Above and Below: Stories From Our Changing Bay unveils the quirky stories of how people and nature together have shaped the San Francisco Bay Area over the last 6,000 years. The first major exhibition to be presented with all three of OMCA’s transformed galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences open to the public, the exhibition highlights historic and contemporary place-based stories about the Bay, and engages viewers in discussions about the Bay’s future. Through an extensive use of media featuring oral histories, community voices, and interactives, the exhibition explores how human engineering and natural forces have come together over time to shape and reshape the land and water around the San Francisco Bay, and how sea-level rise, wetlands restoration, invasive species, and climate change are central topics in determining the future of the Bay.
Above and Below Events
It's all about the Bay at OMCA, with events throughout the run of the exhibition. A robust schedule of programs and events related to the exhibition Above and Below: Stories From Our Changing Bay is taking place throughout the fall, and there's something for everyone, including:
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In-the-Headlines Second & fourth Fridays 6:30–7:30 pm |
In-gallery discussion during Friday Nights @ OMCA with different topics and guest speakers |
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Bay Brunches at the Museum Select Saturdays and Sundays through February 23, 2014 |
Including a special menu with local ingredients, table service, mimosas and bloody marys, local artisanal salts, and live music |
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Geek Out! Lecture Series Saturday, September 21, 2–3:30 pm Saturday, November 16, 2–3:30 pm Saturday, February 1, 2–3:30 pm |
Explore urgent and exciting issues with guest lecturers ranging from authors to filmmakers, artists to scientists |
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Family Drop-in Bridge Building Workshop Sunday, September 8, 12–3 pm Sunday, September 22, 12–3 pm |
Learn about the engineering of bridges, and build your own out of toothpicks and gumdrops |
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Talk at the Lafayette Library Thursday, October 3, 6:30–7:30 pm |
Join OMCA at the Lafayette Library to discuss the Museum's newest exhibition |
Supporters
Above and Below: Stories From Our Changing Bay is supported by the California Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Bay Area Toll Authority and the California Transportation Commission to complete the seismic safety project on the historic San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The exhibition and related oral histories, school curriculum, and on-line resources help satisfy mitigation obligations required to comply with state and federal environmental laws.
The exhibition also received generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.
Media Partners: 
FOOD: The narratives in the Food section explore current and past nodes within the Bay Area food system. From early agricultural acreage on what now borders the Oakland Airport, to the once-thriving wild salmon populations of the north bay, to the first ice cream sandwich, this region has been shaped by the food we grow, import, and manufacture.
UNDERGROUND: Some of the most interesting aspects of Bay Area culture are hidden from view. The Underground section pulls buried and banished stories back into our awareness, from Silicon Valley toxic plumes to the Mission's lost creeks, adding subterranean layers — and digital details — to the knowledge we can gather just by looking. 
FROM THIS SPOT: So many books, movies, and other bits of artistic expression have been situated in the Bay. In From This Spot, each point was chosen based on a scene or image from a creative work, enabling viewers to experience a location through a literary or artistic lens. Excerpts from Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full and clips from Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp provide a new context for looking at ordinary places around the Bay.
