MOCA Grand Avenue is the primary location for a museum with two venues—downtown Los Angeles and Little Tokyo (Geffen Contemporary at MOCA)—and Michael Heizer’s land art, Double Negative, located in the Nevada desert.
Always free, the MOCA Grand Avenue location has a vast collection of its permanent collection on display, focused on contemporary artists whose most significant works were made between 1940 and 1980. The museum is also known for its thought-provoking and socially ground-breaking special exhibits, which require a ticket for a fee. All tickets, whether gratis or for a fee, require advanced reservations for timed entry.
Thanks to a generous gift from arts philanthropist Carolyn Clark Powers, general admission to MOCA is free.
Reservations for advanced, timed-entry tickets are required by all visitors, including members, and are released online every two weeks on Tuesday at noon.
MOCA Grand Avenue contains the museum's main gift shop and Lemonade, a restaurant serving fast-casual Californian fare.
While food, drinks, backpacks, and large bags must be left in the free bag check area, you can bring a camera (for use without flash) and a pencil and paper for sketching in the galleries.
MOCA Grand Avenue is a block from Walt Disney Hall and the Broad Museum on Grand Avenue in downtown LA. Several freeways connect to downtown, including I-10, Highway 101, I-5, and I-110. While street and garage parking are available, the Metro may be your best transportation option. You can use Metro.net's “Trip Planner” function to find your route.
If you enjoy quiet museums, morning is the best time to arrive, before the bustle of later crowds. The museum opens at 11 am. Exhibits are frequently changed out, and when planning your visit, be sure that any current exhibit you intend to see is being shown at the building you are headed to, as there are other museum locations in nearby Little Tokyo.
Visitors can enjoy free Talking Tours at the museum each month, held on Thursday evening at 5:30 pm and the following Saturday at 2 pm. These are meant to expand visitor appreciation and understanding of contemporary art and dive deeper into works on view. Each talk is led by Olivia Leiter, an educator and artist working in video, writing, and installation. Check the MOCA Grand Avenue website for specific dates.
