INSIDE | OUT
T H E STO RY O F CA LI FO R N IA T H E STO RY O F YO U OA K L A N D M USEU M O F CA LI FO RN IA
FOUR MOMENTS IN CALIFORNIA THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
Songs and Sorrows / OMCA’s Días de los Muertos celebrates twenty years Sunshine and Superheroes / The cultural impact of Comic-Con SUMMER 2014
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WELCOME
Dear OMCA Friends— Old and New!
Children and families enjoy dancing and live music during Friday Nights @ OMCA.
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OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
Lori Fogarty Director and CEO
ODELL HUSSEY PHOTOGRAPHY
I
know that many of you reading this issue of Inside Out are long-standing supporters of OMCA, celebrating with us an amazing series of milestones and anniversaries this season. I hope that we also have some first-time readers as we look forward to welcoming new visitors and members to the Museum during the run of Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California. Fall is a season of tradition and renewing cycles—from back-to-school preparation to the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays. This fall will be one of particular bounty for OMCA with Fertile Ground, an exhibition that brings together the riches of our museum with those of SFMOMA to explore four specific moments in California art that were uniquely fruitful in many ways. Let me take this opportunity to thank our colleagues at SFMOMA for a wonderful collaboration, one that has benefited both our institutions and, we trust, our shared communities. This fall also marks the twentieth anniversary of one of OMCA’s most beloved traditions: our annual Días de los Muertos exhibition and community celebration. This project has been an inspiration for many of OMCA’s ongoing practices, such as partnering with community organizations in the creation of artworks that connect traditions to contemporary issues. It is a special pleasure this year to celebrate with some of the long-standing artists who have been part of Días de los Muertos at OMCA and in the Bay Area, as well as emerging artists who are adding their voices to this annual commemoration. There is another anniversary to note with our exhibition program: Judy Chicago’s seventy-fifth birthday and the fortieth anniversary of her installation, A Butterfly for Oakland, as seen through film documentation in our Gallery of California Art. It is stunning to see the boldness of Chicago’s vision, with the shore of Lake Merritt ablaze in this moving expression of public art. In closing, there is one final milestone to acknowledge. On behalf of OMCA’s board of trustees, staff, and creative community, I wish to convey our deepest thanks to Bruce Beasley, whose extraordinary promised gift to the Museum will make possible the Bruce Beasley Sculpture Center in West Oakland. Bruce is not only an internationally recognized sculptor of enormous influence and innovation, he is also a true citizen of Oakland. This gift is as much about making a statement on behalf of this city as it is about ensuring a place for sculpture in the coming decades. His gift truly completes our season of celebration. Wishing you all a fall filled with fertile endeavors!
CONTENTS
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features 8 Fertile Ground
OMCA and SFMOMA partner on an exhibition exploring how
California artists changed modern and contemporary art.
14 Songs and Sorrows
OMCA’s Días de los Muertos marks its twentieth year as a
beloved exhibition and cultural celebration.
David Park, Portrait of Richard Diebenkorn, circa 1953.
COVER: CIT Y CLUB OF CALIFORNIA . THIS PAGE, TOP: COLLECTION OF OMCA , GIF T OF MRS. ROY MOORE
departments 4 In the Galleries A collaborative exhibition exploring the cultural impact of Comic-Con, and a look back at artist Judy Chicago’s 1974 pyrotechnic A Butterfly for Oakland.
6 Advancement
Artist Bruce Beasley’s sculpture garden.
Bruce Beasley’s generous gift to OMCA will establish a
16 Thought Leader
groundbreaking sculpture center in West Oakland.
Sheila Jordan reflects on her legacy as the longtime superintendent
7 Community News
of schools for Alameda County—and shares her vision for the future.
A new public art project by Brett Cook pays tribute to
18 Calendar
local healers.
A guide to OMCA’s exhibitions, events, and programs.
On the cover: Diego Rivera, Allegory of California (detail), 1931.
The Story of California. The Story of You.
Oakland Museum of California
Inside Out is published three times a year by the Oakland Museum of California, 1000 Oak Street, Oakland, CA 94607. museumca.org ©2014 Editor: Kelly A. Koski
Caption tk.
Contributors: Lori Fogarty, Joni Hess, Sarah Kimmerle, Linda Larkin, Claudia Leung, Maggie R. Pico, Lisa Sasaki Photography: Terry Lorant Produced by: Diablo Custom Publishing dcpubs.com
SUMMER 2014
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IN THE G ALLERIES
SUNSHINE AND
SUPERHEROES IN COLLABORATION WITH FACULTY AND STUDENTS AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY, OMCA EXPLORES THE CULTURAL IMPACT OF SAN DIEGO’S ANNUAL COMIC-CON
It
Sunshine and Superheroes: San Diego ComicCon is on view in the Gallery of California History through May 31, 2015. This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Above: The opportunity to dress in costume, or cosplay, appeals to fans of all ages. Right: A group of SDSU students and OMCA staff who worked on the exhibition Sunshine and Superheroes: San Diego Comic-Con.
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OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
ODELL HUSSEY PHOTOGRAPHY
ON VIEW
is sometimes hard for academics to connect with the pop culture– loving general public. As Sarah Elkind, a history professor at San Diego State University, says, “We speak totally different languages.” OMCA’s new exhibition, Sunshine and Superheroes: San Diego Comic-Con, is an exciting way to bridge those worlds, telling a uniquely Californian story through the iconic annual comic book convention. “We’re using a cultural phenomenon to bring research out of academia and contextualize it for a museum audience,” says Elkind, who worked on this project with OMCA. The exhibition is the latest in a series called What’s Happening, California?— a project led by OMCA Associate Curator of Contemporary History and Trends Suzanne Fischer and organized in partnership with California’s state universities. Fischer asks graduate history professors to work with students to identify contemporary topics that are relevant to their communities while also telling a larger cultural story. Sunshine and Superheroes retraces the forty-five-year history of the convention, looking at what it means to have a tourism-driven economy, how comics both reinforce and shatter mainstream gender roles, and how dressing up in costume, known as cosplay, fosters self-expression—something visitors get to experience firsthand. Along with various convention paraphernalia on display, there are costumes that people can wear and take pictures in. “It’s a fun, lively show that helps visitors feel like they’re actually at ComicCon or in a comic book,” Fischer says.
IN THE G ALLERIES
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Judy Chicago, A Butterfly for Oakland, 1974.
C O U R T E SY O F T H E A R T I S T A N D PAU L C H A D B O U R N E M I L L S A R C H I V E S O F C A L I FO R N I A A R T,O M C A
A BUTTERFLY FOR OAKLAND OMCA LOOKS BACK AT JUDY CHICAGO’S DAZZLING 1974 PYROTECHNIC DISPLAY
F Artist Judy Chicago.
ON VIEW Judy Chicago: A Butterfly for Oakland is on view in Media Space 1 in the Gallery of California Art through Nov. 30.
orty years ago, OMCA commissioned feminist artist Judy Chicago to create a sculpture as part of its exhibition Public Sculpture/Urban Environment. In response, Chicago orchestrated an outdoor pyrotechnic display that presented the outline of a butterfly on Lake Merritt’s western shoreline. Now, as museums across the nation celebrate the renowned artist’s seventy-fifth birthday with retrospective exhibitions, OMCA is showing original footage from the seventeen-minute performance for the very first time. “A beautiful media piece shows the artist, friends, volunteers; the afternoon spent setting up; the crowd gathering at sunset to watch,” says Christina Linden, associate curator of painting and sculpture. “It was a simple gesture, and it’s dramatic and moving.” The digitized images and footage will be played continuously in the Gallery of California Art through November. Linden helped track down the slides and Super 8 film documenting the event after joining the Museum last December. Chicago is best known for creating the collaborative feminist installation The Dinner Party (1974–79). Between 1969 and 1974, she staged a series of “atmospheres” in and around California, culminating with A Butterfly for Oakland. She used a combination of road flares and fireworks to illuminate the shape, which she said was meant to soften and feminize the environment, and be a “symbol of transformation, flight, and freedom.”
SUMMER 2014
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ADVANCEMENT
Clockwise from above: Bruce Beasley's West Oakland sculpture garden; the artist; his studio.
Shaping the Future ARTIST BRUCE BEASLEY’S GIFT TO OMCA WILL CREATE A ONE-OF-A-KIND SCULPTURE CENTER IN WEST OAKLAND
B
orn in Los Angeles in 1939, sculptor Bruce Beasley has lived and worked in West Oakland for more than five decades. In the early 1960s, he bought an abandoned warehouse on Lewis Street and transformed it into his home and studio. Over time, he purchased neighboring properties and turned them into a complex of studios, sculpture gardens, and open space, an oasis of art on the edge of the city. “West Oakland is a wonderful neighborhood,” he says. “It’s where I chose to spend my life and raise my family.” Thanks to a generous planned gift he made to OMCA, his studio, gardens, and sculptures will have a permanent home after his death as the Bruce Beasley Sculpture Center, a West Oakland satellite of the Museum. Beasley has also named the Museum as the beneficiary of a charitable remainder trust to help support the center’s operation. “It was very important to me to make a contribution to the Oakland Museum of California, to West Oakland, and to the field of sculpture,” Beasley explains. “The new center will celebrate art, provide space for other sculptors to exhibit, and create a cultural institution that will enliven and benefit this community.”
WHAT WILL YOUR LEGACY BE? Will you help teach the future stewards of the state, preserve California’s best art, and share the rich stories held in the Museum’s artifacts? By including OMCA in your estate plans, you can leave a personal legacy and benefit the next generation. Estate gifts of any size are welcome. Contact Linda Larkin, director of individual giving, at lalarkin@museum.org or 510-318-8516.
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OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
A Singular Vision Throughout his long career, Bruce Beasley has used an exciting visual language to create innovative sculptures Inspired by organic building blocks of nature—crystals, molecules, and bones—renowned Oakland sculptor Bruce Beasley expresses emotions through his powerful compositions. After graduating from UC Berkeley in 1962, Beasley won wide critical acclaim for his work. When he was 23 years old, New York’s Museum of Modern Art purchased one of his sculptures, making him the youngest artist ever to have a work in MOMA’s permanent collection at the time. Ever since, he has been one of the most innovative and productive sculptors of his generation. Beasley’s abstract pieces are in the permanent collections of 30 art museums worldwide, including OMCA, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, and the Musée National d’Art Moderne–Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 2005, OMCA presented a retrospective of his career, and the Museum’s gardens feature his iconic work.
COMMUNIT Y NE WS
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Artist Brett Cook in his studio.
REFLECTIONS OF HEALING NEW PUBLIC ART AT OMCA PAYS TRIBUTE TO LOCAL HEALERS
“I’m
creating a new type of aesthetic of positive images of people in Oakland,” says artist Brett Cook, whose large-scale Reflections of Healing exhibition—what he calls “participatory portraiture”—will be installed in October along OMCA’s 12th Street exterior wall. “There’s a wide array of amazing people doing all kinds of incredible things to nurture Oakland,” adds Cook. “I’m working to find ways to support the great things they are doing and magnify their effect.” The Museum commissioned Cook’s artwork as part of OMCA Connect, an initiative to create participatory art projects in community spaces and surrounding neighborhoods. Community partners include the YMCA of Oakland, the Eastside Arts Alliance, and the Oakland Asian Cultural
Center. These organizations will consult in the project’s overall design, implementation, and selection of ten “healers,” the subjects of Cook’s portraits. “This project allows the Museum to continue to reflect local communities, their stories, their histories, and their cultures,” says Mona Shah, OMCA’s community partnership program manager. Cook’s creative process is similarly inclusive and collaborative. He chose photos of each subject from his or her adolescence, and projected and enlarged the images to produce vibrantly colored renderings on acetate. Comments from his interviews with each subject will become part of the final artwork. Cook has already enjoyed great success with the Reflections of Healing model. As part of the annual Life Is Living Festival in Oakland’s DeFremery Park, Cook created twelve
other portraits, which were displayed in city parks, downtown storefronts, OMCA, and branches of the Oakland Public Library. “It’s all about being an engine for cultivating relationships,” says the enthusiastic artist. For the Museum’s part, Cook adds, “it’s about developing relationships that can be broadened and deepened, sustained over time, and have a larger impact.”
CELEBRATION AND UNVEILING Friday, Oct. 24, 4–8 pm Enjoy a fun evening of art making, music, and the public unveiling of Reflections of Healing during Friday Nights @ OMCA.
SUMMER 2014
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SPECIAL EVENTS Special Event:
Donor Preview
Member Preview
Thursday, Sept. 18, 6–9 pm
Friday, Sept. 19, 11 am–9 pm
but what you want is far away
Sponsor level and above
Individual level and above
Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30–8:30 pm
Be the first to see this unprecedented
Enjoy Member-only viewing hours of
A performance program including
exhibition! Celebrate with fellow OMCA
Fertile Ground the day before it opens
contemporary dance, poetry, music,
and SFMOMA supporters during a festive
to the public. From 5 to 9 pm, relax and
and artist-designed sets and costumes
cocktail reception on stunning terraces
mingle in the Member Lounge. Visit
developed in collaboration with n/a, an
overlooking Lake Merritt.
museumca.org/membership for more
Oakland exhibition and event space.
information.
Presented in partnership with SFMOMA On the Go. For more information and tickets, visit museumca.org/faraway.
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OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
C O L L EC T I O N S F M O M A , G I F T O F W I L L I A M M . R OT H ; © E S TAT E O F J A M E S W E E K S
James Weeks, Untitled, 1953.
HOW ARTISTS IN CALIFORNIA CHANGED THE FACE OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to
roundbreaking changes in art are often due to the right people finding
bring together both museums’ collections to
one another at the right place and
tell extraordinary stories about communities
time. Fertile Ground: Art and Community in Cali-
that changed the art world,” says OMCA
fornia, a new exhibition, illuminates how four
Curator of Photography and Visual Culture
such convergences changed twentieth-century
Drew Johnson, who, along with OMCA Senior
art in and beyond the Golden State.
Curator of Art René de Guzman, worked with
The exhibition—on view from September 20,
a curatorial team from SFMOMA that includes
2014, through April 12, 2015, in OMCA’s Great
Janet Bishop, Caitlin Haskell, and Peter Samis.
Hall—combines works from the collections of
“Fertile Ground,” Bishop adds, “is a unique
OMCA and SFMOMA for the first time. Artists
collaboration that enables us to tell these
represented include Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo,
compelling stories better than either museum
Mark Rothko, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams,
would be able to on its own.”
Richard Diebenkorn, Robert Arneson, Wayne Thiebaud, Ruby Neri, and Barry McGee. Through painting, photography, sculpture,
Fertile Ground takes audiences on a journey through the following moments in California
works on paper, and other artifacts, Fertile
art history:
Ground examines four remarkable communities
■
in Northern California that changed the course of modern and contemporary art. Film foot-
California (1930s) ■
age, interviews, and other interactive experiences look at the artists’ relationships and the
Postwar at the California School of Fine Arts (1940s–’50s)
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transformative social changes that served as a backdrop for their explorations.
Patronage, Public Art, and Allegory of
A New Art Department at UC Davis (1960s–’70s)
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The Mission Scene (1990s–today)
SUMMER 2014
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Patronage, Public Art, and Allegory of California
In
Top: Peter Stackpole, Diego Rivera Sketching Mural, n.d. Bottom: Frida Kahlo, Frieda and Diego Rivera, 1931.
late 1930, celebrated muralist
was a young Peter Stackpole, Ralph
Diego Rivera and his wife,
Stackpole’s son and the famed pho-
Frida Kahlo, traveled from Mexico to
tographer whose work was the sub-
San Francisco, where Rivera had been
ject of a recent exhibition at OMCA.)
commissioned to paint two social real-
At a time of great financial suffer-
ist frescos, including Allegory of Cali-
ing and bitter labor struggles, many
fornia at the Pacific Stock Exchange.
of these artists created socially
By early 1931, in the midst of the Great
conscious and often controversial
Depression, the couple had immersed
public art—including the Coit Tower
themselves in the Bay Area’s creative
murals—funded by the federal Public
scene. They influenced and were influ-
Works of Art and Works Progress
enced by many other socially minded
Administration programs. The lively
artists such as Ralph Stackpole, Victor
interactions of local artists with Ri-
Arnautoff, Ray Boynton, John Langley
vera and Kahlo, and the rich creative
Howard, and Sargent Johnson—and
expressions that arose from this
Rivera painted likenesses of several
tumultuous time are highlighted in this
members of this group in the Allegory
part of the exhibition.
of California. (In fact, one of his models
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OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
TOP: COLLECTION OF OMCA, THE BELL FUND; BOTTOM: COLLECTION SFMOMA, ALBERT M. BENDER COLLECTION, GIFT OF ALBERT M. BENDER; © BANCO DE MEXICO DIEGO R I V E R A & F R I D A K A H L O M U S E U M S T R U S T , M E X I C O , D . F. / A R T I S T S R I G H T S S O C I E T Y ( A R S ) , N E W Y O R K
1930s
Below: Richard Diebenkorn, untitled, 1949. Bottom: David Park, Rehearsal (detail), circa 1949.
1940s–' 50s
Postwar at the California School of Fine Arts
TO P : C O L L EC T I O N O F O M C A , G I F T O F T H E W O M E N ’ S B OA R D O F T H E OA K L A N D M U S E U M A S S O C I AT I O N . B OT TO M : C O L L EC T I O N O F O M C A , G I F T O F T H E A N O N Y M O U S D O N O R P R O G R A M O F T H E A M E R I C A N F E D E R AT I O N O F A R T S . C O U R T E SY O F H AC K E T T | M I L L , R E P R E S E N TAT I V E O F T H E E S TAT E O F DAV I D PA R K
A
fter the end of World War II, the California School of Fine Arts
(now the San Francisco Art Institute) became a center of avant-garde forms of expression. Its visionary director, Douglas MacAgy, hired freethinking faculty members, including abstract expressionist painters Clyfford Still and Mark Rothko. Other influential painters like David Park and Elmer Bischoff joined the faculty. Together they inspired the school’s students, many of them mature war veterans like Richard Diebenkorn. Ansel Adams and Minor White, along with instructors Imogen Cunningham, Edward Weston, and Dorothea Lange, established the first fine art photography program in the United States. Amid the creative ferment of the 1940s and ’50s, this circle of innovators shaped national conversations about art. Challenging the dominance of abstract painting by reintroducing the human form, several of these artists launched the Bay Area Figurative movement, which remains one of the region’s best-known contributions to the art world. This part of the exhibition features evocative works such as David Park’s Rehearsal from OMCA’s collection that reveal the new direction his painting was taking and capture the bohemian spirit of the times.
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1960s–' 70s
A New Art Department at UC Davis
T
he tranquil UC Davis campus was rocked in the late 1950s
and early ’60s first by a dramatic expansion of the UC system designed to cope with the influx of baby boomer enrollments, and then by an irreverent new studio art department. Under the brilliant leadership of Richard L. Nelson, the department attracted a founding faculty of iconoclastic painters and sculptors, among them Robert Arneson, William T. Wiley, Wayne Thiebaud, Manuel Neri, and Roy De Forest. Miles away from any other cultural
external authorities, these artists exAbove: Wayne Thiebaud, Delicatessen Counter, 1961. Right: Robert Arneson, California Artist, 1982.
perimented with new forms and ideas, inspiring and challenging each other and students such as David Gilhooly and Bruce Nauman. The result, through
Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California is jointly organized by the Oakland Museum of California and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is made possible by generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board, OMCA Art Guild, SFMOMA's Collectors Forum, Barclay and Sharon Simpson, and the Fisher Family. Additional support is provided by Ann Hatch/Clinton Walker Fund, Eileen and Peter Michael, Christine and Michael Murray, Paul Sack and Shirley Davis, and Judy C. Webb.
the mid–1970s, was a flourishing of wildly imaginative art that used humor, irony, and absurdity to outrage and provoke. One of the major works on display in this section of the exhibition, according to SFMOMA’s Janet Bishop, is Arneson’s playful self-portrait, California Artist. This monumental sculpture, from SFMOMA’s collection, is the artist’s sharp, sardonic response to a New York critic’s attack on what he called “the impoverished sensibility of the provincial cultural life of California.”
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OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
TO P : C O L L EC T I O N O F O M C A , G I F T O F C O N C O U R S D ’A N T I Q U ES , A R T G U I L D ; B OT TO M : C O L L EC T I O N S F M O M A , G I F T O F T H E M O D E R N A R T C O U N C I L ; © E S TAT E O F R O B E R T A R N E S O N / L I C E N S E D B Y VAG A , N E W YO R K , N Y
center and largely unconcerned with
Left: Barry McGee, Untitled, 2009. Below: Johanna Jackson, We Are All On Stage Together, 2001.
culture. Though formally trained, artists such as Margaret Kilgallen were inspired by the vibrancy of the neighborhood, and the homegrown genius of handmade graphics that enriched the Mission District's
1990s–TODAY
The Mission Scene
bustling streets. Many artists took pride in community-minded values
TOP: COLLECTION SFMOMA, RUTH NASH FUND AND LOUIS VUITTON N.A. PURCHASE; © BARRY MCGEE; PHOTO: BEN BLACKWELL ; BOTTOM: COLLECTION SFMOMA, GIFT OF AMY ADELSON AND DE AN VALENTINE; © JO JACKSON
and allied themselves with grassroots
In
the 1990s, San Francisco’s
efforts. A new generation of informal
Mission District was a haven
art spaces, such as Adobe Books
for the city’s creative citizens, includ-
Backroom Gallery, emerged to serve
ing some of the most celebrated
younger artists and local interests.
California artists of the time. The
Canonical Mission Scene artists
Mission’s mix of ethnic diversity,
such as Chris Johanson, Margaret
bohemianism, and leftist politics
Kilgallen, Barry McGee, and many
flourished at a time when local and
others played a role in the cultural
global events seemed to threaten
ferment of the time. Including pieces
the fabric of its community, such as
by Amy Franceschini, Rigo 23, and
the first dot-com boom and subse-
Johanna Jackson, as well as three
quent gentrification, the war in Iraq, a
new commissioned works from
rampant AIDS epidemic, the Rodney
Johanson, Alicia McCarthy, and Ruby
King trial, and a collapse of the federal
Neri (daughter of Manuel Neri, whose
government’s support for artists.
work is in the UC Davis section), the
In response, artists turned away
Mission Scene tells the story of how
from the mainstream art world,
artists and community came together
focusing instead on a “bottom-up”
during a time of change and crisis.
SUMMER 2014
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COMMEMOR ATION
DÍAS DE LOS MUERTOS MARKS ITS 2OTH ANNIVERSARY AS Above, from left: dancers in OMCA’s gardens; Jesse Hernandez, Danza de Los Muertos (concept sketch), 2014; Carmen Lomas Garza, Ofrenda Para Antonio Lomas, 1995; José Guadalupe Posada, La Calavera Catrina, 1913
T
he origins of Días de los Muertos
and faiths to participate in family-friendly
date back thousands of years
activities. “Days of the Dead transcends
to commemorations of the de-
differences,” says Evelyn Orantes, curator
ceased in Mesoamerica. Today, the festival,
of public practice. “It has become an event
translated to Days of the Dead, has evolved
at OMCA that allows communities to come
into a multicultural exchange, melding Meso-
together to mourn and to celebrate.”
american, European, and Christian influences with contemporary cultural expres-
Sorrows: Días de los Muertos 20th Anniver-
sions. Popularized in California through the
sary, co-curated by Orantes and Bea Carrillo
Chicano movement and now celebrated in
Hocker, will explore the tradition’s lineage.
many parts of the world, Días de los Muertos
Carrillo Hocker, who curated the first seven
has long been one of the most joyful and
years of OMCA’s Días de los Muertos exhibi-
healing ways to honor the circle of life.
tions and has served as lead educator on
This year, OMCA marks its twentieth anni-
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This year’s special exhibition, Songs and
the projects ever since, says that Songs and
versary of bringing the community together
Sorrows will tell several stories at once. On
around this storied tradition. With festivi-
the one hand, it will trace the evolution of the
ties in the Museum’s gardens and a special
Days of the Dead tradition and the elements
exhibition in the Gallery of California Art,
that have made it such a vibrant commemo-
OMCA welcomes people of all backgrounds
ration, including ofrendas (altars) adorned
OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
A BELOVED CULTURAL CELEBRATION WITH A SPECIAL EXHIBITION with marigolds, sugar skulls, skeletons, and
“This is a living tradition,” Orantes adds, “and
mementos of the deceased. On the other hand,
every generation pushes its boundaries and
the exhibition will explore how OMCA has inter-
claims it as its own.”
T O P, F R O M L E F T: S H A U N R O B E R T S , C O U T E S Y O F T H E A R T I S T, G I F T O F W I L L I A M C. ESTLER, SHAUN ROBERTS; BACKGROUND: COURTESY OF THE MEXICAN MUSEUM
preted this tradition for the past two decades. “It is gratifying to return as curator, though in truth the Días de los Muertos exhibition has always been a team effort,” says Carrillo Hocker, who is of Mexican descent. “It has given me many opportunities to continue learning about my cul-
COMMUNITY CELEBRATION! Sunday, Oct. 26 OMCA’s twentieth annual Days of the Dead celebration brings the community together in the Museum gardens and features crafts, food, music, and more.
ture and share it with others, and I feel fortunate to be able to do so.” The artists represented in Songs and Sorrows range from José Guadalupe Posada, a Mexican printmaker from the turn of the twentieth century known for his engravings of skeletons; to Carmen Lomas Garza, who pioneered new ways
ON VIEW Songs and Sorrows: Días de los Muertos 20th Anniversary will be featured in the Gallery of California Art from October 8, 2014, through January 4, 2015. Made possible in part by generous support from Kaiser Permanente, the Oakland Museum Women's Board, and the California Arts Council.
of working with papel picado (cut paper art); to Jesse Hernandez, a contemporary painter, sculptor, and illustrator with an edgy, urban sensibility.
SUMMER 2014
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THOUGHT LE ADER
Art Is Education Why did Sheila Jordan launch this aptly named arts program during her tenure as Alameda County’s superintendent of schools? And what will she—and OMCA—be up to next? Don’t expect Sheila Jordan to sit back and take it easy even though she is retiring after sixteen years as Alameda County’s superintendent of schools and head of the Alameda County Office of Education (ACOE). ACOE oversees budgets in eighteen school districts, serves nearly 225,000 students, operates schools for incarcerated juveniles and programs for kids with special needs, and more. Truth is, there’s no way Jordan can disengage from East Bay civic affairs after being active for so long: She’s held elected posts on Oakland’s school board and city council (chairing the Cultural Affairs Committee, among other leadership roles) and spent more than twenty years as a classroom teacher. Here, Jordan reflects on her legacy as county schools superintendent as well as her goal to continue partnering with OMCA to effect positive change.
WHY HAVE YOU FOCUSED ON THE ARTS THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER—AND WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS ARENA? I’m not an artist myself, but I love and appreciate the arts. My life and work have been enriched by my relationship with the arts. When I decided to run for county schools superintendent, I wanted to change what was happening for students who were incarcerated, and as a former special education teacher, I was concerned about kids with special needs. I was also very committed to the arts. I met with all the artists I knew, and we talked about how we could bring art back into the schools. Louise Music, coordinator of Alameda County Arts Learning, and I have worked to bring artists into the schools and train teachers to integrate arts in subject matter, with the help of foundation grants. Alameda County is now known internationally as a leader of arts integration in education. HOW HAS YOUR VISION PLAYED OUT IN DISTRICTS AND CLASSROOMS HERE AND ACROSS THE STATE? We give teachers and artists the technical tools to perfect their craft. We do training and also teach the trainees to train. In the late 1990s, for example, we coined the expression, “Art is education,” and built an enormous arts integration program in every one of our districts. The state of California has now adopted March as Art IS Education Month: That all began here in Alameda County. TAKING A BIG-PICTURE VIEW, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE STATE OF ARTS EDUCATION IN THE COUNTY’S AND STATE’S SCHOOLS? We’re doing very well but not well enough. It all starts with adequacy of funding, which we still don’t have. Music continues to be a particular
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challenge, and the performing arts are uneven among our county’s districts. Generally speaking, schools are much better with visual arts, but there are a lot of places in our state where folks say, “Oh, we don’t do art.” CAN THE ARTS PLAY A ROLE IN HELPING TO RESOLVE EQUITY ISSUES AMONG TODAY’S STUDENTS—INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE INCARCERATED? The equity issue is more of an access issue for at-risk students—access to a greater understanding of the arts, but also to the feeling that they’re part of the world of education. Too many students, particularly students of color, don’t feel included or valued. To the extent that we celebrate their culture and their art, that helps motivate them. Right now, I’m working with OMCA and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre on an innovative project that aims to improve education and prospects for incarcerated youth. In September, I'm planning a summit at OMCA to bring together advocates, teachers, lawyers, artists, and more. I don’t have illusions that this is an easy task, but we have to confront the tough problems, pool our resources, organize. Using our collective skills to make positive change is what life is all about.
“Teaching subjects in separate silos doesn’t make sense. Art is like a thread that can be woven through every subject and stand for itself. The whole notion of handson learning is something we’ve been advocating for years.” —Sheila Jordan
SUMMER 2014
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CALENDAR
Check out the full lineup of events and programs at museumca.org.
OMCA FAMILY
EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS, AND PROGRAMS OMCA TOURS Architecture of the Museum Tour First Sundays, 1 pm California Art Tour Saturdays and Sundays, 2 pm California History Tour Sundays, 3 pm OMCA Highlight Tour Fridays and Saturdays, 1 pm LGBT History Tour Sunday, Sept. 7, 12 pm Sunday, Sept. 14, 12 pm Friday, Sept. 26, 7:30 pm (snack-sized tour) Oakland Bike Tour Sunday, Sept. 21, 10 am Sunday, Oct. 19, 10 am
MEMBER TOURS Drop-In Workshop: Fun With Paint Sunday, Sept. 21, 12–3 pm Paint in the OMCA Art Studio with artist Holly Turney, and make your own masterpieces. Celebrate Diwali Sunday, Nov. 16, 12–3 pm Join the Museum and the Oakland Asian Cultural Center in celebrating the festival of lights with dance performances and storytelling. Learn how to make Rangoli, a folk art from India traditionally made during Diwali. WinterFest! Sunday, Dec. 14, 12–3 pm Explore the traditions honored in many different celebrations, including Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Mexican Christmas, through hands-on art activities.
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Family-Friendly Portrait Tour Saturday, Sept. 20, 11:15 am Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California Saturday, Oct. 18, 11:15 am Songs and Sorrows: Días de los Muertos 20th Anniversary Saturday, Nov. 15, 11:15 am
SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California Sept. 20, 2014–April 12, 2015 | Great Hall Songs and Sorrows: Días de los Muertos 20th Anniversary Oct. 8, 2014–Jan. 4, 2015 | Gallery of California Art Judy Chicago: A Butterfly for Oakland Through Nov.30, 2014 | Gallery of California Art
FRIDAY NIGHTS @ OMCA Every Friday through Dec. 19, 5–9 pm Bring the whole family to OMCA for a sampling of the best in Bay Area curbside cuisine! Enjoy DJs, activities, live music, dance instruction, extended gallery hours, and more!
SPECIAL FRIDAY NIGHTS EVENTS Storytime With Oakland Public Library Final Fridays, 6:30–7 pm Pop-Up Talks: Collection Spotlights Join a member of Oakland’s cultural community for a talk inspired by an object, installation, or place in the Museum. Sept. 26, 7–7:30 pm (with poet Cheena Marie Lo) Oct. 17, 7–7:30 pm (with author Novella Carpenter) Nov. 21, 7–7:30 pm (with geographer Javier Arbona) Dec. 19, 7–7:30 pm (with artist Lexa Walsh) Fall Teacher Feature Oct. 17, 4–7 pm This annual event for educators includes tours of the galleries, activities, and resources for engaging students in California culture and ecology. Free for teachers and chaperones. RSVP by calling 510-318-8460. OMCA Corporate Night Oct. 17, 5–9 pm OMCA welcomes employees and guests of our Corporate Partners to enjoy the Friday Nights @ OMCA festivities. Enjoy raffle prizes, discounts at the OMCA Store, and a host of activities.
Inspiration Points: Masterpieces of California Landscape Through Jan. 4, 2015 | Gallery of California Natural Sciences Sunshine and Superheroes: San Diego Comic-Con Through May 31, 2015 | Gallery of California History
MUSEUM HOURS Due to demand, OMCA is pleased to offer extended Saturday and Sunday hours. The Museum is now open every Saturday and Sunday starting at 10 am, and closing at 6 pm.
ODELL HUSSEY PHOTOGRAPHY
Monday Closed Native American Craft Market Friday, Nov. 14, noon–9 pm In celebration of Native American Heritage Month—and just in time for the holidays—shop a special market curated by OMCA’s Native American Advisory Council. From traditional handmade crafts to contemporary artisanal creations, you will find something unique, beautiful, and meaningful to share with your loved ones.
Tuesday Closed Wednesday
11 am–5 pm
Thursday
11 am–5 pm
Friday
11 am–9 pm
Saturday
10 am–6 pm
Sunday
10 am–6 pm
SUMMER 2014
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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Oakland Museum of California 1000 Oak Street Oakland, CA 94607-4820
SALT LAKE CITY, UT PERMIT NO.6563
Share OMCA with your friends and family this holiday season.
OMCA HOLIDAY HOURS: Wednesday, Dec. 24, 11 am–3 pm Friday, Dec. 26, 11 am–9 pm* Saturday, Dec. 27, 10 am–6 pm Sunday, Dec. 28, 10 am–6 pm Monday, Dec. 29, 11 am–5 pm Tuesday, Dec. 30, 11 am–5 pm Wednesday, Dec. 31, 11 am–3 pm Friday, Jan. 2, 11 am–9 pm* Saturday, Jan. 3, 10 am–6 pm Sunday, Jan. 4, 10 am–6 pm OMCA is closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day.
*Friday Nights @ OMCA and the Off the Grid market take a break on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, but the Museum will still be open. The 2015 season launches on Jan. 9.
T O P : O D E L L H U S S E Y P H O T O G R A P H Y; C E N T E R L E F T A N D B O T T O M : M AT T H E W M I L L M A N ; C E N T E R R I G H T: T E R R Y L O R A N T
SAVE THE DATE FOR SPECIAL HOLIDAY HOURS!