The de Saisset is the South Bay's FREE museum of art and history. The museum was founded adjacent to Mission Santa Clara de Asís on SCU's campus in 1955.
The de Saisset Museum at Santa Clara University is the South Bay’s free Museum of art and history. It is currently one of three museums in the South Bay to hold accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. Operated and supported by Santa Clara University, the de Saisset Museum also is privately funded and member-supported. The de Saisset Museum collects, preserves, exhibits, and interprets
objects of art and history for the educational and cultural enrichment of all people. The museum achieves its mission through an active program of exhibitions, collections, education programs, and publications. As an important resource for SCU, the de Saisset actively collaborates with the larger University community in order to foster the integration of diverse forms of learning. The de Saisset presents 6 to 10 temporary exhibitions every year. Exhibitions highlight the diversity of our community, address issues of contemporary society, showcase the work of under-recognized or under-appreciated artists, and emphasize the strengths of the permanent collection. The museum also serves as the caretaker of the University's California History Collection, which is on permanent view. Since its founding, the de Saisset's permanent collection has expanded to include more than 12,000 objects collected in six main areas: California history, Mission-era liturgical vestments, decorative arts, works on paper, painting & sculpture, and new media. The collection includes prints from the Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, 19th century, and Modernist periods. The museum has an extensive collection of contemporary works on paper, with a special emphasis on artists from the San Francisco Bay Area. The de Saisset Museum offers a variety of educational programs including lectures, symposia, workshops, and family days. In addition, the de Saisset provides free docent tours of the California History Collection and Mission Santa Clara. MISSION
The de Saisset Museum supports Santa Clara University's goal of educating the whole person through a diverse and accessible range of exhibitions, collections, and educational programs that highlight the art and history of the San Francisco Bay Area and the local Santa Clara Valley. As a center of lifelong learning, the de Saisset Museum facilitates discovery, experience, and inspiration through engaging objects of art and history. Core Values:
- The Museum will present exhibitions that highlight the diversity of our community (in age, gender, and ethnicity), feature a variety of media, offer a diverse representation of topics and viewpoints, showcase the work of recognized and under-recognized or under-appreciated artists, address issues of contemporary society, and highlight the strengths of our permanent collection.
- The Museum will continue the development, management, and preservation of the permanent collection, thereby creating an artistic and historic legacy for the community.
- The Museum will engage in University departmental collaborations, expanding the environment that fosters the integration of different forms of learning as well as the Jesuit ideals of reasoned and rigorous inquiry.
- The Museum will provide a welcoming and service-oriented atmosphere that encourages participation by diverse audiences.
- The Museum will nurture a sense of pride and ownership among its principals, including the University, advisory board, staff, members, donors, volunteers, and visitors.
06/12/2026
How would you define "home" or "belonging"? Several of our current exhibitions investigate ideas of home, belonging (or lack thereof), displacement, and memory of place.
On view through June 13:
Jonathan Calm's "To Wherever, Forever: Archives of Absence and Sites of Passage"
Jessica Monette's "Root Me in the Soil: In the Wake, and the Becoming"
"Where From / Where To?"
"Mentors, Collaborations, Influences: New Acquisitions from the Diane Jonte-Pace and David Pace Collection"
Pictured: Installation view of Jonathan Calm's "To Wherever, Forever: Archives of Absence and Sites of Passage" featuring artworks from three new series. "Sundown Towns" (2026–Present) examines ephemeral, low-angle sunset illumination, naming towns historically hostile to Black travelers and residents. "Drown Towns" (2026–Present) imagines muted illumination beneath the water’s surface, naming communities erased through dam construction. "Ghostship" (2026 - Present) imagine the Phantom Ship island in Oregon’s Crater Lake morphing into a sailing vessel, at once a metaphor for migration and memory, as well as a spectral echo of the transatlantic slave ship.
05/20/2026
Would you like to paint your very own de Saisset tote bag? Join us Thursday, May 28 from 5-8 p.m. for Night at the Museum: de Saisset Disco!
This annual, free after-hours art party is created by SCU students for the Santa Clara University community and beyond. The 2026 edition features pizza, tote bag painting, pet rock decorating, remarks by exhibiting artists, and a silent disco dance party.
Image Descriptions: (1) A person is painting a canvas tote bag with colorful abstract shapes. The bag features the text "de Saisset" and the phrase "Discover. Experience. Be Inspired" printed in black ink. A photograph and cell phone are partially visible in the background. (2) Poster for "Night at the Museum" event featuring a large disco ball with text "De Saisset Disco." The event is on May 28th from 5-8 PM. Includes invitations to enjoy pizza, crafts, and a silent disco. The background is a cosmic red with star motifs.
05/20/2026
Today at noon!
Join us for a walk-through of Jonathan Calm's exhibition "To Wherever, Forever" led by SCU Faculty member Robin Tremblay-McGaw (Teaching Professor, Department of English).
Professor Tremblay-McGaw’s creative and research interests are currently taking the form of writing and hybrid art that examines whiteness and racism as they intersect with questions of form, aesthetics, and social justice.
The Faculty Lunch Time Conversation series is co-presented by SCU’s de Saisset Musem and Center for the Arts & Humanities.
This program is free and open to all!
Wednesday, May 20 from 12-12:45 p.m.
Image description: Flyer featuring headshot of Robin Tremblay-McGaw against a multi-hue blue background with text that reads: "Robin Tremblay-McGaw, Teaching Professor, Department of English," "Faculty Lunch Time Conversations, and event detail "Wednesday, May 20, 12-12:45 p.m."
04/24/2026
We're thinking back on several great programs earlier this month!
On April 8, Exploration of Place & History brought us together for a multifaceted evening celebrating three exhibitions. Thank you to Miah Jeffra (Assistant Professor, English), Diane Jonte-Pace (Professor Emerita, Religious Studies) and artist Jonathan Calm for sharing great conversations and walk-throughs with us and the wider community that evening. And big congratulations to all SCU community members who have their artwork, writing, and sound works featured in our current exhibition "Where From / Where To?"
Thanks also goes to SCU's Center for the Arts and Humanities (CAH) as well as PhotoCarmel for co-presenting the program.
Then, on April 15, Daniel B. Summerhill (Assistant Professor, English), led a compelling walk-through of exhibition "Jonathan Calm - To Wherever, Forever: Archives of Absence & Sites of Passage" as part of the Faculty Lunch Time Conversation series co-presented with the CAH. Thank you Professor Summerhill for filling the galleries with poetry and music!
04/21/2026
Jessica Monette's current exhibition at the de Saisset, “Root Me in the Soil, In the Wake and the Becoming,” builds upon her work exploring familial memory, presence & absence, and place.
The project immerses viewers in a shifting landscape of memory, resilience, and transformation. Through paintings, sculptures, and installations, the work unfolds in layers, much like the histories it reflects.
As Monette explains, "This exhibition began as a conversation with my family and the land that shaped us. Growing up in New Orleans, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina became more than a memory it became a language. Soil, rope, and fragments from places once called home find their way into my work, becoming vessels for the stories we refuse to let fade. “Root me in the Soil” is not just about loss; it’s about what continues to grow despite it."
Visit our exhibition "Where To / Where From?" for a chance to experience visual artworks and responding ekphrastic texts and sound pieces created by the Santa Clara University community!
Visual Description: Slide show featuring detail images of visual artworks in a variety of mediums ranging from abstract to figurative and realistic compositions.
04/15/2026
Today at noon!
Join us for a walk-through of Jonathan Calm's exhibition "To Wherever, Forever" led by SCU Faculty member Daniel B. Summerhill (Assistant Professor, Director of Creative Writing, Department of English).
Professor Summerhill’s work spans poetry and creative nonfiction, including docu poetics, cultural criticism, prison-abolition and the epistle form. His work frequently converses with other mediums (visual art, music, film and performance) and currently, through a Whitham Family Grant, he is collaborating with Professor Ryan Carrington on "A Made Thing", troubling the connection between poetic craft and object making.
The Faculty Lunch Time Conversation series is co-presented by SCU’s de Saisset Musem and Center for the Arts & Humanities.
This program is free and open to all
Wednesday, April 15 from 12-12:45 p.m.
04/08/2026
Today is Day of Giving at SCU.
Thank you for supporting the de Saisset by participating in our exhibitions and programs. Your financial support of the de Saisset Museum on this Day of Giving ensures we can continue presenting dynamic, thought-provoking exhibitions and educational programs, as well as deepening connections with our collection of nearly 12,000 objects of art & history.
We are grateful for the wonderful article Max Blue wrote for KQED examining our current exhibition, Jonathan Calm's To Wherever, Forever: Archives of Absence.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, under the leadership of visionary de Saisset Director Lydia Modi-Vitale, the museum served a leading role in commissioning and exhibiting first generation video art. Serving as an incubator for experimentation, Bay Area conceptual artists were put in conversation with their Southern California and East Coast based counterparts resulting in a series of projects that helped cement video as a legitimate art form. 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘝𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘰 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 explores this highly productive and experimental moment by restaging the 12𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 (1972), which included video works by John Baldessari, Lynda Benglis, George Bolling, Douglas Davis, Howard Fried, Taka Iimura, Paul Kos, Shiegeko Kubota, Bill Viola, and William Wegman. Replicating the curatorial logic prescribed by Lydia Modi-Vitale, the works will be divided into Program A, and Program B, and looped in their original sequence. Restaging this exhibition repositions the de Saisset as critical to the development, understanding, and broader reception of video art.
𝘙𝘦-𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 12𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘵 𝘑𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 is curated by Ciara Ennis, Director and Chief Curator, de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University
From March 10-June 10, 2027 Further Triennial will celebrate Northern California’s creative and cultural life, bringing together more than 80 arts organizations across the Greater Bay Area. The de Saisset Museum is thrilled to participate in the first edition, Around Here. We look forward to celebrating Northern California’s vibrant art historical past and present with you!
Pictured: Detail of the original 1972 exhibition announcement, de Saisset Museum exhibition archive, Santa Clara University.
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