Ticketing Policies

Visitor capacity is limited.

Children must be accompanied by an adult 18 and up. The minimum adult/child ratio is 1:4. This policy will be enforced at the admissions desk when you claim your tickets.

Reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Membership does not guarantee availability of reservations. 

Be prepared to show the proper credentials when claiming discounted or Member tickets (valid work ID, student ID, Skirball Member ID, etc.). 

To apply Member discounts, don’t forget to sign in before placing your order! When you are ready to register/reserve online, click on the “Sign In” link at the top of the page and enter the email address and password associated with your membership account. If you do not recall your password, click on the “Forgot your password?” link to create a new one. If you are a new Member without an online account, create one now by clicking the “Create an Account” link and following the prompts. To confirm which email address is associated with your membership, contact membership@skirball.org, and a Skirball representative will get back to you. 

Plan to arrive on time. To ensure a safe and pleasant visitor experience, the entry and exit times on your timed-entry tickets for Noah's Ark must be observed so that we can monitor visitor capacity. 

Requesting refunds and exchanges. If you or anyone in your party can no longer make your reservation, please let us know so that your tickets can be released for others to reserve. You may request a refund or reschedule your visit (subject to availability) within thirty days of your original reservation date. If you would like to donate your ticket payment to the Skirball, we would be very appreciative. Email info@skirball.org or call (877) SCC-4TIX or (310) 440-4500 and press 2. 

No late seating for performances, readings, lectures, or film screenings. Please arrive in time to claim your tickets and take your seats before the program begins. After the published start time, unclaimed seats may be sold. All unclaimed reserved tickets for FREE programs may be released fifteen minutes before the program’s scheduled start time and made available to other patrons. Arrive early to prevent the loss of your reservation. 

Adult education class fees must be paid before the first session and are fully refundable if you cancel your registration at least twenty-four hours prior to the first session. After that date, all sales are final, with no refunds or exchanges. Adult education classes may be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. You will be notified if your class has been cancelled, and arrangements will be made to process a refund. Email adulteducation@skirball.org for updates. Member discounted rates for adult education classes are limited to two Members per membership. 

Skirball Photography

The Skirball regularly conducts photography and filming during public hours with the intention to use the photos and film footage for noncommercial, educational, and promotional purposes. By being present during these activities, you consent to the use of your appearance, likeness, and voice by the Skirball Cultural Center and its licensees in all media, worldwide, in perpetuity.

Personal Photography

Visitors are welcome to use their smartphones to take non-flash photographs for personal, noncommercial use, unless otherwise indicated. Photography should be conducted in a way that does not interfere with the experience, safety, or accessibility of other visitors or with the care and security of artworks and objects.

Video recording is not permitted during regular Museum hours without advance permission.

Please leave handheld cameras, additional lenses, selfie sticks, tripods, light stands, reflectors, stabilizers, other attachments, drones, and professional-style photography or recording equipment at home.

Photography and recording must comply with all posted gallery restrictions and instructions from Skirball staff. Photography or videography may be prohibited in whole or in part within temporary exhibitions, special installations, programs, or events.

Visitors may not photograph or record other visitors, staff, performers, speakers, or program participants in a way that intrudes on their privacy or without their consent. Photography or recording of children who are not part of the photographer's own group should be avoided.

Professional and Commercial Photography

Photography or videography intended for commercial, promotional, editorial, advertising, commissioned, or other professional purposes requires advance permission from the Skirball Cultural Center.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Photography or video produced for a business, organization, publication, or commercial project
• Content created for monetized or sponsored social-media accounts
• Paid or commissioned photography
• Advertising or promotional photography
• Photography or video intended for commercial publication or distribution
• Photography or videography involving professional or specialized equipment

News media and other editorial photographers should also contact the Skirball in advance.

To request permission to photograph or record video, or to bring professional or specialized equipment on campus, please email communications@skirball.org at least one week before your visit. Approval may be subject to additional requirements, fees, scheduling restrictions, or location limitations.

What Is Noncommercial Photography?

Noncommercial photography is photography created primarily for personal purposes and not as part of a commercial, promotional, commissioned, or revenue-generating activity. 

Examples may include:

• Taking photographs with a smartphone to document a visit
• Sharing personal photographs on a personal social media account
• Taking photographs for personal study or educational purposes
• Photographing objects or exhibitions for personal, noncommercial research, where permitted

Posting a photograph on social media does not by itself make the photography commercial. However, photography undertaken for sponsored content, paid partnerships, advertising, commissioned work, or other monetized activity requires advance permission.

Why These Restrictions Are in Place

Safety and Accessibility - Photography and recording can require visitors to focus on equipment rather than their surroundings. Tripods, lights, stabilizers, and other equipment can also create obstacles in galleries and public spaces. Restrictions help maintain safe, accessible pathways for everyone.

Protection of Artworks and Objects - The Skirball takes precautions to protect artworks, archival materials, and other objects on display. Flash photography, supplemental lighting, and physical equipment can pose risks to light-sensitive materials or create opportunities for accidental contact or damage.

Ownership and Copyright - The Skirball does not necessarily own the copyright or other rights associated with every artwork, object, image, performance, or other material presented on campus. Restrictions on photography and videography may therefore be necessary to respect rights held by artists, lenders, artists' estates, performers, exhibitors, and other rights holders. Permission to display, photograph, or record an object does not necessarily grant permission to reproduce, publish, distribute, or commercially use the resulting image or recording.

Visitor Experience - Photography and videography should not interfere with the experience of other visitors. Recording equipment, repeated takes, posed photography, voiceovers, lighting, or other production activity can create distractions, block views or pathways, or interfere with the enjoyment of the galleries.

Exhibition-Specific Restrictions - Individual exhibitions, installations, artworks, events, and programs may have additional photography and videography restrictions. These restrictions may be imposed by the Skirball, artists, lenders, rights holders, or other partners.

Please observe all posted signs and consult a Skirball team member if you are unsure whether photography or recording is permitted.

• Consuming food and beverages is not permitted in Museum galleries. This helps protect artworks, objects, and exhibition materials from accidental spills, crumbs, pests, and other potential damage. Keeping food and beverages out of the galleries also helps maintain a clean, comfortable environment for all visitors.
• Food and beverages may be enjoyed outdoors or in Ruby Commons.
• Campus tables and chairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis and may not be reserved.
• Food and beverages must be carried in sturdy, sealed containers. Paper or plastic bags are permitted as long as they are sturdy and securely closed.
• Open or flimsy containers should not be brought through Museum galleries. Please finish these items before entering the galleries or store them in your personal vehicle or in a locker, if available.
• If you are carrying food or beverages in an open or flimsy container, please use an alternate route around the Museum to access outdoor areas such as the Bloom Garden or Amphitheater. A Skirball team member can help direct you.
• Please clean up after yourself. Discard food, packaging, and other waste in the appropriate receptacles, and leave tables, chairs, and surrounding areas in the condition in which you found them. Please do not leave food, containers, or other items behind.
• Please report spills or excessive trash to a Skirball employee. Promptly notifying a team member helps us address the issue quickly and keep the campus clean and safe for everyone.

Why Food and Beverages Are Not Permitted in Galleries

The Museum's galleries are designed to protect and preserve artworks, objects, and other materials in our care. Food and beverages can introduce risks through accidental spills, crumbs, leaks, pests, and changes to the gallery environment. Even a small accident can damage an object or exhibition materials.

Keeping food and beverages out of the galleries also helps preserve the experience for everyone by reducing odors, noise, litter, and other distractions. These guidelines allow visitors to enjoy food and drinks comfortably in designated areas while helping us care for the Museum's collections.

Dining On Campus 

The Skirball offers two on-site dining establishments:

• Zeidler’s Café provides a comfortable, sit-down dining experience for visitors.
• Judy’s Counter offers pre-packaged, grab-and-go food and beverage items.

For evening programs and other activities taking place in areas away from on-campus dining facilities, the Skirball may occasionally offer food and beverage carts for visitors’ convenience.

Whether you purchase food and beverages from a Skirball dining facility, a food and beverage cart, or bring them from home, all food and beverage guidelines apply. Please enjoy food and beverages only in designated areas, carry items in secure packaging, dispose of waste appropriately, and speak to a Skirball employee if you have any questions.

In consideration of visiting the Skirball, visitors are aware of and understand the following: that (1) their visit, and any minor(s) under their supervision’s visit, to the Skirball involves activities with inherent risks, including but not limited to slips, trips, falls, or collisions, and includes their and others’ handling of objects, including but not limited to plastic, felt, plush, foam, and wooden toys; musical instruments; netting and climbing structures; ropes; art supplies and mixed-media sculptures; and water, sand, rocks, trees, plants, and insects; and (2) participation in such activities and use of such objects and equipment comes with the risk of bodily injury. Visitors acknowledge that any injury that they and/or their minor(s) sustain may result from or be compounded by the actions, omissions, or negligence of the Skirball or other visitors. 

Notwithstanding the risk, visitors acknowledge that they are knowingly and voluntarily visiting the Skirball with an express understanding of the potential risk involved and hereby agree to accept and assume any and all risks of injury arising from their and their minor(s)’s visit to the Skirball, whether caused by the ordinary negligence of the Skirball, other visitors to the Skirball, or otherwise. 

Visitors expressly waive and release any and all claims during their visit or thereafter, whether known or unknown, against the Skirball, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, affiliates, and other visitors, on account of illness or injury arising out of or attributable to their participation in any activities at the Skirball.  

VISITORS HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVE AND RELINQUISH ALL RIGHTS AND BENEFITS AFFORDED BY CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE SECTION 1542 and do so understanding and acknowledging the significance of this specific waiver of Section 1542. Section 1542 states as follows: 

“A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.” 

Visitors waive any and all claims of any kind, arising out of or attributable to their visit to the Skirball, including those claims that may be unknown to them, or which they do not suspect to exist at this time. 

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the California Disabled Persons Act (CPDA), CA Title II ADA 42 U.S.C. Sect. 12131-112165, the Skirball recognizes service animals as any guide dog or signal dog, trained to assist an individual with a disability. Animals that provide emotional support or comfort, including therapy animals, are not recognized by the ADA as service animals. 

Visitors should check in with a Security Officer at the front desk in the main lobby or at the kiosk in the North Garage. Visitors should be prepared to answer questions about what service their animal is trained to provide. Once the service animal is approved, visitors will receive a special sticker for identification. 

Once admitted to the Skirball, a service animal must be in the control and presence of its owner at all times, or someone designated by the owner as a competent handler, and not pose a credible threat of harm to others. Additionally, the animal must not become a nuisance (excessive barking, pet odors, indoor bio-elimination., etc.) to the Skirball or other visitors. Visitors whose service animal violates any of these terms may legally be asked to vacate the premises.  

Phone calls—As a courtesy to fellow visitors, mobile phone conversations should be conducted outside of the galleries.

Smoking—For the health and safety of all, the Skirball campus is a smoke-free environment except in designated areas. If you wish to smoke, please ask a Skirball team member where smoking is permitted.