San Diego Art Institute, Contemporary art center in Balboa Park, San Diego, United States

The San Diego Art Institute is an arts center in Balboa Park, a large urban park in the heart of San Diego, California. It occupies a dedicated building with several gallery rooms where paintings, sculptures, and multimedia works are displayed in rotating shows.

The Institute was founded to give regional artists in San Diego a permanent place to show their work, and over time it became a steady presence in Balboa Park's cultural life. In 2021, it merged with LUX Art Institute, which broadened its reach and resources for programming.

The institute's name traces to 1941, when local businessmen formed an art club in the office of Reginald Poland, director of the Fine Arts Gallery, to paint San Diego's vanishing landmarks. Walter W. Austin, a former mayor, was its first president and painter Maurice Braun its first instructor. Women were admitted as associate members in 1951.

The Institute sits inside Balboa Park, which is easy to reach by car with parking nearby, and the building is accessible for visitors with mobility needs. Since the park itself is large, it helps to allow extra time if you plan to walk around the surrounding area before or after your visit.

The institute began in 1941 as the San Diego Business Men's Art Club, meeting in the office of Reginald Poland, director of the Fine Arts Gallery. Its first president was former San Diego mayor Walter W. Austin, and its first instructor was landscape painter Maurice Braun. Members painted outdoor scenes of San Diego County's vanishing early landmarks.