Year in review: The biggest San Diego visual art stories of 2025

How lucky are we to get to live in a region with a bustling visual arts scene? From countless galleries to dozens of museums big and small, San Diego County’s visual arts palette is a sight to behold — vibrant and colorful, diverse and relevant.

That was all evident in 2025, with some institutions hitting major milestones and others mounting notable exhibitions. Here are some of the biggest news of the past year in the visual arts space.

San Diego International Airport

To say 2025 was a big year for the airport would be an understatement. It was a humongous year, with the opening of the long-awaited new Terminal 1 in September. The new, $3.8 billion terminal made a splashy debut in many ways, but most importantly for art lovers, it unveiled six commissioned works of art, a new art gallery and several pieces from the old Terminal 1. Months earlier, it launched a temporary exhibition at Terminal 2 called “Mirror Mirror,” which features artworks by 16 artists from San Diego, Tijuana and Los Angeles. Big year indeed.

Murals of La Jolla

Since 2010, Murals of La Jolla has put public art front and center in La Jolla. Run under the auspices of the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, it has become one of the most high profile public art programs in San Diego County. In September, it reached an important milestone with the installation of its 50th mural, “Prototypes for Billboards at A-Z West” by Andrea Zittel,” which can be found at a key intersection connecting La Jolla and Bird Rock. Taylor Chapin said: “Reaching our 50th mural is both thrilling and deeply meaningful for us. When the project began in 2010, I don’t think anyone could have imagined that we’d one day reach this milestone. … Fifteen years later, we’ve worked with some of the most influential artists of our time to create a continually evolving, open-air exhibition that is free and accessible to all.”

Oceanside Museum of Art and California Surf Museum

These two San Diego County museums not only decided to lean hard into the SoCal surfing culture, they decided to do it together. For the first time in their respective histories, the two North County museums formed a partnership, mounting the dual-venue “Surf Art: Exploring Southern California’s Coastal Culture,” on display through Feb. 1 at both museums. Katie Dolgov, the director of exhibitions and collections at the Oceanside Museum of Art, said: “We hope viewers leave with … a deeper understanding of how surf culture is a rich, evolving cultural force that shapes identity, community and creative expression in California and beyond.”

Mingei International Museum

One of the most stunning exhibitions of the year put the spotlight on Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has a long history dating back to 1531, tied to four apparitions of the Virgin Mary to a peasant in Mexico. The exhibition, titled “Fashioning an Icon: Virgin of Guadalupe Imagery in Textile Design,” looked into how creative expression through wearable objects has made — or rather, fashioned — the Virgin of Guadalupe into the icon she is today,” said Ariana Torres, assistant curator at the museum. Torres, in a smart move, incorporated the work of local artists into the ultra colorful exhibit.

Comic-Con Museum

On the other side of Balboa Park, San Diego County cartoonist Greg Evans got his own Comic-Con Museum exhibit featuring his famous comic character Luann. The show, titled “Growing Up Luann: 40 Years of Comics,” showcased the San Marcos artist’s long-running comic strip, which was inspired by his real-life daughter Karen. “Luann” was launched March 17, 1985, and is now carried by more than 330 newspapers. There are no plans to slow down. Greg Evans said the 40-year run has been an amazing ride. “I count my blessings for what we have,” he said. “Anything else on top of that would be gravy.”

Coronado Museum of History and Art

If you’re a history buff, the Coronado Museum of History and Art’s summer exhibition was a gift from the history gods. Run under the auspices of the Coronado Historical Association, the museum opened an exhibit that dived deep into the Hotel del Coronado’s rich history and how that history has shaped the resort city by the sea. Christine Stokes, executive director and curator of the Coronado Historical Association, said she hoped the exhibit helped “guests gain a deeper appreciation for the Del’s significance and the importance of preserving places that tell our shared stories.”

Navy SEAL Museum

The Navy SEAL Museum opened in early October, moving into the space previously occupied by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s downtown campus. The museum — which opened with help from the Navy and veterans — tells “a story that dates back to World War II when underwater demolition teams destroyed obstructions that posed a threat to amphibious troops,” according to the Union-Tribune’s coverage of opening day. The museum on Kettner Boulevard is the second location for the original Navy SEAL Museum, which opened in 1985 in Fort Pierce, Fla.

San Diego Museum of Art

The San Diego Museum of Art didn’t even think twice about it when it had the opportunity to showcase some of Eduardo Chillida’s monumental works. “Eduardo Chillida: Convergence,” on view at the Balboa Park museum through Feb. 8, features more than 85 pieces by the famed Spanish sculptor. The exhibition is the biggest assemblage of the artist’s work in North America in nearly half a century. “With this exhibition, we’re reintroducing Chillida to U.S. audiences — he is one of the most celebrated artists in Europe and Latin America — showing how his work joins material, nature and his lifelong explorations of philosophy, music and architecture,” said SDMA’S Associate Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art, Rachel Jans.

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

It’s been a busy last couple of years at MCASD. After it closed its downtown location in 2024, the museum shifted all of its artistic energy to its flagship building in La Jolla. This past spring, it scored a major coup by landing Yan Pei-Ming’s larger-than-life project “A Burial in Shanghai.” It debuted in Paris in 2019, and its La Jolla engagement, on view through Jan. 4, is its American premiere. And earlier this month, the museum announced the departure of its director and CEO, Kathryn Kanjo, who led the museum for nearly 10 years, much of which was spent overseeing a $105-million renovation and expansion that concluded in 2021. Kanjo, the museum’s first female CEO, is joining the newly formed UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art.

Bob Lehman

The membership-based organization San Diego Museum Council, under the leadership of Bob Lehman, has definitely increased the visibility of museums across the region, including those south of the border. Lehman has been a vocal and visible champion of museums since he took over as executive director in 2021. Last month, Lehman became the new executive director of San Diego ART Matters, the region’s leading arts advocacy and service organization. He promised to continue championing arts organizations in his higher-profile position and to work closely with the San Diego Museum Council. The museum council’s day-to-day operations are now being handled by Tom Felkner, the group’s director of operations.