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Craft Contemporary

Museum
In Los Angeles, California
2.0 mi from Route 66

Craft Contemporary is a nonprofit museum on Wilshire Boulevard's Museum Row in Los Angeles, CA, facing the La Brea Tar Pits and the George C. Page Museum. Its former name was Craft and Folk Art Museum; it dates from 1973 and is the only West Coast institution that focuses on craft alone. It keeps no permanent collection, so its shows keep changing, and it is known for public workshops for all ages.

What is Craft Contemporary?

The museum presents contemporary craft. Because it does not build a collection of its own, each exhibition is temporary, and the galleries look different from one visit to the next. The building is recorded as rustic in style.

Public programs are a big part of its identity. They range from family workshops to more in-depth sessions aimed at older adults, which makes the museum a place to try things as well as look at them. Its spot across Wilshire Boulevard from the tar pits also means fossils and handmade objects sit a few steps apart, an unusual pairing for a relaxed afternoon.

History of Craft Contemporary

The museum dates from 1973. For years it went under the name Craft and Folk Art Museum before taking the name Craft Contemporary. Through the change it has kept its tight focus on craft, a specialty that no other institution on the West Coast shares, and it has stayed on Museum Row among much larger neighbors.

Visiting Craft Contemporary: tips

Allow about an hour, more if you join a workshop; check the program calendar before you go. The museum has wheelchair access, and restrooms, water and food are all within about 0.1 miles.

The La Brea Tar Pits are about 0.1 miles away, and the Pavilion for Japanese Art and LACMA are each about 0.2 miles off, so it slots easily into a Museum Row day. Fuel is about 0.6 miles away.

Practical info

Address: 5814 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Phone: +1 323-937-4230
Website: cafam.org
Hours: Wed–Sun 11–5
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Craft Contemporary

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Pink's Hot Dogs
Los Angeles, CA · 1.6 mi from Craft Contemporary
A Los Angeles hot dog stand on North La Brea Avenue, serving since 1939 at the edge of Hollywood.
Diner & restaurant
Formosa Cafe
West Hollywood, CA · 2.0 mi from Craft Contemporary
A West Hollywood restaurant and bar from 1925, long a hangout for film stars from the studio lot nearby.
Diner & restaurant
Barney's Beanery
West Hollywood, CA · 2.3 mi from Craft Contemporary
A West Hollywood roadhouse on Santa Monica Boulevard since 1927, its walls covered in old license plates.