The Museum of Photographic Arts officially opened its doors on May 1, 1983 as one of the few museum facilities in the United States designed exclusively to collect and present the world's finest examples of photographic art. The appointment of nationally renowned curator/photographer Arthur Ollman as Executive Director brought visionary leadership and instant credibility to the nascent museum.

MoPA has displayed works from the entire history of the medium: from 19th century daguerreotypes to albumen prints, from Pictorialism to master works of 20th century and contemporary works and photojournalism by many of the best photographers working today. MoPA’s Permanent Collection currently includes more than 7,000 photographs that span the history of photography. The museum's permanent collection was richly enhanced in 1992 with a bequest from the estate of the late photographer and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Lou Stoumen. In July 2002, the collection was again enhanced with the gift of the entire Nagasaki Journey: The Photographs of Yosuke Yamahata, August 10, 1945 archive given by The Independent Documentary Group. MoPA has produced 15 exhibitions that have traveled to museums around the globe and has published 15 exhibition catalogues. After a one-year renovation and expansion project that quadrupled the museum's size, MoPA reopened March 4, 2000. The expansion included additional galleries, a classroom, print-viewing room, and a 20,000-volume library, as well as augmented archival facilities and support areas. In addition, the expansion includes a 226-seat state-of-the-art theater, that fulfills the museum's mandate of presenting the arts of still photography, video and film.The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection, and preservation of photography, film and video.