Can I say this museum is my favorite museum so far in San Diego? I didn’t plan to visit here today but it was at museum month when I just walked by, I decided to have a look. I got a half price ticket because of the museum month. The exhibition is amazing! I really love how the curators curated all the folk craft arts from all over the world. I can see the arts are very different in their own cultural ways based on their history and location, but also kinda connected in someway based on the whole human beings’ cultural development. I love to see how folk arts influence and reflect our society.

Weird and unique would be a good way of describing this place. Whole I do appreciate some contemporary art, some of this just makes me question what contemporary art means. While it does evouque some emotions, I'm not sure they're good emotions. If you are into bizarre or benign items, this may be the place for you.

A beautiful Museum space with marvelous exhibits. However, be warned -- The museum is closing in September for an entire year. Oh dear! We now feel sorry that we had not visited sooner and seen some of the earlier special exhibitions. Presumably when it reopens it will be be better than ever.

I was here two weeks. I didn't go upstairs to the actual museum but the bottom was very fascinating. The coffee shop was very relaxing for an early breakfast. There is plenty to see. I enjoyed glueing paper-mache to a donkey looking piñata. Huge peace and Love hands will be the best photo background. Hope to visit soon.

This is a fascinating museum. We have visited twice, and both times been amazed at exhibits. Paper art from Japan was pretty astounding, but in particular paper "lace" with amazing detail. The museum's restaurant was equally fabulous, with meals from many cultures. The board room features a long wood table and chairs that reflect the artistry of woodworking. This place is a visual treat and should not be missed if strolling Balboa Park. Wheelchair access was quite straightforward as well.

There’s limited gallery space, but overall, it was a lovely experience. There’s a diverse collection of folk art, mostly from Japan, but also some pieces from many other countries like Myanmar, India, Ethiopia, and Mexico. The terraces on the second level were an expected discovery. You get a unique view of the park. The art library is closed Sundays, otherwise, I would have liked to explore that too. I spent about 45 minutes there. The new cafe on the first level is a really great. The menu is pretty large for a small cafe. I didn’t order any beverages, but purchased the lavender shortbread cookie, brownie, and ham & cheese croissant. I can’t wait to enjoy these treats at home.

I was lucky enough to take a tour with the current CEO. It's been totally remodeled and looks amazing. The bottom floor is the restaurant, gift shop and the education classroom hiding in the back. That whole which I find amazing. The second floor is the exhibit area. They were doing exhibit installation so there wasn't that much to look at while I was there, but there is also a library you can access that is really beautiful. Also if you purchase access to the exhibits, the balconies on that second floor are stunning.

They just redid the Mingei. Very beautiful, wish it was bigger.

I hadn't been to Mingei in some time and it was a pleasure to visit again. Lots to see. I really need more than a day to take everything in!

We have been patiently waiting for the Mingei to finally reopen after the extensive remodel- and the wait was worth it. It is beyond words. Go now while it is still free admission!

A stand out in a park of great museums. Thr permanent collection is great, and the special exhibits always provide thoughtful and engaging insight into the artist or culture featured.

Small museum, beautifully renovated just recently. Gift shop has cute items and the coffee shop is open to the public. Hope the cafe is able to open soon. Check out the two-story volume topped with art glass.

Love this museum. The upstairs gallery/exhibition is full of interesting items. My favorite was the pearl horse and mermaid feeding trough and, although not an exhibition item, the most fascinating was the stairway chandelier. It’s a work of art!

Such a beautiful space! The library is incredible. So many fun exhibits.

The Admission: $10 for adult. Dynamic exhibitions of art of the world and art of the people. Now the exhibit is about traditional dolls and toys of Japan and African bead and adornment. Very interesting! There is a coffee shop next door and a few tables in front of the shop. Perfect place to take a break after visiting the museum.

This museum has intricate statues, cultural items, tapestries, and other art. There's also a library and a balcony. The ground floor is free and features items from different parts of the world. There's a cafe, gift shop, and restaurant too. Also, this museum has a free coat check and unisex restrooms. You can purchase a Balboa Park explorer pass to visit this and other museums at a discount.

We visited this museum on one of their Free Tuesdays. It's a nice museum and the current exhibit was on weavings from around the world. It's a small museum like the rest of the museums in Balboa Park. There were a few docents scattered around the museum that afternoon and they were so nice. They offered insights into the different pieces and made our visit even richer. They even have a beautiful Dale Chihuly piece suspended over the stairs to the upper level. There are two nice terraces upstairs with beautiful views of Balboa Park.

The first floor is free and has beautiful art. They also have a great gender neutral bathroom with individual stalls that have their own sinks.

I was invited to a private event in the building after hours. OMG... where have I been? The space is beautiful, the art and displays are.robust colorful, and wonderful. I toured every event space falling in love with the theater and the terrace! Go, enjoy this hidden gem. And if you are seeking a location for a party or large event CALL SUE!!

The Mingei lives up to its reputation as a contemporary museum. Each time I have visited the exhibits are fresh and relevant. There was a particularly poignant display of needlework pieces done by refugees. It was moving and very worthwhile to see.

The museum showcases a number interesting exhibits. Definitely recommend going there.

Now that it is opened it is a great way to spend a few hours and look at all the folk art. They even have a small lunch space that you can get some food to go. In the next few months they are going to open dining with service inside.

Beautiful new remodeling! New patio and cafe, balcony and restaurant on the way

I've been visiting San Diego museums all week and I have to say that this one was one of my favorites. They have a beautiful collection of hand crafted pieces that are full of fine details. What I appreciated most is how I enjoyed pretty much everything they had on display. A lot of museums I've been to were dull or only had a few cool things to look at. The curators here have great taste and I was fascinated by the variety of art this museum had offer. Downstairs had Japanese signs that are supposed to be a visual representation of the service offered (a tobacco shop sign was a giant pipe). The room next to that had some Indonesian shadow puppets on display and the amount of detail on each piece was mind-blowing. Upstairs had some nice saddles and jewelry pieces. The most stunning piece was this giant wall covered in super detailed tiles made of metal. This museum is enjoyably quiet and full of beautiful art. Definitely worth a visit.

My favorite museum in San Diego. The museum's collection includes hand crafted items from around the world. Most of museum space is used for rotating exhibits and so you'll never know what you're going to see. See American crafts such as quilts, furniture, and pottery. Don't miss the amazing Chihuly in the main stairway.

The newly renovated Mengei Museum is a great addition to the Balboa Park experience. The first floor is open to the public with the gift shop, cafe, and a display area. Most of the exhibit space is on the second floor. There is also a new outdoor patio area that overlooks the plaza. Look for the best bathrooms in Balboa Park.

Great 1st visit to completely updated museum. My 6 yr old granddaughter loved it and read every label. The layout, the artwork, the mixture always all amazing. We also loved the new Cafe. Now that I have annual membership (a bargain), we will be back soon!

Okay, the temporary exhibits for this rotation were very appealing to your visual sense and your humanity as a person. The student produced art was inspiring.

Top notch experience. Be sure to go outside and around to the back. There you will see the work of Niki de Saint Phalle! “The Poet and His Muse” is gorgeous.

Amazing! Went this past Monday to see their exhibition on Piñatas. Was honestly one of the most engaging and captivating exhibitions I've seen in a long time. Just to show, I've uploaded some of my favorite displays I captured during my visit. Please note that the second floor where the piñatas are at requires an entry fee. It's worth every penny, I'll say.

Lots of interesting items but a lot of them were pretty boring or commonplace. Lacks cohesiveness. But i do like the chandelier and the Tibetan painting

Recently reopened folk art museum with great gift shop and soon a restaurant!

I paid 15€ for louvre ticket and here is nothing for 15$:) sorry but it doesn’t worth it.

It's a very cool museum it has all the indigenous art from all around the world handmade Mass statues and that beautiful chandelier that you see in the picture cost $10 to get in if you have any kind of a military ID or discount.

I am so happy this location is open again. The cafe next door is amazing, the gift shop has some great find (albeit a little pricey) and the meusem itself is absolutely beautiful. By far one of the most beautiful and aesthetically pleasing places you'll find. I love that it's both a private curated collection and comprised of many home made pieces with every day items and by crafty artisans. It makes it very accessible and inspiring.

(Translated by Google) Changing exhibitions, but not too big and getting used to art (Original) Wechselnde Ausstellungen, jedoch nicht allzu groß und gewöhnungsbedürftige Kunst

I think the musuem had a reopening sometime last year or within the last 6 months after a long hiatus and remodel. I remember them closing long before the pandemic. Most of the collection of Asian artifacts were moved to the Art Museum. The musuem now focuses on ethnic wares and whimsical art from the past and near-present. Post-remodel, the Mingei now features a swanky restaurant center stage on the first floor, which is open to guests free of charge. There is also a beautiful reference library full of arts and culture books patrons can peruse as they like. The gift is still there, offering wordly goods for all budgets. The space feels modern and industrial and even the adjacent, more affordable cafe has been upgraded from before. The butterfly flower lemonade has a tangy syrup that's perfect for a hot day.

Mingei is a great museum and I have been a member for over 20 years. I enjoy the art here. Now I find that the recent renovation has spruced up the place with a fancy restaurant, large muse shop etc. But the area for art seems smaller than before. The restaurant is excellent and I love the international cuisine nights. The cocktails are scintillating. I was there for a DJ night recently advertised as "crafts cocktails and tunes ". It was an awful evening in a cramped space. And the tickets were expensive for 1 cocktail and popcorn and some sort of music with no place to sit.

Small museum that has a few exhibits downstairs free to view, while upstairs requires paid admission. Free for military. I really liked the folklore figurines and hats made of paperbags. The show areas aren't very large and it took probably 45 minutes to get through it at a slow leisurely pace. I suggest checking on their website what exhibit is currently showing to determine if it's worth attending.

The Mingei Museum at Balboa Park has a few exhibits that can be viewed for free on the ground floor, while the upper floor requires paid admission. Military personnel can visit for free. The museum has a nice collection of folklore figurines and hats made of paper bags. The exhibit areas are not very large, so it's possible to see everything at a leisurely pace. It's a good idea to check the museum's website to see what exhibits are currently on display to determine if it's worth visiting.

its beautiful that we can see all the things you have

Very interesting place. Also I either increased or decreased the value of one art piece XD

Great!

A must !

Very good curate collection.

Dont remember

Still under reconstruction byr coffee shop is open

Sadly CLOSED due to renovation until Fall 2020

It's such a cute Instagram-able museum! My personal favorite is the bubble illusion and mountain illusion. My family and I all checked in on Google so we were able to get $5 off our admission ticket. $20 is a bit much, but it's worth checking out once. I was able to walk through the whole exhibit within 30 minutes.Street parking is free after 8pm (m-th). Plenty of structures nearby.

Super interesting . I love the place

What a wonderful way to celebrate Downtown Los Angeles' art community. This is a monthly event (downtownartwalk.com) that pops off every second Thursday of the month. From noon to evening, the galleries of Downtown Los Angeles opens for the public - free of charge. I warn you to read street signs carefully and to make sure you can park there to avoid costly tickets.

Great museum. Not your typical art, but well worth the visit. Unfortunately it will be closed through the summer of 2019 for renovations. I cannot wait till it reopens.

Pretty good. Closed right now though so don't count on going there.

Too bad! Currently closed for renovation till 2020!

Founded in 1978 by San Diego State University Professor of Art Martha Longenecker, Mingei International Museum collects, conserves, and exhibits arts of daily use by anonymous craftsmen of ancient times, from traditional cultures of past and present, and by historical and contemporary designers. Longenecker studied the art of pottery-making in Japan, becoming acquainted with and learning from the founders of the Mingei Association of Japan, which inspired her to bring the vision of mingei to America. Mingei means “art of the people,” and was coined by Japanese philosopher Soetsu Yanagi when he discovered the beauty of the Korean Yi dynasty pottery, which was largely taken for granted due to its abundance. Yanagi started collecting lots of Korean and Japanese pots and crafts, writing about them and displaying them in the first mingei museums, so that people could see truth and beauty in these anonymous objects. The Mingei International Museum has shared over 183 exhibitions in its years, covering a diverse range of cultures, themes, and media.

Interesting place to find great pieces of art. Love the ambiance and friendly people here.

Cool place to bring the family. Saturday was really fun and we got to see a Rembrandt. This painting is not the Rembrandt. This painting is a scene where Jesus was healing the blind.

Really different. Great curating and descriptions give excellent background information. Beautiful pieces when we were there. Great museum shop with so many beautiful items. I'm coming back to buy unique gifts.

Small but high quality and free. Some very nice pieces.

Amazing collections

Sensational, thoughtful exhibits. Excellent gift shop. Will be closing soon for gallery exansion.

One of the best museums. Such unique collections

Amazing collections

Cool

Closing soon... Get in there ASAP!

Always has thought provoking exhibits. We visit every time we're in San Diego. Their gift store is moving to a location within an art community organized by the city in an old military compound. It's packed with art, and artists Liberty Station.

For the week of art gallery with my family, so on every 3rd Sunday of the month it is $5.00 for all family. This is a great place for family , date, I love it. Tuesday some of many museum are free also.

(Translated by Google) Very nice (Original) Molto carino

On this place the entrance is free. There's interesting things to see.

Closed for reno

Wow)))

Nice staff and great exhibits! Been in several times always enjoyed whatever they are showing

I love this museum before!

Love this place

Closed for renovations as of 2/19