Oakland Museum Of California Announces Public Programs And Events For July 2022
Oakland, CA, June 17, 2022—A variety of compelling, fun and relevant public programs and events will energize the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) throughout the month of July. After a triumphant and celebratory re-launch in June, Friday Nights at OMCA continues to engage and bring people together with activities, music, connections, and Off the Grid food trucks every Friday evening from 5 to 9 pm. July Friday Nights programs focus on the theme, “what does it mean to be free?” Groundbreaking ceramic artist and innovator Tung Chiang from Heath Ceramics will give a fireside chat July 10 in conjunction with the current exhibition, Edith Heath: A Life in Clay. Author, activist, comedian and media personality W. Kamau Bell and activist and New York Times bestselling author, Kate Schatz, host a special interactive event for their book, DO THE WORK! An Antiracist Activity Book July 23. The new exhibition, Hella Feminist, opens July 29 and continuing on view are OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace and Edith Heath: A Life in Clay in the OMCA Galleries. A complete schedule of July events at OMCA may be found below. For more information, visit museumca.org.
JULY PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EVENTS AT OMCA
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT OMCA
Friday, July 1, 5-9 pm
DJ Wonway Posibul (KALW) “Folding For Freedom” Origami Butterflies and Cranes
Let your feelings about freedom take flight through a hands-on origami-making station. Let your spirit soar and your body move to the sounds of DJ Wonway. Grab a meal, a snack or a sweet, and a drink at the Off the Grid food trucks and spend the evening with friends old and new in the OMCA Galleries and Garden.
Fold cranes & butterflies to contribute to the efforts of Tsuru for Solidarity and The Butterfly Effect: Migration is Beautiful, two local organizations building solidarity among communities impacted by harmful immigration policies, and advocating for the end of detention sites at our southern border. Visitors may take their creations home with them, or donate them to our partnering organizations.
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT OMCA
Friday, July 8, 5-9 pm
DJ Santero and SOL Development – Music & Storytelling
Oakland’s SOL Development is where soulful jazz, hip-hop and the depth of storytelling artfully intersect. Join SOL Development on our Garden Stage for a live musical performance celebrating joy and an opportunity to come together through powerful music. SOL Development’s films Dear Beloved and When The Waters Get Deep will also be screened in rotation in the James Moore Theater throughout the evening. The performance is appropriate for all ages, but may touch on difficult subjects.
Clay as Exploration: A Fireside Chat with Tung Chiang of Heath Ceramics
Sunday, July 10, 2-3 pm
OMCA James Moore Theater
$1 – $50 Sliding Scale Non-Members; $5 OMCA Members
Join us for an inspiring conversation with Tung Chiang, Clay Studio Director at Heath Ceramics, moderated by Drew Johnson, OMCA’s Curator of Photography and Visual Culture at OMCA, and co-curator of Edith Heath: A Life in Clay.
Chiang will share stories and reflections on his studio practice, his commitment to creative exploration, and continuing the enduring legacy of bringing innovative design to Heath Ceramics.
Since the Spring of 2013, Tung Chiang has established the Heath Clay Studio as the hub within Heath Ceramics for experimenting with form, technique, and glaze. The work of the Studio informs Heath’s overall design, and Chiang works in partnership with Creative Director Cathy Bailey to explore material, concept development, and design process. For tickets, visit here.
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT OMCA
Friday, July 15, 5-9 pm
DJ Sake One
Reproductive Rights are Human Rights
Oakland is the first City in California to declare itself a Sanctuary City for Abortion Access. Meet and engage with local organizations advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice in the Bay Area. Partners for this evening include Access Reproductive Justice and Planned Parenthood.
Meet and mingle in OMCA’s Galleries and Garden, enjoy your favorites or try something new from Off the Grid food trucks, dance to DJ Sake One, and spend a provocative and powerful evening with us!
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT OMCA
Friday, July 22, 5-9 pm
DJ Juan G
Sanctuary City Project Takeover
Sanctuary City Project takeover at OMCA. Join artists Sergio De La Torre and Chris Treggiari will host two silk screening bicycles that will screen print posters from their selection of over 40 original posters developed from the stories of community members and address the complexity of the immigrant experience: Why did you come here? Where would you go back to? A sanctuary is a quiet place, sanctuary is a necessity. The resulting posters offer an opportunity for dialogue around the topic of sanctuary cities and immigration.
DJ Juan G electrifies the night with a backdrop of Off the Grid food trucks, OMCA’s Galleries and Garden.
Do the Work with W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz
Saturday, July 23, 2-4 pm
James Moore Theater
Tickets: $15; Book available for purchase in OMCA store
Join author, comedian, commentator, and Oaklander W. Kamau Bell and bestselling author and activist Kate Schatz for an interactive and enlightening afternoon as they discuss their new book DO THE WORK. One part exploration of systemic racism and one-part educational activity book DO THE WORK offers a wide range of ways to confront racism, how to self-reflect, and what it takes to show up for a marginalized individual or community. It is tactile, engaging, digestible, and accessible to anyone looking to make incremental change in the fight for equality. For tickets, visit here.
Friday, July 29, 11 am- 9 pm
Exhibition opening: Hella Feminist
Great Hall
July 29, 2022 – January 8, 2023
Feminism. It’s a loaded word; as empowering to some as it is challenging for others. OMCA takes on this complex and timely topic with Hella Feminist, celebrating the lesser-known stories of feminism here in Oakland and the Bay Area. Bringing together historic objects from the Museum’s collection such as posters, pins, and photographs, alongside newly commissioned works by artists, Hella Feminist is rooted in the idea that discrimination against all elements of identity (gender, class, race, sexual orientation, physical ability, education, age, etc.) is interlinked and that no element can be addressed in isolation. The exhibition aims to challenge, provoke, and inspire visitors to reconsider and expand their understanding of feminism and its complicated history.
FRIDAY NIGHTS AT OMCA
Friday, July 29, 5-9 pm
Liberation Market featuring local vendors, including Nomadic Press: Painting the Streets Showcase
DJ Ron Reeser
OMCA Garden hosts a Liberation Market Place where you can shop and support local artisans, makers, crafts people, and authors. A variety of carefully curated vendors will be selling their unique offerings.
End your week with readings and music curated by Nomadic Press that highlight themes from Painting the Streets: Oakland Uprising in the Time of Rebellion, and browse handmade goods by local creators at our Liberation Market. Grab dinner, a snack or a drink at the Off the Grid food trucks and spend the evening in OMCA’s Garden and Galleries.
Through publications, events, and active community participation, Nomadic Press collectively weaves together platforms for intentionally marginalized voices to take their rightful place within the world of the written and spoken word.
On View at OMCA in July
OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace
Gallery of California Natural Sciences
Ongoing
Little learners can unleash their curiosity and imagination in the newly-created OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace. Located in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences, the playroom is focused on the unique needs of children ages 2 to 5, along with their families and caregivers. Play is critical to every child’s healthy development and the playroom offers something for everyone, from building materials and nature-themed puzzles to hands-on activities that spark creativity, wonder, and joy. Our youngest museum visitors can also discover the animals that make their homes in Oakland’s streams, hills, and backyards. The playroom gives families a fun, safe place to play and to build community with other families.
Edith Heath: A Life in Clay
Gallery of California Art
On View until October 30, 2022
Trailblazer. Rebel. Revolutionary. Discover the story of Edith Heath, founder and designer of Heath Ceramics. Heath transformed the ceramics industry, creating dinnerware from California clay for “Sunday best” and everyday use. Driven by the power of good design, and a commitment to her craft, Heath’s vision continues to live on through her stoneware and tile over
70 years later. Durable, not delicate, simple, yet stylish, Heath Ceramics is an icon of American design.
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.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. For details and admission, visit museumca.org
For current COVID information and requirements, visit museumca.org.
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