Oakland Museum of California Announces Public Programs and Events for December 2022
Special Oakland Roots “Rooted in Power” End of Season Celebration on December 3; Friday Nights at OMCA Programs include Performances byThe Whoadees on December 2, and the Oakland Youth Chorus on December 9, Followed by an Exploration of Art as a Practice for Social Change on December 16; Don’t Miss a Film Screening and Panel Talk Celebrating the Resilience of Women Impacted by the Criminal Justice System on December 11
Friday Nights at OMCA Takes a Winter Break from December 22, 2022 to January 13, 2023
(Oakland, CA) November 16, 2022 — Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) invites the community to a variety of events, exhibitions, and public programs that will engage and inspire visitors this holiday season. December’s Friday Nights at OMCA lineup continues to bring the community together with activities, music, programs, and Off the Grid food trucks every Friday evening from 5 to 9 pm, aside from the program’s winter break between Friday, December 22 and Friday, January 13.
Kicking off the month on Friday, December 2, visitors are invited to a night of soulful music in the OMCA Amphitheater by local Oakland band, The Whoadees. The Oakland Roots End of Season Celebration “Rooted in Power ” takes place on Saturday, December 3 at OMCA from 5 to 8:30 pm. Designed in partnership with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation, the Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul will debut their new team jerseys by MEYBA. A powerful conversation about the intersection of sports and activism starts at 5:30 pm.
Visitors can get in the holiday spirit on Friday, December 9 with the Oakland Youth Chorus (OYC). Featuring 60 middle school and high school singers from across the East Bay, OYC will sing music from around the world, honoring various cultures including Hanukkah, Holiday standards, Kwanzaa, and more.
As part of OMCA’s exhibition programming for Angela Davis — Seize the Time and Hella Feminist, visitors are invited to a film screening of Rebound in the James Moore Theater on Sunday, December 11, followed by a panel talk. The film follows the story of two women as they navigate re-entry after incarceration, and navigate higher education as students of the Project Rebound program at San Diego State University.
On Friday, December 16, visitors are invited to gather for an abundant evening of exploring art as a practice for social change at the final Friday Nights at OMCA of the 2022 season. Three interdisciplinary artists featured in the book, Art as Social Practice: Technologies for Change, along with the book’s editors will present their work through various program offerings.
The complete schedule of December events at OMCA may be found below. For more information, visit museumca.org.
FRIDAY NIGHTS WINTER CLOSURE, DECEMBER 23 – JANUARY 13
As we enter the holiday season, Friday Nights at OMCA will be on break between Friday, December 23, 2022 and Friday, January 13, 2023. Oakland’s favorite weekly block party resumes on Friday, January 20. Friday Nights will also be paused on Friday, November 25, the day after Thanksgiving.
The galleries will remain open to the public during the Museum’s regular business hours, including admission to special exhibitions Hella Feminist and Angela Davis — Seize the Time. Please visit museumca.org for details.
DECEMBER PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND EVENTS AT OMCA
Oakland Roots “Rooted in Power” End of Season Celebration
Saturday, December 3, 2022
5 – 8:30 pm
General admission: SOLD OUT; General Admission, plus Panel: $19. Get tickets online here.
Join us for the “Rooted in Power” Oakland Roots End of Season Celebration at the Oakland Museum of California. The Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul will debut their new team jerseys by MEYBA, designed in partnership with the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation.
Get inspired by a powerful conversation about the intersection of sports and activism, starting at 5:30 pm. Moderated by Ameer Hasan Loggins Ph.D., the panel features Fredrika Newton, former Black Panther Party member and activist; Dr. Nas Mohamed, first openly gay Qatari and founder of the Alwan Foundation; Abbas Muntaqim and Delency Parham, community organizers and hosts of the Hella Black podcast; and Dania Cabello, former pro-soccer player and “Sports Liberation Educator.” Tickets are $19.
Don’t miss your chance to be one of the first to buy the new team jersey, then make your way to the OMCA Garden for the end-of-season festivities, including live music, performances and more. Food and beverages will be available for purchase at Town Fare cafe. A portion of the proceeds from jersey kit sales will be donated to the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation and the Oakland Roots Justice Fund.
Friday Nights at OMCA
Reconnect with family, friends, and community during Friday Nights at OMCA. These free events provide a gathering place each week, including live music, hands-on activities, and Off the Grid (OTG) food trucks. Take advantage of late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions with a Museum ticket, or bring a blanket and lounge in our garden, now open with direct access to Lake Merritt.
As we enter the holiday season, Friday Nights at OMCA will be on break between Friday, December 23, 2022 and Friday, January 13, 2023. Oakland’s favorite weekly block party resumes on Friday, January 20. Friday Nights will also be paused on Friday, November 25, the day after Thanksgiving.
Friday Nights at OMCA Winter Closure dates:
Friday, November 25, 2022
Friday, December 23, 2022
Friday, December 30, 2022
Friday, January 6, 2023
Friday, January 13, 2023
Friday, December 2, 5—9 pm
The Whoadees; DJ Benet
Join us in the OMCA Amphitheater for a night of soulful music with The Whoadees, starting at 6 pm.
A Whoadees performance is a mix of styles and sounds from around the world. Staying true to their Bay Area roots, these five funky brothers bring a fusion of hip hop, soul, and blues to the mix, inspiring people to dance, or to simply close their eyes and be filled with soulful sounds.
DJ Benet will be playing in the Amphitheater from 5 to 6 pm, then again from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.
Friday, December 9, 5—9 pm
The Oakland Youth Chorus; DJ Wonway Posible
Celebrate the holidays at OMCA with the Oakland Youth Chorus.
The Oakland Youth Chorus will sing music from around the world, honoring various cultures including Hanukkah, Holiday standards, Kwanzaa, and more. Don’t miss this melodic combination of 60 middle school and high school singers from across the East Bay and their festive harmonies that are sure to put you into the spirit of the holidays.
Following their performance, enjoy music by DJ Wonway Posible from 7 to 9 pm.
Friday, December 16, 5—9 pm
Art as Social Practice: Technologies for Change; DJ Danny Fathom
Join us for an abundant evening of exploring art as a practice for social change at our final Friday Nights at OMCA of the 2022 season.
Art as Social Practice: Technologies for Change is a book that highlights socially engaged art practices in the 21st century, exploring how artists use their creative practices to raise consciousness, form communities, create change, and bring forth social impact through new technologies and digital practices. Three interdisciplinary artists featured in the book along with the book’s editors will present their work through various program offerings. See below for more information.
Visit Oakland Public Library’s Bike Library at Koret Plaza on the Lower Level between 5 and 7 pm to grab a free book, sign up for a library card, and find out about upcoming library events.
DJ Danny Fathom will be playing in the Amphitheater from 6 to 8 pm.
Rebound: Stories of Resilience through Re-entry
Sunday, December 11, 2022
1 – 3:30 pm
James Moore Theater
Tickets: $1 – $30 Sliding Scale for Non-Members; $5 for OMCA Members
Join us for a film screening of Rebound (57 min) followed by a 1-hour panel discussion in the James Moore Theater as part of our exhibition programming for Angela Davis — Seize the Time and Hella Feminist.
Follow the story of two women as they navigate re-entry after incarceration, and navigate higher education as students of the Project Rebound program at San Diego State University.
The panel talk will be moderated by San Francisco State University Project Rebound grad, Terah Lawyer-Harper (Executive Director of CROP: Creating Restorative Opportunities and Programs) and include panelist speakers Tamara Perkins (director and Oakland-based filmmaker), Isabella Quevedo (film subject, San Diego State University) and Laura Murray (film subject, North Carolina State University).
On View at OMCA in December
Angela Davis — Seize the Time
Great Hall
October 7, 2022–June 11, 2023
Angela Davis — Seize the Time is an exhibition focused on Davis and her image. Organized in partnership with the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, the exhibition provides a compelling and layered narrative of Davis’s journey. Using the Angela Davis Archive in Oakland as both the heart of the exhibition and a source, visitors are given the opportunity to investigate how we remember, preserve, and activate radical Black history, while also allowing us to re-imagine the construction of the image of Davis as an icon of American Black radical resistance, female empowerment, and a threat to the white patriarchal status quo.
Beyond the archive and popular culture references, the exhibition positions Angela Davis as a continuing touchstone for contemporary artists referencing mass incarceration, Black Lives Matter, and economic disenfranchisement. Contemporary artworks assert Davis’s significance as a Black feminism intellectual and engage with her as a historical participant in a larger narrative, not simply as an unmoored image of radical chic.
Hella Feminist
Great Hall
On View until 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.
OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace
Gallery of California Natural Sciences
Ongoing
For Children Ages 2 to 5
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. Admission to OMCA is free for kids 12 and under.
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.
As of November 1, masks are encouraged for visitors and Oakland Museum of California staff. OMCA asks that anyone on campus be considerate of those in their immediate surroundings as we work together to keep our community safe. Masks are available upon request at the ticketing desk for those who would like one.
###