Talks
The Museum’s lecture-based programs offer curators, educators, artists, and guest speakers the opportunity to present a wide variety of perspectives on the Museum’s exhibitions and collections. Guest speakers include well-known curators from other museums, artists whose work is being shown in the Museum, musicians, writers, cultural historians, and others who provide a dynamic dialogue about the ideas and issues presented within the Museum’s exhibitions. The Museum collaborates with cultural institutions within Balboa Park and throughout the region to inspire a rich conversation between speakers, performers, and the audience. Audience participation and discussion, and opportunities to meet the presenters are important features of these programs.
Guest Lecture Series
This monthly series of lectures and tours features outstanding scholars from throughout the art world. Typically held at 10:00 a.m. on the third Friday of each month September through June*, each lecture connects a topic to the permanent collection of the Museum. Lectures are followed by a docent-led tour. Contact us for more information. This program is sponsored by the Museum Docent Council.
September 11, 2026 | Fanny Girard, Director of the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, and Michael Brown, PhD, Senior Curator of European Art, The San Diego Museum of Art | In Conversation: The Remarkable Legacy of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
October 16, 2026 | Ulrike Arnold, Artist; Gerard van Belle, PhD, Former Director of Science at Lowell Observatory; and Rachel Jans, PhD, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at The San Diego Museum of Art | Meteorites as Artistic Matter
October 30, 2026 | Roxana Velázquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO at The San Diego Museum of Art, and Betsabeé Romero, Artist | Artistic Practice
February 19, 2027 | Sandra E. Bonura, PhD, Author and Historian | Building Balboa Park: John D. Spreckels and the Shaping of San Diego’s Cultural Heart
March 19, 2027 | Sandra E. Bonura, PhD, Author and Historian | The Zoo Lady: How Belle Benchley Saved the San Diego Zoo and Balboa Park
April 16, 2027 | Lara Bullock, PhD, Civic Art Project Manager with the City of San Diego | Art in the Public Realm
May 21, 2027 | Ying Choon Wu, PhD, Associate Project Scientist, Institute of Neural Computation, UC San Diego | The Neuroscience of Art
June 18, 2027 | Deidre Guevara, Director of Community Engagement, The San Diego Museum of Art, and a surprise guest | The Surprise Artist
*No lecture scheduled in December and January
Symposia
Once to three times a year, the Museum hosts symposia based on current special exhibitions. The program features internationally recognized scholars, museum directors, and important minds in the field of visual studies and culture from all over the globe. This three-hour program affords audience members the ability to learn more about the art and artists we bring to San Diego, from several external voices.
Gallery Lectures and Artist Talks
Throughout the year the Museum offers lectures presented by curators, scholars, and contemporary artists that provide new insight on the works of art on view at the Museum. Gallery Lectures and Artist Talks are held in the Museum’s galleries on select Saturday mornings and are free with Museum admission unless otherwise noted.
Support Council Lectures
The San Diego Museum of Art enjoys the advocacy and assistance of support councils that offer members a wonderful opportunity to deepen their relationship with the Museum through their own specific areas of interest. Several times a year these support councils offer special lectures and discussions led by curators and guest speakers. The support councils’ programs complement the Museum’s schedule of exhibitions, the collection, and ongoing education activities.
Axline Lecture
Since 2000, The San Diego Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego have partnered to present the annual Axline Lecture in honor of Jackie and Rea Axline, longtime trustees and supporters of both museums who in 1999 bequeathed generous endowments to both institutions. Hosted in alternate years by each muum, this annual event offers an opportunity to say thank you to current museum members, donors, and supporters. Previous Axline Lectures have featured contemporary artist Ana de Alvear (2020), contemporary artist Trevor Paglen (2019), contemporary artist Nancy Lorenz (2018), photographer Catherine Opie (2017), photographer Sebastião Salgado (2016), sculptor El Anatsui (2015), Alfredo Jaar (2014), and sculpture Charles Ray (2013).
Join the Museum’s e-newsletter to receive timely updates on upcoming lecture programming.