OMCA Announces Public Programs and Events for February 2024

January 12, 2024

Oakland Museum of California Announces Public Programs and Events in February including the continuation of Thursday After Hours at OMCA, A Talk with Know Your Rights Camp, OMCA’s 23rd Annual Lunar New Year Celebration, and Gallery Chats. The full calendar may be seen below with details at www.museumca.org.

Thursday After Hours at OMCA

Every Thursday through March | 5—8 pm

The Oakland Museum of California presents, Thursday After Hours at OMCA – a weekly night out at the Museum rich with cocktails, culture, and community. Visitors are invited to mingle at Town Fare Cafe by Chef Michele McQueen and enjoy drinks and light bites against a backdrop of music, or explore the galleries which come alive at night with a mix of pop-up performances, chats, live drawings, and more– just for adults!

Thursday After Hours programming is included in the cost of General Admission for Museum Guests and Free for Museum Members. Visitors do not require a ticket to enter Town Fare. Visitors are invited to bring a friend for free by taking advantage of our limited time 2 for 1 Museum ticket deal every Thursday, 5—8 pm throughout the inaugural season of Thursday After Hours. For online purchases use checkout code “Thursdates” to receive the 2 for 1 deal. For more information, please visit our website at museumca.org.

Thursday, February 01 | 5-8 pm
Exploration of Amapiano: Modern Dance Music from Southern Africa by Afrobeats Oakland and bites and beverages in Town Fare Café.

Don’t miss an electric pop-up performance by Afrobeats Oakland as they explore the unique modern South African genre of Amapiano featuring DJ Juan G, emcee and host Christina Alexandria, and saxophonist Seyi Sax. featuring live instrumental accompaniment that will fill OMCA’s galleries with jazzy instrumental music. Explore the emergence and popularity of amapiano, or “the pianos” in Southern African house and dance music. As the music plays enjoy bites and beverages in Town Fare.

Program Schedule:
5—8 pm Bites and Beverages | Town Fare Café
5—8 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions
5:45—6:15 pm Pop-up Performance | Gallery of California History, Mid Level
6:45—7:15 pm Pop-up Performance | Gallery of California History, Mid Level

The Gallery of California History will come alive with can’t-miss pop-up performances. In between pop-up performances and strolls through OMCA’s award-winning galleries, stop by Town Fare for delicious bites.

Gallery programming is included with the price of general Museum admission for guests, and totally free for Museum Members. Town Fare Café will be open to visitors until 8 pm.

Thursday, February 08 | 5—8 pm
Sketchboard Live Drawing and Gallery Chats

Don’t miss live sketching in the Gallery of California History and bites and beverages in Town Fare.

Program Schedule:
5—8 pm Bites and Beverages | Town Fare Café
5—8 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions
5:30—7:30 pm Gallery Chats | Gallery of California History, Mid Level
5:30—7:45 pm Sketchboard Live Drawing | Gallery of California History, Mid Level

Drop-In Drawing Sessions:

5:30—6:15 pm
5:45—6:30 pm
6:45— 7:30 pm
7:00—7:45 pm

Bring your sketch pads and appetites to another Thursday After Hours at OMCA. Mix and mingle over delightful cocktails prepared in OMCA’s Town Fare Café. After bites and beverages, head over to the Gallery of California History for live drawing sessions hosted by Sketchboard.

We welcome all skill levels, including those who have never drawn before and want to try drawing. Art supplies and clipboards will be available for you to use, and your artwork will be yours to take home or exchange with others. Models representing the diversity of the Bay Area will be posing in the galleries for times ranging from 2 to 20 minutes. Since we will be drawing in galleries, please be mindful of the space and bring only the following media from home: sketchbooks (max size 9×12 inches), pre-sharpened enclosed graphite or charcoal pencils.

*Please note that some models may be nude while others may be partially clothed.

Gallery programming is included with the price of general Museum admission for guests, and totally free for Museum Members. Town Fare Café will be open to visitors until 8 pm.

Thursday, February 15 | 5—8 pm
AshEL Seasunz & Rocker T Performance

Don’t miss a pop-up performance by AshEl Seasunz & Rocker T featuring frequencies, mantras, and songs from various ancient traditions in the Gallery of California Art and delectable bites at Town Fare.

Program Schedule:
5—8 pm Bites and Beverages | Town Fare Café
5—8 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions
5:45—6:15 pm Pop-up Performance | Gallery of California Art, Upper Level
6:45—7:15 pm Pop-up Performance | Gallery of California Art, Upper Level

The Gallery of California Art will come alive with can’t-miss pop-up performances. In between pop-up performances and strolls through OMCA’s award-winning galleries, stop by Town Fare for refreshing food and drink.

Gallery programming is included with the price of general Museum admission for guests, and totally free for Museum Members. Town Fare Café will be open to visitors until 8 pm.

Thursday, February 22 | 5—8 pm
Sketchboard Live Drawing and Gallery Chats

Don’t miss live sketching in the Gallery of California Art and delectable bites and beverages in Town Fare.

Program Schedule:
5—8 pm Bites and Beverages | Town Fare Café
5—8 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions
5:30—7:30 pm Gallery Chats | Gallery of California Art, Upper Level
5:30—7:45 pm Sketchboard Live Drawing | Gallery of California Art, Upper Level

Drop-In Drawing Sessions:

5:30—6:15 pm
5:45—6:30 pm
6:45— 7:30 pm
7:00—7:45 pm

Pack your sketch pads and appetites! Delight in OMCA’s cafe, Town Fare by Chef Michele McQueen. After bites and beverages, head over to the Gallery of California Art for a live drawing session hosted by Sketchboard.

*Please note that some models may be nude while others may be partially clothed.

Gallery programming is included with the price of general Museum admission for guests, and totally free for Museum Members. Town Fare Café will be open to visitors until 8 pm.

Thursday, February 29 | 5—8 pm
Total Response!: The Continued Conversation w/ Jacobdeloakland, Nimsims, and Bag o’Tricks and Cooking Demonstrations at Town Fare.

Widen your minds and your appetites when you join OMCA in Total Response! Referencing Horace Silver’s 1972 album, Total Response! is a rap performance and conversation that guides listeners to interrogate our present reality and poses questions as seeds that audience members can cultivate and pass along as their awareness to inequity widens. Between sessions give your tastebuds a chance to be wowed by Cooking Demonstrates happening in Town Fare.

Program Schedule:
5—8 pm Cooking Demonstration | Town Fare Café
5—8 pm Core Galleries and Special Exhibitions
5:45—6:15 pm Pop-up Performance | Gallery of California History, Mid Level
6:45—7:15 pm Pop-up Performance | Gallery of California History, Mid Level

Gallery programming is included with the price of general Museum admission for guests, and totally free for Museum Members. Town Fare Café will be open to visitors until 8 pm.

23rd Annual Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Dragon

Saturday, February 17, 2024 | 11 am—4 pm | OMCA Campus

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) invites guests and members to the Museum for its 23rd Annual Lunar New Year Celebration. Celebrate and honor Lunar New Year traditions through family-friendly storytelling, performances, activities, and more. The festivities center and uplift AAPI communities and explore the shared connections between Asian cultures of the Bay Area.

OMCA opens its campus to ring in the Year of the Dragon together in community. Festival access starts at 11am; activities and performances start at 12pm. Parking is available in OMCA’s Oak Street Garage for a day rate of $10; overflow event parking is available at Alco Park (165 13th Street) for the day rate of $7.

Spotlight Sundays: A Talk with Know Your Rights Camp

Sunday, February 18, 2024 | 1—2:30 pm | Lecture Hall |
This event is sliding scale ($1—$30) visit museumca.org/events/ for more information.

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will host an impactful discussion led by advocacy leaders of Know Your Rights Camp. This organization is dedicated to advancing the liberation and wellbeing of Black and Brown communities through knowing your rights across the varied sectors of education, health, technology, and the legal system. Through presentations and a panel talk, speakers will engage in critical dialogue about these themes and impart essential tools, knowledge and self-empowerment strategies for audiences to gain a deeper understanding of civil resources and rights across multiple facets of society. Panelists will include representatives from Know Your Rights Camp, including Nicole Martin, Attorney and Legal Program Director of the Autopsy Initiative, a Know Your Rights Initiative, and Dr. Roger A. Mitchell, Jr. MD FCAP, Forensic Pathologist Coordinator of the Autopsy Initiative, and a representative from The Hidden Genius Project, an Oakland-based organization that has led workshops at previous camps focused on technology and social change.The conversation will be moderated by Dania Jordan, Associate Curator of History at the Oakland Museum of California. After the panel, there will be Call to Action tables with additional resources to learn more.

A Talk with Know Your Rights Camp is a part of exhibition programming for OMCA’s Gallery of California History.

Gallery Chats at OMCA

Gallery Chats ~
Saturdays, 1—3 pm | OMCA Great Hall and Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences

Member Gallery Chats ~
Second Saturdays, 12— 1 pm | OMCA Great Hall Only

Gallery Chats at OMCA takes an informal approach to the traditional museum tour. Visitors are invited to chat, ask questions, and connect in the galleries with our OMCA facilitators who combine content knowledge with lived experience to encourage meaningful dialogue and fresh interpretations of our Special Exhibitions and Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences.

Weekly Gallery Chats take place in our Special Exhibitions and our Galleries of California Art, History, and Natural Sciences every Saturday from 1 to 3 pm and are included with Museum and Special Exhibition admission. No reservation necessary.

OMCA Members have access to special Member Gallery Chats every second Saturday of the month from noon to 1 pm.

OMCA Architecture Walk and Talk

First Sunday of each month at 1 pm

Walk through OMCA’s landmark building and gardens with members of the Council on Architecture, and learn about the history, design, and evolution of this award-winning structure with guides who are passionate about OMCA and Oakland.

No reservations or tickets are required. Walk and Talk begins near the Mid Level ticketing desk and lasts approximately one hour.

If you’d like to visit OMCA’s Galleries or Special Exhibitions, please purchase a ticket online in advance or at the ticketing desk on the day of your visit.

Currently On View

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.

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.

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. Museum admission is $19 general; $16 seniors and students with valid ID, $12 youth ages 13 to 17, and free for Members and children 12 and under. There is a $6 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions in the Great Hall. 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. An accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum.