Oakland Museum of California and Off The Grid Renew Partnership For Friday Nights at OMCA
(OAKLAND, CA) May 11, 2022— Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) and Off the Grid (OTG) are thrilled to announce their renewed partnership for Friday Nights at OMCA, starting Friday, June 3. New and returning visitors are invited to reconnect with family, friends, and community at OMCA over delicious local eats by OTG Creators, and exciting Museum offerings. As California moves toward a new post-pandemic normal, OMCA and OTG are excited to provide a gathering place for the public to foster community and deepen connections with each other. For details, visit museumca.org/friday-nights.
Inspired by the community’s stories of resilience and reconnection over the past two years, Friday Nights at OMCA has been reimagined as a more intimate experience where visitors can break bread and enjoy weekly programming that dives deeper into themes that drive OMCA’s mission like community, belonging, and connection.
Every Friday at 5 pm, visitors will be greeted by 10 Off the Grid food trucks on 10th St between Oak and Fallon Streets, including Curveball Sliders, S&K Wings, Cool!naria, Caribbean Spices, Johnny Doughnuts, Southern Comfort Kitchen and more. Beer and wine will be available for sale. After grabbing a meal from a wide and weekly changing menu of culinary creations, visitors can find their way to the OMCA Gardens where they will find picnic tables and blankets to enjoy their local eats. Throughout the evening, visitors can enjoy lawn games such as Giant Jenga and Giant Connect-Four, or partake in weekly rotating Museum programming that will inspire visitors to move, make, mingle, and more.
“I can’t wait to see the Friday Nights at OMCA magic that happens when visitors from all backgrounds and generations gather, share a meal, and get inspired together,” Lori Fogarty, Director and CEO at OMCA. “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that community is key to getting through hard times. Friday Nights at OMCA, in partnership with OTG, is our weekly invitation to Oakland to find joy, strength, and belonging through community.”
Off the Grid, the Bay Area’s premier food truck experience company, is excited for its return to Oakland. For more than 11 years, OTG has been a cherished brand in San Francisco and a go-to spot for lunch and dinner on Fridays in downtown, and the company is thrilled to bring back a similar experience to the Oakland community at Friday Nights at OMCA.
“We’re thrilled to be back in Oakland in partnership with OMCA,“ Matt Cohen, Founder and CEO of Off the Grid. “It’s an honor to be part of such a truly special community and help create a space to gather with good local food, good music and fun programming.”
Friday Nights at OMCA is free and open to the public; tickets and reservations are not required. All OMCA galleries will be open and regular Museum admission and membership prices apply for access to OMCA exhibitions. In order to maintain safety for all guests, performers, and staff, capacity may be limited.
COVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY INFORMATION
As of February 1, 2022, following the Oakland City Council emergency ordinance, OMCA will require proof of vaccination for all onsite activities. This includes access to galleries and special exhibitions, programs and events in the theater, cafe, and garden. For unvaccinated individuals, a document from a licensed medical professional verifying a medical exemption and a recent negative test (within 72 hours) will also be accepted for entry to the Museum.
Adults are required to show proof of vaccination along with their photo ID; children ages 12 and older must show proof of vaccination but are not required to provide an ID.
Although Alameda County relaxed its mask mandate as of February 16, 2022, OMCA will maintain its existing mask policy per our Safe Community Agreements until further notice. OMCA is taking a measured approach to ensure its making the right choices for its community, while balancing the desire to return to normalcy.
Masks will continue to be required for all visitors ages two and older and OMCA staff, regardless of vaccination status, when not eating or drinking on OMCA’s campus. For more information about OMCA’s COVID-19 Health & Safety protocols, visit museumca.org/covid-health-safety. Please review OMCA’s Safe Community Agreements in advance of visiting.
Friday Nights at OMCA is sponsored by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and Bank of America.
OMCA CALENDAR OF EVENTS
FAMILY EVENTS; MUSIC EVENTS; COMMUNITY EVENTS; ART EVENTS; FOOD EVENTS
OTG Creator Lineup
Curveball Sliders, S&K Wings, Cool!naria, Caribbean Spices, Johnny Doughnuts, Southern Comfort Kitchen and more.
Friday Nights at OMCA Programming
Every Friday starting June 3, 5 pm – 9 pm; DJ in the Amphitheater until 7 pm
Join us for Friday Nights at OMCA in partnership with Off the Grid (OTG). Reconnect with family, friends and community at OMCA over delicious local eats by OTG Creators, and exciting, new Museum offerings. Inspired by the community’s stories of resilience and reconnection over the past two years, Friday Nights at OMCA has been reimagined as a more intimate experience where visitors can break bread and enjoy weekly programming that dives deeper into themes that drive OMCA’s mission like community, belonging, and connection.
Friday, June 3, 5 pm
Clay and Nature Inspired Prints
Join our museum educators for a hands-on MAKE session in the garden! Sculpt your own mini dinnerware at the ‘EARTH-enware Table’, inspired by Edith Heath: A Life in Clay. Or make your mark at the ‘NATURE Prints Table’ with natural shapes and textures, inspired by OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace. OMCA supplies the materials, you supply the creativity! While supplies last.
DJ Emancipation with Aïma the Dreamer of Soulovely
Take a musical journey through Africa and beyond, led by DJ Emancipation and MC Aïma the Dreamer of Soulovely, a collective of powerful queer women of African descent who showcase women djs and queer djs from the Bay Area and have been throwing Oakland’s favorite daytime dance party since 2011.
Friday, June 10, 5 pm
Cabanijazz Project
CABANIJAZZ PROJECT is an exuberant fusion of Latin Jazz harmonies and Afro-Caribbean dance music led by GRAMMY® award-winning composer & conga player, Javier Cabanillas. This eight piece band adds an injection of vitality and coolness to contemporary tropical music, perfect for both the growing listening and dance audiences.
Friday, June 17, 5 pm
Juneteenth Programming
More details to come.
Friday, June 24, 5 pm
Alicia the Dance Dragon Slayer
Diaspora Dance is a Caribbean Vibes meets Afro Pop non-stop party class! Kick off the night with this class featuring an eclectic Afro-Caribbean playlist and a fusion of the latest movements mixed with fun classics. With Alicia’s signature “less moves, more grooves” effortless choreography and Dance Dragon Slaying supportive teaching style, Diaspora Dance is an all-levels space to move, be inspired, and SLAY!
Kin Folkz and East Bay Queer Arts Center
Starting at 6:30, co-founder of the East Bay Queer Arts Center, Kinfolkz, and performing artist Lisa Evans welcome you to a specially curated evening of spoken word, dance, music and healing. The East Bay LGBTQ+ Healing Arts Center aka the Queer Arts Center is a grassroots, interdisciplinary collaborative of Oakland, California-based disabled, Black, Indigenous + Brown LGBTQ+ identified artists and wellness practitioners serving a global community.
For more details on upcoming programs and events, please visit museumca.org.
ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) tells the many stories that comprise California, creating the space and context for greater connection, trust, and understanding between people. Through its inclusive exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, and cultural events, OMCA brings Californians together and inspires greater understanding about what our state’s art, history, and natural surroundings teach us about ourselves and each other. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA brings together its multidisciplinary collections of art, history, and natural science with first-person accounts and often untold narratives of California, all within its 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus. The Museum is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage for visitors from the region, the state, and around the world.
ABOUT OFF THE GRID
Off the Grid (OTG) is a mobile food platform that connects people over a shared love of food and community. Throughout the past decade, OTG has encouraged and inspired the mobile food movement throughout the San Francisco Bay Area with curated food experiences, innovative events, and corporate dining. Utilizing its agile mobile events platform, OTG has supported more than 600 entrepreneurial food vendors and small businesses (known as Creators) with opportunities to connect with their local community. Amidst the current climate—including the COVID-19 pandemic—OTG has expanded its mission to serve the community by providing disaster and emergency food relief to the greater Bay Area and beyond. Efforts include feeding frontline workers, serving first responders during wildfire season, supporting BIPOC businesses, and providing food assistance to food insecure neighbors. For more information please visit https://offthegrid.com/ and follow OTG on Twitter: @OTGSF, Instagram: @OffTheGridSF, and Facebook: @OffTheGridSF.
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