gift of Jim Gaudineer, 2022-013-001.
Tomorrow, the doors open for “India Thompson: Looks Like Home”!
Mingei is excited to finally share these intricately woven reed sculptures with you. Some of these to-scale pieces took months of meticulous planning and hand-weaving to complete.
Through familiar household forms, Thompson transforms objects of everyday life into reflections on ownership, memory, care, and what it means to live in a space that isn’t legally hers.
Now, it’s ready for you to experience firsthand.
🏠 “India Thompson: Looks Like Home”
🗓 Opens Saturday, May 16
🔗 Plan your visit at Mingei.org/Visit
Get ready for a summer of creativity at Mingei! 🎨🌞
Our full-day camps provide hands-on art adventures for kids ages 6–10, inspired by our exhibitions. We are offering 4 unique weeks of making and exploration:
🐠 Week 1: Under the Sea Adventures
🔁 Week 2: Mix, Match & Make
🏡 Week 3: Looks Like Home
🖌️ Week 4: Self-Portrait Studio
📅 Camp starts June 8
🎟️ Spots are limited, and only a few remain
🔗 Sign up at the link in our bio
Join us for one week—or the whole summer. Let’s create!
Mingei is proud to participate in Blue Star Museums, a nationwide program offering free admission to currently serving U.S. military personnel and up to five family members from Armed Forces Day through Labor Day.
The 2026 program runs May 16–September 7, 2026.
🔗 Learn more and view participating museums at arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums #BlueStarMuseums
Calling all maritimers and fish fanatics: To Catch a Fish—curated by Emily Hanna—is on view at the Mingei International Museum in the heart of Balboa park from May 2 through November 1.
The best kind of art pulls you into a memory. Maybe it’s a place you’ve been, a nostalgic feeling, or even a sense of history spanning generations. We’re especially drawn to art that reminds us of home, here along the coast of San Diego.
For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay people have lived along this coastline, relying on the sea as skilled fishers, navigators, and stewards of the water. Fast-forward to the mid-1800s, San Diego’s commercial fishing industry began to take shape, and by the mid-20th century, the city had earned the title “Tuna Capital of the World”.
In short, our city’s connection to the ocean and fish runs deep—and that relationship is far from unique. To Catch a Fish brings together over 60 historical pieces of folk art from around the globe, from utilitarian fishing tools (nets, spears) to symbolic works highlighting the cultural and spiritual ties between people and fish. The exhibit also features three contemporary West Coast artists—Aidelen Montoya, Robert Lang, and Marianne Nicolson—whose work engages themes of sustainability, nature, and resilience.
Visit the link in bio to learn more about the artists and plan your trip to the Mingei to experience the exhibition in person.
To Catch A Fish 🎣 | May #ARTIFACTatNight
When curator Dr. Emily G Hannah and Chefs @cheftimkolanko , @tonycoito , and @wesley.remington come together and the artistry of “To Catch A Fish” shines from gallery to plate.
Swipe for a preview of our four course FISH menu and join us Thursday, May 21- limited reservation remain.
Mini Mingei is a playful hour of stories, art-making, and creativity designed for kids ages 2–5 and their grown-ups. We bring the books, set up the supplies, and guide the activity. You just come make together.
And this spring and summer, Mini Mingei is FREE for all families as a gesture of support for our community. RSVP highly encouraged.
This month, we’re celebrating Miffy, the beloved character created by artist Dick Bruna. On May 15, we’ll read “Miffy Is Crying” and make our own Miffy ears.
🐰 Mini Mingei
🆓 Free for all families
🗓 Friday, May 15 | 10–11am
🔗 RSVP and learn more at Mingei.org/Whats-On
✨ Free upcoming Mini Mingei dates:
🔹June 5
🔹July 17
🔹August 7
🔹August 21
Some works are too delicate to ship. So we went to get it ourselves.
Come on a roadtrip with our Director of Registration and Manager of Exhibitions, Caitlin Podas, and Registration Intern Makena Jackson to Pasadena to retrieve a remarkable work by Robert Lang for “To Catch a Fish.”
After meeting Lang (and his dog, Casey), they carefully packed dozens of his hand-folded origami koi and brought them back to San Diego.
Once safely at Mingei, the work continues. Caitlin and Makena conduct detailed condition reporting using Articheck, documenting every detail to ensure each piece is protected, tracked, and preserved.
Then, installation. Joined by the rest of our install team, Alejandra Moran and Litzy Torres, they followed Lang’s precise diagram to bring the piece to life.
“Vertical Pond III: From the Ashes” is made from paper created using ashes from Lang’s Altadena home and studio, lost in the Eaton Fire. What was destroyed (materials, archives, decades of work) has been transformed into something new.
The result is a powerful, immersive reflection on resilience.
🎣 Experience this piece in “To Catch a Fish”.
🔗 Plan your visit at Mingei.org/Visit
Go beyond the label.
Join Dr. Emily G. Hanna for a guided tour of "To Catch a Fish". As the exhibition’s curator, she’ll share behind-the-scenes insights into the artistry, ingenuity, and cultural significance of the fishing tools and traditions on view, revealing the deeper connections between craftsmanship and the natural world.
🎣 Curator-Led Tour: "To Catch a Fish"
🗓️ Thursday, May 14
⏰ 1–2pm
🎟️ Included with admission | RSVP encouraged
🔗 Plan your visit at Mingei.org/Whats-On
Pictured: Artist Marianne Nicholson (left) with Dr. Emily G. Hanna (right) in front of her piece "The Halibut Hooks", created specifically for this exhibition.
French based clothing company, La Maison des Fibres Naturelles, has quickly become a customer favorite! Cool, natural linen pieces in a variety of colors, from bright to subdued, are perfectly San Diego casual. Just restocked! So swing by & see all of our fresh new inventory. We’re open until 8 every Friday evening. @mingeimuseum@lamaisondesfibresnaturelles
