public engagement @ Oakland Museum of California
Since November 2018, Valdez has been responsible for researching, developing, implementing, and evaluating onsite public programs that explore and amplify Oakland Museum of California’s (OMCA) exhibitions that contribute directly to the Museum’s social impact goals. These include The World of Charles and Ray Eames; Queer California: Untold Stories; and Pushing West: The Photography of Andrew J. Russell. In addition, she conceptualizes and curates the five Community Conversations for OMCA’s 50th anniversary, including Open Spaces Symposium, an all-day conference focused on artists working in public sphere with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation. Valdez enjoys working directly with exhibition core teams, community collaborators, and subject experts to brainstorm and identify potential programs for the institution.
OMCA@50 COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
OMCA@50 COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS
We are bringing together community leaders, thinkers, artists, and activists to lead us in a series of conversations about issues of importance to us here in Oakland and the Bay Area.
Belonging, on Film Saturday, November 2, 2019, 2 pm
Join us for a special one-day program highlighting the work of Oakland and Bay Area community members who work in the film industry as they explore what it means to belong and how they preserve the stories of their communities and cultures through film. This panel will feature Oakland Native and film director Jamari Perry, Executive Director of the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) Stephen Gong, and Pixar Animator Rosana Sullivan.
Open Spaces Symposium Presented by OMCA and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation Saturday, January 25, 2020, 10 am–4:30 pm
Artists all over the world are creating powerful public art work that is meant to engage. This all-day symposium showcases artists that make a difference inviting other artists and arts professionals to learn, share their experiences, and discuss the challenges and opportunities of socially engaged art practice.
Food and Well-Being Saturday, March 21, 2020, 2 pm
Food not only provides nourishment for our bodies—it also impacts our emotional and social health. Hear from prominent Oakland and Bay Area chefs as they explore where our food comes from, the practice of making a meal, and what it means when we gather and share food together.
Imagining the Future of Museums Saturday, May 16, 2020, 2 pm
Nationwide, museums are acknowledging the effects of colonialism and its impact on their work. Scholars, artists, and museum professionals will talk about how we build a more reflective and authentic history and how decolonization impacts our collections, our programs, and the power structures that govern our institutions.
Young People Taking Action Saturday, June 13, 2020, 2 pm
What are younger generations doing to shape the future? In this one-day program, OMCA invites young Bay Area movers and shakers to share their perspectives on our current cultural climate. Listen to their stories, get inspired, and come away with ideas about how we can create a more vibrant future.
Collodion photograph of Oakland Museum of California by Britt Bradley
In Conversation: Artists Consider Andrew J. Russell’s Photography
Saturday, August 24, 2019, 2–3:30 pm
Join us for a discussion on how photography is used to document changes in community, environment, and more moderated by OMCA Programs Developer Patricia Cariño Valdez. As part of OMCA's exhibition Pushing West: The Photography of Andrew J. Russell, this conversation brings together three Bay Area-based artists, Keith Secola, Jr., Mike Battey, and Britt Bradley, whose works explore themes within Russell’s photographs. Get a behind-the-scenes look with OMCA Curator of Photography & Visual Culture Drew Johnson to learn about Russell’s photographs and the Museum's collaboration with the Native Advisory Council to create the exhibition. Meet local artists and gain insight into their artistic practices, and connect with stories from across history as we take a deep dive into the archives and relate them to contemporary conversations.
Installation photo from Queer California: Untold Stories
Celebrating Stories: Two-Spirits Art and Performance
Saturday, July 13, 2019, 2–4 pm
As part of Queer California: Untold Stories, join us for an afternoon of song, dance, poetry, and live performances with members from the Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAITS), a community-based organization committed to activism and service for the Two-Spirit and ally communities of the Bay Area. Celebrate and learn more about BAAITS’ 20-year commitment to spiritual, cultural, and artistic expression in native and non-native communities.
Two-spirit is a modern, pan-Indian, umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe certain people in their communities who fulfill a traditional third-gender (or other gender-variant) ceremonial role in their cultures; a Native American term for people with both feminine and masculine energies. Two-spirits may (or may not) also identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.
BAAITS member collaborators: Roger Kuhn, Amelia Vigil, and Ruth Villaseñor
In Conversation: Black Trans Women on Resilience and Strength
Saturday, June 15, 2019, 2–3:30 pm
Join us for a panel featuring three generations of black trans women discussing transgender rights, policies that affect the trans community, creating community and family, and what it might mean to imagine a safe and equitable queer future. This panel will feature Sharyn Grayson, activist and Chief Operations/Financial Officer of the Griffin-Gracy Educational Retreat & Historical Center, Valerie Spencer, social services specialist and Capacity Building Consultant, Ebony Ava Harper, Program Associate at The California Endowment, and Aria Sa’id, Executive Director of Compton’s Transgender Cultural District.
The discussion will be moderated by Nico Calvo Rosenstone, Communications Officer at the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in a thoughtful discussion with this family of activists and learn more about supporting LGBTQ+ communities.
In Conversation: Queer Cinema
Friday, June 14, 2019, 7–8:30 pm
Join us for a powerful conversation about the history of queer movie-making and the absence of queer stories from mainstream cinema. Film historian Greg Youmans and S. Topiary Landberg from OMCA’s curatorial team will discuss film selections chosen for OMCA’s special exhibition Queer California: Untold Stories and the importance of uncovering these forgotten stories. Learn how these films help amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ communities and the importance of screening them in our special exhibition. Following the discussion, Greg Youmans will be signing copies of his book Word Is Out.
Through the Lens: Tongues Untied
Saturday, May 4, 2019, 2–3:30 pm
In Tongues Untied (1989), filmmaker Marlon Riggs gives a voice to communities of gay black men, presenting their cultures and perspectives on the world as they confront racism, homophobia, and marginalization. Join guest curator of Queer California: Untold Stories, Christina Linden, and local artist Blackberri who is featured in the film for a special screening of Tongues Untied, followed by a short Q&A.
Image from the exhibition The World of Charles and Ray Eames
Inspired by Eames: A Conversation with Bay Area Innovators
Saturday, January 26, 2019, 2–3:30 pm
Through their furniture, films, photographs, and innovations, Charles and Ray Eames influenced the world of design and inspired future generations of creative thinkers. Join dancer and artistic director Kristin Damrow, designer and social innovator Liz Ogbu, Pixar shading art director Bryn Imagire, and IDEO executive design director Elger Oberwelz in a discussion examining how the Eameses have influenced their work in dance, film, design, and more. moderated by Helen Maria Nugent, Dean of Design at California College of the Arts. Don’t miss this opportunity to engage in a thoughtful conversation with some of the Bay Area’s most inspiring innovators in the creative community. Learn what inspires them, how they prototype ideas, and their visions for the future of their work. Get a sneak peek on OMCA’s YouTube page with a special series of interviews.
Through the Lens: The Films of Charles and Ray Eames
Sunday, January 20, 2019, 4–5:30 pm, SOLD OUT
Did you know that Charles and Ray Eames were also prolific filmmakers, creating over 100 films? Go beyond the Eameses’ furniture designs with this special program, featuring two of the Eameses’ most notable films. Following the screening, join Eames Demetrios, grandson of Charles and Ray and Director of the Eames Office; Llisa Demetrios, granddaughter of Charles and Ray and registrar of the Eames Collection; and exhibition curator Carin Adams in conversation to learn more about the iconic pair’s work in film and design. A special book signing of Eames: Beautiful Details, An Eames Primer, and Essential Eames: Words & Pictures with author Eames Demetrios will follow the conversation.