USC Pacific Asia Museum

Map

What visitors say

• Happy★★★★★

  Pasadena has some of the best bakeries did you know it has two of the best museums as well? Yeah, I didn’t think so. it has a little atrium courtyard where you can just chill there with coffee and pastries. Once you enter, it’s a journey from room to room of the exhibitions they have. It’s a story …a visual metamorphosis.

  2 weeks ago

• Isaac Capp★★★★★

  The art and artifacts in this museum are incredible, but the whole exhibit was tainted for me by the egregious use of generative AI on the part of the curators. It is a real insult to the human stories that this museum is built upon, I was very dissapointed. Next time, hire more real human asian artists and writers.

  3 months ago

• Deirdre Ruth Murano★★★★★

  I wasn't happy because I had planned to go to this museum for a long time and had often looked at the website. I even emailed at one point to ask if I needed to get tickets in advance. They responded promptly, but never mentioned that the galleries would be closed in August. I didn't discover the closure until I'd driven all the way to Pasadena. When I complained that the closure wasn't on the website, they pointed out that it was there if you click all the way through to "visit" and read the description. Anyway, the building and the courtyard are cool. Five months later I finally got in! The current exhibit “Mythical Creatures: The Stories We Carry” (until September 6, 2026) is fabulous. It includes pieces from the permanent collection (still not open) and contemporary pieces. The tour guide is "Uncle." Don't skip what he has to say about the impact of each mythical creature: his words are poetic and a key part of the experience. There was one piece that I found confusing, if not disturbing. I had just been to the Monuments exhibit at the Geffen the day before: one of the pieces there was a life-sized version of the orange Dodge Charger named The General Lee on its nose, smashed straight into the ground. I was surprised to see The General Lee at PAM: the piece in question has an image on both sides of sheer silk, on one side The General Lee, directly opposite, the Lunar New Year Dragon Dance. I really do not understand the artist's intent and find it difficult to give them the benefit of the doubt. Practicalities: Although PAM has free parking on site, the parking lot was taken up with preparations for Lunar New Year when I was there, so I had to park in a garage a few blocks ago. Tasty food was just around the corner from the museum. The gift store was nice although it lacked pens (my favorite) and cards of the artwork on view.

  5 months ago

• Dut Kasilag★★★★★

  Quaint Museum in the heart of Pasadena!!! Very accessible and they have a good sized parking lot north of the building and the entrance is on Los Robles. Now to the exhibits; although limited, they are beautifully curated. Think about a smaller version of the big museums although they’re featuring only the “bigger” countries in Asia. Currently, there is a special exhibit about “Dismantling Orientalism” which about presenting the Orient not from the stereotypical eyes of the West which I believe presents a fresher and more accurate take on the subject. I’d like to affirm and thank Grace Nicholson for her vision in making this place available to all. Plan to spend an hour before hitting the dining spots in the area. I also recommend spending a few minutes in their garden and appreciate the architecture.

  3 years ago

• Mary Cheung★★★★★

  Terrific selection of art and divided up by regions for the permanent collection. I really appreciate the hands on and interactive exhibits as well. Beautiful courtyard area and plenty of parking. Very pleasantly surprised by the quality of art in the newer collections. Attaching some of my favorite pieces of art I saw there. There is a free entry day each month. I think it's the second Sunday. Their gift shop had a really nice selection of goods.

  3 years ago

Reviews from Google · See more on Google Maps

Nearby places