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
Education Coordinator
Oscar Paz
Born and raised in the land of eternal spring, Guatemala, Oscar brings his passion for teaching to the MAH. Before coming to the MAH, Oscar was teaching Spanish here in Santa Cruz. During weekdays, you can catch him leading school tours…
Featured Team Member
Graphics & Content Creator
Michaela Clark-Nagaoka
Michaela takes the scenic route through life which included earning her BA degree in three different locations: the east coast, southern California and on a boat in the Atlantic ocean. After graduating she moved back to her hometown of…
Featured Team Member
Outreach Coordinator
Helen Aldana
Helen Aldana is a hybrid between a balaenoptera musculus and sequoia sempervirens who enjoys creating safe and inspiring spaces. Helen received a BA in Art and Philosophy at the University of California Santa Cruz and is grateful to have…
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
Director of Exhibitions & Programs
Marla Novo
Marla Novo earned a Master of Arts in Art History from San Jose State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from UC Santa Cruz. She has over 25 years of experience curating exhibitions at non-profit institutions as well as at…
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…
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.