Inside Out Issue 19 by Oakland Museum of California

Inside | Out

T h e M useu m o f us Oa k l a n d m useu m o f ca li fo rn ia

Open Engagement / A thought-provoking conference comes to the Museum

Oakland, I want you to know... / Voices from a changing city

Good seed or Evil weed? A new exhibition takes a multifaceted look at marijuana in California

spring 2016

welcome

Dear Fellow Citizens

“Being a citizen means being active in the life of a community and embracing the responsibilities and opportunities of being a part of that place.”

Lori Fogarty Director and CEO Kids pan for gold—and keep what they find!—in the Museum Gardens.

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

co v er : S on y a Yruel , D rug P olic y A lliance ; this page : O dell H usse y P hotograph y

hat does it mean for a museum to be a good citizen? For the Oakland Museum of California, being a citizen means being active in the life of a community and embracing the responsibilities and opportunities of being a part of that place. At OMCA, we often ask ourselves, how are we addressing vital needs in our community? How can we engage the diverse public of Oakland and California? How do we bring together people of different generations, backgrounds, and perspectives to share stories and understand one another in new and deeper ways? And, for a museum of art, history, and natural science, how can we illuminate the most critical issues of the environment, culture, and their intersections? I hope you will find some of our responses to these questions within our spring season. With the upcoming exhibition Altered State: Marijuana in California, we explore the complex issues surrounding the history, use, and impact of cannabis and how the potential for its legalization could have profound implications for California. With Oakland, I want you to know…, we join the conversation around gentrification through the lens of art and the stories of West Oakland. And, in Open Engagement—a major conference on art and social practice that we are proud to host—we welcome artists and cultural leaders from around the world to explore active citizenship through art-making. For OMCA, being a citizen also means celebrating traditions and creating new ones. Over the past three years, Friday Nights @ OMCA has become a real Oakland tradition. We are excited to announce that this spring, Off the Grid food trucks will expand onto Oak Street, and OMCA will also introduce new programming in our galleries and throughout the campus. We will also launch Ziggurat, a new series of fundraising events culminating on June 4 with a huge party throughout our own zigguratshaped building. Like the ancient temple to which the name refers, the Museum strives to serve as a gathering place in the heart of a community, safeguarding treasures inside. Artist Suzanne Lacy, in her interview for this magazine, says: “There is the art object and the art maker, and then there’s the space between. What social practice does is focus on all three.” I believe museums can extend this idea. There are the objects and ideas, artists and thinkers, communities and citizens. And the Museum can be, and should be, the space in between.

contents

features 8

Marijuana: friend or foe?

A Changing Landscape The upcoming exhibition Oakland, I want you to know...

highlights the diversity and growth of West Oakland, spark-

T o p : F l i c k r U s e r E g g r o l e , C r e a t i v e C o m m o n s ; R i g h t : T o m m y W o n g , A d a C h a n , a n d T a l l e r T e r c e r Mu n d o , E a st S i d e A r ts A l l i a n c e

ing a conversation about its transitioning identity.

10 Altered State

With the potential legalization of marijuana on the

upcoming state ballot, OMCA’s latest exhibition presents a

departments

timely, multifaceted look at California’s long and complex relationship with weed.

4 Gallery News Increased marine protection at the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a dedicated space for dialogue on the refugee crisis, and a new multisensory work from artist Torreya Cummings titled Notes from Camp.

Poster created for use by East Bay housing organizations.

6 Thought Leader A conversation with artist, writer, and social activist Suzanne Lacy.

16 Community A thought-provoking conference explores socially engaged art, opening a dialogue on how art plays a role in addressing critical issues of empowerment.

18 Calendar A guide to OMCA’s exhibitions, events, and programs.

Contributors: Lori Fogarty, Sarah Kimmerle, Rebecca Kirkpatrick, Linda Larkin, Claudia Leung, Maggie R. Pico, Lisa Sasaki, Michael Silverman Photography: Terry Lorant Produced by: Diablo Custom Publishing dcpubs.com

Spring 2016

Sparkle Plenty

A new work by artist Torreya Cummings invites visitors into an alternate dimension

“ I like the idea of creating a surprising alternate dimension that people can slip into.” —torreya cummings

OMCA

recently commissioned Oakland-based artist Torreya Cummings to create an immersive, multisensory, and experiential work for the Gallery of California Art. The finished piece, which will be on view this summer, delivers on these criteria—and then some. From the outside, the work, titled Notes from Camp (AKA Transdimensional Ghost Town Discotheque), looks like a derelict cabin from a ghost town that collided with a cave in a granite hillside. Visitors can enter the work through the shack or the cavern, and depending on which entrance they choose, their sensory experience will be dramatically different. “I like the idea of creating a surprising alternate dimension that people can slip into,” says Cummings. Inside the shack, people will find a tunnel-like space lined with reflective Mylar and illuminated with lights of changing colors. As visitors proceed through the shiny space, their reflections will bounce off the tunnel’s surfaces, evoking an experience of artifice, camp, and glittery nightclubs. As visitors proceed into the cavern, they will see a video projection of sparkly elements found in nature: frost, sunlit water, silvery minerals, crystals. Seen together, the two halves of Notes from Camp offer complementary looks at the dazzling experiences our world offers, be they man-made or environmental. Cummings is interested in challenging our assumptions about the distinctions between natural and unnatural. “One of my inspirations for the cavern was earth artist Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty, which is covered with brilliant salt crystals,” she says. “I was also thinking about bad movie sets, the kinds of hyperartificial spaces you see in films like Barbarella. I love creating illusions that are both terrible and gorgeous, as long as they trigger responses.”

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

History Under Construction

G allery news

T o p , C L O C K W I S E F RO M T OP L E F T : J a r e d F i g u r sk i / U C S a n t a C r u z ; M o n i k a K r a c h / F a r a ll o n es M a r i n e S a n ct u a r y Ass o c i a t i o n ; N a t i o n a l Oce a n i c & Atm o s p h e r i c A d m i n i st r a t i o n , C o r d ell B a n k N a t i o n a l M a r i n e S a n ct u a r y . B O T T O M : C o llect i o n O M C A , G i ft o f Ame r i c a n C o mm i ttee f o r Rel i ef i n t h e Ne a r E a st

A dedicated space for dialogue on contemporary issues History, of course, is not just what is written in textbooks; it is ever-present and ever-evolving, as visitors are experiencing firsthand in a dynamic new section of the Gallery of California History. With the title “History Under Construction,” this space invites visitors to make connections between past and present issues and respond to thought-provoking questions. The inaugural topic is the refugee crisis—the one dominating today’s headlines as well as refugee crises from other eras. Posters from OMCA’s collection illuminate how this humanitarian emergency has parallels throughout time, and a magnet board poses questions such as “How do the images we see of refugees influence our attitudes toward them?” Visitors are invited to share their thoughts and post them on the board. “The intention is to create a dialogue about important events,” says Experience Developer Christine Lashaw, who developed this space with Suzanne Fischer, associate curator of history and contemporary trends. “We want to deepen the conversation about living history.”

Increased Marine Protection Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the subject of an exhibit in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences, has more than doubled in size In June 2015, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it had expanded the boundaries of two Northern California marine sanctuaries—Cordell Bank and the Greater Farallones—to offer greater protection to these extraordinary ecosystems. One of these, Cordell Bank, is among the seven featured areas in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences that depict the state’s diversity. As a result of the sanctuary‘s expansion, OMCA will update the exhibit to reflect the newly protected area, which has increased from 529 to 1,286 square miles. One of the most exciting results of the expansion is the inclusion of a deep seafloor feature called Bodega Canyon, a “hot spot” where migrating seabirds and whales come to feed. The current Cordell Bank exhibit features a wraparound video installation of the sanctuary’s underwater habitats, computer graphics depicting migration patterns, and a re-creation of a deep-water reef. Jennifer Stock, education and outreach coordinator of the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, partnered with OMCA on the development of the exhibit. “Working with the Museum has been an incredible opportunity for us to reach new audiences,” says Stock, who will participate in a special Earth Day program at the Museum on April 22. “We value OMCA’s role in communicating the importance of protecting our marine resources.”

Special Programs

Poster designed in 1915 to raise money for Armenians and other ethnic minorities fleeing genocide in the Ottoman Empire. W.S. King and Conwell Graphic Companies, Lest They Parish, circa 1915.

Friday, April 22 • Attend a family-friendly albatross bolus dissection demo to learn about the state of our oceans. 5:30–6:30 pm • Short films from the 13th annual San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. 7–8:30 pm • For all Earth Month programs, see p. 18.

Spring 2016

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

C our t es y S u z anne L ac y

“ Most social practice people are engaging, to some extent, in a form of community organizing, even if it’s for a small group of ten students. Those are skill sets that need to be brought back into the arts arena through education.”

THOUGHT Leader

Q&A

A Conversation With Suzanne Lacy The longtime artist, writer, and social activist creates socially engaged art that stimulates dialogue about race, inequality, and social justice

This spring, the Oakland Museum of California hosts Open Engagement, an annual three-day, artist-led conference dedicated to socially engaged art. This year’s event, which takes place April 29 through May 1, addresses the theme of power. Los Angeles-based artist, writer, and educator Suzanne Lacy will be one of the keynote speakers, along with political activist and scholar Angela Davis. Lacy is a pioneer in the field of socially engaged art—also called social practice—having created video, performance, and installation works that address issues of race, class, and gender inequality since the 1970s. She served in former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown’s education cabinet and as the dean of fine arts at the California College of the Arts. Here, Lacy discusses social practice with René de Guzman, senior curator of art. Social practice is deeply associated with your generation of avant-garde artists. What were some of your influences? I grew up in a relatively poor area. I was fortunate to be given an almost free college education by California’s Higher Education Act. At the time I went to college—along with other workingclass people, people of color, women—there was an influx of artists like Judy Chicago and Allan Kaprow. They set the stage for a more radical art in California and had a big impact on me. How do you describe social practice? I relate it to the history of performance art, when art became dematerialized and artists began looking at different sources for their ideas. They started to look intensely at issues that really concern people and incorporated them into their work. Social practice emerged in the ’60s and ’70s and sprang, in a way, out of the political and cultural movements of those times. Another way to explain it is that there is the art object and the art maker, and then there’s the space in between. What social practice does is focus on all three. The artist is no longer the mythologized crazy guy who whacked his ear off; he is moving into a form of engaged citizenship. Much of your work seems to be about the coalitions you build and the people who are transformed by participating

in them. Is the process more your focus than the final work? Yes. I was doing community organizing even before I was an artist. And most social practice people are engaging, to some extent, in a form of community organizing, even if it’s for a small group of ten students. Those are skill sets that need to be brought back into the arts arena through education. That’s why Open Engagement is important, because it includes so many people in the arts and in education. What are some of the challenges you face in your largescale social practice works? They can be difficult because they are sited in public and often deal with controversial subjects. Performance can be high risk, imperfect, and improvisational. Here is an example: Last fall, I did a project in Quito, Ecuador, called De tu puño y letra, diálogos en el ruedo [Your handwriting, dialogues in the ring], which involved hundreds of men reading letters written by women about domestic violence. We held it in a bullring on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. And if you saw all these men reading those letters, you might think, “Wow, big outcome in the political arena! Wow, social impact!” But you don’t really know if that’s true. You have to know how your work fits in with ongoing societal practices and how engaged people are with these issues. You can know how many people sign up, but you can’t know if your work has changed people’s thinking. There are a few panels at this year’s Open Engagement conference about institutional involvement in socially engaged art. Are you concerned that this attention might be at odds with social practice, which many see as an insurgent activity? I’ve been through at least three major waves of funding for my practice. In the ’90s, the funding institutions were all hopping on board, and now they’re doing it again. So if you look at this over the long haul, no, I’m not worried that it will kill our creativity. And now that museums like OMCA are getting involved, I am convinced that social practice will continue to thrive. To learn more about Open Engagement, see page 16 or visit openengagement.info.

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Oakland, I Want

A new exhibition highlights the changing so

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

“ My process is to work with a theme ... and then bring different community constituents together to co-create pieces of art. It’s highlighting and illuminating the voices of community members—their experiences and history.” —chris treggiari

Created by artist Tommy Wong with collaborator Ada Chan, these posters will be remixed by Visual Element with lead artist Alison Santiago to create an original display for Oakland, I want you to know... .

L eft : T omm y W ong , A da C han & T aller T ercer M undo , E astside A rts A lliance

s any Bay Area resident—whether a recent transplant or a born-and-raised local—understands, things get complicated when you use the G-word. Gentrification. And for a city like Oakland, with its rich cultural history, finding the balance between preserving that history while also encouraging economic development has been an especially thorny issue. In working-class neighborhoods like West Oakland, the one-time “Harlem of the West,” it’s not just a question of city planning, but one of particular personal and familial consequence to many. “Gentrification is what we found people are talking about,” says Evelyn Orantes, curator of public practice. In response to conversations with community members from the Museum’s adjacent neighborhoods—Fruitvale/San Antonio, Chinatown, Uptown/ Downtown, and West Oakland—the question of confronting such change was top of mind. “Some neighborhoods are adapting. Some are resistant to change. Some feel it will destroy the uniqueness of their neighborhood—of what makes Oakland special.” In response to that dilemma, the Museum embarked on a wideranging and multidisciplinary exhibition set to open in July, called Oakland, I want you to know..., an artist- and community-driven project co-created with artist Chris Treggiari. West Oakland, a neighborhood currently undergoing dramatic changes, is the point of departure for this conversation about the transitioning identity of Oakland. Visitors will encounter video installations, images, and community projects contained in environments inspired by some of the iconic structures found in West Oakland, like a Victorian home, a contemporary loft, and the now-shuttered Ester’s Orbit Room bar and blues hall. Within each space, visitors will be introduced to different key conversations from the neighborhood through the voices of the people, institutions, and businesses that call West Oakland home. “It is a microcosm of the conversation that’s going on throughout Oakland,” Treggiari says. “There is a lot of interesting cultural history here, so it’s not only about what’s going on in Oakland now, but it’s also about seeing today through a historical lens.” Much of the work on display in each of the four environments comes directly from West Oaklanders themselves. Treggiari works with individuals to create physical and multimedia works that “amplify the voices of community members through art,” Orantes explains.

t You to Know...

ocial landscape of a historic neighborhood

Chris Treggiari

Bound Together The voices of Oakland come together in a unique new zine project This summer, the OMCA Connect team and the Oakland Rover will engage with local community at festivals and events, asking residents to reflect on the topics of community and gentrification in Oakland. Their responses will be compiled into Lost & Found, an evocative zine published in collaboration with local artists and an Oakland-based press. For chances to participate and more details about the project and events, stay tuned to museumca.org/connect.

For the Oakland, I want you to know... project, Treggiari is collaborating with a variety of organizations in Oakland, including Youth Radio, East Side Arts Alliance, Acta Non Verba, and Tolon Park. “My process is to work with a theme—like with the Victorian home, it’s family history,” Treggiari explains. “And then I bring different community constituents together to co-create pieces of art. It’s highlighting and illuminating the voices of community members—their experiences and history.” The result is a wide mix of community-made art and contributions, including videos, sound installations, vignettes, and rooms—like the one co-designed with young people from Youth Radio—that illustrate the physical layout of the neighborhood as well as places of personal meaning to residents. Both Treggiari and Orantes stress that the exhibition eschews the paradigm of good/bad, instead taking a nuanced view of how the influx of new neighbors is affecting West Oakland, for better and for worse. “We want to create a platform for conversation and play a role in helping build community,” says Treggiari. Treggiari, who teaches in the community arts department at California College of the Arts, presented local voices for his last installation at the Museum in 2015, which explored residents’ relationship to surveillance as part of the Who is Oakland? exhibition. Additionally, Oakland, I want you to know... will provide a deep and nuanced dive into an urgent and relevant issue, and it will also help OMCA further its mission to push beyond the boundaries of its walls and engage with its neighbors. Oakland, I want you to know... opens on July 27.

Special Programs Pop-up Talk: Friday, May 20, 7–7:30 pm Writer and producer Brock Winstead on development, displacement, and history repeating in Oakland Oakland, I want you to know… is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation.

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Altered A new exhibition takes a Multifaceted look at Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long and complex relationship with marijuana

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

ublic perceptions of marijuana have seen seismic shifts over the decades, perhaps nowhere as dramatically as in California. Today it is the state’s largest cash crop, with annual sales for medical use at a staggering $1.3 billion. Weed dominates local headlines, as at least one initiative proposed for the fall ballot seeks to legalize marijuana for recreational use. If it passes, California will join Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia as a pioneer in legalization. The social, cultural, political, and medical questions that swirl around marijuana are divisive, complex, and often downright confusing. On April 16, OMCA presents a first-of-its-kind, interactive exhibition that aims to open a wide-ranging dialogue on marijuana—past, present, and future. Exploring the plant from no less than ten different perspectives, Altered State: Marijuana in California is in many regards a “homegrown” exhibition, as it is based in a city that has long been at the forefront of progressive social causes. “Oakland has a unique history with marijuana,” says Sarah Seiter, associate curator of natural sciences and the exhibition curator. “The city was a hotbed of organization for Proposition 215 in 1996, which legalized marijuana for medical use. And in 2004, Oakland passed Measure Z, which made marijuana the lowest priority for the Oakland Police Department.” With the city’s—and California’s—generally tolerant

attitude toward weed in mind, Inside Out looks at a few of the issues addressed in Altered State. Rethinking the Evil Weed The state was not always so forward-looking. In 1913, California was the first state to prohibit marijuana, as the Evil Weed section of Altered State informs visitors. The law was often used as a cudgel against marginalized populations—including minorities, immigrants, criminals, and members of the counterculture—as a display of newspapers, pulp novels, and movie posters illustrates. Yet over time, pop culture references shifted: Compare the 1936 propaganda classic Reefer Madness to the “stoner” films of more recent decades, in which smoking pot comes across as a relatively tame, if often silly, pastime (think Fast Times at Ridgemont High or the Harold & Kumar movies). As depictions of and attitudes about marijuana use morphed from “bad” to “banal,” today we must also add “beneficial,” as medical use becomes an increasingly persuasive treatment choice. “It’s important to acknowledge the enormous societal change in terms of cannabis’ acceptability,” says Joe DeVries, who, as assistant to the Oakland city administrator, helps regulate local cannabis dispensaries and also served on Altered State’s advisory board. “It was not so long ago that the catchphrase was ‘just say no.’ But just look how much more mainstream marijuana has become.”

Oakland has a unique history with marijuana. The city was a hotbed of organization for Proposition 215 in 1996, which legalized marijuana for medical use. And in 2004, Oakland passed Measure Z, which made marijuana the lowest priority for the Oakland Police Department. —sarah Seiter, associate curator of natural sciences

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work. “It’s kind of a Studs Terkel approach to storytelling, but with selfies,” says Standen. Medical Marijuana Marijuana has long been used in international folk medicine, particularly in Indian, Chinese, and Jamaican cultures. Yet controversy abounds as to how effective its healing properties really are. The exhibition’s Medical Marijuana section investigates claims about marijuana's effects on human health— positive and negative. The medical marijuana movement came of age in the United States in the 1980s, when AIDS became a national epidemic and pot was seen to be an effective treatment for nausea, among other acute symptoms. Over the years, evidence has accumulated indicating that it can manage some conditions like pain, muscle spasms, and possibly epilepsy. But, as Seiter points out, the jury is still out mainly because the federal government restricts scientific research into cannabis as medicine. Thus, many people are making health decisions based on anec-

Below left: A park ranger cleans up a marijuana grow site in the Santa Monica Mountains. Below right: In 2010, Proposition 19 put the legalization of marijuana under California state law.

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

f rom le f t : N ational P ark S ervice ; B rian C antoni / C reative C ommons

The Green Rush Is On In the midst of the current “Green Rush,” California has seen an influx of new products, as well as new jobs or variations on old ones, like strain developers, regulators, product testers, and venture capitalists behind cannabis companies. As DeVries notes, people today can make good livings as “budtenders” and “trimmers.” How the legalization of recreational use will affect the cannabis job market is a subject of great speculation for stakeholders of all sectors. “Where in the ’70s to work in the cannabis business basically meant you were a dealer, now there is a huge range of job opportunities and professions,” says curatorial assistant Melissa Standen. “The exhibition will spotlight people who are making money in the industry and how they are accomplishing it, while also spotlighting the people who work in stream restoration necessitated by the diversion of water for illegal growth.” The exhibition’s Profitable Pot section will feature a wall of selfies, images of real people involved in the cannabis industry with descriptions of their

Visitor responses in the exhibition prototyping space.

dotal evidence from users and dispensaries. Consider the belief that marijuana use can cure diseases like glaucoma. “There is limited evidence that marijuana treats glaucoma.” Seiter says, noting that the American Glaucoma Society does not recommend marijuana for treating the disease. “So far, there is not much quality scientific evidence that marijuana can treat cancer in humans—but many studies show it can help pain and nausea.” In addition to looking at the claims that marijuana has health benefits, Altered State also devotes space to exploring the conditions that marijuana

might aggravate, such as schizophrenia, and depression. It will also include audio portraits of medical marijuana users who share their personal stories. Community Voices The exhibition’s creators wanted the exhibition to include the voices of community members on all sides of the issues as well as testimonies from museumgoers. The Museum set up a prototyping space over the summer—an empty gallery with an exhibition mock-up on which visitors could

It’s important to acknowledge the enormous societal change in terms of cannabis’ acceptability. It was not so long ago that the catchphrase was ‘just say no.’ But just look how much more mainstream marijuana has become. —joe devries, assistant to the Oakland city administrator

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spring 2016

comment on via sticky notes. “There were a lot of parents who wanted to talk to their kids about marijuana,” Seiter says, “and we realized we could provide a forum for these kinds of conversations.” The result is the Youth section, which includes quotes from and conversations among youth as well as tips for both adults and youth on how to talk about marijuana use. “We had one area of the prototyping space called the Cannabis Confessional, which was designed specifically for people’s personal experiences with pot,” says Seiter. “We got everything from ‘I really hate weed’ to ‘I smoke weed every day.’ We had one from a youth who said, ‘It’s too much of a social thing to opt out.’ That was an honest moment, and that is what we are striving for throughout the show.” Honest input is welcome throughout Altered

State, perhaps most notably in a section called Politically Loaded, in which visitors are asked to look at California’s ballot initiative to legalize marijuana through different lenses. To facilitate a dialogue, OMCA will bring in a variety of experts to whom visitors can pose questions about how legalization will impact the state. Additionally, an interactive display invites visitors to vote on different models for legalization, but not with just a simple yes or no. If people can cast their votes after having stopped to examine their assumptions and preconceived notions, Seiter notes, then the exhibition will have successfully inspired more honest moments. “Often, people who identify as progressive will just say, ‘Sure, go ahead, legalize it,’” she says, adding that the more interesting and important decisions require complex analyses. “We have to ask

This is how we see the Museum’s role in this important conversation, because we want to be a space where people can talk about contemporary issues and address the social needs of our community. — sarah seiter, associate curator of natural sciences

O A K L A N D M U S EU M O F C A L I F O RN I A

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C oll e ctio n O M C A , A ll O f Us O r No n e A r chi v e . G i f t o f th e Rossma n Family ; n atha n r u pp e r t / c r e ati v e commo n s ; co u r t e sy o f u n i v e r sal st u dios ; S o n ya Y r u e l , D r u g P olicy A llia n c e

From left: A protester at San Diego Gay Pride in 2012; a scene from Cheech & Chong's Next Movie (1980); medical cannabis at a San Francisco dispensary.

things like: Do you want to legalize it the way Colorado did, which has become kind of an economic free-for-all? Or, follow the example of Washington, D.C., where you can grow it and share it but can’t sell it, so it’s never going to become a highly profitable industry?” Whatever you decide, Seiter says, “You have to think before you vote.” “This is how we see the Museum’s role in this important conversation,” she adds, “because we want to be a space where people can talk about contemporary issues and address the social needs of our community.”

Altered Store Visit the OMCA Store for a wide selection of cannabis-related items

> Artwork by Pat Ryan (Golden Frog Press). The OMCA Store will feature Ryan’s comic books, T-shirts, notecards, and more. $1.95-24.95.

Altered State: Marijuana in California is on view from April 16 through Sept. 25.

Special Programs

< “Got Munchies?”

P at R yan / Go l den F ro g P ress ; S tream l ine ; H i g h T imes / C hronic l e B oo k s ; S F M ercanti l e

Donor Forum Preview Thursday, April 14, 6–9 pm

ceramic cookie jar. A sweet place to stash your goodies! $29.95.

Member Preview Friday, April 15, 11 am–9 pm Makers & Tasters Series Fridays, 6–8 pm • June 3: Presentation by hemp expert Annalisa Rush • July 1: I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream during National Ice Cream Month • Aug. 5: Alison Ettel from TreatWell Health speaking on cannabis-infused medicine for pets • Sept. 2: Pop-up shop featuring cannabis-inspired artwork, presented by Natural Cannabis Company Family-Friendly Drop-in Art Activity Fridays in June, 5–8 pm: Make a hemp friendship bracelet. Ask an Expert Fridays, May 13, June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 9, 6–8 pm Visit museumca.org/events for the expert lineup! Pop-up Talk Friday, Sept. 16, 7–7:30 pm Oakland-based attorney Robert Raich discusses medical cannabis law. Altered State: Marijuana in California is made possible in part by generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.

> The Official High Times Cannabis Cookbook (Chronicle Books), by Elise McDonough and the editors of High Times magazine. $18.95.

< SF Mercantile tote. Made exclusively for Altered State: Marijuana in California. Products in the “California Cannabis Hugging Bear” series are available at the OMCA Store. $6.95- $24.95. To check out more marijuana-inspired merchandise, visit shop.museumca.org.

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communit y

Open Engagement Comes to OMCA A thought-provoking conference examines the intersection of art and social engagement Bekezela Mguni and D.S. Kinsel discuss placemaking, literacy, and liberation during an Open House at Boom Concepts in Pittsburgh during Open Engagement: Place and Revolution, 2015.

power in the broadest sense of the word, focusing on such diverse subjects as socially engaged design, youth development through hip-hop, the role artists play in gentrification, and white privilege in social practice. One example of how power will be explored through an artistic lens is the subject of a presentation by San Francisco-based photographer Nigel Poor, who will discuss criminal justice and the treatment of prisoners. “I got interested in prisons through the concept of neglect,” says the artist. “What does it mean to live in such deprivation? What is it like to feel invisible?” In 2011, Poor began teaching a course at San Quentin State Prison on the history of photography, an experience, she says, that has been an eye-opening lesson in humanity. “Every time I go there, I have my

Open Engagement 2016—Power Friday, April 29–Sunday, May 1

Special Programs Opening Celebration during Friday Nights @ OMCA Friday, April 29, 5–11 pm Keynote address: Suzanne Lacy Saturday, April 30, 7:30 pm Keynote address: Angela Davis Sunday, May 1, 7:30 pm Visit openengagement.info to learn more about these programs and to register. Open Engagement—POWER is made possible by a grant from the James Irvine Foundation with in-kind support from Tencue. The 2016 Angela Davis keynote lecture is generously supported by the Stephen M. Silberstein Foundation with additional funding from the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Dan Macon

hen Open Engagement—an annual three-day conference exploring socially engaged art— comes to OMCA in April, participants will have the opportunity to delve into issues raised by the conference’s theme: power. Led by artists, activists, educators, and community members, the conference will open a dialogue on how art can—and must— play a role in addressing critical issues of empowerment. “Open Engagement believes in the genius of the many, so we are inviting presenters and attendees to define what power means for themselves as individuals and communities,” says René de Guzman, senior curator of art. "Both Open Engagement and OMCA are organizations that believe in alternatives to systems in which power is held by the few.” The presentations will examine

assumptions challenged,” she says. “A lot of these guys know the worst of themselves. Most of us are never forced to confront our darker selves; we can skate through life without having to examine ourselves too deeply. These guys can’t.” Soul-searching observations like these are at the heart of Open Engagement’s mission to deepen the conversation. “It is exciting that OMCA is hosting Open Engagement this year,” adds Poor. “It shows a commitment to raising awareness of difficult issues while encouraging more people to be part of the discussion.”

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

ADVANCEMENT

A New Way to Support OMCA Join OMCA for an unconventional evening of entertainment and social connection On June 4, the Oakland Museum of California will host Ziggurat, a not-to-bemissed opportunity to celebrate and support the Museum. Why the new name for OMCA's major fundraising event? OMCA trustee and event chair Rachelle Sessions explains, “We were inspired by the architecture of our building, and that like an ancient ziggurat, OMCA is the heart of the city and the keeper of culture and history. Ziggurat will be the must-do party this spring—it’s not just another sit-down dinner gala.” Ziggurat will feature a club-style lounge in the Great Hall, including cocktails, gourmet food stations, and music by DJ J Espinosa. Special moments include an auction, live performances, and the premier of a short film highlighting a truly Oakland art form. Capping the evening is a not-to-be-missed after-party. “We are so proud of what we’ve created with Friday Nights @ OMCA,” says Maggie Pico, director of the Museum’s Resource and Enterprise Center. “Ziggurat will be an extension of that vibe.”

A n d r i a L o ; S h a u n R o b e r t s ; M o a n ala n i J e f f r e y P h o t o g r a p h y

Lounges and individual tickets are now available at museumca.org/ziggurat. Build up to the big party with this series of events Ziggurat events provide another opportunity to support OMCA’s mission and plug into the creativity of Oakland. (Not Another) Dinner Party Saturday, May 7 Come to a private home for an evening of spontaneity and good company with special performances by Vau de Vire and Tsunami Synchro. OMCA Family: B.Y.O.Z. Saturday, May 21 Take creative play to the next level. With fellow families, build your own ziggurat in OMCA’s Gardens using hammers, drills, and other construction tools. It’s Material Sunday, May 22 Spend the day exploring the legacy of artist Ruth Asawa at exclusive destinations including a behind-the-scenes tour of OMCA's collections storage facility. For more information, visit museumca.org/ziggurat.

spring 2016

calendar

Check out the full lineup of events and programs at museumca.org.

exhibitions, events, and programs SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS

earth Month

Oakland, I want you to know… Opening July 23 | Gallery of California Art UNEARTHED: Found + Made Through April 24 | Gallery of California Art Bees: Tiny Insect, Big Impact Through Jan. 15, 2017 | Gallery of California Natural Sciences

During the month of April, OMCA is partnering with Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and other collaborators to offer programs with Earth Month themes to celebrate the recent expansion of the federally protected area off the coast of Point Reyes. • April 1, 6–8 pm: Makers & Tasters featuring conservation art with the Clean Water Program’s LuvTheBay Campaign, and a digital mosaic by Christopher Peterson • April 22, 5:30–6:30 pm: Albatross bolus dissection demonstration in the Gallery of California Natural Sciences with Cordell Bank staff

Artwork by Pat Ryan (Golden Frog Press). The OMCA Store will feature Ryan’s comic books, T-shirts, notecards, and more. $1.95–24.95.

• April 22, 7–8:30 pm: Short film selections from the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival playing in the James Moore Theater • Fridays in April, 5–8 pm: Color Me Cordell, a familyfriendly coloring activity inspired by the Cordell Bank section of the Gallery of California Natural Sciences

OMCA Store Member Sale • May 6–8

Visit the OMCA Store for all your graduation and Mother’s Day gifting needs during our annual spring Member sale. Show your OMCA Membership card for an additional 10 percent off all regularly priced items at this three-day sale.

OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

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P a t R y an / G olden F rog P ress ; C ordell B ank N a t ional M arine S anc t uar y ; N a t ional O ceanic & A t mosp h eric A dminis t ra t ion

Altered State: Marijuana in California Opening April 16 | Great Hall

OMCA FAMILY Pan for Gold! Sundays in May (except May 22), 12–3 pm Fridays in May, 5–8 pm A family favorite returns to OMCA: gold panning in the Gardens! Grown-ups can enjoy a no-host whiskey bar and old-timey music while the youngsters pan for gold—and keep what they find—during Fridays Nights @ OMCA. Free First Sunday | Summer Reading Festival Sunday, Aug. 7, 12–4 pm This beloved annual event is back, with the culmination of the Oakland Public Library’s summer reading program. The festival features story time, face painting, performances, and an awards ceremony for kids who complete the library’s challenge. OMCA Family is made possible in part by generous support from the Oakland Museum Women’s Board.

Museum Hours Monday Closed O d e l l H u s s e y Pho t o g r a p h y

Tuesday Closed Wednesday

11 am–5 pm

Thursday

11 am–5 pm

Friday

11 am–10 pm

Saturday

10 am–6 pm

Sunday

10 am–6 pm

Friday Nights @ OMCA Fridays, starting April 1, 5–10 pm (extended hours!) No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke—starting in April, Friday Nights @ OMCA is extended to 10 pm every week! That’s more time to savor your favorite food trucks, exhibits, and family-friendly activities, and enjoy the special programs below: • New trucks: Friday Nights @ OMCA is expanding onto Oak Street, with seven additional food trucks from Off the Grid and new activities in Oak Street Plaza every week. • Garden time: The Gardens and terraces are open during Friday Nights @ OMCA for the summer months. • Reserve your place: In addition to a picnic table, you can now reserve the Blue Oak café Terrace for your party at a low cost! Check out museumca.org/picnic for more info. • Marketplace @ OMCA: The weekly pop-up shop featuring local makers • Pop-up talks: - April 15: Jonn Herschend on how growing up in an amusement park influenced his art - May 20: Brock Winstead on development, displacement, and history repeating in Oakland - June 17: Tom Law on animal care and aquaponics at OMCA - July 15: Tess Elliott on police blotters and chronicling rural life - Aug. 19: Christian Nagler on labor, exercise, and psychoanalysis - Sept. 16: Robert Raich on medical cannabis law Presented in partnership with Off the Grid: Lake Merritt @ OMCA. Made possible in part by generous support from Bank of America, the Oakland Museum Women’s Board, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Koret Foundation, and the Zellerbach Family Foundation.

spring 2016

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

l e f t : C oll e ct i o n o f O M C A , A ll o f U s or No n e A rc h i v e . G i f t o f t h e R o s s ma n f am i l y : r i g h t : T h e O a k la n d T r i b u n e C oll e ct i o n , O M C A . G i f t o f A N G N e w s p a p e r s

Oakland Museum of California 1000 Oak Street Oakland, CA 94607-4820

SALT LAKE CITY, UT PERMIT NO.6563

Save the date!

Members see it first!

All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50 Oct. 8, 2016–Feb. 12, 2017

Top: Unknown maker, Huey P. Newton, circa 1969. Right: Lonnie Wilson, Black Panthers demonstrating at Huey P. Newton’s trial, Alameda County Courthouse, Oakland, July 14, 1968.