Shopping: SoCal Museum Gift Guide

Hello Kitty Endeavor pin at California Science Center

Artsy retail from Santa Barbara to San Diego

While California indoor spaces in museums remain closed in response to the pandemic, stores at many cultural institutions across Southern California are open for shopping online. Here are a few creative gifts priced at $50 or less including Hello Kitty pins, engaging puzzles and artist-designed masks. 

An exclusive pin at California Science Center depicts Hello Kitty piloting the space shuttle Endeavour. She wears the Advanced Crew Escape Suit worn by all shuttle crew members during liftoffs and landings. $9

An exclusive long-sleeve sweatshirt at Bowers Museum celebrates its exhibition Inside the Walt Disney Archives. It’s a cotton-polyester blend with the venue’s logo on the back. Sizes S-XXL. $40

A colorful ramen noodle puzzle at the Japanese American National Museum will whet your appetite for the real thing. The 500-piece puzzle measures 18 x 24 inches when complete. $25

The I Will Rock You tote bag at Los Angeles County Museum of Art  features the work of Yoshitomo Nara, whose portraits of wide-eyed but vaguely menacing figures reflect his raw encounters with his inner self. $40

Nine limited-production, artist-designed face masks—by Virgil Abloh, Mark Grotjahn, Alex Israel, Barbara Kruger, Yoko Ono, Catherine Opie, Pipilotti Rist, Hank Willis Thomas and the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts—each directly supports the Museum of Contemporary Art. $28 per mask

Also check out the stores at American Museum of Ceramic Art, The Autry Museum of the American West, Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College, Catalina Island Museum, Craft Contemporary, Getty Museum, Glendora Historical Society, GRAMMY Museum, Hammer Museum, The Huntington, The International Printing Museum, Los Angeles County Fire Museum, Los Angeles Zoo, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara Historical Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and USC Pacific Asia Museum.

Photos courtesy SoCal Museums

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