| Museum of Photographic Arts | |
| Map Type: | United States San Diego#California#USA |
| Coordinates: | 32.731°N -117.149°W |
| Location: | Casa de Balboa San Diego, California, US |
The Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) is a museum in Balboa Park in San Diego, California. First founded in 1974, MOPA opened in 1983.[1] [2] MOPA is one of three museums in the US dedicated exclusively to the collection and preservation of photography, with a mission to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film and video.[3] The museum's address is 1649 El Prado, San Diego, CA, 92101.
Arthur Ollman was the museum's first executive director.[4] Deborah Klochko is the current (2013) executive director. In March 2000, the museum re-opened to the public after a twelve-month renovation project.[2] It expanded its gallery space and added a classroom, a theater, a print viewing room and a 20,000-volume library.[3]
Over the years, MOPA has collected thousands of photographs that currently reside in the museum’s permanent collection, which includes photographs that span the history of photography.[5] It includes collections from film maker Lou Stoumen’s estate as well as the entire Nagasaki Journey: The Photographs of Yosuke Yamahata, August 10, 1945, by Yōsuke Yamahata.