SAN DIEGO, CALIF.- Coming off the ambitious expansion that quadrupled gallery space in its La Jolla location, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego announced a strategic shift for its Downtown San Diego campus that will provide new experiences to serve all audiences in its regional community more fully.

MCASD Downtown will develop a multi-disciplinary arts hub to nurture the visual and performing arts of the region. The goal is threefold:

• Bridging new collaborations,
• Engaging new audiences, and
• Highlighting new voices.




“The strategic shift will leverage creative partnerships from across the region to further enhance downtown San Diego as an arts destination for the region,” explained Kathryn Kanjo, MCASD David C. Copley Director and CEO.

MCASD Downtown will welcome people to artistic performances, exhibitions, events, and experiences following a flexible schedule. The campus also will continue supporting MCASD’s education initiatives to encourage discovery and exploration and connect students with contemporary art through offerings like Extended School Partnerships and Teen Arts Collective.

“This is a dynamic period for San Diego’s arts and culture community, especially for the neighborhoods surrounding downtown San Diego,” Kanjo added. “With this shift toward community- based partnerships, we hope to more fully engage audiences through an extensive range of artistic content and media. Contemporary art looks forward and this initiative aligns directly with our forward-thinking mission.”

Beginning in 2023, MCASD will experiment alongside local leaders in art, design, and performing arts, including La Jolla Playhouse’s Without Walls (WOW) Festival, World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 (WDC 2024) and Blindspot Collective. MCASD has partnered with WDC 2024 to share its downtown exhibit space as a premier venue to spotlight regional design as part of the prestigious, year-long slate of programming and events.

"We are certain these new collaborations will help vitalize and energize our already evolving downtown,” said Betsy Brennan, President & CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership. “MCASD’s focus on programmatic partnerships will further enhance Downtown San Diego as a destination for arts and culture in our binational region. We can’t wait to see what the combination of MCASD’s deep knowledge and expertise in the arts and the innovation of our community will create in our urban neighborhoods.”