MUSEUM ANNOUNCES RENOVATION PLANS
Phase I: Art & History Galleries
Opened in 1969 and immediately acclaimed for its bold design—a museum placed in an urban park—the Oakland Museum of California will celebrate its 40th anniversary by renovating and reinstalling its Art and History Galleries, part of an overall $53 million capital project. The galleries will close January 2, 2008.
The two-phase, four-year renovation will better integrate the museum’s renowned collections and enable the museum to present a richer, deeper look at California’s art, history, and natural sciences. The result will be “a more engaging, accessible museum,” according to Lori Fogarty, executive director since early 2006.
“We are responding to the state’s changing demographic,” she said. “We are the Oakland Museum of California, and see our role as both a community and a cultural resource. Meanwhile, the doors stay open and the show(s) go on!”
After completion of Phase I, in late 2009, visitors will be welcomed at the expanded Oak Street entrance by a 90-foot stainless-steel canopy, providing a sheltered place for school kids and group tours to meet. Other external changes include an ADA ramp at Oak Street, a covered central stairway, more directional signage, and improved lighting on the terraces and walkways.
Inside the museum, visitors will enter completely transformed art and history galleries, designed to help them explore California’s rich cultural mix and find the stories of many Californians represented.
With the 4000 square feet it gains from enclosing two outdoor sculpture courts, the Art Gallery will feature an Eyes-On Art Discovery Center for hands-on, in-depth learning, and thematic installations that provide figurative new “points of entry” for visitors to explore and understand California art history.
Individual art galleries will showcase the collection’s strengths, including Arts & Crafts, self-taught artists, and the work of such artists as Richard Diebenkorn, Dorothea Lange, and Peter Voulkos. In addition, the expanded gallery space will allow increased presentation of contemporary art, including large-scale installation works and media-based art.
The new History Gallery will trace California’s history—from the native people to contemporary developments—through first-person narratives, with extensive opportunities for visitor feedback and dialogue. The gallery, which will add 800 square feet by absorbing storage space, will offer a Hands-On History Center for more interactive exploration of the collections and gallery themes, and a spotlight gallery for community-based exhibitions or social history issues. Flexible exhibit areas will allow rotation of objects and highlight new aspects of historical events.
The museum’s popular First Fridays After Five, school tours, public programs, and the annual Black History Month, Lunar New Year, California Wildflower Show, Fungus Fair, and Dias de los Muertos events will all continue through the construction.
Major exhibitions scheduled for 2008 and 2009 include a retrospectives of artist Squeak Carnwath, Birth of the Cool (from the Orange County Museum of Art), The African Presence in Mexico (from the Chicago Mexican Fine Art Center and Museum), and a survey of contemporary painting from Southern California.
Core support for the renovation came from Measure G, passed by Oakland voters in 2002. It provided $23.6 million for capital improvements. The balance of the $53 million project budget is being raised from corporations, foundations, and individual donors.
A portion ($7.5 million) of Measure G funding helped create the museum’s new California Collections and Research Center (CCRC). A 62,000-square-foot warehouse in the Fruitvale neighborhood was transformed to a secure, state-of-the-art facility to preserve and develop the collections, formerly stored at the Oakland Army base.
To date, The Museum of California capital campaign has surpassed 86% of its $53 million goal. “The museum is clearly recognized within the East Bay and beyond as a resource worthy of support,” said Museum Foundation board chair Sheryl Wong.
Phase II of the museum renovation will include reinstallation of the Natural Sciences Gallery and new education facilities, a new museum store, and improved visitor amenities. Design plans get underway in January 2008, with a 2011 completion goal.
The revitalized Natural Sciences Gallery will feature multimedia theaters, hands-on and tactile exhibits, and “environmental impact” and field stations that show the actual tools of scientific research and explore the human impact on California’s natural resources. Innovative platforms and dioramas will cover the marine environment and prehistoric California, new areas for the museum.
The Oakland Museum of California was designed by architects Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo. The San Francisco architectural firm of Mark Cavagnero Associates will oversee the building modifications, honoring the original architecture and landscape vision while updating facilities for visitors. The firm has extensive experience with museum renovations, including designing the seismic retrofit and gallery expansion for the Palace of the Legion of Honor.