Palo Alto Art Center

Palo Alto has two university art museums on the Stanford campus, but the city's own art center is a different kind of place. The Palo Alto Art Center is part gallery, part school and part community hall. On a single afternoon you might find a contemporary exhibition in the main gallery, a ceramics class loading the kilns and children in the auditorium making prints. Admission to the exhibitions is free.

The Art Center sits on Newell Road beside Rinconada Park, in a midcentury building that once served as city hall. This guide covers its history, the exhibition program, classes, the big annual events, the city's public art program that shares its address and the practical details of a visit.

From city hall to art center

The building opened in 1953 as Palo Alto's city hall, designed by local architect Leslie Nichols. In 1965 the city council decided to build a new city hall closer to downtown. Residents lobbied for an arts venue in the old building and in 1970 the council agreed to convert it. The Palo Alto Community Cultural Center opened on May 1, 1971.

Supporters founded a nonprofit in 1973 to back the center through a public and private partnership, now known as the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation. The center took its current name in 1999 to reflect its focus on the visual arts. A major renovation by Mark Cavagnero Associates took 18 months and cost $7.9 million, with the foundation sharing the cost. The center reopened in 2012 and the building later earned LEED Silver certification.

Look closely and the old city hall still shows through. The auditorium was the council chamber. The entrance to the Children's Wing was once a drive-up window where residents paid utility bills. The kiln room, home to two large gas kilns, was a secure area in the city hall days. The city says the center now serves about 140,000 people a year.

Exhibitions

The Art Center presents several exhibitions a year in a wide range of media, with work by both emerging and established artists. Some exhibitions organized here with foundation support have traveled to museums around the country. Besides the main galleries there are two smaller spaces, the Community Gallery and the Studio Gallery, which host community shows such as youth art from local schools.

Past exhibitions have ranged from a show about play to dioramas and contemporary art from Palo Alto's sister city of Oaxaca, Mexico. The center has also hosted solo shows of major artists over the years. Check the city's exhibitions page for what is on when you visit.

Classes and studios

The studios are the busiest part of the building. The Art Center runs classes, workshops and summer camps for adults, teens and children. Subjects include painting, drawing, mixed media, ceramics and jewelry. The adult studios keep longer hours than the galleries and stay open into the evening Monday through Thursday.

Current terms and registration details are on the Art Center's pages on the city website. The center also works with local schools. Project Look brings school groups for gallery field trips and the Cultural Kaleidoscope program pairs classes from the Palo Alto Unified and Ravenswood City school districts for shared art projects.

Events worth planning around

Several free events bring big crowds to the Art Center lawn. These are the ones to know:

• Great Glass Pumpkin Patch. Every fall, glass artists sell more than 10,000 handblown pumpkins, gourds and keepsakes on the grounds, with glass demonstrations and food trucks. The city says it draws more than 5,000 people. In 2026 it ran September 26 and 27 and proceeds support the Bay Area Glass Institute, the Art Center and the artists.
• Friday Night at the Art Center. Evening openings with the artists, hands-on artmaking and a cash bar. The fall 2026 edition was on October 2.
• Family Days. Free afternoons of art activities for all ages, often inspired by the current exhibition. The fall 2026 edition added a teen zone in the auditorium.
• Clay and Glass Festival. A showcase that brings ceramic and glass artists to the grounds.

Dates move from year to year, so check the city's event listings. Our events and festivals guide covers the rest of the local calendar.

The public art program

The City of Palo Alto's Public Art Program is based at the same 1313 Newell Road address. It manages roughly 100 permanently sited artworks and more than 200 portable works around the city. Under the municipal code, certain private development projects must include public art and the Public Art Commission advises on the selection, placement and care of pieces.

The collection includes work by Nathan Oliveira, Fletcher Benton, Betty Gold, Gene Flores and Bruce Beasley. Newer pieces include Mary Lucking's Baylands Vignette (2021), Susan Zoccola's Passage (2022), Peter Wegner's Space, Time & Palo Alto (2024) and Nigel Sussman's Palo Alto Discoveries (2026). The Public Art Program page links to a collection map and an interactive map, which make a good self-guided walk or bike ride.

Visiting

The center is at 1313 Newell Road, at the edge of Rinconada Park and next to Rinconada Library. The city lists gallery and lobby hours as weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Adult studio hours run later. Hours change for holidays, so confirm on the city's visit page.

A gallery visit takes 30 to 45 minutes. The building is a little over a mile from downtown, an easy bike ride on residential streets. See our getting around guide for routes.

Tips for your visit

1. Time it with an opening. Friday Night at the Art Center is the liveliest way to see a new show, with the artists on hand and activities in the studios.
2. Use the right door. The city asks visitors to use the studio doors when the lobby is closed, which matters on weeknight evenings when only the studios are open.
3. Bring the kids on a Family Day. The free activities are designed for mixed ages, so siblings of different ages can work side by side.
4. Arrive early for the pumpkin patch. With thousands of shoppers over one weekend, the best glass pieces go quickly.
5. Walk the grounds. Outdoor sculpture and the park setting are part of the experience, so allow a few extra minutes outside.

Make an afternoon of it

The Art Center's neighbors make it easy to fill a day. Families can pair it with the Junior Museum and Zoo on the other side of Rinconada Park, then picnic on the lawns. Garden lovers can walk to Gamble Garden on Waverley Street. If the exhibition leaves you wanting more, the free museums at Stanford, the Cantor Arts Center and the Anderson Collection, are a short drive west.

For a wider view of galleries, music and theater around town, read our arts and culture guide. Visiting for the Glass Pumpkin Patch weekend? Compare hotels in Palo Alto early, since fall weekends with big Stanford events can fill rooms fast.

Frequently asked questions