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Oakland Museum of California Announces Events & Programs for January & February 2020

(OAKLAND, CA) December 9, 2019The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) announces upcoming events and special programs in January and February. Don’t miss the first opportunity to shop Northern California’s biggest and best rummage sale at the White Elephant Preview Sale on Sunday, January 26 from 10 am to 4 pm. All proceeds from the sale, organized by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board, help support OMCA’s programming, exhibitions, and events.

OMCA’s year of 50th anniversary programming continues on Saturday, January 25 with OMCA at 50 Community Conversations: Exploring Public Art Practices, part of Rainin Foundation’s Open Spaces Program. Hear from leading artists and activists changing the field of public art practice, participate in thought-provoking breakout discussions, and discuss the challenges and opportunities of engaging communities through artistic expression.

On Saturday and Sunday, February 8 and 9, celebrate the Year of the Rat at OMCA’s 19th Annual Lunar New Year and Other Asian Traditions festival, now held over two fun-filled days. Don’t miss the final weeks of No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man, including weekly tours and a final Late Night at No Spectators on Thursday, January 9, and ¡El Movimiento Vivo! Chicano Roots of El Día de los Muertos, before both exhibitions close on February 16. For more information, visit museumca.org.


CALENDAR EDITOR PLEASE LIST:
FAMILY EVENTS; MUSIC EVENTS; COMMUNITY EVENTS; ART EVENTS; FOOD EVENTS; FILM EVENTS; BURNING MAN EVENTS; LUNAR NEW YEAR EVENTS; CHARITY EVENTS


First Sundays at OMCA
Sunday, January 5 & Sunday, February 2
11 am 5 pm
Celebrate the new year with a visit to OMCA! Marvel at spectacular artwork and large-scale installations in No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man and learn about Chicano activists who introduced Día de los Muertos traditions to the United States in ¡El Movimiento Vivo! Chicano Roots of El Día de los Muertos. Experience all that our Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences have to offer. Pick up a treat for yourself or a loved one in the OMCA Store. Enjoy a lunch or snack in Blue Oak café. Spend a day with us and find out why East Bay Express calls OMCA “the best museum for the people, by the people.”

Suggested donation for general admission: $5 per person. No advance online tickets are available for First Sundays. Your contribution helps us provide access to other visitors in the community. There is an additional $5 charge for special exhibition No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man.

Friday Nights at OMCA
Every Friday from 5 pm – 9 pm
January 17, 24, 31 (note: no event on January 3 and 10)
February 7, 14, 21, 28
Friday Nights at OMCA will return after the winter break on Friday, January 17, 2020. We’ll continue our Friday Nights experience throughout OMCA’s campus renovations, including Off the Grid food trucks, DJs, music, family programs, late-night gallery access, and other activities for the community every Friday night. Throughout the duration of the renovation, some areas may be impacted. Stay tuned for more information and sign up for the Museum’s eNews to receive the latest details, or find more details on our Friday Nights at OMCA webpage.

Tour | No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man
Every Sunday through February 16
12 pm
View the spectacular artwork and large-scale installations from one of the most widely-celebrated cultural events in the world with an OMCA Docent as your guide. Explore works by Bay Area artists including jewelry, costumes, “mutant” vehicles, sculptures, photography, and paintings. Learn about Burning Man’s origins, from its counterculture roots in the San Francisco Bay Area to the world-famous desert gathering it is today.

Included with Museum special exhibition admission.

Late Night at No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man
Thursday, January 9
610 pm
Join us for exclusive late-night access to OMCA’s major fall exhibition No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man, plus enjoy the rare opportunity to enjoy snacks and beverages from the Blue Oak Café inside the gallery while spending time with your community. Don’t miss the outdoor sculpture and 40-foot temple, illuminated at night on OMCA’s terrace as part of the exhibition.

Tickets are $21 for general admission, $16 for seniors and students with current ID, $12 for youth, and free for Members. Admission does not include access to other galleries and areas of the OMCA campus.

Playa Pop-Up: Balsa Man Tiny Art Making
Sunday, January 19
11 am – 5 pm

Join us for an afternoon of building tiny art in conjunction with special exhibition 
No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man. The Balsa Man Organization will set up space in Oak Street Plaza where guests can create miniature artworks from balsa wood and other materials. Creations can be taken home or added to a model of Burning Man. 

This event is free and open to the public. Admission to No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man is $21 for adult admission. 

OMCA at 50 Community Conversations: Exploring Public Art Practices
Saturday, January 25
10 am – 4:30 pm
Join OMCA for a special all-day symposium showcasing artists, activists, and performers who are creating powerful and engaging work that shifts the field of public art practice. Artists, arts professionals, and art enthusiasts are invited to learn, share their experiences, and discuss the challenges and opportunities of engaging communities through artistic experimentation in public space.
The symposium is part of the Rainin Foundation’s Open Spaces Program, which funds temporary place-based public art projects in Oakland and San Francisco that engage communities, support artistic experimentation, and energize public spaces.


Tickets are $20 for Members and $25 for general admission. Ticket does not include gallery admission.

White Elephant Preview Sale
Sunday, January 26
10 am – 4 pm

Serious shoppers take note: the biggest and best rummage sale in Northern California returns on January 26. The Preview Sale, a one-day event, offers an early chance to take home great finds, including clothing, jewelry, books, tools, art, sports equipment, furniture, household items, and more.

Held in a 96,000-square-foot warehouse at 333 Lancaster Street, near the Oakland Estuary, the Preview Sale offers first dibs on shopping before the public sale on March 7 and 8. Organized and presented by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board, all sale proceeds benefit the Oakland Museum of California. Purchase tickets at
whiteelephantsale.org/preview-sale/preview-tickets.

19th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration and Other Asian Traditions: Year of the Rat
Saturday, February 8 and Sunday, February 9
124:30 pm
Join OMCA in celebration of the Year of the Rat with our 19th annual Lunar New Year festival, now held over two fun-filled days! Enjoy live cultural performances, demonstrations, hands-on activities, food, traditional and contemporary music and dance, storytime, a petting zoo, and much more.

The tradition of Lunar New Year is celebrated around the world, and at the Oakland Museum of California, our annual event explores connections between the many diverse Asian cultures represented around the Bay Area, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tibetan, Japanese, Malaysian, Indian, Bhutanese, and more. 

All activities included with Museum admission. Free entry for children 8 and under. OMCA Members enjoy free admission and express entry at the Oak Street Plaza Membership table during the event. All visitors are encouraged to use public transportation. OMCA is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station. Limited flat rate parking will be available during the event for $7.

ABOUT OMCA FAMILY
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to being a welcoming and lively place for multi-generational Bay Area families to visit, learn, and engage through OMCA Family, with art activities, storytelling, and hands-on, drop-in projects throughout the Museum. OMCA’s other family-friendly offerings include free Family Guides to the Galleries available at ticketing desks, free activity Books & Blankets available for check-out anytime the Museum is open, and three large annual festivals: Lunar New Year in February, the Summer Reading Celebration in August with the Oakland Public Library, and the Days of the Dead Celebration in October. Free admission for children provided by the Bernard Osher Foundation. The Lunar New Year Community Celebration is made possible in part by generous support from Macy’s and the Oakland Museum Women’s Board. 
museumca.org/family

ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM WOMEN’S BOARD
The sole purpose of the Oakland Museum Women’s Board (OMWB), a dedicated group with 114 year-round members, has been to raise money to support the Oakland Museum of California acquisitions, exhibitions, educational programs, capital improvements, and more. Since 1959, the OMWB has contributed over $22 million to the Museum. With the help of a thousand dedicated volunteers, they work year-round to organize and present the White Elephant Sale held annually during the first weekend in March which attracts shoppers from the Bay Area and beyond.

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 multi-disciplinary collections of art, history, and natural science with the 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 celebrating its 50th anniversary this year as 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.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. Beginning April 3, Museum admission will be adjusted to $16 general; $11 seniors and students with valid ID, $7 youth ages 9 to 17, and free for children 8 and under and Museum Members, and there will be a $5 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions. OMCA offers onsite underground parking, with validation for Museum visitors, and is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station, on the corner of 10th Street and Oak Street. The accessibility ramp is located at the new 1000 Oak Street main entrance. Regular hours are 11 am to 5 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am to 9 pm Fridays.
museumca.org

 

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