The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have signed a nonbinding letter of intent to explore a merger. If approved by the University of California Board of Regents in the fall, the museum would come under the university’s control. The announcement comes two months after OCMA’s former CEO, Heidi Zuckerman, left the institution in December.
OCMA is set to launch its 2025 California Biennial, “Desperate, Scared, But Social,” on Saturday, running through January 4. David Emmes, OCMA board chair, said in an email, “This represents a thoughtful next step in OCMA’s evolution. Partnering with UC Irvine would offer new opportunities to strengthen our mission, expand educational impact, and position the museum as a lasting and dynamic cultural anchor for the region.”
The $93-million, 53,000-square-foot OCMA building debuted in October 2022 as part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
Museum plans merger with UC Irvine
Admission for the first decade of operation was made free thanks to a donation from Newport Beach’s Lugano Diamonds. OCMA’s contemporary collection has a broader scope than UC Irvine’s focus on California art, including early 20th-century California Impressionism.
If the merger happens, UC Irvine’s planned new museum on its campus would instead be integrated into OCMA. UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman said in an email, “OCMA has long contributed to the cultural vibrancy of our region, and UC Irvine is honored to explore this promising partnership. As a university committed to discovery, creativity, and public service, we see great potential in combining our strengths to expand access to the arts, deepen engagement with California’s artistic legacy, and support new generations of creators and scholars.”
The University of California Board of Regents will vote on the merger in the fall.
Meanwhile, both OCMA and UC Irvine are figuring out the logistics of this collaboration. The merger would bring together OCMA’s collection of over 4,600 works with UC Irvine’s Langson Institute and Museum of California Art’s holdings of over 4,500 pieces, both focused on art made in or inspired by California.
