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Oakland Museum of California Announces Events & Programs For Special Exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom

(OAKLAND, CA) March 15, 2018—The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will open RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom—a celebration of one of the most influential cultural and social movements of the last 50 years—on March 24, 2018 in its Great Hall. Through photography, video, art, music, dance, fashion, and interactive gallery features, the exhibition uncovers the under-recognized story of how Hip-Hop changed the world.

Created to accompany the exhibition, an array of public programs and activities will be offered throughout the spring and summer, including activities inside of the gallery’s Hip-Hop Dojo, events during the popular late-night event Friday Nights @ OMCA, and other special programs including a conversation with Hip-Hop journalist and editor Danyel Smith on Saturday, June 9 and the OMCA Park Jam on Saturday, July 21. Additional details are available on the OMCA website,
museumca.org.
 

Hip-Hop Dojo Programs

Part of special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, the Hip-Hop Dojo is a practice, performance, and event space that will come alive with a series of programs during the spring and summer. More than 80 participants will lead programs in the Dojo that include music, dance, yoga, trivia, chess, and more. Details included below and at museumca.org/events.
 

Cypher Sunday

First and third Sundays of the month, April­–August, 2018

April 1 & 15

May 6 & 20

June 3 & 17

July 1 & 15

August 12

1–3:30 pm


In Hip-Hop, free styling is the art of lyrical improvisation and a cypher is a circle with no visible beginning or ending. Test out your freestyling skills–rapping, dancing, or beatboxing—and come watch and support others in this participatory event series taking place inside special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom.

Participants take turns offering thoughts off the top of their heads in the form of rhyme while a guest DJ spins, and guest hosts will facilitate the experience based on a specific topic each time. Come share your lyrics, ideas, and sounds every first and third Sunday through August 12.  


Sign-up onsite to join the cypher. All ages, all skill-levels encouraged. Spectators are welcome (no sign-up needed). Included with Museum special exhibition admission, aside from First Sundays @ OMCA. There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.

Plug ‘n’ Play
Every Friday from April 6–August 10, 2018
April 6, 13, 20 & 27
May 4, 11, 18 & 25
June 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29
July: 6, 13, 20 & 27
August 3 & 10
6­:30–8 pm 

Every Friday during Friday Nights @ OMCA, a rotating list of guest DJs take over the Hip-Hop Dojo inside RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom to demonstrate live sets. This weekly event series created in collaboration with San Francisco’s The DJ Project features local DJs to give visitors a taste of the vast musical genre of Hip-Hop. Get down to Bay Area classics, international crossover hits, and underground unsung legends, among other topics. Inspired to try it out yourself? Build up your own skills inside the Sound Lab inside the exhibition space. Included with Museum special exhibition admission (half-price on Fridays after 5 pm, free for 18 and under). There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.

Flow: Hip-Hop Yoga
Every First Friday of the month from April–August, 2018

April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, and August 3
5:30–6:45 pm

Want to bring together your love of Hip-Hop and mindful movement—or better breath control on the mic and greater endurance on stage? Come practice your core strength on every first Friday of the month inside the special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom. Relax and build your skills with “Your Local Yoga Dealer” Shakira while you discover the shared principles between the grounding of the mind and body. All levels welcome. Included with Museum special exhibition admission (half-price on Fridays after 5 pm, free for 18 and under). There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.

Queens: Women, Chess, Hip-Hop
Friday, April 6, 2018
7–8:30 pm

Rochelle Ballantyne and Jennifer Shahade speak with Adisa Banjoko, Hip-Hop Chess Federation founder and writer of Bobby, Bruce & the Bronx. A rising star, Stanford graduate Ballantyne is the black female closest to achieving chess title of “Master” and was featured in the 2012 documentary Brooklyn Castle. Shahade is a two-time US Women’s Chess Champion, author of Play Like a Girl and Chess B*tch, poker professional, and editor of uschess.org. After the talk, Ballantyne and Shahade take on all comers in free play. Included with Museum special exhibition admission (half-price on Fridays after 5 pm, free for 18 and under). There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.

Mic Check/Checkmate
Second Wednesday of the month, April­–July, 2018
April 11, May 9, June 13, and July 11
2–5 pm

“Make your next move your best move.” Check out the strong ties between Hip-Hop and chess communities in this event series inside special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom. Refine your own skills of discipline, precision, and mastery by joining chess games open to all.

Included with Museum special exhibition admission. There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.

Hip-Hop Trivia
Select Fridays April–July, 2018
April 20, May 4, June 15, July 20
6:30–8 pm


Think you know Hip-Hop? Test and expand your knowledge of the culture every third Friday in the Hip-Hop Dojo inside special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom during Friday Nights @ OMCA. Topics will include fashion, politics, history, and more. Bring a friend to round out your answers—and don’t forget to study up with the exhibition’s Reading Room on your next visit. Drop-ins welcome. Included with Museum special exhibition admission (half-price on Fridays after 5 pm, free for 18 and under). There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.
 

Chop It Up

Last Saturday of the month April–July, 2018

3–5 pm


In Hip-Hop culture, the barbershop is known as a community hub for news and debate. Inside special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, gather around the Barbershop space inside the gallery to learn from guest speakers focusing on new topics each month. Explore unexpected aspects of Hip-Hop culture. Included with Museum special exhibition admission. There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.
The themes include: 

Friday Nights @ OMCA Programming

Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party & Summer Season Launch 
Friday, March 23, 2018
5–10 pm

The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA is back! That means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the beginning of warmer weather with our first Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, opening Saturday, March 24. Highlights for the Block Party include:

Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party
Friday, April 6, 2018
5–10 pm

The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the summer with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. Tonight’s theme is a youth showcase. Highlights for the Block Party include:

Kevin Powell: The Education of Us Tour

Friday, April 20, 2018

7–8:30 pm


Join us for an interactive community conversation with Kevin Powell, one of the most acclaimed political, cultural, literary and Hip-Hop voices in America in the 21st century. Powell is an activist, writer, public speaker, host of the podcast “One on One with Kevin Powell,” co-founder of BK Nation, author of 13 books, including his autobiography The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood, and the author of an upcoming biography on Tupac Shakur.

This event at OMCA kick-offs his 100-city speaking tour, The Education of Us. Experience this powerful program in celebration of special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. The program will be followed by a book signing from 8:30–10 pm with Kevin in the California Room on Level One. Books available for purchase. Free admission. Registration details coming soon.

 

Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party

Friday, April 20, 2018

5–10 pm


The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the summer with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. Tonight’s theme is civic/educational empowerment and social justice. Highlights for the Block Party include:

Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party

Friday, May 4

5–10 pm


The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the beginning of warmer weather with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Parties, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. Tonight’s theme is a focus on Hip-Hop Culture featuring PE 2.0.

 

Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party

Friday, May 18

5–10 pm


The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the summer with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, opening Saturday, March 24. Tonight’s theme is “The Bay is International.”

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Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party
Friday, June 1, 2018

5–10 pm


The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the summer with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, opening Saturday, March 24. Tonight’s theme is Traditions of Resilience.

Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party
Friday, June 15, 2018

5–10 pm

The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the beginning of warmer weather with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Parties, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. Tonight’s theme is Hip-Hop and National Pride Month.


Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party
Friday, July 6, 2018

5–10 pm

The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the beginning of warmer weather with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Parties, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. Tonight’s theme is Dance Battle.


Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party
Friday, July 20, 2018

5–10 pm

The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the beginning of warmer weather with our Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Parties, taking place every first and third Fridays of the month now through July and on August 10. Get down to new themes each month featuring performances and activities in celebration of our special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. Tonight will include a preview of the OMCA Park Jam, taking place on Saturday, July 21.


Friday Nights @ OMCA Closing Block Party
Friday, August 10, 2018

5–10 pm
Final weekend of RESPECT and last Block Party!


The Summer Season of Friday Nights @ OMCA means the gardens are open for picnics, live music outside is back, gallery hours are open until 10 pm, and the Off the Grid food truck market expands onto Oak Street. Come celebrate the 45th anniversary of Hip-Hop’s birthday (attributed to August 11, 1973) in our final Friday Nights @ OMCA Block Party and the last weekend of RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, closing on Sunday, August 12. 

Special Events & Celebrations

Women in Hip-Hop Talk with Danyel Smith
Saturday, June 9, 2018

2–4 pm

Join us for a special conversation honoring women in Hip-Hop between journalist and editor Danyel Smith and Anyka Barber, OMCA’s Director of Engagement, in celebration of African American Music Appreciation Month and special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom. 

 

Oakland-born-and-raised Smith is an American magazine editor and journalist, and a 2014 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. Smith has been a pop culture/music columnist for Spin magazine, the R&B editor for Billboard magazine, and a music writer for The New York Times. Smith is also the former editor of Billboard and the first African American editor of the magazine, and the former chief content officer of Vibe Media Group and former editor-in-chief of Vibe and vibe.com. She was the first African American and first female editor of Vibe. In 2016, Smith was named the culture editor of ESPN’s newest venture called The Undefeated. She is currently writing a history of African American women in pop music. 

Anyka Barber is OMCA’s Director of Engagement, and Founder and previous-Director of Oakland’s Betti Ono gallery, an arts space and creative social enterprise committed to the cultural, social, political, and economic emancipation and development of low-income, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities of color. Barber’s awards and honors include “10 San Francisco Art Personalities You Should Know” by Complex Magazine; “Social Changemaker” award from the 2016 Oakland Indie Awards; and “Most Socially Engaged Curator” by the East Bay Express. She previously worked with the San Francisco Foundation as a Program Officer and Multicultural Fellow.


This ticketed event will take place in the James Moore Theater. Registration details coming soon. 


OMCA Park Jam
Saturday, July 21, 2018

12–4 pm


Get ready for OMCA’s first-ever Park Jam hosted by Ryan Nicole, an outdoors community event in the OMCA Garden in celebration of the elements of Hip-Hop and special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom, on view through August 12. Enjoy live performances by Oakland’s Hip-Hop artists, turntable demonstrations, a panel on Hip-Hop and wellness, and a resident DJ. Roll out your picnic blankets, watch B-boy and B-girl free-styling cypher circles, join a graffiti-style mural workshop, and check out Hip-Hop themed family activities. Don’t miss local food vendors and a Hip-Hop themed community market. Registration details coming soon. 

Summer Reading Celebration
Sunday, August 5, 2018

11 am–3 pm

Don’t miss the 14th annual Summer Reading Celebration at the Oakland Museum of California with the Oakland Public Library from 11 am–3 pm held in OMCA’s lush gardens. Join hands-on activities and workshops for kids. Enjoy Hip-Hop dance performances and demonstrations by TURFinc. in celebration of special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom (closing August 12). TURFinc is an Oakland-based dance company that uses the powerful and unique dance style of TURF as a positive platform for dancers, youth, and community. 

While you’re here, be sure to visit the Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences. Check out the Architecture Tour at 1 pm, and the California Art Tour at 2 pm. Pick up a treat for yourself or a loved one in the OMCA Store and 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 as part of First Sundays @ OMCA. Your contribution helps us provide access to other visitors in the community. 

Presented in partnership with the Oakland Public Library, City of Oakland Parks and Recreation, and California Historical Society. 

Special Tours

Tour | RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom

Saturday, April 7, 1–1:45 pm
Sunday, April 8, 1–1:45 pm

Saturday, April 14, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, April 15, 1–1:45 pm

Saturday, April 21, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, April 22, 1–1:45 pm

Saturday, April 28, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, April 29, 1–1:45 pm

Experience special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom with a Hip-Hop Educator as your guide. Discover the under-recognized story of one of the most influential cultural and social movements of the last 50 years while you explore highlights of the exhibition and your creative side on this interactive tour.

Included with Museum special exhibition admission. There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions. 


Tour | RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom
Saturday, June 2, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, June 3, 1–1:45 pm

Saturday, June 9, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, June 10, 1–1:45 pm

Saturday, June 16, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, June 17, 1–1:45 pm

Saturday, June 23, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, June 24, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, June 30, 1–1:45 pm


Experience special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom with a Hip-Hop Educator as your guide. Discover the under-recognized story of one of the most influential cultural and social movements of the last 50 years while you explore highlights of the exhibition and your creative side on this interactive tour. 

Included with Museum special exhibition admission. There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.


Tour | RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom

Saturday, August 4, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, August 5, 1–1:45 pm

Saturday, August 11, 1–1:45 pm

Sunday, August 12, 1–1:45 pm


Experience special exhibition RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom with a Hip-Hop Educator as your guide. Discover the under-recognized story of one of the most influential cultural and social movements of the last 50 years while you explore highlights of the exhibition and your creative side on this interactive tour. 

Included with Museum special exhibition admission. There is a $4 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions.

RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom will be on view in OMCA’s Great Hall March 24 through August 12, 2018.

RESPECT: Hip-Hop Style & Wisdom is supported in part by the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and members of the Donor Forum. 


ABOUT FRIDAY NIGHTS @ OMCA

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) presents Friday Nights @ OMCA, a regular evening series every Friday from 5 to 9 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 the Koret Foundation, Bank of America, the Oakland Museum Women’s Board, and The William and Flora Hewlett 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. OMCA Festivals are made possible in part by generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board and the Koret Foundation. 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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