The Oakland Museum of California has announced that it will reopen to the public on Friday, Nov. 27, with three days of free entry to the general public. Members can visit the museum beginning Nov. 20.
The news comes after over eight months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. In keeping with new safety protocols and to manage capacity, OMCA will have limited hours through the end of the year: Friday—Sunday, 11am–5pm. As with other recently reopened Bay Area museums, visitors will need to wear masks and reserve tickets for timed entry.
OMCA’s signature interactive displays have been removed, but visitors will be able to explore, for the first time, OMCA’s redesigned gardens, which are free and open to the public during museum hours. According to today’s announcement, the gardens boast new paving, newly installed sculptures, new native trees and plantings, a new lawn and a stage to be used for future performances and events.
One silver lining to the pandemic was the museum’s ability to make this progress on its “campus transformation” led by Hood Design Studio and Mark Cavagnero Associates. The renovations will eventually include two new entrances, opening OMCA up to foot traffic from Lake Merritt and 10th Street, and a redesigned café (home to Town Fare by Tanya Holland when COVID-19 safety protocols allow).
OMCA plans to resume its regular hours with its next special exhibition, Mothership: Voyage Into Afrofuturism, scheduled to open Jan. 16, 2021. For more details on OMCA’s reopening, click here.