The Museum of Monterey is a world class multi media exhibition space. Our first floor is dedicated to rotating exhibitions of a contemporary nature and our second floor is dedicated to Monterey history and our permanent collection.

The Museum of Monterey has opened its Ocean View & Mountain View Galleries, on the second floor of the museum, with the eagerly awaited exhibition, Out of the Vault, showcasing art and artifacts, from the vast historical collections of the Monterey History & Art Association and the maritime collection of the Museum of Monterey, which tell the stories that cast Monterey as the historic center of California.

Some are highly visible and have become a tradition in our community — Watchstanders at the Maritime Museum, barbeque cooks at the Merienda, and hosts and hostesses at our historic buildings who welcome the public to special events and share MHAA’s mission with residents and visitors alike.

Many volunteers are seen by only a handful of people, but their knowledge and assistance are highly valued. Research assistants at Mayo Hayes O’Donnell Library and at the Collections Library of the Maritime Museum provide an invaluable service to local residents and national scholars interested in Monterey, California and maritime history. Still others, not seen by the public at all, contribute hundreds of hours each year behind the scenes. They work with textiles and vintage clothing in the Costume Collection or catalogue special collections at both of our libraries.

Under close supervision of our Collections Manager, students from the Museum Studies program at CSUMB intern at MHAA. They work on exhibition installations and on the conservation of items from the collection. Special volunteers have helped for years with unusual jobs, giving generously of their time and expertise to unique landscaping challenges and assorted carpentry work.

Every year, thousands of people visit our exhibits and attend our public programs. Gracious and knowledgeable volunteers greet them, answer their questions and guide them to available research opportunities. Working alongside our professional staff, MHAA volunteers carry on a tradition begun in 1931 by our Founders. We salute them all!

The Museum of Monterey is a subsidiary of the Monterey History and Art Association. The MHAA was founded in 1931. Our mission is to tell the stories of Monterey County in all its diversity with an emphasis on history, arts, innovation and maritime heritage.

Our goal is to be less about objects and more about the conversations the museum holds with the community. Where once it focused solely on the Peninsula’s long relationship with the sea, the Museum is expanding its scope to broaden its view,as well as its appeal, to include: History, Arts, Innovation and Maritime Activities.

In the 1800′s the Monterey Region emerged as California’s governmental, political, military, commercial, social, and cultural center.

The Monterey History and Art Association was incorporated January 19, 1931. Its purpose was to preserve the artifacts of Monterey’s historic and artistic influence. The founding members understood the power of the arts and significance of history. They included Colonel Roger Fitch, artist Miss E. Charlton Fortune, architect W.O. Raiguel, and author Laura Bride Powers, who forged the connection of these essential elements. The Merienda celebrated traditional Monterey and Spanish culture in the Sensory Garden, steps from the shores of Monterey Bay.

The Museum of Monterey, constructed as a maritime and history museum in 1992, continues this creative force of storytelling. The Allen B. Knight collection and significance of maritime history was the catalyst realized by the generosity of Virginia Young Stanton, one of the organization’s seminal visionaries and donors

Monterey continues as a leader of heritage tourism, culture, and innovation. Today, MHAA with Museum of Monterey tell these stories and stand as a center for active engagement of the creative community and visitors to our region. Our history belongs to all of us, and we invite you to learn of our history and consider the future by simply being present.