Derek W.
Yelp
Bank of America has this promotion called Museums on Us where if you are a client of the bank, you can score free admission to select museums on the first weekend of every month. The Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA) is the only such museum in the LBC that partners with Bank of America, but only honors this promo on Saturdays, presumably because the museum already offers MOLAA Free Sundays.
I couldn't find any information about how to redeem the free admission as a bank client, but an email inquiry confirmed that I could show up in person without "purchasing" a ticket online, and I'd simply have to prove my membership there to enjoy the benefit. Upon my arrival, I learned that my Bank of America card plus my ID would suffice as proof of membership, and I was given a receipt to confirm my check-in at the front desk.
Arriving during the first hour of operation, I saw the mostly vacant parking lot, a rarity in this part of Long Beach, but understandable since that parking is specifically for museum visitors only. There should be plenty enough spots, even more around the corner, for all visitors at any given time while the museum is open.
After checking in at the front desk, the pleasant hostess who checked me in gave me a quick rundown of guidelines like no food and beverages allowed in the galleries as well as video recording and flash photography being prohibited. However, I'd be allowed to take photos on my phone as long as there wasn't a flash. The gallery was to the right, and straight ahead was the museum shop. The restrooms were in the far left corner next to some lockers that have a unique way of storing your personal belongings while at the museum.
There aren't that many galleries to visit, so definitely don't plan to spend the whole day there. As a matter of fact, I had left the museum at the end of the first hour, and that even included walking to the other side of Alamitos to see the exterior of a nearby museum.
However, the displays are pretty cool to see. One of the first displays I saw was a basketball hoop tree, and it was almost within arm's reach that I almost thought about slam dunking my phone through a hoop lol. However, I wouldn't recommend touching those displays, though the basketball nearby made me wonder if anybody tried shooting a hoop, but missed haha. That room was interesting with a video projected on each wall. One of those videos showed a time lapse of a building being constructed, and there was a scaled replica of that building on display there.
The next room over was also filled with its fair share of interesting artifacts. The first one I saw in the far corner looked like glass punching bags, which was fascinating to say the least. However, the most intriguing display in that room was a circular road with glassware on either side of that road, a golf club inside the circle, and a golf ball on the road. I didn't see a description of what that was, but the plaques for each display are pretty small and hard to read unless you look real close. A piano with stadium seating on the lid of the piano was also an interesting display of art.
The third room showcased Cross-Border Women. It was a white room at the end of the museum that didn't have a whole lot of displays, but was quite impressive to view.
The fourth gallery had orange walls and a poster that said, "THIS IS AN INDIGENOUS TERRITORY". There also wasn't a whole lot of displays in this gallery, but the one that stood out to me was a wooden framework of what appears to be a really small house, and the framework was being held by vases. The cool part about this display is that you can even go inside!
I would have given 4 stars out of 5, but I'm dropping it to 3 stars for two reasons. The first is because at the front desk, I was told the sculpture garden was closed. There was nothing online indicating that there was a special event that day, so I wouldn't have been able to tell without physically going there or giving them a call that I wouldn't be able to access the sculpture garden that day. Secondly, while I was outside, I was trying to walk around a mother and son getting ready to take a photo in front of a sculpture. However, a thorn from a small cactus struck me in the foot, penetrating my shoe in the process. It was pretty painful to deal with the rest of the day, so definitely don't let the kiddos run around wild in that area as they could get hurt by one of these prickly plants.
The museum is open from 11 AM to 6 PM every day of the week except for Mondays and Tuesdays. The bottom of the website initially said they close at 5 PM, but another email inquiry confirmed the correct closing time of 6 PM, and the website was since revised.
Would I come back? Well, I certainly wouldn't want to pay the regular $15 fee for general admission, but I'd make a return visit, either on another Sunday or the first Saturday of a different month to *hopefully* see what the sculpture garden looks like.
