Christmas gift shopping? It's chaos. The Grove on Black Friday? Good luck finding parking – you have to wait two hours to find a spot. And the big stores? Just no. If you're looking for something less stressful and more creative, there's a better option: Sunday in the Museum Store, sandwiched between Black Friday and Cyber Monday (this year it falls on December 1).
Since 2017, Museum Store Sunday has grown into a global event bringing together more than 2,100 museum stores around the world, including 28 here in Los Angeles County, for a day of discounts, special events and gifts with purchase (offers are wide-ranging). , so check with stores to find out what they're going on).
“Not only are you buying something special and different, but you're also supporting an institution, because all the money goes directly back to the museum,” says Maria Kwong, director of retail businesses at the Japanese American National Museum, or JANM. and a member of the Museum Store Association, the industry group that started the initiative.
Museum shops have come a long way from being simple stops to buy postcards and keychains. They are now vibrant spaces where art, culture and commerce intersect, offering everything from exclusive artist collaborations to fun and meaningful gifts tied to the museum's exhibits. Take JANM, where you can buy a Godzilla-themed Monopoly game ($45) or a chess set designed by the late Los Angeles-born artist Isamu Noguchi ($590).
This year, JANM will take advantage of Museum Store Sunday to host the launch of the book “Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist's Perspective of the Japanese American Experience,” a tribute to the work of cartoonist Sam Goto written by the artist's daughter.
At the Broad Museum, Director of Retail Operations Rob Hudson says those who shop in the gift shop can “take home a piece of the museum.” Visitors can find a fun neon light of a smiling character by Los Angeles artist Kenny Scharf ($399), whose work is included in the Broad's collection. Or there's a Joseph Beuys catalog ($49.95) produced by Broad for its major exhibition of the famous 20th-century German artist's work, as well as “unlimited edition” items like a felt postcard ($20).
The Getty is another great stop on your holiday gift hunt. On a recent visit, shoppers admired medieval astrolabes (portable, multifunctional star-based machines that were used by astronomers to determine things like time and latitude) and other astronomical manuscripts at “Lumen: The Art and Science of Light.” ”, a temporary exhibition about the early days. explorations by astronomers to discover how light works. A few steps away, a lively crowd browsed astronomy-inspired gifts at the dedicated display store (the Getty has five stores on its campus), including a $50 replica astrolabe to bring the science of the stars home.
Other participating member institutions include the Grammy Museum Store, the Library Store, and the USC Pacific Asia Museum Shop, the latter offering a 20% discount to members of any museum on Sunday at the Museum Store. The Museum of Contemporary Art is promoting its recent collaboration with PF Candle Co. and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will offer a 20% discount on custom prints, which extends to online purchases.
