Catalina Island Museum Information

Founded in 1953, the Catalina Island Museum (www.catalinamuseum.org) is located in the quaint city of Avalon on beautiful Catalina Island. Just 23 miles from the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the Catalina Island Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving and sharing the remarkable cultural and historical heritage of Catalina as well as enriching the experiences of residents and visitors through an offering of unique and compelling rotating exhibits, musical concerts, and other educational programs. It is important to note that the Catalina Island Museum serves two primary markets – the City of Avalon (pop. 3,600) and the greater Los Angeles area (pop. 3.93 million). If including Orange and San Diego Counties (CA), another 6.4 million can be added to that figure. The Catalina Island Museum opened a new 18,000 square-foot building in Avalon in 2016. The new building allows it to better serve its mission statement through expanded programs and offerings to enhance all facets of the Museum. The Catalina Island Museum is now able to address the increased demand by both locals and visitors for creative and thought-provoking exhibitions and programming. The new building has become an exciting venue for corporate events, wedding parties and other celebrations. It also boasts upgraded facilities, office space, and an expansion of its popular museum store. An exciting schedule of exhibitions is on the books to continue a string of gallery successes in recent years. The primary challenges ahead are to increase the museum's prominence within the local community and visitor community, continue the creative sourcing of new exhibits, maximize the usage of these new facilities, raise sponsorships and major gifts, and operate the new museum as a sustainable nonprofit.