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Events

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Upcoming Events

Spotlight Sundays | Care-Van: Get Out the Vote Campaign Town Hall

OMCA Lecture Hall 1000 Oak, Oakland, California

This election year, learn everything you need to know to make the best choices for you and your family at Care Van’s Town Hall on Sunday, August 18. Envisioned by artist Autumn Breon, Care Van is part of For Freedoms’ 2024 campaign to broaden democratic participation across the country. This traveling civically engaged interactive artwork was inspired by the work of Bernice Robinson, a beautician who taught Black communities to read and write in order to vote during the Civil Rights Movement.

Free

Friday Nights at OMCA | Afrobeats Oakland Takeover

OMCA campus

Come join us for the Afrobeats Oakland Friday Nights Takeover! Oakland’s most exciting arts and culture brand is partnering with OMCA to host the welcome party for their Annual Afrobeats at the Lake Festival. Afrobeats Oakland shares a taste of their main festival by coloring Friday Nights with a melding of various African cultures, music, and dance. Between the dance tutorials and dance party, the Ethiopian tea ceremony, the live DJ set and the performances from Juan G, KOKO, Christina Alexandria, Asaba, and other special guests, OMCA is set to welcome guests of all ages and backgrounds to a Friday Nights like none other!

Free

Friday Nights at OMCA | Dance Battle w/ Telice Summerfield

OMCA campus

Come through to Friday Nights at OMCA to be a part of a magical moment rooted in Oakland! OMCA is excited to host WHO GOT THE MOVES, a turf dance battle with community leader Telice Summerfield. Featuring not only various competition structures including 1v1 battles, youth battles, and an all style tournament, but also a free prize giveaway with a chance to win free food at some of Oakland’s best restaurants, this event is set to fill the OMCA Garden space with authentic Oakland culture. The second of its kind and once again driven by Telice’s passion for community, the turf battle is also meant to support the exposure, connection, and collaboration of Oakland businesses and organizations. This unforgettable Friday Nights at OMCA will be backdropped with killer beats from DJ Nick Fury who blends Hip Hop, Afro Beats, House, and Bounce to craft a sonic atmosphere where everyone feels the beat and moves as one!

Free

Friday Nights at OMCA with Kev Choice Ensemble

OMCA campus

Come bring the family on a rhythmic journey through the many sounds of the Black diaspora this Friday Nights at OMCA! Kev Choice and his all-star ensemble of musicians kick up a vibe as they spotlight past, present, and future Bay Area artists with a unique musical blend of Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul, and Classical styles. Further ignite that good spark set by Kev’s conscious and introspective lyrical beats with an inspiring reading of Jonah Winter’s, Mother Jones and Her Army of Mill Children by none other than the captivating Per Sia.

Free

Friday Nights at OMCA with Audiopharmacy World Hip Hop Ensemble

OMCA campus

This Friday Nights at OMCA the Garden stage will be transformed into a multimedia musical experience! Audiopharmacy crafts an enchanting soundscape by combining Hip Hop, Soul, and Jazz with global music genres and turntablism and then pairs it with Indigenous chanting and knowledge, movement, and visual projection that come together to cultivate healing and unity to inspire change.

Free

Member Gallery Chats: Felicia Montes: Behind the Botanica

OMCA Gallery of California History 1000 Oak St, Oakland, California, United States

Join healing arts practitioner, Felicia Montes of Mujeres de Maíz & La Botanica del Barrio as she takes you through a tour of her installations in OMCA latest special exhibition, Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples. Felicia will share the inspiration, background, and stories behind the pieces with song, spoken word and special heart medicine.   

Free for Members

Spotlight Sundays: Making Music and Medicine for Health and Healing

OMCA Garden 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, California, United States

Join healing arts practitioner and featured artist in OMCA special exhibition, Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples, Felicia Montes of Mujeres de Maíz and La Botanica del Barrio for Barrio Botanica & Beats a bilingual herbal medicine demonstration on making and using natural, holistic and healing methods and traditions. Montes will share the custom of flor y canto or flower and song, as she is joined by the Xicana musical group, In Lak Ech in a ritual ceremony. 

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! 

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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.

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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.

 

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Third Sundays Spotlight Sundays

Every third Sunday, OMCA invites visitors to Spotlight Sundays, a series of conversations, performances, and experiences that showcase California visionaries.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Gallery Events Group Chats

Knowledgeable facilitators share insights and help make meaning with your group in OMCA’s galleries.

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