How to Visit the Vincent Price Art Museum

The Vincent Price Art Museum (VPAM) is an on-campus visual arts museum at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) in Monterey Park, California. You’ll find it in Building S1, near Avenida Cesar Chavez and Collegian Avenue. Its address is 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park, CA 91754.

From Maywood Inn, VPAM is about a 10-minute drive. The museum began as a campus art gallery in 1950, when East Los Angeles Junior College was its name.

In 1951, Vincent Price and his wife, costume designer Mary Grant Price, donated 90 pieces from their collection to establish a teaching art collection at a community college. ELAC named the gallery for the Prices in 1958; it became the Vincent Price Art Museum in 2008 and moved to an expanded campus location in 2011.

VPAM’s collection holds more than 7,000 artworks, ranging from works on paper and paintings to three-dimensional objects and time-based media. The museum displays collection works in rotating exhibitions. Artists represented include Rufino Tamayo, Patssi Valdez, Charles White, Gronk and Don Bachardy.

The permanent exhibition Form and Function in the Ancient Americas is shown alongside as many as five other exhibitions at a time. Specific displays change, so check the museum’s current-exhibitions listing as you plan. Non-flash photography and video for personal use are allowed in most galleries unless a notice says otherwise; staged or unauthorized shoots are not permitted.

VPAM is open Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It is closed Sunday and Monday, as well as on exhibition-opening-reception days.

Admission to exhibitions is free, and you do not need a ticket. Some events may require advance registration or be limited to members. Check the official site before you go, particularly for current hours, exhibitions and event requirements.

All visitors check in at the front desk. General visitors are asked for their ZIP Code; ELAC and Los Angeles Community College District students should provide their student ID number and check out when leaving. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Small backpacks are allowed when carried by hand or worn in front. You can bring water in a secure bottle, a stroller, a front-facing baby carrier or a mobility scooter.

Large bags, food and drinks other than secure-bottle water or items needed for medical reasons are not allowed. The museum also prohibits pets and emotional-support animals, jogging strollers, wagons and bicycles inside; service dogs are permitted.

For accessibility information or special assistance, contact VPAM at (323) 265-8841 or info@vpam.org.

If you’re driving, visitor parking is available in ELAC Parking Structure 4, at Collegian Avenue and Floral Drive. From there, it’s approximately a five-minute walk to the museum. The campus map also labels the Transit Center and the museum’s location in Building S1, which can help you orient yourself on arrival.

Use visitor parking rather than spaces marked for faculty or staff. School groups should arrange a tour or visit in advance with VPAM’s Curator of Education. Groups of more than 10 people should contact the museum ahead of time with their group size and visit date.

To add another cultural stop to your plans, pair VPAM with a visit to Mariachi Plaza. Check the museum’s hours and exhibition information before setting your schedule, then make room for the plaza as a separate stop.

For more information about staying at Maywood Inn, see the hotel’s booking page.