Oakland Museum of California Rings in the Year of the Ox with Free Virtual 20th Annual Lunar New Year And Other Asian Traditions Community Celebration
(OAKLAND, CA) February 2, 2021—Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) ushers in the Year of the Ox with a series of free online video shorts and activities for its 20th Annual Lunar New Year and other Asian Traditions Community Celebration. Since 2001, OMCA has honored the Lunar New Year holiday with its annual festival celebrating the various Asian cultures and traditions that make up the Oakland community.
On the heels of its virtual El Día de los Muertos program, OMCA remains committed to celebrating culture and community with Oakland by adapting its time-honored traditions to digital platforms. This year, OMCA continues the tradition with free family-friendly virtual programs throughout February.
Tune in on February 12 as San Francisco author and resident, Oliver Chin, kicks off the virtual celebration with a children’s storytime. Chin will read stories from his collection of children’s books about the Chinese zodiac animals and their characteristics, inviting audiences to reflect on their own personalities. Copies of Chin’s books will be available for sale online at the OMCA Store.
Families are invited to get crafty the week of February 15. OMCA will release a collection of Lunar New Year themed hands-on activities, including Lunar New Year Red Envelopes to give out for good luck and fun Chinese Zodiac animal masks to celebrate Lunar New Year. All activities will be made available online on OMCA at Home.
Take a virtual trip on February 26 to Taiwan with guide and OMCA’s Family Programmer, Snowy Tung. Tung will interview family and friends in Taiwan, and share how the local community celebrates the Lunar New Year, despite the rise in COVID cases.
“Though we can’t celebrate in-person, we’re excited to still be in community for the 20th year of OMCA’s beloved Lunar New Year Celebration” said Cynthia Taylor, Associate Director of Public Engagement. “Our virtual programming will offer audiences a glimpse into how different families and communities celebrate the holiday, both at home and abroad. Explore cultural traditions and travel with us from the comfort of your homes.”
Visit OMCA’s YouTube Channel to watch all of its 2021 Lunar New Year programs.
OMCA Festivals are made possible in part by generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.
MORE DIGITAL EXPERIENCES BY OMCA
While OMCA may be closed to the public, we are committed to doing what we do best—staying connected with our community. Explore virtual exhibition tours, playlists and virtual Friday Nights at OMCA content, videos exploring past exhibitions and events, educational resources for students and teachers, favorite works from OMCA’s collection, and more at OMCA at Home.
Dorothea Lange Digital Archive
Dorothea Lange (1895–1965) was one of the most important artists of the 20th century. She documented American life with riveting, intimate photographs that captured the human face of national events. Through a generous grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Dorothea Lange Digital Archive curates and interprets a selection of Lange’s work for the first time in a digital format.
Though rooted in historical events, Lange’s photographs make powerful connections to important themes and events of today. Above all, they demonstrate how empathy and compassion—focused through art—can sway minds and prompt change. Explore the archive at museumca.org/lange.
Dorothea Lange: Photography as Activism
Virtual Exhibition Tour
Experience the iconic life and work of Dorothea Lange, world-renowned documentary photographer, with an expanded installation of her works in the Gallery of California Art. Through the lens of her camera, Lange documented American life with riveting photographs that captured some of the most powerful moments of the 20th century. Drawn from Lange’s personal archive, which was gifted to OMCA over 50 years ago, and in response to the popular 2017 exhibition Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing, a number of newly added photographs will illustrate the power of photography as social activism. See how Lange’s work continues to resonate with millions and inspire new generations of artists and activists.
Virtual Exhibition Tour
Uncover the history of the Black Power movements in California with a compelling addition to the Gallery of California History. In response to the widely-popular 2016 exhibition All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50, this new installation will illustrate the creative ways black anti-racist activists in California supported their communities and challenged the U.S. government. Focusing on the example of the Black Panther Party, Black Power will bring to light the tensions between a culturally and socially progressive California and examples of economic racism and oppression in the state. This moment in California history will be represented through historic photographs, provocative objects, iconic posters, paintings and interactive prompts that encourage visitors to take action out in the world. Learn more about the Bay Area role in this national story, and the impacts this history continues to have today.
You Are Here: California Stories on the Map
Virtual Exhibition Tour
We all use maps in our everyday lives—to navigate public transportation, find places to eat, and visualize big data like weather patterns or political opinions. But have you ever considered the deeper stories maps tell us? In You Are Here: California Stories on the Map, you’ll discover there’s more to maps than meets the eye. Showcasing a diverse range of maps from Oakland, the Bay Area, and California—from environmental surroundings and health conditions to community perspectives and creative artworks—experience how maps can be a powerful tool to share unique points of view and imagine a better future. Explore new perspectives of familiar places through maps made by the community, and mark your own stories on the community map inside the exhibition.
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 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.