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Oakland Museum of California Announces Sonic Freedom, A Free New Virtual Program Series Exploring Themes from its Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism Exhibition

(OAKLAND, CA) October 13, 2021 Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) announces Sonic Freedom, a free new series of public programs as part of OMCA’s latest exhibition, Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism. These virtual events will explore fantasy, spirituality, and self-determination through art, dance, music and conversation, including many of the artists and themes featured in the exhibition. The first program, Transformative Journeys: Tradition and Practice in Afrofuturism, will stream live on October 26, followed by Afrofuturism in Sound on November 2

Transformative Journeys will include a virtual performance by Bay Area dancer, Telice Summerfield, as she flows through the gallery space interacting with the artwork and installations throughout the Mothership exhibition. This performance will follow a dynamic conversation about Black spiritual traditions with Mothership artists, including filmmaker Selam Bekele and visual artist Sydney Cain, and moderated by independent curator and artist, Ashara Ekundayo. Together they will discuss themes of intuition, migration, and how portals of time and space show up in their work.

On November 2, Afrofuturism in Sound will feature a live streamed performance from OMCA’s new garden stage. Award-winning musician and composer Nicole Mitchell and the Black Earth Ensemble will perform a range of music using improvisation and technology celebrating contemporary African American culture. The performance will follow a powerful conversation moderated by Ellis Reid of Dolby Laboratories. Nicole Mitchell and Paul Miller, aka DJ Spooky, will discuss how African American music has set the tone for our global culture in the 21st Century, and how these concepts impact and inspire their work as artists. Viewers are invited to take part in the conversation through a live virtual chat on the Museum’s Facebook page.

To register for events, visit museumca.org/sonic-freedom.

Sonic Freedom is generously sponsored by Bank of America.

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Transformative Journeys: Tradition and Practice in Afrofuturism

Virtual

Registration is free

Tuesday, October 26

5:30 pm

Join us for a dynamic conversation about Black spiritual traditions led by moderator Ashara Ekundayo, featuring Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism artists Selam Bekele and Sydney Cain. This virtual discussion will focus on themes of intuition, migration, and how portals of time and space show up in their work. Following this inspiring conversation, move through our new exhibition with a virtual performance by dancer Telice Summerfield as she flows through the gallery, interacting with the artwork and installations throughout the exhibition. 

 

Afrofuturism in Sound

Virtual

Registration is free

Tuesday, November 2

5:30 pm

Join award-winning musician and composer Nicole Mitchell and the Black Earth Ensemble in a live streamed performance from OMCA’s new garden stage. The ensemble will perform a range of music using improvisation and technology celebrating contemporary African American culture. The performance will follow a powerful conversation moderated by Ellis Reid of Dolby Laboratories. Nicole Mitchell and Paul Miller, aka DJ Spooky, will discuss how African American music has set the tone for our global culture in the 21st Century, and how these concepts impact and inspire their work. Take part in the conversation through a live virtual chat to share your own perspectives on Afrofuturism and sound. 

 

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 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. Museum admission is $16 general; $11 seniors and students with valid ID, $7 youth ages 13 to 17, and free for Members and children 12 and under. There is a $5 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions. OMCA offers onsite underground parking 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 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum. museumca.org 

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