Mingei International Museum

🎉 We got the grant! Mingei is thrilled to receive funding from The Conrad Prebys Foundation to further enable our commitment to sparking community connections. This grant will support our work with diverse organizations and artists in our region through our Community Mondays, Community Spotlight, and other community-centered programs. #PrebysFoundation #SanDiegoArts

🧵 Quilt Fellow, Olivia Joseph, is revealing our vast quilt collection one square at a time! In the latest edition of "Unfolding," Olivia takes us on a deep dive of Log Cabin, Signature, String, and Unique Quilts. Read the full piece below! Quilt Research Fellow position is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.

🎉 We got the grant! We’re thrilled to receive funding support from the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture for Fiscal Year 2025. Mingei is committed to making an impact and we look forward to bringing even more vibrancy to the San Diego region through compelling exhibitions and art-centered programs! #SDArtsandCulture

🌟 Community Spotlight: A Collaboration with Casa Familiar, Inc. and The FRONT Arte & Cultura! 🌟 This display draws attention to the lively, transient culture of daily border crossings and the cultural blends between the U.S. and Mexico. From the quiet alleyways connecting cross-generational homes to the parks offering seniors a sunny afternoon retreat, this representation of San Ysidro's landscape captures the essence of a bustling community. Stop by the niche in the Museum's outdoor arcade to view this installation and learn more.

Three cheers for Exhibition Designer, Jerry Maloney, celebrating 25 years with Mingei! After studying studio art at San Diego State University, Jerry set out to find a career that combined construction skills with his interest in exhibition design. Mingei founder, Martha Longenecker, called and Jerry began his work with the museum. Jerry has brought countless exhibits to life. He enjoys the balancing act of creating intriguing settings that fit practical requirements. When asked about an exhibit he is most proud of, he recalls "Fisch Out of Water," a "three dimensional fish tank" of crocheted, copper wire sculptures inspired by nautical themes. To aspiring exhibition designers, Jerry recommends learning about the construction process, museum materials, and working within the laws of physics to bring abstract ideas into reality. Jerry's ability to craft a dynamic, welcoming space has impacted all who step through our doors. We're grateful for his experience, insights, and intentionality. 🎉

🌟 Meet superstar Martha Ehringer, a Mingei employee for over 25 years. 🌟 Martha started off as a volunteer at Mingei in 1984 at the University Towne Center (UTC) location. She began working officially at Mingei as the Membership/Public Relations Director in 1996 when the museum moved from UTC to Balboa Park. In 2018, when the museum closed for renovation, she joined the Library & Archives team as the Museum Historian. She processed the Martha Longenecker archives, describing, numbering, rehousing, and organizing thousands of documents, slides, and photographs. Martha has also written a personal history of the museum and serves as the main library assistant, cataloging books, greeting guests, answering questions, and maintaining the archives. Having experienced many museum milestones firsthand, Martha knows nearly everything about Mingei, and if you ever catch her in the Library, don't be shy about asking her a question! 📷 Martha Ehringer preparing the library during its renovation in 2021. 📷 Martha Ehringer wearing a paper bag hat created by the artist moses, 2001 📷 Martha Ehringer and Rob Sidner with Mr. Punch for PUNCH & JUDY weekend in 1998 at Balboa Park. Photographer unknown.

Intern Spotlight: Bradley Lee! ✨ We're thrilled to spotlight Bradley Lee who interned with us from March to May (and graduated in May!). Bradley focused on further developing the brand for ARTIFACT, updating the logo, creating image containers for photography, and crafting several spice assets for future use. Keep an eye out for the banners he designed, which will be up soon for all to see! Bradley's challenge was to push the ARTIFACT brand forward while maintaining our existing brand identity, all while working within limited design constraints. His creativity shone through, with an impressive command of type and layout. Bradley was incredibly efficient, presenting us with 50 different logo concepts in his first two weeks and generating countless creative ideas. Thank you, Bradley, for all your hard work. 🙌

Hey there, jewelry fans! Join Ariana Torres, "La Frontera"’s venue curator at Mingei, for an Art Break lecture. Explore the autobiographical and memorial elements of jewelry, connecting ideas of souvenirs, diaries, and reliquaries to general examples drawn from daily life and also from our contemporary jewelry exhibition, "La Frontera". More than just beautiful adornment, the objects that we wear can tell us stories of our past, act as important cultural symbols, and serve as records of our daily lives. Join Ariana as we unravel the narratives behind these stunning pieces, and hear how adornment can become a language, a reflection of who we are and where we come from. 📆 June 7 | 10:30-11:30am 🎟 https://bit.ly/4bI5pEu

Meet our two incredible interns from Cristo Rey High School, Angelique Valderrama Romero and Atziri Iniguez! Angelique worked in the Marketing and Design department creating vector illustrations for the exhibition "Pysanky". She also designed our current “Now on View” rack card, created a poster for College Night, and added a handmade touch to our docents' name badges staining the badges four different colors. Atziri began working with the Art Library in September 2023, as the intern library aide. She worked hard on cataloging and archives projects and consistently helped with other library projects as well. She will graduate later this month, and in the fall, she will head off to college. (She was accepted to 7 universities!) Congratulations to both Angelique and Atziri for their well-deserved Cristo Rey awards, recognizing them as the junior and senior student workers of the year. We feel so lucky to have them as part of our team. 🫶

"In learning about quilts and their history, we get a glimpse into the lives of makers and the stories that they share." - Olivia Joseph, Quilt Research Fellow Olivia has the exciting task of exploring Mingei’s vast quilt collection. They'll be delving into the rich stories and histories sewn into these beautiful textiles, bringing a fresh perspective to our collection. Read about their work categorizing quilts and unraveling untold stories below. ⤵️