January 2009

Wednesday, December 31
Holiday Hours
Early Closing
The museum will close at 3 p.m. today.

Thursday, January 1
HOLIDAY
Museum Closed
HAPPY NEW YEAR! The museum is closed.

Sunday, January 4
LA Paint––Public Tour
Docent Tour
2 pm
Join a museum docent in the exhibition L.A. Paint. See what's happening in the vast, varied and vibrant SoCal art scene Included with museum admission.
Related Exhibit: L.A. Paint

Thursday, January 8
Hallam's War
Lecture
1 pm
Author Elisabeth Payne Rosen discusses her new Civil War novel, which recreates the politically polarized world that existed on the eve of disunion. Free

Friday, January 9
FIRST FRIDAYS AFTER FIVE!
First Friday!
5–9 p.m.
On the second Friday after the New Year, enjoy live music with Earl Zero and the Fire Band in the cafe. Ever wanted to try belly dance? Now you can! In this First Friday crash course, belly dancer Aazura Nour will teach some of the basic posture, alignment, isolations and hip movements associated with Middle Eastern dance. Meet at 6:30 in the Natural Sciences Gallery and see why the Bay Area is known for its belly dancing! Full cash bar—museum store and café open. Celebrate the New Year with old friends—and meet new ones. All ages welcome. Included with museum admission.

Sunday, January 11
Free Second Sunday
Free Day
Free Second Sundays are sponsored by Wells Fargo and the City of Oakland. Free

Sunday, January 11
Highlight Tour: Meet the Museum
Docent Tour
1 p.m.
Join a docent for an inside look at the museum's past, present, and exciting future. Free Second Sundays are sponsored by Wells Fargo, the City of Oakland, and the Oakland Museum Women's Board.

Thursday, January 15
How America Got a Great National Park––the GGNRA
Lecture
12:30 p.m.
Amy Meyer talks about her involvement with other neighborhood leaders in the fight to create the Golden Gate National Recreational Area (GGNRA) in 1972. Meyer will sign copies of her book New Guardians for the Golden Gate after the lecture. Free.

Sunday, January 18
LA Paint––Public Tour
Docent Tour
2 p.m.
Join a museum docent in the exhibition L.A. Paint. See what's happening in the vast, varied and vibrant SoCal art scene. Included with museum admission. Included with museum admission.
Related Exhibit: L.A. Paint

Sunday, January 18
OPEN HOUSE FOR PROSPECTIVE DOCENTS
Docent Tour
1 p.m.
Love California?The museum is recruiting volunteers to lead tours for school groups (weekdays) and adults and families (weekends) in our exciting revitalized Art and History galleries, which will open in Spring 2010. We are looking for people with wide-ranging backgrounds to share their talents, perspectives, and enthusiasm for California with our diverse Bay Area audience. Training begins in early 2009. No teaching experience necessary. Come to the Open House and meet current History and Art docents and enjoy a docent-led tour of the exhibition The Art and History of Early California. RSVP's are appreciated but not required: contact the Docent Center at 510/238-3514 or email docentcenter@museumca.org

Sunday, January 18
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Day: A King and an Emperor
Black History
12-4 p.m.
The similarities between the lives of Dr. King and political activist, athlete, singer/actor Paul Robeson are highlighted in a talk by Paul Von Blum, senior lecturer in African American Studies at UCLA. Program includes performances by hip-hop spoken-word artist Ise Lyfe, baritone Autris Paige, and Jetaun Maxwell from the Dance Theater of the Gospel. Families can make their own front pages from African American papers of the King and Robeson eras. In collaboration with the Bay Area Paul Robeson Centennial Committee. Included with museum admission.

Wednesday, January 21
Tulia, Texas
Film
6 p.m.
After a lone undercover cop moves into a small farming town, forty-six people are arrested for selling cocaine-nearly all of them African American. It would be heralded as one of the biggest drug busts in Texas history, until a team of lawyers set out to uncover the truth. Filmmakers Cassandra Herman and Kelley Whalen look at a small town's search for justice. The ITVS Community Cinema Series will be shown captioned and the panel discussions following the film will be ASL interpreted by DEAF Media. Free event with free parking in museum garage (entrance on Oak Street). * The ITVS Community Cinema Series at the museum features sneak previews of films scheduled for upcoming broadcast on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens; the series is presented by Oakland Museum of California and ITVS in partnership with the Oakland Film Office, KQED Education Network, DEAF Media, and Hands On Bay Area. Free.

Sunday, January 25
First Chance for Bargains!
White Elephant Sale
10-4 p.m.
The huge White Elephant Sale is the first weekend in March, but the Preview Sale offers bargain hunters first chance at the marvelous merchandise. Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door. The sale is at the WES warehouse, 333 Lancaster St. (at Glascock), Oakland. Info @ http://www.whiteelephantsale.org/march-sale.html

Sunday, January 25
Family Explorations! Lunar New Year Celebration
Children and Family
12-5 p.m.
Family Explorations! Lunar New Year Celebration and Other Asian Traditions Join us for a fortune-filled family event to welcome the Year of the Ox! with lion and dragon dancing; the Red Panda Acrobats; traditional music, dance, and martial arts; Ping-Pong demonstrations; “Girligami” designer Cindy Ng; and arts and craft activities. Watch mochi pounding with Kagami Kai; performances by Korean and Vietnamese musicians; Chinese, Balinese, and Thai dancers; demonstrations of cooking, Chinese paper cutting, Korean textiles, and ink painting. Hear stories by author Oliver Chin. Learn how to dress the kimono and how to play a bamboo flute. Learn about Chinese herbal medicine and acupuncture, and more. Join in the New Year's parade at the end of the day. Program presented in collaboration with DEAF Media and the museum's Asian Pacific Advisory Council. Included with museum admission.