OMCA Announces Public Programs and Events for November 2026
Spotlight Sundays Presents Japanese American Legacies of Resistance, Special Programming for BeHere / 1942, Closing Weeks of Fairyland @ 75: A Legacy of Magic, and More
OMCA PRESS KIT
(Oakland, CA) October 15, 2026 – The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) announces its November 2026 public programs, inviting visitors to explore Oakland’s cultural legacy, engage with powerful stories of history and resistance, and connect through art and community. November highlights include special programming for OMCA’s latest exhibition, BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration, featuring a gallery walkthrough and Spotlight Sundays: Japanese American Legacies of Resistance, with conversations, an interactive taiko performance, and community engagement activities. The Museum welcomes all visitors with free admission this month on Sunday, November 8 where visitors can also experience the closing weeks of Fairyland @ 75: A Legacy of Magic, celebrating the beloved Oakland attraction’s history and lasting impact on the city’s cultural landscape. See the full calendar at www.museumca.org.
OMCA PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EVENTS FOR NOVEMBER 2026
Special Guest Gallery Chat: Exploring BeHere/ 1942 with Margaret Yee
Saturday, November 7 | 1–2 pm | Great Hall
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) welcomes guests to its latest special exhibition, BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration, for a special walkthrough with museum educator and Gallery Chats facilitator Margaret Yee.
Margaret will explore media representation and the impact of the language used to describe this historical moment as she guides visitors through this powerful contemporary artist’s installation, centering the augmented reality (AR) components of the show. In this exhibition, creator and Japanese artist Masaki Fujihata enlarges and activates images by Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee, who documented the forced incarceration, encouraging visitors to look more closely at the emotions of each subject and the power dynamics at play between the photographer behind the camera and the people in front of it.
Concluding the talk, Margaret will share a poetry exercise highlighting the poem “Evacuation” by Mitsuye Yamada.
Closing of Fairyland @ 75: A Legacy of Magic
Sunday, November 8, 2026 | Great Hall
With just a few weeks left to experience it, Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) invites visitors to explore Fairyland’s rich history and impact on Oakland’s cultural landscape with Fairyland @ 75: A Legacy of Magic.
Explore a timeline of Fairyland’s journey, a “then-and-now” look at beloved park attractions, and a glimpse into the park’s bright future. Visitors will discover miniatures created by local artists, photos of Magic Keys through the decades, and one of Fairyland’s original Jolly Trolly cars for kids and families to climb aboard. Don’t miss this celebration of Fairyland’s lasting legacy and role in shaping Oakland’s cultural landscape before the feature closes.
Spotlight Sundays: Japanese American Legacies of Resistance
Sunday, November 15, 2026 | $10 All-Inclusive Ticket | James Moore Theater
Program | 1–2:30 pm
Call to Action | 2:30–3:30 pm
This Sunday, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is stepping into the historical legacy that inspired the Museum’s latest special exhibition, BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration. With opening remarks by OMCA Executive Director Lori Fogarty, the program seeks to engage with this present moment in American history with the clarity and learnings of the past.
Guest speakers Satsuki Ina and Miya Sommers, who both have personal or familial ties to wartime incarceration, will be joined in conversation by host Joemy Ito-Gates to explore how the shadows of this history led them to paths of anti-imperialist organizing, solidarity anchored in love, and healing work in times of enduring racial injustice. TaikoPeace will close the day with an interactive performance of “Ei Ja Nai Ka,” honoring Japanese American immigrant ancestors of this era and the echoes of their resistance through taiko, dance, and song. OMCA welcomes guests to learn, engage, and connect with one another!
Visitors are invited to continue the conversation during a post-program Call to Action gathering. Japanese American Families for Justice, Nikkei Resisters, and Tsuru for Solidarity will facilitate interactive protest art activities and share resources on how to get involved with current campaigns.
The all-inclusive ticket includes admission to the event and access to all OMCA galleries, including the special exhibition BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration.
This program is a part of our exhibition programming for BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration, on view through December 27, 2026.
Gallery Chats at OMCA
Saturdays, 1–3 pm | All Galleries
Gallery Chats puts a twist on the traditional museum tour by encouraging meaningful conversations and fresh interpretations of the artwork, artifacts, and stories in OMCA’s galleries. This informal drop-in experience is an opportunity for visitors to share their personal reflections with and ask questions of our enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteer facilitators.
Visitors can find Gallery Chatters—wearing their blue “Let’s Chat” shirts—and floating between all of OMCA’s galleries during Friday Nights (April-Oct), ThursDates (Jan-March), Saturdays (Nov-Dec), and the Museum’s community celebrations, including Lunar New Year, Día de los Muertos, and Juneteenth (hours vary).
Whether visitors are curious about something on view or excited to reflect on their own experiences, Gallery Chatters are there to help spark conversation and connection.
First Sundays at OMCA
Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 11 am–5 pm | OMCA Campus
Every first Sunday of the month, enjoy free admission to the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA)—now including all Special Exhibitions! Explore the Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences, shop for locally made goods, or relax in our garden—all for free.
Visitors are encouraged to reserve tickets online in advance to secure preferred entry times and reduce wait times. Tickets are also available at the admissions desk on a first-come, first-served basis.
OMCA Architecture Walk and Talk
First Sunday of each month at 1 pm
Walk through OMCA’s landmark building and gardens with members of the Council on Architecture, and learn about the history, design, and evolution of this award-winning structure with guides who are passionate about OMCA and Oakland.
No reservations or tickets are required. Walk and Talk begins near the Mid Level ticketing desk and lasts approximately one hour.
If you’d like to visit OMCA’s Galleries or Special Exhibitions, please purchase a ticket online in advance or at the ticketing desk on the day of your visit.
UPCOMING
Holiday Market at the Museum!
Saturday, December 5 | 11:30 am–4 pm | OMCA Campus
Looking for unique, locally made artisan goods this holiday season? The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is excited to present its Holiday Market at the Museum! One day only, Saturday, December 5, from 11:30 to 4:30 pm
Celebrating the winter season, OMCA partners with local vendors to offer an unusual and tempting array of items great for gift giving—from jewelry and art prints to beautiful textiles, gifts for your four-legged friends, and plenty of other unique finds. Visitors can shop creations from local artists and makers like Chris Granillo Art, Azteca Negra, Prideful Patchez, Candid Art, Rainbow Turtle Jewelry, The Brooch Bar, Stylized Heritage, and so much more.
The Oakland Museum Women’s Board, best known for its annual and beloved White Elephant Sale, also joins the market with a bric-a-brac table featuring. Guests can also stop by the OMCA Shop for all things OMCA and enjoy signature festive drinks from Town Fare Cafe, all while listening to Oakland tunes and browsing the market’s unique finds in support of local artisans.
ALSO ON VIEW AT OMCA
BeHere/ 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration
On View Until December 2026 | Great Hall
“My aim was to peer deeply into photographs…to derive from them more than was visible on the surface.”
—Masaki Fujihata
Can looking closely at photographs change what we see, know, and feel about this history? Japanese artist Masaki Fujihata explores this very question in BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration. Through immersive installations of historic images and augmented reality (AR) experiences, the exhibition brings visitors into the moments of 1942—before Japanese Americans in Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles were transported to concentration camps during World War II.
Fujihata has spent years combing through the archives of famed photographers Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee, who documented the forced incarceration of Japanese Americans in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, respectively. In this exhibition, he enlarges, zooms into, and activates their images to encourage visitors to look more closely—at the emotions of each subject and at the power dynamics at play between the photographer behind the camera and people in front of it.
Originally developed by the Yanai Initiative at UCLA and presented at the Japanese American National Museum in 2022, OMCA’s exhibition features new elements specific to the Bay Area. Highlights include installations that draw from Dorothea Lange’s 1942 photographs of San Francisco and Oakland, some taken directly across the street from what is now Oakland Museum of California. Fujihata also created a new three-screen video featuring local residents, some with connections to the story of Japanese American incarceration and others impacted by present-day anti-immigrant policies. Significantly, BeHere / 1942 extends into Oak Street Plaza, where a life-size image of Japanese Americans lined up to board buses creates the basis for an AR experience. When visitors look at the AR app, they will see images of buses and people moving as they might have in 1942 layered over the plaza.
Konkow Maidu Baskets
Ongoing | Gallery of California History
Learn about historic Konkow Maidu master weavers and their descendants carrying forward the living tradition of basketry from generation to generation. Originally in the Oakland Museum of California’s collection, the baskets from this display are part of a group of items repatriated to the Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California in 2024.
The baskets on view represent an intergenerational exchange of knowledge that is essential to Konkow Maidu daily life, food systems, ceremony, and survival. Visitors will encounter Native voices directly through text from members of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California.
OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace
Ongoing | Gallery of California Natural Sciences
Little learners can unleash their curiosity and imagination in OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace. Located inside the Gallery of California Natural Sciences, the playspace is focused on the unique needs of children ages 2 to 5, along with their families and caregivers. Play is critical to every child’s healthy development and the playroom offers something for everyone—from building materials and nature-themed puzzles to hands-on activities that spark creativity, wonder, and joy. Our youngest museum visitors can also discover the animals that make their homes in Oakland’s streams, hills, and backyards. The playspace gives families a fun, safe place to play and build community with other families.
You Are Here: California Stories on the Map
Ongoing | Gallery of California Natural Sciences
We all use maps in our everyday lives—to navigate public transportation, find places to eat, and visualize big data like weather patterns or political opinions. But have you ever considered the deeper stories maps tell us? In You Are Here: California Stories on the Map, you’ll discover there’s more to maps than meets the eye. Showcasing a diverse range of maps from Oakland, the Bay Area, and California—from environmental surroundings and health conditions to community perspectives and creative artworks—experience how maps can be a powerful tool to share unique points of view and imagine a better future. Explore new perspectives of familiar places through maps made by the community, and mark your own stories on the community map inside the exhibition.
Black Power
Ongoing | Gallery of California History
Uncover the history of the Black Power movements in California with a compelling addition to the Gallery of California History. In response to the widely popular 2016 exhibition All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50, Black Power illustrates the creative ways Black anti-racist activists in California supported their communities and challenged the U.S. government. Focusing on the example of the Black Panther Party, Black Power brings to light the tensions between a culturally and socially progressive California and examples of economic racism and oppression in the state. This moment in California history is represented through historic photographs, provocative objects, iconic posters, paintings, and interactive prompts that encourage visitors to take action out in the world. Learn more about the Bay Area’s role in this national story and the impacts this history continues to have today.
Question Bridge: Black Males
Ongoing | Gallery of California Art
Immerse yourself in intimate videos—woven together and arranged to simulate face-to-face conversations between participants—among a diverse group of over 160 Black men across the United States. Hear these men answer each other’s questions with exceptional honesty and vulnerability, and share stories, beliefs, and values in a personal portrayal of their lives. Encompassing themes of family, love, interracial relationships, community, education, and wisdom, Question Bridge: Black Males presents nuanced portraits of the past, present, and future of Black men in American society. Listen, watch, learn, and start your own conversations with this profoundly moving installation. Question Bridge is an innovative and widely exhibited video installation from artists Chris Johnson and Hank Willis Thomas in collaboration with Bayeté Ross Smith and Kamal Sinclair.
Dorothea Lange: Photography As Activism
Ongoing | Gallery of California Art
Experience the iconic life and work of Dorothea Lange, world-renowned documentary photographer, with an expanded installation in the Gallery of California Art dedicated to her works. Through the lens of her camera, Lange documented American life with riveting photographs that captured some of the most powerful moments of the 20th century. Drawn from Lange’s personal archive, which was gifted to OMCA over 50 years ago, and in response to the popular 2017 exhibition Dorothea Lange: The Politics of Seeing, a number of newly added photographs illustrate the power of photography as social activism. See how Lange’s work continues to resonate with millions and inspire new generations of artists and activists.
Dorothea Lange Digital Archive
Explore prints, field notes, negatives, contact sheets, and more with OMCA’s Dorothea Lange Digital Archive.
ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
Founded in 1969 as a “museum of the people,” Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) tells the diverse stories of California’s art, history, and natural environment. Through inclusive exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, OMCA creates space for meaningful dialogue and strives to build more equitable, empathetic, and connected communities. With more than 2 million objects, OMCA’s collection of art, history, and natural science is a resource for understanding California’s dynamic heritage—all within its 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus. A leading Bay Area cultural institution rooted in Oakland, OMCA is dedicated to fostering an environment where visitors from the region, state, and beyond feel valued and empowered to shape the future of California’s cultural landscape.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is located at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. All-inclusive Museum admission is $25 general admission; $22 for seniors; $18 for youth ages 12 to 17, as well as for students and educators with valid ID; and free for Members and children 12 and under. OMCA offers onsite underground parking and is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station, on the corner of 10th Street and Oak Street. An accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum.