About the MAH
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Welcome to the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (the MAH), a place where there’s always something happening. All year long we host truly ‘only-in-Santa-Cruz’ events and exhibitions co-created with incredible community partners. The MAH is of, by, and for Santa Cruz County because our creative community ignites something new here every day.
Our mission is to ignite shared experiences and unexpected connections.
To do this, we find, spark, preserve, and trade stories, ideas, and elements of creativity drawn from people across Santa Cruz County. We bring people together around art, history, and culture to build a stronger, more connected community.
Read our 2019-2020 Annual Report here.
A portrait in numbers
Kind of like paint-by-numbers, these statistics draw an interesting picture of the MAH. Get the full picture by reading our 2019-2020 Annual Report.
The People of the MAH
Featured Team Member
Dialogue Catalyst
Jeff Caplan
Jeff Caplan weaves 35 years as a Santa Cruz resident as a bilingual classroom teacher, social entrepreneur, meeting facilitator, graphic designer and community organizer. He founded the CommonLanguageProgram.com for safe schools offering…
Featured Team Member
Private Events Manager
Claudia Oblea
Claudia Oblea graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in Art and Psychology. During her time at the MAH, she leads Private Rentals and helps plan events from business gatherings to weddings and leads conversations around…
Featured Team Member
Design & Production Manager
Justin Collins
Justin Collins received a Bachelors of Science in Physical Anthropology from the University of California, Davis. After working as an archaeologist for a number of years, he attended San Francisco State University to earn his Masters of…
Featured Team Member
Exhibitions & Projects Manager
Whitney Ford-Terry
Whitney Ford-Terry received an MA in Museology from the University of Washington after studying Film and Philosophy at Humboldt State University. Whitney has had the opportunity to work in a variety of non-profits and museums including…
Featured Team Member
Director of Operations & Facilities
Kevin Coullahan
Kevin has over 20+ years of design and creative experience from West Marine and frog design. Kevin received a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from San Jose State University. Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife, son and family…
Featured Team Member
Development Assistant
Paul Conte
Paul Conte earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UC Santa Cruz and an associate's degree in Sociology from Cabrillo College. Before working at the MAH they completed an archivist internship for the Lucas Artists Program at…
Our Storied History
The Evolution of The MAH
From our humble beginnings in the 1950’s to the ignited space we are today, the MAH has adapted to meet the needs of the Santa Cruz community.
Dig into our history of partnerships, perseverance, and resilience, and discover how we morphed into an internationally renowned museum.
Work at the MAH
Join the crew behind Santa Cruz County’s most creative events, exhibitions, and partnerships. Check out job opportunities or apply to be a volunteer or intern today.