The University of California, Irvine has finalized its acquisition of the Orange County Museum of Art, forming a new institution called the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art. This merger brings together more than 9,000 works of art and aims to enhance public access, scholarship, and cultural engagement in the region.
Chancellor Howard Gillman stated, “UC Irvine is committed to ensuring that the region benefits from a world-class art museum that enriches the cultural fabric of Orange County, advances groundbreaking scholarship, nurtures the next generation of creators and thinkers, and inspires curiosity and connection across diverse audiences.”
The unified museum’s name recognizes OCMA’s legacy while highlighting UC Irvine’s academic mission and honoring Jack and Shanaz Langson for their support. The acquisition includes OCMA’s 53,000-square-foot facility at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. Since opening in 2022, this site has become a destination for contemporary art enthusiasts nationwide. It will now also display UC Irvine’s Gerald Buck Collection and Irvine Museum Collection.
The Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art will continue operating at its Von Karman Avenue location in Irvine as part of UC Irvine’s academic mission. Both institutions will maintain their planned programming through 2026 under a single identity. A transitional website landing page will direct visitors to both museums’ resources.
As part of this transition, OCMA staff have joined UC Irvine as employees. The university is conducting a national search for an executive director to lead the newly formed museum.
The merged collections include historic works tracing California’s natural environment and artistic development from the 19th century onward. Landmark holdings feature artists such as John Baldessari, Joan Brown, Ruth Asawa, Richard Diebenkorn, Catherine Opie, Charles Ray, Ed Ruscha, Andrea Bowers, Rodney McMillian, Sterling Ruby, Hank Willis Thomas and others connected with exhibitions like the California Biennial since 1984.
UC Irvine-affiliated artists are also represented in depth within the collection—such as Chris Burden, Vija Celmins, Robert Irwin and James Turrell—strengthening ties between campus programs and museum activities. Recent acquisitions expand representation with works by Judy Baca, Carlos Almaraz and Shirin Neshat among others.
The new entity aims to broaden community access through shuttle services between campuses for students and staff; it reports over five million annual website visits across both institutions; student-curated exhibitions; internships; partnerships with K-12 schools reaching nearly 5,000 students annually (most from Title I schools); along with ongoing public programming.
Facilities include:
– The Costa Mesa site: A 53,000-square-foot building designed by Morphosis Architects at 3333 Avenue of the Arts featuring exhibitions (“2025 California Biennial: Desperate Scared But Social,” “Yoshitomo Nara: I Don’t Want to Grow Up,” “Cynthia Daignault: Light Atlas,” “13 Women: Variation VI”), open Wednesday-Sunday.
– The Irvine site: A 6,000-square-foot facility near campus at 18881 Von Karman Ave., Suite 100 hosting exhibitions (“Habitat: Making the California Environment,” “Meditative Mind: Reflections in Stillness”), open Tuesday-Saturday.
Both locations offer educational programs alongside regular exhibitions as they move forward under unified leadership.
