Bakersfield Museum of Art

Charming museum featuring local artists with a lovely sculpture garden & gazebo. Perfect for a wedding or event. It's a small museum with a great use of space. I really enjoyed all the exhibits. There was a beautiful black cat out in the sculpture garden who decided to walk the path with me. This museum is located in a park with a covered bridge and a trail by the water. Lots of parking available! Treat yourself to Bakersfiel Barbecue just across the way on the corner. This is conveniently located to quite a few interesting places to eat, shop & explore.

A cultural gem! The Bakersfield Museum of Art is truly a treasure in our community! I love how they showcase such a unique and diverse collection of artists, offering something fresh and inspiring for every visitor. Whether you’re an art enthusiast or just looking to explore something new, there’s always something captivating on display. One of my favorite parts of the museum is their annual events, which always bring the community together in a meaningful way. The Art After Dark Pride event is a standout, and I look forward to it every year. It's such a vibrant celebration of art, culture, and inclusion – the energy is always so positive and welcoming! The museum’s commitment to fostering creativity and connection within the community is truly special. I highly recommend checking it out, whether it’s to experience the exhibitions or to participate in one of their incredible events.

This a cool little museum! The workers are kind and friendly, and it's awesome that they showcase small local artists. The yearly pass is a good deal to come and see all of the different exhibitions.

What a quality art museum! It was small but well organized and the art exhibits were beautiful. I took a tour with a school group and it was wonderful,, even the kids were interested!

Great art and a beautiful garden area to stroll around in. Worth visiting if you are in the area.

This may not be the Broad or MOMA, but it's a great way to spend some time with a friend. It's fun, clean, decent art, and fairly well curated to reflect local interests. Give it a shot and roll with an open mind.

We enjoyed the 2nd Saturday art event. The staff is friendly and helpful. It is a small museum and very clean and beautiful. The neighborhood park next to the museum is pretty with ponds and a playground, but I did not feel safe there with the kids.

Outside was dirty and looked like it needed some clean up. The variety of art was low and lacked diversity but I did enjoy natalie Arnoldi and her work.

We are members so we love the bakersfield museum of art!!! We most recently went on a Wednesday after having lunch at centro Cali brewery around the corner. It was lovely to be one of the only few people in the museum. They always have great bakersfield and kern county focused exhibits. This time we saw bakersfield standards exhibit which was such a lovely look at all the things that make the valley and its history and culture unique. It made me proud to be a valley girl.

Bakersfield Museum of Art is a good regional art museum similar to Lancaster's Museum of Art and History where local artists, students are particularly featured. However, I was impressed by "On the Edge: Los Angeles Art 1970's-1990's from the Joan & Jack Quinn Family Collection" in November 2021.  This quintessential California art exhibit starts with the 1960's Ferus Gallery "Cool School" influenced artists, progressing to exploration of new media & materials, Conceptual Art, rise of Feminism, Civil Rights Movements, Chicano Art, etc.   "On the Edge" may have been the coming out party that demonstrated the Bakersfield Museum of Art was able to curate an art exhibition on par with arguably more sophisticated cities.  Earlier in May, I perused students' art work, many of which were winsome and some were outright humourous which made me laugh out loud.  That made my day.  Love this compact art museum. Good for an hour of seeIng what is going on In the local Bakersfield art scene. Walking around the outdoor sculpture garden surrounding the museum is free. The free parking lot is adjacent to the museum.  4 stars

Wasnt worth paying $10 per person to enter. 2 featured artists and the rest of the art was hung down hallways and on the walls near the front desk. The best part for me were the trees in the garden and the black cat that was walking around on the premesis. At least we can say we went

I've been here on a regular day and it was cool ... but the event art after dark was pretty freaking awesome. More people than I expected so that was pleasant surprise. They offered cocktails for purchase near the entrance from tiki lounge : which may I say were pretty amazing. They made some strong drinks. When I say strong I mean STRONG. As I'm walking around I'm feeling pretty good. Art was good but looked extra good last night. Live music was great ... good to just walk around : chill , relax ; sip a cocktail and check out the featured art. Admission was $5 ; can't beat that . I really hope they do more events like this in the near future.

This is one of Bakersfield's hidden gems. The facility is beautiful, well-kept and organized, and the staff is amazing, helpful and kind. I'm constantly amazed at the variety of activities that the Museum offers. My kid usually attends the kids workshops. The teachers are nice, knowledgeable and fun. Miss Maria, Miss Nadya and Miss Lorena always make the classes memorable and fun. They are so dedicated to the kids and passionate about what they do that it's inspiring. Curtis at the front desk always greets you with a smile and Victor, the curator, is always finding ways to improve the galleries and bring Art, artists and the community together. This place is an absolute must-visit.

The outside sculpture garden is such a pleasant place to hang out. They have seating and lots of shade to escape the heat. #ajoyoustaxresult It may be 105°outside but inside it's nice and cool! This time of year Military gets in free. So do children.

I love this museum I really do , I wish it was bigger . I came in on a Saturday morning and it was very quiet . There were only 3 exhibits open , but you can go out and explore the garden . The exhibits they have now are definitely thought provoking. They even have memorable to take home .

We've been here several times, but what brought us in today was the collaboration with the graduating Seniors from CSUB. We wanted to see what they came up with and it wasn't disappointing. There was a good mix of different types of art. It was worth the small entrance fee. If you ever had Art Sherwyn as an Art teacher, you will be able to see some of his work as an area is dedicated to his work. Nice little thing to do on a weekend day. They also rent out spaces for events if you like the garden or venue.

If you have not visited this little gem of an Art Museum, put it on your "to do" list. Just completed the Adult drawing class and it was amazing!!! Not really a drawing class as much as a "learning to see class". Our instructor, Janeen Carter Smith, brought her enthusiasm and teaching skills to lead us down the path of seeing and recognizing shapes and space. Our drawings from day 1 and day 3 were greatly improved. Hoping for more of these wonderful classes in the future.

Kudos to Bakersfield for this little gem. Helpful & friendly front desk, clean bright cheerful facility, but above all a true commitment to local artists featured in all galleries. And the hallway featuring student art from their onsite programs is really outstanding.

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!

My kid took the art classes they offer. She came home with some really good work. I can tell a big difference in her painting now.

I've been here several times and have always had a very nice time. It's picturesque and beautiful on the outside and and very clean and comfortable on the inside. They also are a venue for weddings and parties. I recently went to view it for my own wedding and fell in love with the gorgeous outdoor venue area. I worked with one of their employees, Curtis (I hope that's how he spells it) and there couldn't possibly be a more helpful or informative employee. He went out of his way to help me on more than one occasion. He's awesome and so is this wonderful venue.

They support many local artists and host many lovely events. I definitely recommend coming here to simply see the art or spend an evening in their garden listening to music.

What a charming little museum! I was finally able to check it out with some friends for Art After Dark, which apparently happens every last Thursday of the month. It was from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM and included a drink ticket and live music. The layout of the rest of the museum could flow a little better but there are plenty of galleries for a small museum and the art is well curated. The main hall flows well. As you come in there is a small gift shop on the left. And there is a small parking lot.

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!

Nice small museum but very little selection. I took my one year old and my mom. We paid $20...it's $10 per adult, and I honestly don't feel like I got my money's worth. There's no way I could spend an hour here since it's so small to get my money's worth. The garden area hardly has any sculptures or other interesting features. There was an event they were preparing for that also slightly ruined our experience of the garden area but only because we didn't get a chance to look at the whole garden but we did see most of it. The event setup looked pretty nice! They should lower their price to $8 or less and work on their garden area. They should also have a few things for kids. Just saying ‍

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).

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 decor:) 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.

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?

Stupid art gallery, was not even allowed to see the whole place. There was only two small galleries open with very little content. Why run an art gallery if you can't even show it to the people?

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.

Canceled a wedding the day of the actual wedding leaving the couple to be married in a hall bad customer service would never recommend this place. The stress caused to the couple and families that came from out of town was so unprofessional and i hope they sue!!

This was a pretty nice museum. I came on a day where I and my baby were able to get in for free and I went with a friend and her 3 year old. We all had a really nice time and after we walked to the near by park. So if you are looking for a nice way to spend an afternoon in town give this a shot!

One of my favorite places in Bakersfield! In addition to the great exhibits the museum offers, they also have Art After Dark, Yoga in the Garden, Shakespearean plays in the garden, art instruction, etc. The staff is super friendly, and I recommend BMOA as a place to visit for both residents and visitors to Bakersfield!

This is the cultural center of our community. I'm constantly impressed with their offerings.

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!

It's my first time visiting there and everything was nice, there quite of gallery to look at. I just wish there were more things to look at because they don't have a lot things but everything was good overall

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

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!!

Outstanding place. Very nice, friendly staff. The outdoor is just magnificent. Good place to take your family to check out some BEAUTIFUL art work!

I visited this museum on Saturday 09/10/2011 and museum was closed. It was not any advertisements on website of museum. On the door of museum it was two postage: 1. museum hours on Saturday from 12 to 16 and 2. Galleries to museum are closed to the public. Can normal person without PhD in English understand it.? It was group of 5 to 8 visitors to museum and they left at 12: 15 when museum was not opened. I waited and finally employee of museum was there at 12:25 and told me that the museum is closed, she did not know when the museum would be opened? and she personally did not care that it was not any advertisement. When I mentioned to her that I just wasted 5 hours of my time and 250 miles, driving for and back to Fresno, she just told me: "Sorry" I would not recommend this museum to anybody-9 rated museum regarding customer service and expectation.

The reviewers who called the Disney Concert Hall "boring" and denigrated the acoustics are just plain wrong. It is a gorgeous building -- worth seeing even if you don't go inside. And Walt Disney's widow was intimately involved in the design and creation of the building -- there's a garden and fountain dedicated to her on the uppermost level. I think the aforementioned reviewers would probably be happy on a ride at Disneyland, but if your tastes are broader or more sophisticated, please don't miss a visit to Disney Hall. And if you can score a ticket to a concert, all the better!

We love meeting the wonderful collection of works acquired by billionaire J. Paul Getty. Alone is the house where the museum is an attraction .... modern, bold, comfortable !!!! U only pay for parking. Admission is free. Enjoy tbem see Bakersfield Museum of Art Villa.

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!!