The exhibition was presented in collaboration with the Niki Charitable Foundation and was funded in part by the County of San Diego Community Enhancement Program.
In preparation since October 2001, Mingei International Museum North County Satellite opened to the public December 5, 2003. Coinciding with the dedication of Niki de Saint Phalle’s permanent and only public installation in the U.S.A – QUEEN CALIFIA’S MAGICAL CIRCLE, in Escondido’s Kit Carson Park, this inaugural exhibition featured her work from the Museum’s permanent collection and loans from the Niki Charitable Art Foundation. Mingei International has a collection of 16 works by Niki de Saint Phalle including monumental and small-scale works.
The exhibition was accompanied by “NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE – Reflections on Her Art,” a video tape of an illustrated lecture presented by Niki de Saint Phalle at the University of California San Diego in 1994.