A single corridor is the centerpiece of the Bakersfield Museum of Art’s (BMoA) newest exhibit, titled “Seventy Years of Inspiration: The Story of the Bakersfield Museum of Art.” From March 26, 2026, to March 6, 2027, a timeline will be posted on the walls alongside various artifacts, highlighting each milestone across the museum’s conception to its flourishing present-day.

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the exhibit opened its doors to the public through a ribbon cutting ceremony, facilitated by the Kern County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. BMoA staff, Mayor Karen Goh, and representatives of Kern County dignitaries expressed their appreciation for the museum’s continuous work towards building the creative heart of Bakersfield.

During the reception, guests enjoyed drinks served by Double Strained Bartending Services and fresh conchas from Caló Café and Bakery. While exploring the other exhibits, attendees could take fun pictures with a photobooth from Villalobos Event Planning.

Named after the late artist Marion Osborn Cunningham, an expansive history follows the 1956 opening of the Cunningham Memorial Art Gallery. In 1990, the museum expanded and renamed into what is now known as the BMoA, with decades of community involvement, educational opportunities, and preserving fine art. Integral Bakersfield events, such as the Via Arte Italian Street Painting Festival, was founded by the BMoA in 1999, where over 200 artists demonstrate Bakersfield’s endless artistry.

“At [BMoA’s] core, exhibitions and education often go in tandem with each other,” explains BMoA Museum Curator Victor Gonzales.

The museum boasts numerous class offerings for students, such as daily, weekend, and summer art camps to “harness their creativity, but also tie all of our exhibitions back to the curriculum”.

Researching for the exhibit was a labor in love. Six months prior, BMoA museum curators, such as Anna Kinsey, extensively dug through public records and libraries to find newspaper articles, pictures, and objects covering the museum’s history.

“We found the original blueprints, which are really interesting because no one knew those even existed,” says Kinsey.

For those who missed the grand opening, an encore takes place at the BMoA on April 17 and 18 with their “Art (mix) After Dark” and the “Past, Present, Future” events.

Mayor of Bakersfield Karen Got cuts the ribbon (Jesus Sanchez)