Bakersfield Museum of Art

Bakersfield, United States

4.4

Open now

11 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 661-323-7219
Website:
bmoa.org
Address:
1930 R St, Bakersfield, CA, 93301
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miBakersfield
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Bakersfield) 11:37 AM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Description

Specialties

The Bakersfield Museum of Art strives to enhance the quality of life through art appreciation and educational opportunities in the visual arts for Bakersfield and Kern County residents and visitors. In its 59-​year history, it has provided outstanding exhibits and offered unique educational opportunities in the visual arts to Bakersfield and its surrounding communities.

History

Established in 1956.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art began as the Cunningham Memorial Art Gallery in 1956 with a donation from the Walter Osborn family who desired to establish an art gallery in memory of their daughter Marion Osborn Cunningham (1911 – 1948). Their considerable donation was amplified by the generosity of caring individuals who provided the building blocks for the gallery to be constructed on city land.

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11 reviews of Bakersfield Museum of Art

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Fresno, CA
Fantastic! Although I know nothing about art, I thought that this art gallery showcased a variety of pieces from local and international artists. Most notable was the painted faces of Bakersfield locals. I also appreciated how they supported students by showcasing their art.
Overall, I think it was a great gallery with nice work.
Place rating: 5
Bakersfield, CA
This museum is small but mighty! They have wonderful exhibits that change with the seasons. My husband I love going on the opening nights for their new exhibits. They draw in awesome artists to showcase. They also serve drinks and it makes for the start of a lovely date night. Plus, it almost feels like you have left this «small town» and gone to the city for a night!
A friend and I also attended «Art Mix» this past year. It’s their annual fundraiser– they had great food, drinks, and you could bid on artwork from your cell phone. It was a great event that was very well organized!
BMOA also has an active calendar (like them on Facebook) with both kid and adult art education programs. And, the beautiful facility can also be rented out for events. Additionally, they support and host Via Arte at the Marketplace annually. This is the chalk art festival – one of my favorite local events for sure!
What’s not to love?
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
I finally came back for a day-​time visit recently and here are my thoughts:
In the daylight, the museum looks smaller than I had imagined when I came at night a couple years back. haha…
The exterior and gardens in the back are nicely kept, although small compared to some of the larger city museums in New York, Pasadena or Los Angeles. There are only a couple exhibits inside the museum, and you can likely finish strolling through and viewing the art work within 30 minutes.
I’d have to give my experience a 3-​star rating. What bumps it up to a 3.5 star is that I happened to come on a Friday when admission was FREE. Every 3rd Friday of the month, this museum offers free admission from 10 am — 4 pm. That’s pretty cool, right?
If I had to pay the $ 8 adult admission to come, I probably would have rated this museum a 3 star since the value is no longer there.
Enjoy!
Place rating: 4
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA
We went to my cousin’s weddings here. It was a beautiful day in late March. The Museum hosted a beautiful wedding. We couldn’t have asked for better accommodations. I would highly recommend it!
Place rating: 5
Bakersfield, CA
My 7 year old son attended summer camp here in July 2014 and had a blast! There are three different sessions each day, so plenty to keep the children involved. He learned a lot AND had fun!
Place rating: 3
Sylmar, CA
For a brief 30 minute visit, this museum was surprisingly good. The museum had three temporary exhibits and a short hallway with a dozen sadly lit permanent collection items (I said it was small) along with a tepid sculpture garden. Although the building façade suggested a modern interior, the largest gallery looked like a renovated industrial shop. The strength of the museum was the temporary exhibits which were smartly curated.
BMOA is comparable to neighboring regional museums like PMCA in Pasadena and OCMA in Newport Beach, but better than SLO Museum of Art and Carnegie in Oxnard.
Place rating: 5
Bakersfield, CA
You can’t NOT give a local Art Museum 5 stars. Bakersfield has such a rich artistic heritage that is largely ignored. But this museum contributes greatly to our community and it’s artists.
The facility is great and can be rented out for a variety of events: weddings, holiday parties, etc. The grounds are always maintained and quite lovely.
It’s a small art museum, but it serves our community well. If you have not been, you should take an afternoon and explore the museum. Check up on their website for special events. They have several throughout the year, including concerts!
Support art!
Place rating: 4
Seattle, WA
Great place for a wedding, miniconference, or reception on their green grounds, friendly staff, and cool stuff to look at :-) The garden is always well-​manicured and the different exhibits/​events are always worth the visit
Place rating: 4
Flushing, NY
I went to bakersfiels museum of art to take a dental implant continuing education course. They have a big conference room inside. I took a quick glimpse of the beautiful art but had to go back to class. Pretty nice décor:)
Zimmer dental caters the whole event. Free thai food for the night:) The course was short and simple; enough knowledge to help my patients with denture supported dentures and some impalnt crowns. I will go back to see the beautiful art next time.
Place rating: 5
Bakersfield, CA
This place consistently has more than you would expect from a modern art museum in Bakersfield. Everyone should go at least once and return for each new show!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
This place has a special place in my heart since it is where I hosted wedding and reception a few years ago. Bakersfield has really limited options for quality venues that have character and aren’t in a country club. When my husband and I were looking for a place to get married that we felt reflected both of us, BMOA was it.
The outdoor gardens are beautiful, especially in Spring when everything is blooming. The interior spaces are also nice and host a surprisingly confident selection of classic and modern art.
As far as it being an event venue, one of the best parts was how hands off and easy to work with the staff was. There were very few restrictions in place, and those were obviously there to protect the art, but once we rented the place for the night it was ours. And the rental fees were almost too cheap (not that we complained).