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Oakland Museum of California Announces January/February 2015 Family Programs

(OAKLAND, CA)—The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and Lunar New Year with new family-friendly activities throughout January and February 2015. Family programs offerings continue with popular evening series Friday Nights @ OMCA, back every week starting January 9 in 2015, featuring half-off admission for adults and free admission for ages 18 and under! On February 22, OMCA welcomes back the annual Lunar New Year Celebration and Other Asian Traditions for its 14th year, celebrating the Year of the Sheep with dance, music, food, arts and crafts, and more! OMCA always offers great deals on admission for families, with admission for youth ages 9 to 17 at $6. Children 8 and under visit for free! museumca.org

FAMILY EVENTS

Free First Sunday

Sunday, January 4, 2015, 11 am–5 pm

Ring in the New Year at OMCA with the first Free Sunday of 2015! Visit all three of OMCA’s galleries: Art, History, and Natural Sciences, and check out special exhibitions on view in all three, like a fun exploration of popular culture in Sunshine and Superheroes: San Diego Comic-Con, where you can dress up like a cosplayer and be the hero for a day. It’s also the final day for exhibitions Songs and Sorrows: Días de los Muertos 20th Anniversary and Inspiration Points: Masterpieces of California Landscapes. Don’t miss the major collaboration Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California, presented by OMCA and SFMOMA. With the Galleries all open, tours throughout the day, and Blue Oak café open for a snack or lunch, a visit to OMCA is a great way to wrap up the holidays and start the new year.

Friday Nights @ OMCA 

Fridays in January, starting January 9, 2015, 5–9 pm

Oakland’s popular weekly night market is back for a third season of fun and festivities with Off the Grid food trucks, local live music, California beverages, and extended hours in the Galleries and OMCA Store. The popular family-friendly drop-in workshop this month is “make a button for a hero in your life”, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., every Friday from 5 to 8 pm! The last Friday of the month—January 30—includes story time with Oakland Public Library from 6 to 6:30 pm. Adults enjoy half-off Gallery admission and ages 18 and under are free! Bring the whole family to OMCA for a sampling of the best in Bay Area curbside cuisine!

OMCA Family Drop-in: MLK Clay Workshop

Sunday, January 25, 2015, 12–3 pm

Celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at OMCA. Drawing inspiration from the exhibition Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of beloved community, create your own unique ceramic artwork, expressing your own dreams for your community. Included with Museum admission. No reservations required. All ages welcome.

Free First Sunday

Sunday, February 1, 2015, 11 am–5 pm

Enjoy a free day this winter at OMCA! Explore science in the newly opened family-friendly exhibition Bees: Tiny Insect, Big Impact. Round out your exploration of the galleries by painting a portrait of yourself to hang in the Gallery of California Art, and visiting Sunshine and Superheroes: San Diego Comic-Con, where you can dress up like a superhero. Check out a Docent tour and stop by the OMCA Store or Blue Oak café to pick up a treat.

Friday Nights @ OMCA 

Fridays in February, 2015, 5–9 pm

Join OMCA and Off the Grid in February for a family-friendly fun and festivities! Enjoy DJs, live bands, dancing, gourmet food trucks, and more. The family-friendly drop-in activity, making Lunar New Year red envelopes, takes place every Friday from 5 to 8 pm. The last Friday of the month, February 27, also features story time with Oakland Public Library from 6 to 6:30 pm. Adults enjoy half-off gallery admission, and ages 18 and under are free!

14th Annual Lunar New Year Celebration and Other Asian Traditions: Year of the Sheep

Sunday, February 22, 2015, 12–4:30 pm

Explore connections between the diverse Asian cultures represented in California, and celebrate the Year of the Sheep with live music, traditional lion and dragon dances, martial arts, storytelling, Chinese opera face painting, hands-on art-making activities, and performances by Magic of Jade and comedic plate-spinner “The Happy Chef” Xia Kemin, and more. All activities included with Museum admission.

ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) brings together collections of art, history and natural science under one roof to tell the extraordinary stories of California and its people. OMCA’s groundbreaking exhibits tell the many stories that comprise California with many voices, often drawing on first-person accounts by people who have shaped California’s cultural heritage. Visitors are invited to actively participate in the Museum as they learn about the natural, artistic and social forces that affect the state and investigate their own role in both its history and its future. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA 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.

ABOUT OMCA FAMILY

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to being a welcoming and lively place for Bay Area families to visit, learn, and engage through OMCA Family, with art activities, storytelling, and hands-on, drop-in projects throughout the Museum. OMCA’s other family-friendly offerings include free Gallery Hunt cards available at ticketing desks, Docent-led family gallery tours, and three large annual festivals: Lunar New Year in February, the Summer Reading Celebration in August with the Oakland Public Library, and the Days of the Dead Celebration in October. OMCA Family is made possible in part by generous support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Free admission for children provided by the Bernard Osher Foundation. Friday Nights @ OMCA is presented in partnership with Off the Grid, and is made possible in part by generous support from the Walter & Elise Hass Fund.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. OMCA is situated between downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt. Museum admission is $15 general; $10 seniors and students with valid ID, $6 youth ages 9 to 17, and free for Members and children 8 and under. During Friday Nights @ OMCA, admission after 5 pm is half-off for adults, and free for ages 18 and under. 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. The accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance. For more information, visit museumca.org.

 

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