OMCA is actually three museums in one: California’s Art, History, and Natural Science, spread out over three gardened tiers. (The only other institution dedicated suchly to our Golden State is the California Museum in Sacramento.)
The banner picture above was from our 2015 exhibition, “Who is Oakland?”
Some of my articles for the OMCA Docent Newsletter:
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Post-Pandemic Update
I have not stepped foot inside OMCA since the 2020-21 COVID pandemic.
After heroic efforts by the docents to develop online and adaptive tours and materials for school groups during the pandemic, we were told that OMCA leadership had decided to summarily disband the entire docent program, after five decades of service.
I could not begin to fully describe the truly vast amount of volunteer effort, expertise, and goodwill that was discarded with that decision. We had been the backbone of tour guides for the museum’s core school group program, along with many other projects and programs.
Without saying it out loud, it seemed clear that the main motivation was the museum’s new, stated Anti-Racism commitments. For this, the overwhelmingly-white docent ranks simply would not do.
I am happy to interrogate white perspectives and the question of why it seemed that retired white women schoolteachers made up the majority of docents. Indeed, as a history docent, that was exactly the kind of question about California that we would happily pursue. What makes no sense to me is a supposedly enlightened, progressive perspective that has no ability to enfold and make a good use of so many skilled and enthusiastic volunteers.
And who pays the biggest price? Schoolchildren, of course.
Leading school group tours of our history gallery was one of my great pleasures in life. Getting ongoing training as docents and learning more and more about California was deeply inspiring. Spending time in one of the jewels of my hometown, where I have spent countless hours since I was a child, and taking in the permanent and changing exhibits and gardens year after year, and sharing it all with many friends and visitors I would bring along, was one of my great joys in life. I would have happily continued all this for as long as I could. But now I just stay away, with sadness.
Russell Yee 