About the MAH

The Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) was founded in 1996 to promote a greater understanding of contemporary art and the history of Santa Cruz County.

Today we are a thriving community gathering place that serves more than 130,000 people annually through rotating art and history exhibitions, visual and performing artworks, public festivals, education and outreach programs, and cultural celebrations in collaboration with our many partners. We maintain a permanent collection of regionally significant art and artifacts, a research library, a historical archive, and historic sites including the Evergreen Cemetery, Octagon Building, and Davenport Jail. We are also home to Abbott Square, a vibrant public plaza on the museum’s doorstep that offers food, social events, and year-round creative happenings.

The MAH is well-known for pioneering the “participatory museum,” in which a broad spectrum of partners and community members develop exhibitions around important community issues. We are proud of our reputation as one of the most creative and forward-thinking community museums in the country.

As we embark on a new era under the leadership of executive director Robb Woulfe, we will continue that level of engagement in recognition of the value in co-creating projects. At the same time we are committed to producing and cultivating meaningful, high quality, place-based work that animates and enlivens the MAH as well as public spaces throughout Santa Cruz County.

With strong support from our community collaborators and new partnerships yet to be formed, we are confident the MAH will not only uphold its reputation as a cultural and social innovator, but serve a model for other museums to emulate.