The Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, or Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Spanish, is housed in the old national liquor distillery of Costa Rica in downtown San Jose.

The museum is found in the ministry for culture and youth’s building downtown where concerts, food vendors, graphic designers and more all gather to host various annual events. The temporary exhibition halls of Museo de Arte Contemporáneo have seen some 240 different expositions pass through the galleries from designers, painters, sculptors and more both from Costa Rica and international guests.

The Pila de la Melazza, or the molasses room in English, at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design has seen many different artists, musicians, chefs and more pass through its open space, as well. City events, arts festivals and others all find their way into the multifunction room where people give presentations, concerts, sell food and art among others in an area that was once used as a store room for some of the finest rums produce in the area.

The video library is utilized by young videographers to make original creations and to learn about the art form. There are also several other workshops held at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Design for interested parties from the young to the old. The workshops might concern graphic design, painting, multimedia production or more. There are also competitions held by the museum throughout the year, and new artists are encouraged to compete by presenting their artwork at MADC.

The permanent collection of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo in Costa Rica has some 900 works by new and recognized artists in many different art forms including etching, painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, installations and video art. The museum’s primary goal is to present work from national and international artists that is important socially, politically and culturally to the people of the Central American community and that of the world in turn.

Museo de Arte Contemporáneo is open Monday to Saturday from 9 in the morning until 5 in the late afternoon. The entrance fee is $3 for adults, children enter free of charge and students with ID may enter for $1.

Location: Old National Liquor Distillery, San Jose, Costa Rica
Hours: 9 am-5 pm Mon-Sat
Price: Adults=$3 Children=Free Students=$1
Galleries: Temporary and Permanent Art Galleries, Video Library, Multifunction Room