Visible vaults

San Diego Museum of Art

Visible Vaults, a permanent installation, offers visitors the opportunity to take a peak at what normally remains unseen by most museum goers—the storage vaults which contain all the works not currently on display in the galleries. By recreating the vaults of the Asian Art department, curators make clear the full panorama of the collection highlighting its breadth and depth. Works on paper that are sensitive to light, and therefore rarely exhibited, are displayed in special flat file drawers that visitors can access at all times, making parts of the collection that was often remain hidden, available for all.

In addition to display, this gallery includes a study room for visitors to sit down and engage the works more closely. Didactic displays that illuminate art making traditions, tools and methods in the study room. Reading and study materials are available at the table and on the shelves for visitors to go deeper. A interpretive text is provided in both English and Spanish.

Works on paper that are sensitive to light, and therefore rarely exhibited, are displayed in special flat file drawers that visitors can access at all times, making parts of the collection that was often remain hidden, available for all.