Through its exhibitions, education, and outreach programs, SMMoA fosters diversity, innovation, and discovery in contemporary art—local, national, and international. The Museum celebrates: expanding boundaries; exploring individual differences; enhancing public knowledge of art; and broadening the art experience. SMMoA is a collection of ideas. SMMoA is lauded consistently by both press and public for its sustained level of creative inspiration, with exhibitions, publications, and educational programs that unite experimentation with erudition. SMMoA has the flexibility to be spontaneous and responsive to pivotal developments in the international art world, as well as to be in sync with the traditions of art in Southern California. Since opening in 1988, the Museum has exhibited work by more than 1,200 artists, 40% of whom are artists of color, and 46% are women. SMMoA is led by executive director Elsa Longhauser, staffed by 10 full-time employees, and supported by 75 volunteers.

The Santa Monica Museum of Art (SMMoA), founded in 1984 and opened in 1988, has been true to its experimental approach to art, first in an 8,300-square-foot warehouse space and now in a 10,000-square-foot exhibition gallery at the Bergamot Station Arts Complex. As the only kunsthalle or non-collecting museum in Los Angeles, SMMOA presents challenging work by emerging and established artists; initiates and nurtures artistic partnerships and collaborations; connects the visual arts to other systems of representation and knowledge; and provides an opportunity for audiences to experience significant developments in the Southern California art world.