Haggin Museum

06/01/2026

Inspiring Joy and Building Community Through the Magic of Music

For one hundred years, the Stockton Symphony has been more than an orchestra—it has been the heartbeat of our community. Born from the dreams of Manlio Silva, this remarkable ensemble has not only brought world-class music to our region but shaped lives and built bridges across generations, cultures, and neighborhoods.

From grand symphonic celebrations to intimate emotional insights, from elementary school classrooms to elegant ballrooms, the Symphony has touched countless lives with the transforming power of music.

As we honor these first hundred years, we also look forward, inviting you to dream with us about the Symphony’s next century of building community through the magic of music.

In celebration of this milestone, the Haggin Museum is honored to be hosting the Stockton Symphony: Inspiring Joy and Building Community Through the Magic of Music exhibition through February 7, 2027.

Pictured: Manlio Silva (1893–1958), conductor and violinist, founder of the Stockton Symphony, 1912
-- Courtesy Bank of Stockton

05/31/2026

LAST DAY (Sunday, May 31, 2026) to catch Picturing America’s Pastime: A Snapshot of the Photographic Collection at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at the Haggin Museum.

Since the 19th century, baseball and photography have grown up together. From the grandeur of the early game to the vibrancy of today’s sport, every facet of our national pastime has been captured in sepia, color, and black-and-white.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s collection of over a quarter million images are the world’s premier repository of baseball photographs, panning some 150 years of the sport’s history. Picturing America’s Pastime, a new exhibit curated by the Hall of Fame, features a selection of these timeless photographs, each accompanied by the words of those who were there and those who echoed the sentiments of photographer Charles Conlon.

Stockton, like many other cities across our nation, has a rich baseball history. From little League to Legion to the California League, Stockton teams have one thing in common – the love of the game.

We were able to include some local baseball photographs to the exhibition such as this one:

Gearing up for a Ports Game at Billy Hebert Field, c. 1953

Here a Cubs manager, the Ports affiliate in 1953, posing with an amateur player from local Vernon Post 338 of the American Legion at Billy Hebert Field.
-- Courtesy Bank of Stockton, colorized by Dick Belcher

05/30/2026

"He was standing in the midst of a baseball player’s dream world. The cameras were whirring and the white television lights filled the room, and people were being interviewed on a small wooden platform. Champagne and eggs and shaving cream were being used in varied, unique ways.”
— Boston Globe reporter Leigh Montville on Carlton Fisk, October 8, 1975

Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk fields questions from the press in the clubhouse following Boston’s American League Championship Series victory over the Oakland A’s, October 7, 1975. Two weeks later, Fisk repeated the scene after hitting his celebrated 12th-inning home run in Game Six of the World Series.
-- photograph by Doug McWilliams

LAST WEEKEND to see Picturing America’s Pastime: A Snapshot of the Photographic Collection at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at the Haggin Museum (open through Sunday, May 31, 2026).

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s collection of over a quarter million images are the world’s premier repository of baseball photographs, spanning some 150 years of the sport’s history. Picturing America’s Pastime, a new exhibit curated by the Hall of Fame, features a selection of these timeless photographs, each accompanied by the words of those who were there and those who echoed the sentiments of photographer Charles Conlon.

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

A test for those of you who are long time San Francisco Giants fans! Do you know the name John Bulazo?

Enjoy the story about John’s tie to the Giants from an excerpt from the San Francisco Giants Newsletter, September, 1993

“Haven’t you heard? The Giants have gotten themselves a ringer. No, it’s not a 15-year-old pitching prodigy from the Dominican Republic; it’s 64-year-old John Bulazo from Daly City. Bulazo rings a cable car bell at the end of each inning, one time for each Giants homerun, and then “Cable Car” better known as ringing it like crazy, after a Giants’ win. ”

The tradition began at Seals Stadium, and prior to the 1993 season a fan suggested that it would be a nostalgic addition to the new and improved Candlestick Park. The Giants agreed and borrowed the authentic bell from its owners at Safeway.

Bulazo become the lucky ringer. He said he then became better known to fans as “The Ding D**g Man,” and he was obviously delighted with his new position. “This is my ‘Field of Dreams,’ “ he said. “I just love it and I couldn’t ask for more.”

The TROLLY BELL from CANDLESTICK PARK is currently on loan from the San Francisco Giants and on display at the Haggin Museum as part of the Picturing America’s Pastime: A Snapshot of the Photographic Collection at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum exhibition on view through Sunday, May 31, 2026.

05/25/2026

The Haggin Museum houses the largest public collection of original art works by the “Golden Age” illustrator, J.C. Leyendecker. The Leyendecker Gallery has more than 30 pieces of original artwork from sketches to completed paintings giving an inclusive look into his process. Visitors enjoy an intimate look into Leyendecker’s life with photographs, letters, and other personal items.

J.C. Leyendecker (1874-1951) was arguably one of America’s most popular commercial artists of the early 20th century. Many of his brilliant paintings became advertisements, selling items from men’s clothing to socks to breakfast cereal. Between 1952 and 1959, Earl Rowland (Director of the Haggin Museum from 1937-1963), acquired a large collection of works by Leyendecker along with a few other works by illustrators of the “Golden Age” era.

The gallery features artwork created by Leyendecker for posters, advertisements, and magazine covers. In the center of the gallery are three sets of drawers containing sketches, photographs, letters, and paintings allowing visitors to access archival items in a more intimate way. Some drawers are filled with personal photographs and ephemera gifted to the Haggin Museum by Leyendecker’s sister Augusta, while others contain a glimpse into his artistic process with sketches and studies.

This video is narrated by the museum former CEO/Curator of History, Tod Ruhstaller.

05/24/2026

Discover Luminism: When Light Became the True Subject of American Art

Between 1850 and 1876, artists of the Hudson River School began pushing landscape painting into something almost spiritual. This late style—now known as Luminism—focused on the drama of light itself: glowing sunsets, shimmering atmospheres, and scenes so calm they feel suspended in time.

Artists like John Frederick Kensett, Albert Bierstadt, Alfred Bricher, and William Bradford mastered this luminous approach.

* Bierstadt’s Sunset in the Yosemite Valley (1868) floods the landscape with blazing yellows and reds, turning granite cliffs into glowing monuments.

Luminism wasn’t just about depicting nature. It was about revealing the sublime, the almost otherworldly beauty found in the meeting of land, sky, and light.

If you’ve ever paused to watch the sky shift colors at sunset, you’ve already felt what these artists were chasing.

Image: Sunset in the Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt, Haggin Museum Collection

05/23/2026

Fantasy and Fabrication Inside the artist’s imagination | Haggin Museum's McKee Gallery.

Nymphs frolicking in a forest; horse sellers haggling; even Napoleon matching wits with a red-robed cardinal: the Haggins, like other Americans abroad, collected fantasies. Artists and collectors collaborated to create a market for paintings that spoke to the imagination. Whether the scenes were of an exotic, concocted idea of the Middle East, or Orient; of a storybook past, peopled by characters from history books or folk tales; or of a classical world that never existed beyond the confines of a frame, artists working in the French and American markets mastered the skill of depicting their collectors’ dream.

05/22/2026

Take a pause and reset with us this weekend.
Wellness Day returns on Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 1–2:30 PM at the Haggin Museum.

Join Relax Meditation Lab and facilitator Andi Bee for a calming meditation and sound bath designed to help you slow down, release stress, and restore balance. No experience needed—just come as you are.

At the Haggin, wellness is more than a moment. Through our Wellness Day series and Self‑Guided Wellness Tours, we invite our community to breathe, reflect, and reconnect. We can’t wait to share this restorative experience with you.

Regular admission prices
$8 Adults (ages 18-64)
$7 Seniors (ages 65+) & Military
$5 Youth (ages 10-17) & Students (with school ID)
Free admission for:
Haggin Museum Members
Children under age 10, accompanied by an adult
First Saturday of the month

05/21/2026

Before it became the landmark we walk past today, the Hotel Stockton was buzzing with travelers, celebrations, and big-city elegance. These interior photos from its heyday show a world of leather lounges, carved columns, and warm golden light.

Hard not to imagine the stories these walls could tell.

Images: Haggin Museum Archival Collection