Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) invites visitors of all ages to explore playful engineering at the upcoming exhibition, Aaron Kramer: Sense of Wonder, on view March 7 through August 23, 2026. The exhibition brings together the lifelong curiosities of kinetic artist and maker Aaron Kramer, whose work is shaped by salvaged materials, mechanical tinkering, and a belief that creativity is a way of understanding the world.
Growing up, Kramer spent his childhood scavenging materials on weekly trash days and transforming them into forts, go karts, rockets, and secret agent kits. Mentors in woodshop, metalworking, and art classrooms nurtured his drive to create, and by high school he was already sharing his skills with younger students, a practice of teaching and mentorship that continues to shape his work.
Kramer’s sculptures have evolved from a found object aesthetic rooted in wire forms, woven vessels, and kinetic constructions sometimes inspired by the earliest sonograms of his first child. His work explores implied function and mechanical life, often taking the form of automata, moving mechanical devices that imitate life. His drawing machines blur the lines between penny arcades and science museums, transforming simple mechanisms into mesmerizing magical performances.
A passionate educator to this day, Kramer empowers children to build boldly, embrace failure, and cultivate a maker mentality that encourages creative problem solving. Sense of Wonder is an invitation to engage with art as a living process, celebrating imagination, motion, and the joy of making.
OMA will host an Exhibition Celebration on Saturday, May 2, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, welcoming the public to meet the artist and explore OMA’s Spring exhibitions.
About Oceanside Museum of Art
Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) is a non-profit organization that began providing exhibitions and public programs in 1995 as part of their mission to bring people together to explore the art and stories of Southern California artists. OMA’s exhibition program is dynamic and robust, surprising visitors with a fresh and exciting visual experience nearly every visit. In addition to these boundary-pushing contemporary art exhibitions, OMA’s programming includes youth education programs, adult art classes, concerts, films, and creative community parties and events that appeal to locals and tourists alike. The OMA experience stimulates imagination, presents new ideas, and challenges the familiar in a welcoming environment for those new to art, longtime museum-goers, artists, art students, or simply the curious. For more information on Oceanside Museum of Art, visit www.oma-online.org
