Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive

Wonderfully generous spaces; interesting exhibits; delicious options in the cafè. Exhibits are well-curated, and include both temporary exhibits and themed exhibits drawn from the permanent collection. Recommend you plan a several-hours visit to include a tea and pastry rest stop!

What a terrible gallery🤯 The staff in blue uniforms seemed so bored that they kept looking for excuses to nitpick and talk to you. Can you believe they told us to put away the cup in the stroller’s cup holder, even though it was just a water bottle with a straw and we never even drank from it? Absolutely ridiculous. And simply pointing at a painting (without touching it at all) also got us warned not to ‘touch’ the artwork. The staff really seem to enjoy finding faults, maybe because they’ve been standing there too long and are just bored. But the lady in the gift shop was very kind. The two stars are for her.

Awesome museum! Second visit and we enjoyed it both times. One of the most comfortable museums, as it has a seating area for you to lounge, stretch out and just pause. Highly recommend!

Totally worth checking out. Free if you are Berkeley student. Great collection of changing exhibits locally rooted and relevant. Helpful guides and resource people. Must visit if you are visiting. Weekly film screenings as well

The building alone is worth a visit, beautifully designed with great natural light throughout. Collection inside covers a really impressive range and the rotating exhibitions are consistently well curated.

The entrance fee is $14 but there are a lot of discounted and free categories. They also have a coat check service available. The museum is manageable, you would be able to cover all exhibitions in a short time. The wall texts sometimes provide a lot of information but sometimes they don't which is a shame because many of the well described wall text helps me understand the materials, concepts and artist interpretation. Generally the exhibition is curated well too. The gift store is small but has a lot of fun things to buy.

Visited BAMPFA for the first time and was truly impressed by the exhibits. "Routed West" featured an incredible quilt collection that highlighted the history of quilts in California, particularly among African Americans. I was also captivated by "Lee ShinJa: Drawing with Thread," which showcased the artist’s bold innovations in fiber art. It’s astonishing how she created such intricate pieces over five decades, with remarkable attention to detail. Additionally, "Matrix 287," an exhibit in one of the halls, presented anthropomorphic assemblages with fused prostheses that challenge standardized body expectations. Be sure not to miss the Art Wall at the entrance, which features impressive work by artist Stephanie Syjuco in a modern setting. You will definitely enjoy the exhibits if you’re into art and history. Definitely give it a visit if you’re around. Exhibits can be seen in an hour time.

A good museum for contemporary art. It's big but with a lot of hopeful empty space. It didn't take me that long to finish the displays. The art is beautiful but it needs bigger names to generate more appeal to the masses. Maybe they should reduce the $14 admission fee or just make it a free entry museum. Their gift shop is nice, go check it out. There's a cafeteria but it was closed the day I was there. It's better to get there on public transportation than to hunt for parking spaces. Have a meal after the visit at one of the many nice restaurants nearby.