Columbia Museum of Art

Columbia Museum of Art South Carolina's premier international art museum, located in the heart of downtown Columbia. Art is meant to be experienced, not just seen.

There's something for everyone at your museum. Explore these upcoming events:👶 September 2 —Gladys Gang Toddler Edition ...
08/31/2026

There's something for everyone at your museum. Explore these upcoming events:

👶 September 2 —Gladys Gang Toddler Edition | 10–11am

📚 September 2 —Evening for Educators: Body Matters | 4:30– 6:30pm

🆓 September 3—Free First Thursday | 10am–8pm

🏫 September 3—College Mixer | 5–8pm

🫀 September 3—Public Tour of Body Matters | 6–7pm

🧘 September 8—Pilates in the Galleries | 5:30–6:30pm

🫀 September 9—Frida Kahlo: In Conversation with Body Matters | 6:30–8:30pm

📸 September 10—Focal Points Tour: Richard Samuel Roberts' Columbia | 6–7pm

🫀September 12 —Public Tour of Body Matters | 11am–12pm

🚨 Don't forget this is the last week of free general admission for South Carolina residents now through September 6, so stop by, cool off, and enjoy some art!

More info at the link >>> https://www.columbiamuseum.org/events

08/30/2026

Its been a week! Let’s take some time to get comfy and relax as we take a slow look at Lucy Mingo's lovely Denim Housetop Quilt.

To make this quilt, Mingo cut and stitched strips of worn denim work clothes. The faded fabric preserves signs of repeated use, connecting the object to the people who once wore the garments.

Designed for warmth and bodily comfort, the quilt reflects how utilitarian objects can also hold personal and collective histories.

Mingo is a member of the Gee's Bend quilting community in rural Alabama. Gee's Bend quilts gained national recognition in the early 2000s for their bold improvisation and inventive use of recycled materials, often drawn from everyday domestic and work life. Mingo's work continues that tradition, transforming discarded clothing into an object shaped by history, memory, and labor.

Lucy Mingo
American, born 1931
Denim Housetop Quilt, 2002
Cotton
American Folk Art Museum
Gift of David Gordon in memory of Margaret McCormick Gordan, 2021.26.9
On view in gallery 3 of Body Matters

☀️ Free summer is almost over! SC residents get free general admission to the CMA through Sunday, September 6.🎨 Your mus...
08/28/2026

☀️ Free summer is almost over! SC residents get free general admission to the CMA through Sunday, September 6.

🎨 Your museum has a lot on view, including new featured exhibition Body Matters, and plenty of ways to explore, like scavenger hunts, kids’ totes, and sensory bags, plus hands-on activities in The Cross Hatch.

🌴 Simply show proof of residence when you check in at the Welcome Desk for free admission. Learn more at the link >>> https://bit.ly/4wBM7vm

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Undergrads, don't miss our College Mixer next week (September 3 at 5pm)! Dive into the vibrant world of art at your muse...
08/27/2026

Undergrads, don't miss our College Mixer next week (September 3 at 5pm)! Dive into the vibrant world of art at your museum and enjoy a variety of exciting activities and chances to connect and have a great time.

Foster your creative side with interactive art activities like art stations, a scavenger hunt, and collaborative playlists. Peruse the racks at the Ageless Vintage and Pannerpete Vintage pop-ups for some stylish clothing. Bop to sets from DJ Wandergirl and find new tunes to keep you going during those late-night study sessions at the Papa Jazz Record Shoppe pop-up. Get informed at tables from the Harriet Hancock Center, Richland Library, and About Face Art League. Stop by the refreshment bar for a mocktail or soda (two drink vouchers included). Also while you're here, don't forget to check out new featured exhibition Body Matters!

This event is open to all college students (be sure to bring your student ID) and young adults.

Free as part of Free First Thursday at the CMA. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program and Lexington Health.

🚨🚨! We are only one day away from new featured exhibition Body Matters, opening tomorrow (Saturday, August 22)! Don't mi...
08/21/2026

🚨🚨! We are only one day away from new featured exhibition Body Matters, opening tomorrow (Saturday, August 22)! Don't miss these fun opening day festivities:

☕ CMA members! Start your morning off with a full hour of exclusive access to Body Matters on opening day, plus an opportunity to meet new Executive Director Laura Mueller over coffee and cake.

🚪Galleries open at 10am, so everybody come explore the deep connection between craft objects and the bodies who make and use them.

🗣️ Grab your seat for the conversation between CMA Curator Sadé Ayorinde and Body Matters featured artist Judy Moonelis at 1pm.

💪 Learn more about this cool new exhibition at the link in bio.

Don't forget we're still in Free Summer at the CMA, meaning free admission for all SC residents!

Learn more and plan your visit at the link >>> https://www.columbiamuseum.org/view/body-matters

Member Morning brought to you by Nothing Bundt Cakes and Piecewise Coffee Company. Free Summer at the CMA brought to you by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Join us in one week (August 27 at 2pm) for a final tour of collection exhibition Jasper Johns: All Familiar Things, clos...
08/20/2026

Join us in one week (August 27 at 2pm) for a final tour of collection exhibition Jasper Johns: All Familiar Things, closing on August 30. Led by CMA trustee Joseph Bruce, this tour focuses on Johns’ remarkable series Four Seasons (1987), widely regarded as one of his most autobiographical works and a rare personal glimpse into an artist long known for his privacy and emotional reserve.

Free with membership, SC residency, or admission. For more info click the link >>> https://bit.ly/4wBkqBy

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.

08/19/2026

Body Matters
August 22, 2026 – January 3, 2027
Columbia Museum of Art
Columbia, South Carolina
www.columbiamuseum.org

The human body is essential to craft. This genre of art is rooted in physical labor, tactile knowledge, and material intimacy, and the resulting pieces are often intended to protect our bodies or to assist in nourishing them.

Building on that foundation, this exhibition presents works made of wood, ceramics, glass, textiles, and sweetgrass, and foregrounds their bodily resonance in terms of method of making as well as subject matter.

Find out more: https://www.columbiamuseum.org/view/body-matters

[Image: Lucy Mingo (American, b. 1931.), Denim Housetop Quilt, 2002. Cotton, 87 x 76 in. Gift of David Gorman in memory of Margaret McCormick Gordon. American Folk Art Museum 2021.26.9]

There's something for everyone at your museum. Explore these upcoming events:🔎 August 20 — Focal Points Tour: Columbia i...
08/17/2026

There's something for everyone at your museum. Explore these upcoming events:

🔎 August 20 — Focal Points Tour: Columbia in the Collection | 11am–12pm

🫀 August 22 — Body Matters Member Morning with Executive Director Laura Mueller | 9–11am

🗣️ August 22 — Body Matters Opening Discussion | 1–2pm

🎯 August 27 — Collection Spotlight: All Familiar Things | 2–3pm

🖼️ August 29 — Public Tour of Collection | 11am–12pm

🚨 Also, reminder that general admission is free for South Carolina residents through September 6, so stop by, cool off, and enjoy some art during these last few weeks of summer!

Sound on! For this Slow Look Sunday, we're listening to Winston Wingo himself (recorded during last month's artist talk)...
08/16/2026

Sound on! For this Slow Look Sunday, we're listening to Winston Wingo himself (recorded during last month's artist talk) as we take in Afro-Tech 2, featured in current exhibition Winston Wingo: Who Would We Be/Who Could We Be?

Winston Wingo
American, born 1952
Afro-Tech 2, 1996
Bronze
Courtesy of the artist
On view in Collection Gallery 11

Learn more at the link >>> https://www.columbiamuseum.org/view/winston-wingo-who-would-we-bewho-could-we-be

👀 New featured exhibition Body Matters opens in one week on Saturday, August 22, and we have some fun opening day festiv...
08/15/2026

👀 New featured exhibition Body Matters opens in one week on Saturday, August 22, and we have some fun opening day festivities for y'all!

☕ CMA members! Start your morning off with a full hour of exclusive access to Body Matters on opening day, plus an opportunity to meet new Executive Director Laura Mueller over coffee and cake.

🗣️ Everyone! Galleries open at 10am, and at 1pm, enjoy a conversation between CMA Curator Sadé Ayorinde and Body Matters featured artist Judy Moonelis. Don't forget we're still in Free Summer at the CMA, meaning free admission for all SC residents.

💪 Learn more about this cool new exhibition exploring the connection between craft and the body and snag your seat at the link >>> https://www.columbiamuseum.org/view/body-matters

Member Morning brought to you by Nothing Bundt Cakes and Piecewise Coffee Company. Free Summer at the CMA brought to you by Art Bridges Access for All program.

Address

1515 Main Street
Columbia, SC
29201

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+18037992810

Website

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