The University of California, Irvine operates multiple art gallery and museum spaces, the majority focused for at least part of each year on undergraduate and graduate exhibitions. At the Langson Institute & Museum of California Art, the focus is on 20th and 21st century paintings, drawings, and sculptures with ties to California, as expressed in exhibitions of abstract, impressionist, minimalist, assemblage, and other styles of art. Expect to find a single gallery with one theme every three months – we saw impressionist paintings of south Orange County and San Diego County in “Common Ground: Early 20th-Century Artist Communities in Southern California” – as well as reading and craft rooms.
Admission and parking (validated) are free at the museum’s interim location, on the ground floor of Airport Tower near Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport – the same building that previously housed The Irvine Museum –pending construction of a permanent space at the UCI campus. Extremely friendly staff assist visitors and offer access to free art postcards at the entrance and exit. The Press & Moka Coffeehouse operates immediately outside with drinks and light lunch fare.
