Monterey Museum of Art
559 Pacific St., Monterey, 372-5477
720 Via Mirada, Monterey, 372-3689
The two buildings that make up the Monterey Museum of Art account for a lot of important art-showing and art-archiving space. The building at Pacific Street has eight galleries, a reference library, a sculpture garden, gift shop with creative books and jewelry and such, and specializes in American and early California painting, photography, contemporary art and, new as of last year, community art projects. La Mirada is a hybrid of original adobe and modern architecture, fused to create a beautiful space appointed with a rose garden, a rhododendron garden, pastoral views and trees and contemporary art throughout its five gallery spaces. Both host flurries of art talks, docent- and staff-led tours, and special events (the Carmel Bach Festival is slated to perform at MMA this year) all the time. And the museum is doing un-museum-like stuff like last spring’s Open Walls: You Are Here interactive and participatory exhibit, and community-sourced work, from the Boys & Girls Club to the Veterans Transition Center.