Located at the heart of campus where students, faculty, and visitors converge, The Strauss celebrates the university’s commitment to exploring the connections between art and innovation.

With more than 15,000 square feet of exhibition space on three levels, The Strauss will show art that engages the imagination, creates dialogue, and brings people together through shared experiences. 

The museum’s programming is grounded in how art, science, and technology shape the ways people understand the past, live in the present, and imagine the future. Featuring commissions, exhibitions, and immersive experiences that will occasionally extend beyond the museum walls, The Strauss promises insight, delight, and sensory engagement for visitors from near and far.

Jessica Berlanga Taylor, the executive director and chief campus curator, is leading the development of this paradigm-shifting institution. As a complement to UC San Diego’s Stuart Collection [link], a renowned portfolio of site-specific outdoor art that Taylor also oversees, The Strauss will enhance the vibrant and rapidly growing visual-arts ecology of Southern California.

The Strauss is part of ArtsConnect, the Chancellor’s initiative to amplify the role of art in building connections, fostering dialogue, and enhancing well-being at the university.

The first floor is intentionally versatile. Designed to accommodate different exhibition configurations, the lobby can open into the museum’s largest gallery, which is a double-height space suited for site-specific exhibits. Upstairs, a black box gallery will host immersive, participatory, and experiential art productions. An adjacent white box gallery will feature curated exhibitions in a wide variety of mediums. An outdoor terrace will showcase sculptures and other installations.

Those are the words of the late Matthew Strauss, a lifelong San Diegan who, together with his wife, Iris, gifted the university more than 100 pieces from their collection of contemporary art.

Their gift is the latest in the family’s long-standing philanthropic commitment to the university. It reflects the couple’s belief in the value of fostering abstract thinking and broadening perspectives. Featuring works by artists such as Zhang Huan, Fred Wilson, and Carrie Mae Weems, the collection significantly enhances the campus’s cultural offerings while fulfilling the Strausses’ vision of making art an accessible tool for education and inspiration.

When The Strauss launches in 2027, a curated selection of pieces will be on display in the white cube gallery.