Gallery Chats at OMCA
OMCA campusJoin us for Gallery Chats, an opportunity to chat with and ask questions of our enthusiastic and knowledgeable OMCA Facilitators.
Admission ticket required
Events
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Upcoming Events
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Spotlight Sundays: Burn The Wagon live podcast with Juan Dominguez and Morning Star Gali on Environmental Justice
James Moore TheaterThe Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) welcomes Climate Action Month with a live recording of Burn the Wagon podcast. OMCA invites guests to join host Juan Dominguez C’ya T’as (red hawk) and Morning Star Gali of the Pit River Tribe and founder of Indigenous Justice as they explore issues centering environmental justice including climate change, Indigenous sovereignty, and decolonization. The event will begin with a vibrant opening performance by a Pomo dance group from Point Arena and conclude with a Q+A session with the audience.
$1 – $30
Friday Nights | Live Music by MacArthur Maze, Sketchboard Live Drawing Sessions, and set by DJ Ron Reeser
OMCA campusFriday Nights at OMCA brings back a Thursday After Hours special, Sketchboard Live Drawing! This Friday OMCA invites visitors to bring their sketch pads and appetites and get creative in the Museum’s Gallery of California Art with live drawing sessions.
Free
Healing Garden: Reflecting on Our Collective Grief
In conjunction with UC Berkeley’s The Othering and Belonging Institute’s 2024 conference, OMCA is pleased to partner with OBI to offer a reflective gathering on collective grief.
Free
Gallery Chats at OMCA
OMCA campusJoin us for Gallery Chats, an opportunity to chat with and ask questions of our enthusiastic and knowledgeable OMCA Facilitators.
Admission ticket required
Friday Nights at OMCA | Live Music with Alphabet Rockers, Drag Storytime with Per Sia, Wire Sculpture Making, Gallery Chats, and DJ set with Siyah
OMCA campusPump up the joy this first Friday at Friday Nights at OMCA! Join us as the intergenerational hip hop group, Alphabet Rockers, explores elements of hip hop and leads audiences to shared moments of joyful expression, uplifting affirmations, and celebratory movement. Drag Storytime keeps the empowering energy flowing as drag artist Per Sia brings Tyler Feder’s preschool picture book, Bodies are Cool, to life with an exuberant read-aloud alongside bright and friendly illustrations to captivate all.
Free
Book Release and Conversation with Filmmaker, Artist, and Author, Adrian Burrell
James Moore TheaterThird-generation Bay Area filmmaker, artist, and author, Adrian L. Burrell will present select works from his first monograph, Sugarcane & Lighting (Minor Matters, 2023) and his latest short film, The Saints Step in Kongo Time.
Free
Gallery Chats at OMCA
OMCA campusJoin us for Gallery Chats, an opportunity to chat with and ask questions of our enthusiastic and knowledgeable OMCA Facilitators.
Admission ticket required
First Sundays | May 5
Every first Sunday of the month, General Admission to OMCA’s Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences is free and tickets to Special Exhibitions in our Great Hall are offered at a discounted price of $6.
Free
OMCA Architecture Walk and Talk
OMCA campusWalk through OMCA’s landmark building and gardens with members of the Council on Architecture.
Free
Member Bonus Reciprocity Weekend with Legion of Honor
Celebrate two incredible Bay Area institutions, the Oakland Museum of California(OMCA) and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, with …
Free for Members
Friday Nights at OMCA | Live Music by Fantastic Negrito & Friends
OMCA campusFriday Night’s at OMCA presents an electrifying evening with Oakland’s own Fantastic Negrito as he takes the stage alongside some of his favorite musicians in the Bay Area. Join us for an immersive performance that plays with the boundaries between funk, rock, soul, and blues to produce a unique and captivating experience. More boundaries are broken as Let’s Lab with KD the Poet makes the mundane fantastic as he centers everyday life in his blend of soulful lyricism and tempered production. The night will be further filled with the groovy blend of rap, soul, R&B, and Afrobeats emanating from Bay Area DJ Mani Draper, all excellent energy to intercut with engaging discussion facilitated by the Gallery Chats taking place in our Special Exhibition, Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya.
Free
Ongoing & Annual events
Evening hours
Thursday After Hours
Experience Thursday After Hours at OMCA – your weekly night out at the Museum rich with cocktails, culture, and community. Mingle at Town Fare Cafe by Chef Michele McQueen, where you can enjoy drinks and light bites against a backdrop of music, or explore the galleries which come alive at night with a mix of pop-up performances, chats, live drawings, and more– just for adults!
Evening hours
Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid
Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid, Oakland’s favorite free weekly block party is back, April—October!
Gather with family, friends, and community every Friday 5—9 pm for live music, hands-on activities, Off the Grid (OTG) food trucks, and late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions, with a Museum ticket.
Gallery Events
Gallery Chats at OMCA
Join us for Gallery Chats, an opportunity to chat with and ask questions of our enthusiastic and knowledgeable OMCA Facilitators.
Third Sundays
Spotlight Sundays
Every third Sunday, OMCA invites visitors to Spotlight Sundays, a series of conversations, performances, and experiences that showcase California visionaries.
First Sundays
First Sundays
Every first Sunday of the month, General Admission to OMCA’s Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences is free and tickets to Special Exhibitions in our Great Hall are offered at a discounted price of $6.
Community Celebration
Lunar New Year
OMCA celebrates the Lunar New Year and explores the shared connections between the diverse Asian cultures of the Bay Area. These family-friendly programs will include both virtual and in-person offerings that celebrate and honor Lunar New Year traditions through storytelling, performances, activities, cooking demonstrations, and more. OMCA holds space for our AAPI communities to come together and uplift each other with both in-person and virtual healing circles.
Community Celebration
Día de los Muertos
In collaboration with OMCA’s Día de los Muertos Committee, we honor Day of the Dead every October and November.
Community Event
White Elephant Sale
The Oakland Museum Women’s Board started the White Elephant Sale over sixty years ago. The annual event is not-to-be-missed.
Gallery Events
Group Chats
Knowledgeable facilitators share insights and help make meaning with your group in OMCA’s galleries.