Free Admission Thursday at Pasadena Museum of California Art - see INFO below. The Pasadena Museum of California Art was founded to honor the rich and eclectic artistic and cultural history of California. With a mission that encompasses both historical and contemporary art, the Museum celebrates in equal measure the plein-air painters inspired by the regions mountains and desertsas well as todays artists who use the PMCAs building as canvas. As a non-collecting institution, the Museum develops temporary exhibitions with independent curators, which allows for flexible and dynamic programming. Museum founders Bob and Arlene Oltman are longtime Pasadena residents and art lovers who collected California art for two decades. In 1999, they were struck with the idea to create a small gallery space that would exhibit the work of the states artists exclusively. Founding Director Wesley Jessup decided to broaden the initial vision into a larger museum whose mission would also encompass showcasing design and architecture. The Museums doors opened to the public in June 2002, and today, the organization is a 501(c)(3) public non-profit foundation. More Info below.