Must-see museums in San Diego

A guide to your next weekend excursion

ISABELLA SANCHEZ / ASST. A&C EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

San Diego has more to offer than just its amazing beaches and trendy restaurants. Some of the city’s most popular spots are its unique museums and art galleries. In San Diego there’s always a museum that fits anyone’s interest, and there’s no better time to visit them than now. February is “Museum Month” in San Diego, so it’s only appropriate to visit the best museums the city has to offer. If you’re in need of weekend plans, look no further. 

Beyond Van Gogh Immersive Museum 

Admission price: 

Student-timed admission price (show student ID): $32.99 on weekdays or $41.99 on weekends.

Immersive yoga: $56.99

Distance from campus: Approximately 23 minutes. 

As the name suggests, Van Gogh’s Immersive Museum located at the Del Mar Fairgrounds truly immerses its visitors in breathtaking art. 

What is special and different about “Beyond Van Gogh” is that it utilizes projection mapping, animation, and music for visual storytelling. Accompanying the art is a symphonic soundtrack that changes as the projection of the art changes, creating different stories for each piece. 

The entire experience includes an hour of exploring the exhibit, which is spread between three rooms. The first room consists of a walk-through section of written panels that tell the story of Van Gogh’s life and snippets from thousands of letters he wrote to his brother about his passion for art. 

The exhibit’s second room features designs of digital dots that show visitors how the studio animators recreate Van Gogh’s famous brush strokes and his three-dimensional effect. 

Finally, the visitor arrives at the main exhibit where every inch of the room is covered in Van Gogh’s paintings. The artwork is digitally mapped on the walls and floor in a 35-minute film that plays on a loop. 

It starts with Van Gogh’s darker paintings to still lifes and self portraits, and finally, pieces that are a kaleidoscope of colors. 

Through animation, Beyond Van Gogh brings the paintings to life with flickering flames, starlight sparkles and swirls, and even tree limbs growing across the floor and walls. 

The immersive Van Gogh experience allows its visitors to truly feel as if they stepped directly into a Van Gogh painting. 

Due to the digital animation aspect, the exhibition makes it feel like the artwork is being painted before people’s very eyes and that the masterpieces are alive.

Another special aspect to this museum is that it offers immersive yoga in the main exhibit room among the artwork and the beautiful symphonic score. 

The classes are taught by local yoga instructors each Thursday and Saturday. 

Bring your own mat, towel, and water and enjoy an “experience of a lifetime,” according to the instructors.

Tickets can be bought on the museum’s website at 

www.vangoghsandiego.com and are available now through Mar. 6.

Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA)  

Admission price:

Every visitor can go without a general admission fee and can instead make a contribution based on how much they want to pay. 

Distance from campus: Approximately 15 minutes. 

MOPA is located in Balboa Park and it is only one out of three museums in the US whose main focus is to preserve and collect photography. For anyone who admires the art of photography, this museum is a must visit. What is unique about MOPA is that it offers annual exhibitions that are thought-provoking and engaging. It is currently showing three temporary unique exhibitions, among its bigger collections.

Aaron’s Siskind’s Mid Century Modern exhibit focuses on his photographs shot during the 1940’s and 50’s. The collection revolves around Siskind’s interest in abstraction during postwar photography. All of the pieces are stunning in their minimalism and darker monochromatic color scheme. This exhibit is currently open until May 1, 2022. 

After Siskind’s exhibit, one can go to Norman Seeff’s Beyond The Boundaries and admire the subjects of his lens. 

As a photographer, filmmaker, and multimedia artist, Seeff focuses his camera on artists and innovators who have impacted culture. Don’t get this exhibit confused with typical portraits – Seeff describes his work as “creating an experience.” 

If colorful and more imaginative artwork is more your style, then the 15th Annual Juried Youth exhibition, Darkest Nights, Brightest Stars, is the exhibition to go to. This exhibition features art that relates to two separate themes: growing up and space. Young artists in K-12 in San Diego and Tijuana shared their interpretation of the themes through photography and video. 

The results are unique and visually appealing pieces that stretch the imagination. This exhibit is available until April 10. 

From a truly immersive experience to a gallery of unique photographs, the Van Gogh Museum and MOPA are the perfect weekend trips if you want a change of scenery. 

Museum Month is the best time to celebrate art and artists, and explore some of the museums here in San Diego.