About the Collection
OMCA’s collection
OMCA’s collection of more than two million objects is devoted to the art, history, and natural environment of California and is collected and displayed to reflect the State’s cultural, artistic and biological diversity. The collection encompasses more than 90,000 works by California artists from the late 18th century to the present; nearly two million artifacts and photographs documenting the state’s history and peoples; and more than 100,000 natural specimens, images, and sound recordings of California species and environments. Among the types of objects represented in the collection are paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, furniture, decorative arts, costume, textiles, machinery, Indigenous items, natural science specimens, geology and herbaria, as well as traditional and digital time-based media of astonishing scope and diversity representing the material legacy of California and its people.
There are approximately 4,000 objects from the collection on view at any time within the three core galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences. Many more—more than 300,000!—are available to browse online.
FAQs
There are more than two million objects in OMCA’s collection. The Art collection features over 90,000 works of art by artists from California or who were strongly influenced by time spent in the state. The History collection consists of nearly two million items that represent and document California’s peoples and their histories from the original Indigenous inhabitants to the multicultural population of the 21st century. The Natural Sciences collection comprises more than 100,000 specimens, artifacts, sounds, and photographs focused on the native species, ecosystems, and geology of California.
The collection is owned and held in public trust by the City of Oakland, which also owns the buildings in which the collection is housed. OMCA has been empowered and required by the City of Oakland to oversee the day-to-day care, management, and preservation of the collection.
The Museum seeks works of art and historical objects that reflect the diversity of identities in California; that speak to the experience of historically marginalized people such as women, persons of color, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ communities, among others; and that ensure the ability of these groups of people to tell their own stories. Desired natural sciences specimens are examples unique to California and that enable conversations about diverse ecosystems and human relationships with them.
Thank you for considering donating to the collection! Please do not bring or send objects to the Museum. They will not be accepted. Unsolicited donation items left at the Museum will be disposed of.
You must submit a proposal form in order for our curatorial and collections teams to consider your donation, whether it’s of one artwork, artifact, or specimen, or a variety of items.
If you are unable or choose not to use this form, you may submit a written proposal that includes the following information:
- Is your item being offered as a donation or for purchase? If the item is offered as a purchase, please provide the price and any conditions or terms.
- Describe the object’s connection to California. Objects without a connection to California will not be considered for the collection.
- Provide supporting information about the object, such as a general description; the name of the maker (if known or applicable); dimensions; date made; history of how it was made, used, and/or acquired; assessment of the object’s condition; and any other details you can provide.
- High-quality photographs of the object(s).
Mail written proposals to:
Oakland Museum of California
Attention: Acquisitions Committee
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94607
Once we receive your completed proposal, OMCA staff will carefully consider your offer. Those considerations include the object(s) relevance to OMCA’s mission; how well it fits within the collections plan; its condition; and whether we can adequately care for it in the future. Please note that not all donation or sale offers can be accepted. If the object is accepted, you may be asked for formal documentation of ownership.
We respond to all proposals, however depending on the unique considerations of each proposal, it can take anywhere from one to six months for us to respond. Thank you for your interest in supporting the Oakland Museum of California.
The Oakland Museum of California is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization and donations are tax deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law.
No. We are unable to provide object valuations. General information about appraisals and appraisers can be found on these websites, which are listed in no particular order:
The Appraisers Association of America
The American Society of Appraisers
Please send an email to research@museumca.org regarding your area of research and a staff member will respond within 10 business days.
As with most museums, the majority of objects in our collection are not on view due to the space constraints of our galleries. Additionally, certain types of objects, such as textiles and photographs, may fade or deteriorate if exposed to light for too long, so their display time is limited. And sometimes our objects are on loan to other museums for exhibition, receiving treatment in our conservation lab, or are being studied in storage by our curators. We regularly rotate objects on view in our core galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences and encourage you to visit these galleries often.
More than 300,000 objects from our collection are available to view online. If an object is currently on view in the museum, the location information will be displayed in its online record. You may also use filtering tools when searching the collection to find only objects on display or to narrow larger results to just those on display.
Not yet, but more than 300,000 objects are available to view online and additional records are added every week. We invite you to view the collection online.
We aim to use the best images that we have available, however many of the images are simple documentation photographs. The process of taking studio photographs with proper lighting, a neutral background, and some color correcting requires significant time and staffing resources. In order to present as much of our collection as possible, we have decided to share some less-than-perfect photographs in the belief that a mediocre image is better than none at all. The website will be updated as studio photographs are taken.
Permission is required for reproduction, public display, or distribution in any format. For more information and to place a request, please read our Rights & Reproductions information below.
OMCA’s collection objects are cataloged by staff across curatorial and collections departments. When objects are received into the collection, their condition is documented, they are photographed, and relevant information such as artist information, title, related dates, medium, and description are captured in our database. OMCA strives to write collection information, especially descriptions, in standardized, objective, and inclusive language.
Our collection records may not always reflect our current standards, however. OMCA’s founding institutions, the Oakland Public Museum, the Oakland Art Gallery, and the Snow Museum of Natural History, all opened their doors more than one hundred years ago. Some of the terminology used in describing objects from these legacy collections is outdated at best, or racist at worst. While staff work on an ongoing basis to review and update older records to ensure the use of inclusive and anti-racist vocabulary, we know that our records are not perfect. We invite you to alert us to problematic cataloging by sending an email to onlinecollection@museumca.org. Please include the object’s accession number and a link to its URL in your email. Additionally, at the bottom of every object record in our online collection, clicking on the words “Please send us a note” provides you with the opportunity to share feedback of any kind; feel free to point out typos, mistakes, or tell us about your personal connection to the object.
Rights & Reproduction
Requesting images and permissions
Many of the images from our collection are available for licensing and reproduction. Permission is required for any reproduction, public display, or distribution in any format, whether digital or print formats. OMCA may charge a fee for image use based on the nature of the project and may also charge a production fee if new photography or scanning is required. Please note that OMCA transfers digital files only; prints are not produced.
To request the reproduction and/or permission to use images of objects from OMCA’s collection, please email rightsrepro@museumca.org. Due to a large number of rights and reproduction projects, replies may take up to 8 weeks and request fulfillment will take additional time. We try to match image size to the intended use, in most cases our images will not exceed 6000 pixels (or 20 inches at 300 DPI) on the long side.
A note about copyright
While images and image use agreements are available through OMCA, copyright and other proprietary rights may further restrict use of the images on this site or elsewhere. OMCA does not warrant that the use of these materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or estates that may hold rights to these materials. It is the responsibility of the applicant to satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by “fair use,” as described in the United States Copyright Act (Title 17, USC). After OMCA has received your request for materials we will notify you if we require rights clearance before proceeding with your request. For additional information, please contact: rightsrepro@museumca.org
Conservation at OMCA
OMCA conservators work to preserve California heritage for future generations and to help visitors, researchers, and community members connect with the museum collection. The conservation department carries out object treatments and technical research, and implements preventive conservation strategies that minimize damage from agents of deterioration like light, pests, and moisture.
Conservators collaborate with museum colleagues, artists, and community partners to care for the collection. Their work supports exhibitions, loans, new acquisitions, grants, and other museum initiatives. Conservation also assists with consultations and repatriations, helping to provide as much information as possible to Native partners.
Learn more about conservation from the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). If seeking professional conservation advice or services, AIC’s Find A Conservator tool can help you find and contact local conservators.