Established in 1980 and in its current Santa Ana Artists Village location since 1994, the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art is an exhibition space founded by five former Cal State Fullerton art students who couldn’t find a gallery to display their work. The 6,300-square foot space is loosely divided into two main rooms featuring paintings, three-dimensional objects, and multimedia works, including some with interactive elements.
Some of the art is available for purchase, though admission to the OCCCA is free. As of Spring 2025, the gallery hosted a retrospective on its first 45 years, spotlighting dozens of the over 2,000 artists who have exhibited here. The exhibit space takes around 30 minutes to fully explore, and is directly across the street from the Grand Central Art Center, a similarly sized contemporary gallery in the Artists Village.
