Tip 4: Please do not touch the artwork.

Tip 5: Food and drink are available in the Museum Café. Please consume outside of the galleries.

Tip 6: Join and support!
On your way out, you can apply the price of your admission ticket toward a membership. Members receive unlimited free admission; invitations to special events; newsletters; discounts to programs and in the Museum Store and Café; and much more while supporting Silicon Valley's visual arts and arts education. Join us today!

Tip 7: Share your photos with us! Photography is permitted in most galleries (no flash, please)

Instagram: @SanJoseMuseumofArt
Twitter: @sjmusart

Tip 8: Be on the lookout for QR codes while onsite to access Museum information available digitally from the convenience of your mobile device.

Tip 9: Tell us about your visit! Fill out a short survey. 

Private group tours for 10 or more participants must be booked at least six weeks in advance and are charged at a flat rate. Unscheduled drop-in groups may be asked to visit at another time due to Museum security and capacity policies. For questions regarding our group tour policy please visit sjmusart.org/education or contact our group tour and family programs manager at education@sjmusart.org.

Book a private group visit Book a college group visit

SJMA is pleased to offer free individual admission for youth 17 years and under, college students, and teachers with valid ID.

Please consume food and drinks before entering the Museum. No outside food or beverages are permitted in the Café. Thank you! 

Any group of 10 or more college students must book a group tour. College group visits, whether guided or self-guided, must be booked three weeks in advance and are subject to availability.

Visit the College and University page to learn more and to book a college group visit. 

Now available online or in-person!

• Two-Part Art
• Guided Tours
• Self-Guided Tours

To arrange a special time for an adult group tour of 10 or more, please call 408.291.5393 at least three weeks in advance.

Upon entry, request an Art Lab Journal featuring activities for an interactive experience inside the exhibitions.

We also have paper, pencils, and clipboards available for your use. Just ask about these supplies at the admissions desk. 

Share a story inspired by your time in the Tending and Dreaming galleries. As you contribute to the digital message board, consider the following prompts: Connection to Place, Exploring Identity, Sense of Belonging, and Creativity.

Photo by Glen Cheriton. 

Artwork featured in Pao Houa Her: The Imaginative Landscape explores themes of shared longing experienced by the Hmong diaspora through the use of light and symbolism. 

In this Art Learning Lab activity, we invite you to layer and arrange transparent photographs of California native and endangered flowers on light boxes to create a communal image of homeland. As you design your floral compositions, consider the following: 

• How are you connected to diaspora? 

• What memories come up while exploring the activity? 

• What does homeland mean to you? 

Photo by Glen Cheriton. 

Young Bay Mud is found in partially enclosed coastal bodies of water, such as the San Francisco Bay Area. It consists of thick deposits of soft, water-saturated clay located at the bottoms of estuaries where freshwater and saltwater mix. This type of mud slides easily under pressure and is both highly compressible and nonporous, making it a hazardous material to build on—especially in seismically active regions. 

In this Art Learning Lab activity, you are invited to design and build a structure that can withstand the forces of a simulated earthquake. Using the materials provided, construct your structure and then carefully rotate the handle on the shake table to test its strength. As you work, consider the following:

• What shapes and design features help make your structure strong and stable? Why do you think they work well? 

• How long did your structure stay standing during the shake test, and what caused it to eventually collapse (if it did)?

Photo by Glen Cheriton. 

The Koret Gallery: Art Learning Lab invites experimentation using an artwork on display as a source of inspiration. We want to know what visitors think about the space and what they would like to see and do here.  

Visit the gallery to answer the question below, or through our online survey.

I see: What do you see in the Art Learning Lab that interests you?
I think: Wha do you think about the activities and/or the things you see here?
I wonder: Do you wonder “what’s next in for the Art Learning Lab” Tell us your ideas for the next iteration of this space.

Johnna Arnold, Impart Photography

Explore the magic of Roy De Forest’s Off the Patagonian Coast with our fun 3D-printed block set activity located in the Koret Gallery: Art Learning Lab exhibition! Each block draws inspiration from the shapes in the original artwork. 

• Please comply with any posted signs or Museum staff instructions regarding photography.
• Professional equipment such as tripods, external lighting, and large detachable lenses are not permitted.
• Reproduction of works of art in print or in digital media (including audio and video), beyond reasonable sharing via personal social media, is not permitted.
• Under no circumstances may photos of works of art taken at SJMA be sold in any format, including digital format, without express written permission of the copyright holder (which may include the artist, artist’s heirs, or other parties).

San José Museum of Art (SJMA) may photograph, film, or videotape visitors for educational and promotional purposes. By visiting SJMA, you consent to the use of your likeness, voice, or video image for these purposes.