Columbia Museum of Art

Columbia Museum of Art Celebrating 75 years of being South Carolina's premier international art museum. Located in the heart of downtown Columbia.

Art is meant to be experienced, not just seen.

On July 23, join us for a special lecture from South Carolina artist Winston Wingo! Since the 1970s, Wingo has examined ...
06/23/2026

On July 23, join us for a special lecture from South Carolina artist Winston Wingo!

Since the 1970s, Wingo has examined the relationships between technology, identity, and society through representations of Black figures. His recent work, on view in collection exhibition Winston Wingo: Who Would We Be/Who Could We Be?, engages questions around artificial intelligence and humanity’s evolving relationship to technological advancements.

Info and registration at >> https://bit.ly/4aiycB0

😎 Summer camp snapshots! This season's youthful art enthusiasts are having a blast, and we're so enjoying having them he...
06/18/2026

😎 Summer camp snapshots! This season's youthful art enthusiasts are having a blast, and we're so enjoying having them here and seeing their creativity and friendships grow.

🎨 A lot of camps have reached capacity, but there is still time and space to get your young artist into some fun summer activities at your CMA, including:

🥸 June 22–26: Making Faces [Ages 4–6]

💍 July 6–10: Jewelry Design Lab [Teens]

🫆 July 13–17: Print Explorers [Ages 7–9]

👗 July 20–24: Project Funway [Ages 10–12]

For more info on summer camps, click the link >>> https://bit.ly/4aqG3g3

Now on view at the CMA! Commissioned in honor of former executive director Della Watkins, Extend Brace Expand is a large...
06/16/2026

Now on view at the CMA! Commissioned in honor of former executive director Della Watkins, Extend Brace Expand is a large, energetic painting created by artist Paul Yanko.

Installed above the grand staircase in the museum’s lobby and measuring six feet high and nine feet wide, this outsized artwork is a rhythmic pattern of complex interlocking geometries consisting of acrylic paint and collaged canvas. For the artist, the paint’s rich surface relates to the accumulation of personal experience, from the old brick buildings he observed growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, to the vivid colors that decorated his mother’s kindergarten classroom.

See it for yourself today! Plan your visit >>> https://bit.ly/4eo3AiN

Paul Yanko
American, born 1968
Extend Brace Expand, 2026
Acrylic and collage on canvas
Museum purchase in honor of Della Watkins
Image 2: Courtesy of Hampton III Gallery LTD.

Art, music, conversation, and more. There's something for everyone at your museum. Explore these upcoming events: ☕️ Jun...
06/15/2026

Art, music, conversation, and more. There's something for everyone at your museum. Explore these upcoming events:

☕️ June 17 — Morning Blend: A Jazz, Soul, and Coffee Series | 7:30–10:30am

👶 June 17 — Gladys’ Gang Preschool Edition: Let It Shine | 10–11am

🖼️ June 18 — Focal Points Tour: Audrey Flack’s Passion for Art | 11am–12pm

🗣️ June 18 — Panel Discussion: Truth in Abstraction | 6–7:45pm

🆓 June 19 — Juneteenth at the CMA | 10am–5pm

🖼️ June 19 — Public Tour of Rodney McMillian: A Son of the Soil | 10–10:45am

🖼️ June 19 — Cultural Layers: Conversations on Public Art and Community | 11–12:30pm

👶 June 20 — Stroller Tour of Rodney McMillian: A Son of the Soil | 10:30–11:30am

🖼️ June 21 — Public Tour of Collection Galleries | 1–2pm

☕️ June 24 — Morning Blend: A Jazz, Soul, and Coffee Series | 7:30–10:30am

🖼️ June 28 — Final Day of Rodney McMillian: A Son of the Soil | 12–5pm

More info at the link >>> https://bit.ly/44aOmJ6

🚨 There are only 2 weeks remaining to experience the CMA-exclusive exhibition Rodney McMillian: A Son of the Soil!Drawin...
06/14/2026

🚨 There are only 2 weeks remaining to experience the CMA-exclusive exhibition Rodney McMillian: A Son of the Soil!

Drawing on diverse cultural sources ranging from science fiction to political speeches, McMillian registers the complexity of a nation and its multifarious systems. He employs post-consumer objects, such as thrifted bedding and discarded furniture, in an extended meditation on class and domesticity. In the artist’s hands, these materials assume new life, registering experience in tears and stains that bear the weight of history. McMillian's work resonates powerfully in a Southern context, provoking further inquiry into Black citizenship and the continuing presence of historical currents.

Don’t miss your chance to experience this powerful exhibition before it closes on June 28. For more info click the link >>> https://bit.ly/ASonOfTheSoil

Now on view at the CMA, Pat Steir: Gravity Makes the Image is a presentation of the artist's work drawn from the CMA Col...
06/12/2026

Now on view at the CMA, Pat Steir: Gravity Makes the Image is a presentation of the artist's work drawn from the CMA Collection and shown on the occasion of her recent passing. The paintings on view reflect Steir’s innovative techniques; conceptually, they register spiritual underpinnings present in nature. In pared down compositions emphasizing color and evoking the fluidity of water, the artist strikes a lyrical balance between emptiness and form.

Pat Steir merged the formal breakthroughs of postwar abstraction — utilizing drips, pours, and expressive paint handling — in a uniquely meditative style. She arrived at her most well-known process in the 1980s when she initiated the Waterfall series, flinging thinned paint onto vertical canvas and allowing it to drip freely. This practice navigated the painterly tension between controlled movements and chance. Speaking of her methods, she once explained, “The paint itself makes the picture…Gravity makes the image.”

For more information click the link >>>https://bit.ly/4eCIcrd

Image:
Pat Steir
American, 1938–2026
Snow Ghost, c. 2006
Oil on canvas
Gift of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel
CMA 2012.3.564

The CMA is honored to be nominated in this year's Free Times Best of Columbia awards!🎨 Best Art Gallery🏛️ Best Local or ...
06/11/2026

The CMA is honored to be nominated in this year's Free Times Best of Columbia awards!

🎨 Best Art Gallery
🏛️ Best Local or Regional Museum

Voting is open now through June 26, so if the CMA has inspired, surprised, or connected you with art this year, we'd love your support.

Vote for your favorite local artists, cultural organizations, restaurants, and more. Cast your vote>> https://bit.ly/4emyBDJ

Check out the latest updates in The Cross Hatch! Show off your artistic skills by drawing, coloring, and sketching your ...
06/09/2026

Check out the latest updates in The Cross Hatch! Show off your artistic skills by drawing, coloring, and sketching your next creation and showcasing it in the Cross Hatch Gallery. Let us know how you would curate the museum with our Be the Curator Station, and be the one to decide what is and isn't art.

The Cross Hatch is free to all SC residents all summer long thanks to the Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program. Enjoy these activities and more the next time you stop by the CMA.

On June 12 at 6pm, head to your museum for this year’s Friends of African American Art & Culture annual meeting, an even...
06/05/2026

On June 12 at 6pm, head to your museum for this year’s Friends of African American Art & Culture annual meeting, an evening of elegance, culture, and connection inspired by the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. An affinity group of the CMA, FAAAC is dedicated to championing Black art, artists, and cultural expression through exhibitions, educational initiatives, and community-centered programming.

The year's event features captivating live music from New York-based jazz duo Acute Inflections, known for their sophisticated blend of jazz, R&B, and soulful storytelling. Guests are invited to dress to impress in Harlem Renaissance-inspired attire, enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres along with wine and spirits, and take part in this celebration of Black culture, creativity, and community.

Learn more at the link >>> https://bit.ly/4ug3FL2

What is the relationship between politics and abstract art? Although abstraction is often seen as neutral or apolitical,...
06/04/2026

What is the relationship between politics and abstract art? Although abstraction is often seen as neutral or apolitical, Rodney McMillian's art — on view in featured exhibition Rodney McMillian: A Son of the Soil — engages politics of body, material, and history.

Join us on Thursday, June 18, at 6pm for Panel Discussion: Truth in Abstraction. This program brings together artist Michaela Pilar Brown, art historian Dr. Frank Martin, and CMA Senior Curator Michael Neumeister for a conversation on the political dimensions of abstract art. The panelists address abstraction’s potential as a political language for social commentary, McMillian's work in relation to the genre’s histories, and the historic experience of Black artists working in abstraction.

Learn more and secure your seat at the link https://bit.ly/3ROMgvJ

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

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