Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA

The Oakland Museum of California is a place for collections of art, natural science, and history. It combines all three under one roof to provide education to anyone who should visit. The museum is being renovated in 2010, and will be closed until May 2010 when a grand reopening is held. At this time there will be more than 1.8 million objects in the museum, much of it on display for visitors. The museum will remain a place for research regarding California's history, culture, and environmental heritage.

The OMCA or Oakland Museum of California started in 1969 as a museum for the people. Since then the museum has undergone much change due to the increasing collections. The renovation will create a 300,000 square foot building with help from civic leaders and others interested in donating to the arts. Some collections will also be changing with the renovation. These displays will be interactive with animation. The museum wishes to engage their visitors more in asking questions and getting their perspectives regarding the exhibits.

The hours of operation are unknown at this time; however, it is suspected that they will have similar hours to what was offered before. The admission costs have also not been released. Tours and other groups are welcome at the museum when it reopens with reservations. There will be discounts for these groups based on the number of individuals to attend. Also on the premise is a museum store with gifts and items relating to California and the exhibits the museum offers.

Oakland Museum will be divided into three categories. The art collections will offer Bay Area figurative art pieces, Dorothea Lange, Arthur and Lucia Mathews, Joanna Leonard and Helen Nestor Collections, and Early Landscape Painting. One will be given an overview of the art on display before moving around to each collection which also includes paintings and art from the Golf Rush Era, Ceramic pieces, and Margaret de Patta Jewelry.

The historical section will move through a variety of cultures and periods. With a short introduction to the collection visitors will be able to move towards the American Indian collections, Asia and Pacific, documentary photography, the Tribute, Andrew J Russel, and Domestic Furnishings collections. Also part of the history section is Ephemera, and tools and technology.

Nature is yet another section of the museum that will encourage visitors to learn. From the introduction into nature and earth, visitors will move through the Bob Walker Collection, see the Rustler Ranch Mastodon, learn about the San Francisco Bay creeks, and be able to visit the California Library of Natural Sounds. Throughout the year there are often different exhibitions.

Some of these displays have been or will be the Alchemist Suite, Guy Overfelt, Music Makers, Gallery of California Art, and the Gallery of California History. Each year these exhibits will change to encourage locals to visit often. Museums like to have something for frequent visitors to enjoy as well as permanent exhibits for travelers visiting their fair city.