Oakland Museum Of California

Collections and facilities management: the oakland museum of california (omca) has lease and grant agreements in place with the city of oakland to conserve, steward, research, and provide scholarly and interpretive expertise in support of the city of oakland's museum collections, which make up the totality of the museum's collection, and to manage and maintain the city's historic brutalist building and gardens over seven acres at 1000 oak street and its collections warehouse in oakland, california (collectively, the museum). Omca maintains the building and seven acres of grounds and gardens on behalf of the city of oakland. The museum's terraced roof gardens and central courtyard, designed by noted (cont. On sch. O) landscape architect dan kiley, serve as a village green for oakland residents and visitors from the bay area and beyond.the museum's collections are the most complete resource on california's natural, artistic, and social history anywhere in the state and are held in public trust by the city of oakland for the public good as one of the city's most valuable assets. Omca maintains the museum's accreditation with the american alliance of museums (aam) on behalf of the city of oakland. Other activities that omca performs related to the city of oakland's collections include: oversee acquisition, cataloging, storage, research, and care for the city of oakland's museum collections make the city of oakland's museum collections available through exhibition, loans to other institutions, and online presentationundertake preservation, security, and conservation effects for the city of oakland's museum collectionsthe scope of the museum's collection places particular emphasis on the diversity of environments, peoples, and cultures of california. The museum's collections of nearly 2 million objects are devoted to the art, history, and natural environment of california. For the art collection, the museum seeks works that reflect the diversity of identities in california and that speak to the experience of under-represented people such as women, persons of color, people with disabilities, and members of the lgbtq+ community. In collecting history artifacts, omca places a high priority on acquisitions that fill gaps in our ability to tell the stories of diverse people and cultures of california, their identities and the dynamics of power between and among them, and that ensure the ability of traditionally underrepresented groups to tell their own stories.the museum has been collecting and presenting art since 1922 when its predecessor organization, the oakland art gallery was housed in the kaiser convention center. The museum holds 166,000 works of california art from the 1840s to the present including many large-scale outdoor sculptures by artists ruth asawa, viola frey, fletcher benton, tony labat, stephen de staebler, mark di suvero, peter voulkos, george rickey, and linda fleming. The museum's collection in total encompasses nearly 2 million objects pertaining to california, including 70,000 works by california artists from the late 18th century to the present, 1,055,000 artifacts and photographs documenting the state's history and people from pre-history to today, and 112,000 natural specimens, images, and sound recordings of california species and environments.omca's collecting plan highlights california's diversity of peoples and cultures. Omca's collections acquisition practices for artifacts use a lens of equity and reparation. New art acquisitions in fy24 include: portrait of donald, 1983, joan brown; san francisco blues festival, 1984, michelle vignes; dancing at shalimar, 1983, michelle vignes; in front of alameda court house during huey newton's trial, february 1968, michelle vignes; and still-life with 3 triumeq pills and 2 red chilis, 2023, joey terrill.omca exhibits and stewards its indigenous california native artifacts in partnership with our native advisory council, a group of indigenous cultural leaders who have been providing invaluable feedback and input into omca programming since 2006. They advise omca on our native content as well as on centering native voices and perspectives. Additionally, the native american graves protection and repatriation act of 1990 (nagpra) provides guidance for the protection and return of native american cultural items. Omca follows nagpra regulations and is strongly committed to the repatriation of native american objects in our collection and the incorporation of traditional knowledge into the care and display of these items.during this fiscal year, omca repatriated 259 cultural items to berry creek rancheria and the konkow valley band of maidu through a joint claim for repatriation, and hosted a repatriation transfer ceremony for the return of one cultural item to the wrangell clans through the central council of tlingit and haida indian tribes of alaska.omca also hosts an online dorothea lange digital archive (https://dorothealange.museumca.org/). Nearly 50,000 photographs from activist photographer dorothea lange are available at no charge on our website. These photos portray essential workersmany of whom were immigrantsand the broken promises of american entrepreneurship that echo today.

Educational and community programs:in fy24, omca served 19,323 students, teachers, and chaperones onsite, with at least 29% of students coming from oakland schools and 41% coming from title i schools that serve low-income families. Additionally, omca served 61,899 visitors through its public programs and community festivals.school programs: omca remains a vital educational resource for schools in northern california. Omca's 2023-24 school programs specifically addressed the following school audience needs:- experiences that support students' social-emotional learning and uplift student voice, after several years of (cont. On sch. O) disruption and loss related to the pandemic, economy, and racial injustice;- experiences that support all students through culturally responsive and anti-racist education practices; - curriculum that addresses current critical community issues (civil rights, racial injustice, displacement, gender inequality, climate justice), and supports students connecting with one another to build the changes they want to see together; and- experiences that have strong local (oakland/bay area) connections.these programs included over 150 gallery programs, over 350 self-guided tours, and 20 special performances.teacher engagement: omca is in a multi-year development process for a new teacher advisory cohort which launched in the summer of 2024. Curriculum ideas stemming from the teacher cohort's work could serve as the basis for future core curriculum offerings at omca. The teacher advisory cohort will create a dynamic exchange between the museum and local teachers to develop and provide inclusive and accessible learning opportunities that encourage students to become lifelong learners and active citizen. Public programming: omca's public programming helps to increase the museum's social impact, providing visitors with a sense of social cohesion. Omca's onsite programs and events celebrate cultural traditions, lift up personal stories, and provide interdisciplinary learning. This year the museum began "thursday after hours at omca" from january to march, which offered an adult night out at the museum with gallery access, performances, and live drawing sessions. Over 2,000 guests attended the pilot year of this event. "friday nights at omca with off the grid" events now run from april to october and provide a multi-layered, family-friendly program platform. This program drives large-scale attendance and attracts omca's most racially diverse and youngest audiences, welcoming 53,000 attendees in the 2024 fiscal year. Omca's two annual cultural festivals october's days of the dead community festival and february's lunar new year festival welcomed 4,843 participants collectively.