California is a Soft Super Power
California has a rich heritage of soft power creation and export that has had significant global impact. The Influence and Action - Soft Power track at the California Association of Museums 2017 Annual Conference explored the concept of soft power and its centers in California through a series of presentations and case studies. The abundance of “soft power centers” in the state as depicted on this map attest to the widespread geographic distribution of soft power from one end of the state to the other. Can it be said that California is a soft superpower? Let us know about your soft power destination so we can add it to this map!
Soft Power destinations in California
Northern California
- Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
- Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
- California Academy of Sciences
- California Indian Museum & Cultural Center
- Chabot Space and Science Center
- City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
- David Brower Center
- Exploratorium
- Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
- Golden Gate Highlands National Park
- Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, UC Davis
- Lake Tahoe
- Laney College
- Lava Beds National Monument
- Mendocino Headlands State Park
- Museum of the African Diaspora
- Napa Valley
- Oakland Museum of California
- Point Reyes National Seashore
- Redwood National and State Parks
- San Francisco Art Institute
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- The Crucible
- Turtle Bay Exploration Park
- University of California Botanical Garden
- University of California, Berkeley
- Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Central California
- Big Sur
- California Polytechnic State University
- Channel Islands National Park
- Death Valley National Park
- King's Canyon National Park
- Mission San Luis Obispo
- Mono Lake
- Monterey Bay Aquarium and Research Institute
- Morro Bay State Park
- National Steinbeck Center
- Ojai Valley Museum
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art
- Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
- Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History
- Sequoia National Park
- Silicon Valley
- Streets of Bakersfield
- Yosemite National Park
Southern California
- Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
- Aquarium of the Pacific
- California African American Museum
- California Institute of Technology
- Catalina Island
- Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert
- Getty Center
- Griffith Observatory
- Hammer Museum
- Hollywood
- Indian Canyons
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- Mojave National Reserve
- Museum of Tolerance
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- Palm Springs Art Museum
- Palomar Mountain
- San Diego Balboa Park
- San Diego Zoo
- Santa Monica Pier Aquarium
- University of Southern California
New to Soft Power? Want to learn more? Download this starter kit that can guide you in becoming a Soft Power Center. The kit included the first chapter of the book Cities, Museums and Soft Power and other useful resources.
Download the Kit
The California Association of Museums is a professional and dynamic community of individuals and organizations that seeks to create a brighter future for museums and their communities. CAM connects museum professionals and volunteers with timely information and practical resources, which fosters museums that are relevant and effective organizations that make a positive impact on the state of California and its citizens.
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Soft Power Destinations have influence because they operate in a way that is accountable and transparent, and they seek to be excellent, relevant and sustainable in all that they do. The Soft Power Destinations Awards recognize soft power best practice in cultural destinations.
About the LCD Awards