Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples Opens!

Mark your calendars for the much anticipated opening of our latest special exhibition, Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples coming Friday, June 14. Just in time for pride month, this multimedia exhibition navigates the interwoven threads of queer, feminist, intergenerational, and Xicanx-Indigenous stories that offer ancestral forms of liberation, healing and being.

Inspired by the Calli Americas collection of late queer Chicana activist and professor Margaret “Margie” Terrazas-Santos, the exhibition uses photography, sculpture, painting, installation, poetry, and more to collectively construct a Calli, or “Xicanx home” that holds the sacred stories of Xicanx peoples from past to present day.

Come enter the Calli and delve into the nuanced and layered artistic perspectives that arise out of the conversation between posters from Terrazas-Santos’ collection and the contemporary works by Xicanx artists from which we can imagine new possibilities for the future.

Tickets for Special Exhibition access are available here for guests, and are free for Museum Members.

About Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples

Experience intergenerational, feminist, queer, and Xicanx-Indigenous artworks offering ancestral forms of liberation, healing, and being at Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples, only at OMCA.

“Calli,” derived from Nahuatl, signifies the essence of home, family, and lineage. Immerse yourself in thought-provoking original artworks, installations, sculpture, painting, photography, poetry, and more, that showcase and honor the stories of Xicanx peoples across California in this temporary “Xicanx home.” 

Calli layers multiple artistic perspectives, featuring posters from late queer Chicana activist and professor Margaret “Margie” Terrazas Santos’ collection in conversation with contemporary works by Xicanx artists who expand the horizons of possibility, inspiring reflection and fostering dialogue about a world in which we can all belong.

Discover exhibition highlights by featured artists including:

• rafa esparza’s adobe Mesoamerican stylized temple installation
• Consuelo Jimenez Underwood’s site-specific Borderline installation conveying U.S.-Mexico border issues such as land commodification, militarization, dehumanization, and its ecological effects
• Gina Aparicio’s ceramic and earth-based installation with audio composed by musician Joe Galarza, a member of Aztlan Underground
• Melanie Cervantes’ soft sculpture installation of the Aztec moon goddess, Coyolxauhqui

Major support for Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples is provided by The Oakland Museum Women’s Board.

Accessibility 

Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to providing programs that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive of our community. Wheelchairs, sensory inclusive devices, and additional amenities are available for checkout on a first come, first served basis at the Ticketing Desk. To request other accommodations, like American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Spanish or another language interpreter, please email [email protected] at least three weeks before the event. Learn more about our accessibility options.