Oakland Museum of California Announces Events & Programs for September & October, 2017
(OAKLAND, CA) August 24, 2017—The Oakland Museum of California announces its events and special programs in September and October, including plenty of exciting new things to do with friends and family such as the 23rd Annual Days of the Dead Community Celebration on Sunday, October 22, from 12 to 4:30 pm. Craft activities, tasty food, dance and music groups, colorful ofrendas, and ceremonia bring the community together for this annual healing tradition.
In October, OMCA opens a special new immersive exhibition called Nature’s Gift: Humans, Friends & the Unknown, bringing the Friday Nights @ OMCA vibe inside the gallery with an in-gallery bar and an OMCA Store pop-up to help visitors augment their experience of this otherworldly environment. For more details, visit museumca.org.
CALENDAR EDITOR PLEASE LIST:
FAMILY EVENTS; COMMUNITY EVENTS; ART EVENTS; FOOD EVENTS
Friday Nights @ OMCA
Every Friday, 5–10 pm
September 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
October 6, 13, 20, 27
Enjoy the best block—and biggest—street market in the Bay this summer with OMCA and Off the Grid. Friday Nights @ OMCA is now open an extra hour later, and expands onto Oak Street, adding even more food trucks to help quench your thirst for delicious local cuisine. Savor California beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages around the Koi Pond at the Blue Oak beer garden. Enjoy half-price admission, live music, hands-on activities for kids, a pop-up art market, and extended OMCA Store hours. Bring friends and family for a taste of local music, food, and culture at the Oakland Museum of California every Friday Night! During Friday Nights @ OMCA in October, enjoy an in-gallery bar, OMCA Store pop-up, and more featured within the newly-opened exhibition Nature’s Gift: Humans, Friends & the Unknown. More details can be found at museumca.org/fridaynights.
September 3 & October 1
10 am–6 pm
Experience all that our Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences have to offer at First Sundays @ OMCA. Spend time getting to know our buzzy, fuzzy friends in Bees: Tiny Insect, Big Impact. Check out the Architecture Tour at 1 pm, and the California Art Tour at 2 pm. Enjoy a lunch or snack in Blue Oak café. Spend a day with us and find out why TripAdvisor reviewers call OMCA, “a hidden gem.” Suggested donation: $5 per person. Your contribution helps us provide access to other visitors in the community.
Tour | Architecture of the Museum
September 3 & October 1, 1 pm
Experience OMCA’s remarkable mid-century modernist landmark building with the guidance of the Museum’s expert members of the Council on Architecture. This tour shares with you just a few of the highlights of the incredible building, from views of Lake Merritt and downtown Oakland from atop a three-tiered roof garden to the serene Koi Pond, and a truly Californian indoor/outdoor design that still delights and attracts visitors today. Designed in 1969 by Kevin Roche, with landscaping by Dan Kiley, the Museum recently completed a major renovation and expansion project overseen by San Francisco-based firm Mark Cavagnero Associates, which honors Roche and Kiley’s original vision of a vibrant urban park and public space. Free as a part of First Sundays @ OMCA. Meet in front of the Ticketing Desk on Level 2.
September 3, 10, 17, 24
12 pm
In honor of Oakland Pride month, celebrate with a Docent Tour of the Galleries focused on LGBT history in California. Explore the legacy of early LGBT leaders in San Francisco such as José Sarria and recent Californian issues such as Proposition 8 and its overturning. LGBT History Tours are offered every Sunday at noon during the month of September. Free as a part of First Sundays @ OMCA.
Bike Tours | Oakland on Two Wheels
Sunday, September 17, 10 am
Explore Oakland’s diverse and rich patchwork of neighborhoods by cycling through them with an experience guide from OMCA. Two tours offered on this date include the Brooklyn Tour and Downtown Tour. Explore the historic town of Brooklyn, situated in what is now part of Oakland, just east of Lake Merritt. View some of the finest examples of 19th Century architecture including homes, churches, and other buildings. On the Downtown Tour, the group will visit downtown locations that recall important figures from Oakland’s history. Discover architectural gems as you ride along the six flat miles over approximately two hours. Free. For the Downtown Tour, meet in front of the Museum’s Oak Street entrance at 10 am. The Bay Bridge Bike Trail tour meetings at the Bay Trail entrance on Shellmound Street. Bring your own bikes, helmets, repair kits, and water. For more information and to make a reservation, call 510-318-8470 or email [email protected].
Bike Tour | African American History in Oakland
Sunday, October 15, 10 am
Explore African American History in Oakland on a special bike tour held in collaboration with Walk Oakland, Bike Oakland (WOBO). Hear vivid stories illustrating African American life in Oakland over the last 150 years. Learn about the Pullman Porters Union, see historical Black Panthers sites, and visit other significant landmarks of African American History in Oakland. Tickets for this special tour with WOBO are $10. OMCA and WOBO Members ride for free. Meet in front of the Museum’s Oak Street entrance at 10 am. Bring your own bikes, helmets, repair kits, and water. Pre-registration is required. For more information, call 510-318-8470 or email [email protected].
23rd Annual Days of the Dead Community Celebration
Sunday, October 22, 12–4:30 pm
OMCA comes alive for the 23rd annual community celebration honoring Days of the Dead traditions. Craft activities, tasty food, dance and music groups, colorful ofrendas, and ceremonia bring the community together for this healing tradition. Watch demonstrations of traditional Mesoamerican arts and cooking, and browse Days of the Dead merchandise by local artisans for your home altar at our mercado. Enjoy performances ranging from contemporary popular music to folkloric dance to mariachi. Join in a procession to open the celebration led by Aztec dancers and Days of the Dead committee members. View community-created altars throughout the OMCA Gardens paying homage to loved ones lost. Entry includes Museum admission. Day-of tickets: $15.95/adult; $10.95 student/senior/youth; $6.95 youth (9–17). Entry is free for children 8 and under and OMCA Members.
Friday Nights @ OMCA: Thriller Night
Friday, October 27, 5–10 pm
Get into the Halloween spirit with this special Thriller-themed edition of Friday Nights @ OMCA—with tunes and dance moves in tribute to the King of Pop—while you enjoy the best and biggest street market in the Bay this autumn with OMCA and Off the Grid! Costumes welcome. Enjoy half-price admission, live music and dancing, local art market in the Redwood Burl area, and extended OMCA Store hours. Bring friends and family for a taste of local music, food, and culture at the Oakland Museum of California every Friday Night.
ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHTS @ OMCA
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) presents Friday Nights @ OMCA, a regular evening series every Friday from 5 to 10 pm, in partnership with Off the Grid: Lake Merritt @ OMCA—the first major food truck market in the East Bay. Friday Nights @ OMCA features extended Museum hours, in-gallery programming, a beer garden from Blue Oak café, live music, dancing, hands-on family activities, and more. Gallery admission is half-off for adults, free for ages 18 and under. Event parking in the Museum garage is $7. Presented in partnership with Off the Grid: Lake Merritt @ OMCA. Friday Nights @ OMCA is made possible in part by generous support from Bank of America, the Oakland Museum Women’s Board, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Koret Foundation. museumca.org/friday-nights-omca
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 OF CALIFORNIA
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) brings together collections of art, history and natural science under one roof to tell the extraordinary stories of California and its people. OMCA’s groundbreaking exhibits tell the many stories that comprise California with many voices, often drawing on first-person accounts by people who have shaped California’s cultural heritage. Visitors are invited to actively participate in the Museum as they learn about the natural, artistic and social forces that affect the state and investigate their own role in both its history and its future. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA 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.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Museum admission is $15.95 general; $10.95 seniors and students with valid ID, $6.95 youth ages 9 to 17, and free for children 8 and under and Members. There is a $4 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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