San José Museum of Art

See what you think.

Welcome from the Director

  • A smiling young man stands beside an older woman with gray braids, both in front of a large painted portrait of themselves.

    Poet Yosimar Reyes and his activist grandmother Mardonia Galeana were the subject of a large adobe painting by rafa esparza. Mardonia, a generous soul who brought light to everyone, passed away on November 10, 2024. Photo by Frederick Liang. 

  • A grid of 25 black and white square photos of artists. In the middle in colorful letters reads “50X50: Stories of Visionary Artists from the Collection”

    Explore SJMA's collection with our digital publication, 50X50 at 50x50.sjmusart.org.

    Happy New Year! 

    2025 launches into a time of change from Mercury transiting Sagittarius in early January to the United States Presidential Inauguration later in the month on January 20th. What are your hopes, resolutions, and projections?

    At SJMA, we look forward to a bright New Year ahead with the launch of a campaign to celebrate the artists in our permanent collection, and their works of art that speak to the critical issues of our times. We highlight the innovation and beauty of Alexander Calder’s work already in the yearlong presentation Calder: at home, among friends in the Davies Gallery upstairs, along with four contemporary artists who won the Calder Foundation Prize in Still in Motion.

    Looking for respite and relief from stress? Head down to the Koret Gallery to see Andrea Ackerman’s 3D computer animation Rose Breathing, depicting the delicate petals of a rose opening and closing, synched with the sound of the intake and release of breath. Are you dialing in from out of town? Check out Chelsea Thompto: The Fog, a digital project commissioned by SJMA exploring how fog can transform our understanding of seeing and knowing. 

    In 2020 SJMA published a digital catalog of the Museum’s collection, called 50X50: Stories of Visionary Artists in the Collection on the Getty platform Quire, and that continues to be a valuable, media-rich online resource that embodies SJMA’s belief in open scholarship. 50X50 also furthers SJMA’s vision to become a borderless museum, offering anyone with an internet connection the chance to gain deeper understanding of iconic artists in our permanent collection.

    On March 7, 2025, we take our pride in the permanent collection to the next level with the grand opening of Tending and Dreaming: Stories from the Collection, dedicating the entire main floor Gibson and Plaza galleries to long-term collection display. The inaugural installation will be on view for one year—inviting visitors to become familiar with artworks and encourage repeat viewing. Tending and Dreaming positions artists as storytellers and their artworks as stories, imagining the Museum as a space where culture and meaning are always in process.

    S. Sayre Batton
    Oshman Executive Director