Final Friday Nights at OMCA for the Fall, 29th Annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration, Political Posters event with Malaquías Montoya, Fall Teacher Night, Gallery Activation Hours, and More
Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) has announced a full schedule of public programs and events for October, including the final month of Friday Nights at OMCA before its seasonal break, 29th Annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration, Political Posters event with Malaquías Montoya, Fall Teacher Night, Gallery Activation Hours and more. The full calendar may be seen below with details at www.museumca.org.
OMCA Public Programs and Events for October 2023
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, Off the Grid (OTG) food trucks, and late-night access to our galleries and special exhibitions with a Museum ticket. Limited flat-rate parking for Friday Nights is available in the OMCA Garage for $10.
As we enter the holiday season, Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid (OTG) will begin its seasonal break. The final Friday Nights at OMCA with OTG of 2023 will be October 27. Oakland’s favorite weekly block party will resume in April 2024. During the Friday Nights break, OMCA will remain open to the public during the Museum’s regular business hours, including admission to special exhibitions, Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD and Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya.
Friday, October 6, 5—9 pm
Let’s Lab with AstraLogik!
Hands-On Screenprinting
Sketchboard Community Figure Drawing
DJ Benet
Into the Brightness Gallery Activation Hours
A-100 Photo Booth
Make October fun and memorable with hands-on artmaking including DIY printmaking in celebration of our new exhibition, Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya (opening October 6) or try your hand at figure drawing with a live model! Let’s Lab introduces AstraLogik, a Bay Area Queer Pinay musical duo that redefines “success” and “happiness” through a healing lens. Complete the evening with A-100 photo booth, insightful conversation as part of Gallery Activation Hours and dance the night away to the high-energy sounds of DJ Benet. All this and two streets of tempting and innovative Off the Grid food trucks.
Friday, October 13, 5—9 pm
Havana Nights SF, Presented by Rumbaché and The CaliDance
Oak Leaf Community Art Project
Into the Brightness Gallery Activation Hours
DJ True Justice
Fall Teacher Night
Get ready to move and groove with Havana Nights SF, a celebration of Cuban music and dance with Rumbaché and The CaliDance, fusing salsa, timba, bomba, funk, and whatever else they can find to spice up the mood! Families and children are invited to participate in creating an oak leaf Community Art Project led by Chicana artist Consuelo Jimenez Underwood that will be featured in an upcoming OMCA exhibition. Engage in thoughtful and surprising conversation as part of Gallery Activation Hours. Dance to music by DJ True Justice who was a hit with Friday Nights crowds during our recent celebration of Hip Hop at 50. A special focus of the evening will be our fall celebration of teachers including a facilitated conversation and interactive workshops about the role of love in education.
Friday, October 20, 5—9 pm
Live Beatmaking with SETI X
Let’s Lab with Christopher Kenji!
Into the Brightness Gallery Activation Hours, Great Hall
DJ Bitesize!
Join groundbreaking Hip Hop innovator SETI X for a hands-on beatmaking workshop in the Garden. On Oak Street Plaza, smoldering style and pop/rock sensibility are the hallmarks of musician/model Christopher Kenji’s performances, introduced to Friday Nights by our partners at Let’s Lab. Dance to DJ Bitesize! in the 10th Street Amphitheater or join other museumgoers in the Great Hall for spirited and insightful conversation as part of Gallery Activation Hours. Remember to come with an appetite and visit Off the Grid food trucks on both 10th and Oak Streets!
Friday, October 27, 5—9 pm
SambaFunk! With King Theo Ogum
Introduction to Brasilian Samba Community Dance Class with Queen Joy Brussard
Oak Leaf Community Art Project
DJ Siyah
Bring on the funk and dance to the samba with King Theo Ogum and company! But first, learn the ins and outs of sultry samba dancing with Queen Joy Brussard in a community dance class that will get you moving and ready to party Brazil style. Families and children are invited to participate in a Community Art Project by creating an oak leaf that will be featured in an upcoming art installation by Chicana artist Consuelo Jimenez Underwood. For those in the mood for a reflective moment, join in the Gallery Activation Hours conversation in the Great Hall, then dance the night away to the sounds of DJ Siyah in the 10th Street Amphitheater as we say farewell to the 2023 season of Friday Nights at OMCA— join us when we return in April 2024 after our usual winter break.
Fall Teacher Night
Friday, October 13, 4:30—7 pm
OMCA celebrates teachers during our Fall Teacher Night. Explore liberatory and creative education practices with Do Your Lessons Love Your Students? Creative Education for Social Change authors Mariah Rankine-Landers and Jessa Brie Moreno. Join a facilitated conversation on the role of love in education and try out some strategies during interactive workshops.
Then hang out to enjoy Friday Nights at OMCA, including live Cuban music and dance with Rumbaché and CaliDance, contribute to the Oak Leaf Community Art Project by Chicana artist Consuelo Jimenez Underwood, enjoy late-night gallery access including exhibitions Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD and Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya, and Off the Grid food trucks.
Bring your team or make some new friends at neighboring schools. This event is free for teachers and chaperones, no RSVP required. Free gallery admission for all attendees, plus Off the Grid and bar tickets for the first 100 arrivals.
Political Posters: A Live Demonstration and Conversation with Malaquías Montoya
Sunday, October 15, 12—1:30pm and 2—3:30 pm, OMCA Learning Center
Part of the monthly Spotlight Sundays Series
Tickets: $1-30 Sliding Scale
General Public Tickets
Member Tickets
Learn about silkscreen printing with community artist and Chicano activist Malaquías Montoya and Jose Arenas of TANA (Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer at University of California, Davis). Using storytelling, and a live screen printing demonstration by the artist, Montoya will share about his own artistic journey and practice. He will offer critical reflections on the key role posters play in defining Chicano identities and shaping historical and contemporary social-political movements in California and beyond.
This program is a part of our exhibition programming for Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya on view at OMCA from October 6, 2023 through June 30, 2024. This program is designed for adults; there is limited capacity and tickets are required.
Oakland Style Kick-Off: A Taste of Style
Wednesday, October 18, 5:30—8:30 pm
Town Fare Café at OMCA
Presented by Visit Oakland, benefitting OMCA and Friends of James Beard Foundation
$175 per person (Tickets) Age 21+
OMCA welcomes the world of fashion and food courtesy of our partners, Visit Oakland, and our own fashionable Michele McQueen, Chef and owner of Town Fare Café at OMCA, for this event kicking off Oakland Style Week. Seven of Oakland’s top chefs—Michele McQueen, Dominica Rice, Paul Iglesias, Crystal Wahpepah, Nelson German, Intu-on Kornnawong, and Charles Farriér—will each prepare a stylish dish inspired by an iconic fashion designer. The evening includes cocktails and hors d’oeuvres reception, four-course dinner with wine pairings and fashion show to benefit OMCA and the Friends of James Beard Foundation. A highlight of the event will be creatively styled vintage looks from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board famed and beloved White Elephant Sale. OMCA is thrilled to host this evening to launch this year’s Oakland Style, an annual five-day series of fashion, arts, culture, and culinary events October 18 through 22, presented by Visit Oakland.
29th Annual Día de los Muertos Community Celebration
Sunday, October 22, 2023 11 am – 4 pm
ASL Interpretation for OMCA Garden stage will be provided.
Buy your ticket for this year’s celebration; limited tickets will be available at the door.
$10 for all-inclusive festival and gallery access. ASL Interpretation for OMCA Garden stage will be provided.
General Public Tickets
Member Tickets
This fall, OMCA welcomes the 29th annual community celebration honoring Día de los Muertos traditions. Join in a procession to open the celebration led by Día de los Muertos Committee members. Hands-on activities, tasty food, dance and music groups, colorful ofrendas, and ceremonia bring the community together for this healing tradition. View colorful, community-created ofrendas throughout the OMCA Garden paying homage to loved ones, and support local artisans by purchasing Día de los Muertos goods for your home altar at our mercado. See celebration details at www.museumca.org and feel free to bring your own picnic In addition to the October 22 Community Celebration, OMCA will host an ofrenda, In Remembrance of our Ancestors, representing the collision and merging of two cultures, pre-Columbian Mexico and Europe, in their beliefs and customs relating to death. The ofrenda will be on view October 18 through November 26 on the lower level.
Gallery Activation Hours
Saturdays 1-2 pm, OMCA Great Hall
Fridays through October 27, 6–8 pm, OMCA Great Hall during Friday Nights at OMCA
First Wednesdays, 12–1 pm featuring artists from Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD, OMCA Great Hall
Second Saturdays 12 -1 pm Membership Activation Hours
Due to popular demand, we’ve expanded Gallery Activation Hours!
Gallery Activation Hours put a twist on the traditional museum tour. Using an informal approach, OMCA facilitators combine content knowledge with lived experience. Centering community voice and encouraging dialogue in our galleries provides meaningful and fresh interpretations of our Special Exhibitions.
Weekly Gallery Activation Hours are every Saturday from 1 to 2 pm and are included with Museum and Special Exhibition admission. No reservation necessary.
OMCA Members have access to special Gallery Activation Hours every second Saturday of the month from noon to 1 pm.
In addition to weekly Saturday Gallery Activation Hours and during the run of Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD, artists from the show will host Special Edition Gallery Activation Hours, 12 pm- 1 pm every first Wednesday and as part of Friday Nights at OMCA from 6 to 8 pm.
Currently on View
Opening October 6
Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya
Great Hall
Explore the living impact of Chicano artist, Malaquías Montoya, whose legacy as a public-serving artist, activist, and community leader serves as inspiration for younger generations within the Chicano community and beyond. Montoya’s posters, graphic prints, and murals highlighting political and social justice issues have helped define the Chicano identity for nearly five decades.
Malaquías Montoya’s activist roots and community ties can be traced back to his childhood as the son of a migrant farmworker family and the close relationships he held with elder family members, teachers, artists and more. Por el Pueblo: The Legacy and Influence of Malaquías Montoya invites visitors to consider Montoya’s deeply collaborative artistic process, focus on community, and engagement across generations.
This exhibition will explore what it means to become an elder through photographs, historical and familial ephemera, early works from the artist as well as contemporary artworks by artists from multiple generations influenced by Montoya, including Julio Salgado, Elyse Doyle-Martinez, Leslie Lopez, Israel Campos, and Arely Hernández. On view October 6, 2023—June 30, 2024.
Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD
Great Hall
In collaboration with three profound Bay Area institutions, Into the Brightness: Artists from Creativity Explored, Creative Growth & NIAD celebrates myriad works from contemporary artists with developmental disabilities. From painting to sculpture to multimedia, these world-renowned artists are producing work of incredible power, exuberance, humor, complexity, and joy.
Into the Brightness presents a variety of dynamic perspectives from the artists’ personal experiences of the world. This original, collaborative exhibition is the largest museum exhibition in over a decade featuring artists from the three local organizations –Creativity Explored in San Francisco, Creative Growth in Oakland, and NIAD (Nurturing Independence Through Artistic Development) Art Center in Richmond.
Featured artists include Saul Alegria, Peter Cordova, Tranesha Smith-Kilgore, Marlon Mullen, Dorian Reid, William Scott, Dinah Shapiro, Nicole Storm, and Marilyn Wong. On view through January 21, 2024.
OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace
Gallery of California Natural Sciences
Little learners can unleash their curiosity and imagination in the newly created OMCA Kids: Nature Playspace. Located inside the Gallery of California Natural Sciences, the playspace 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 playspace gives families a fun, safe place to play, and to build community with other families.
Visitors ages 12 and younger receive free admission to OMCA, as long as they are accompanied by an adult over 18 years of age.