OMCA - Oakland Museum of California

United States — Art Museum

1000 Oak Street, Oakland
Oakland, CA 94607

Phone: +1 (510) 318-8400

Instagram: oaklandmuseumca

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is a unique and vital cultural institution that weaves together the stories, struggles, and spirit of the Golden State. Located in the heart of Oakland, OMCA is more than just a museum—it’s a vibrant gathering place, a tranquil garden, and a center for exploration, dialogue, and discovery. It invites visitors to engage with California’s diverse identity through the lenses of art, history, and natural sciences.

Spanning a seven-acre campus and over 110,000 square feet of gallery space, OMCA houses a remarkable collection of more than two million objects. This rich archive includes works of art, historical artifacts, and natural specimens that tell the layered story of California—its people, landscapes, and cultural evolution. From Indigenous traditions to contemporary activism, OMCA examines the issues and ideas that shape the state's past and future, always with a distinct Oakland voice.

What sets OMCA apart is its commitment to amplifying voices that have often been left out of mainstream narratives. By focusing on untold and underrepresented stories, the museum fosters understanding and empathy across generations and communities. It serves as a platform for education, reflection, and civic engagement, offering dynamic exhibitions and public programs that connect deeply with local audiences and visitors from around the world.

Beyond its walls, OMCA opens onto beautifully landscaped gardens that offer a peaceful retreat and host lively events, festivals, and community gatherings. This connection between indoor and outdoor space reflects the museum’s core belief that cultural exploration should be accessible, inclusive, and rooted in place.

Whether you come to learn, reflect, celebrate, or simply connect, the Oakland Museum of California provides a space where the multifaceted story of California unfolds—and where a more vibrant and equitable future begins to take shape.

expand_circle_rightOakland Museum of California Website

Upcoming at the Museum

BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration

event_upcomingOpening on September 18, 2026
Oakland Museum of California
Oakland, CA

BeHere / 1942: A New Lens on the Japanese American Incarceration at the Oakland Museum of California asks whether looking more closely at photographs can change what we see, know and feel about a painful chapter of U.S. history. On view from September 18 through December 27, 2026, in the OMCA Great Hall, the exhibition is built around the work of Japanese artist Masaki Fujihata, who returns to archival images made in 1942 by Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee to examine the moments just before Japan

expand_circle_rightLeading Photography Museums

Portland Art Museum

United States
Portland, OR

The Portland Art Museum holds one of the most significant photography collections in the Pacific Northwest, a legacy built over decades of vision, gifts, and curatorial care. In 2005, the museum underscored this commitment with the opening of a dedicated 2,200–square–foot gallery on the mezzanine level of the Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art, the largest permanent space for photography in the region. This gallery presents rotating exhibitions drawn from the museum’s permanent collec

MMPA - Maine Museum of Photographic Arts

United States
Portland, ME

The Maine Museum of Photographic Arts (MMPA) is a prominent institution dedicated to the celebration and exploration of photography as an art form. Located in Portland, Maine, the museum offers a vibrant space for both established and emerging photographers to showcase their work, providing visitors with an opportunity to engage with diverse photographic practices that reflect the world’s rich visual landscape. Founded with the mission to promote and preserve the cultural significance of phot

Griffin Museum of Photography

United States
Winchester, MA

The Griffin Museum of Photography, located in Winchester, Massachusetts, is an institution devoted entirely to the celebration and exploration of photographic art. Founded with the mission of advancing the appreciation of photography in all its forms, the museum has become a vibrant cultural hub where established masters and emerging voices share space and spark dialogue. Through its exhibitions, programs, and lectures, the Griffin Museum offers opportunities for audiences to engage deeply with

MIA - Minneapolis Institute of Arts

United States
Minneapolis, MN

The Minneapolis Institute of Art, known simply as MIA, is a cornerstone of cultural life in the Twin Cities and a museum of international stature. Among its many treasures, the Department of Photography & New Media stands out as a dynamic area of growth and innovation, offering visitors an expansive view of photography’s history and its evolving role in contemporary art. The museum began assembling its photography collection in 1973, and today it includes over 11,500 works by more than 800 ph

National Portrait Gallery Smithsonian Institution

United States
Washington, DC

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to telling the story of America through the individuals who have shaped its history and culture. Established by Congress in 1962, the museum was created to acquire and display portraits of those whose achievements have left a lasting impact on the nation. From artists and inventors to activists, performers, and presidents, the Portrait Gallery offers a rich and diverse narrative of American identity, capturing the comp

The Dayton Art Institute

United States
Belmonte, OH

The Dayton Art Institute stands as one of Ohio’s premier cultural treasures, a place where history, art, and community converge. Founded in 1919 as the Dayton Museum of Arts, it first opened its doors in a stately downtown home, serving as both an art school and a small museum. Within just a decade, however, its ambitions had outgrown its modest setting. Thanks to the generosity of Julia Shaw Patterson Carnell, whose gift of $2 million made a new building possible, the museum found its permanent

George Eastman Museum

United States
Rochester, NY

The George Eastman Museum, located in Rochester, New York, stands as one of the world’s premier institutions dedicated to the history and art of photography. Its photography collection, unparalleled in scope and significance, encompasses more than 400,000 photographs and negatives, charting the medium’s journey from its invention in the early 19th century to the innovations of today. This vast archive showcases photography not only as a technological achievement but also as a powerful tool for s

The Anchorage Museum of Art

United States
Anchorage, AK

The Anchorage Museum of Art stands as one of Alaska’s most significant cultural institutions, weaving together art, history, science, and culture to tell the story of the North. Located in the heart of downtown Anchorage, the museum is both a world-class exhibition space and a gathering place for dialogue about the past, present, and future of life in the Arctic. Its mission extends beyond traditional museum roles, inviting visitors to engage with complex ideas about identity, environment, and g

SFMOMA - San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

United States
San Francisco, CA

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a leading cultural institution dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Founded in 1935, SFMOMA was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th-century art. Today, it continues to serve as a dynamic platform for innovative visual expression, offering a rich and diverse program that reflects the evolving narratives of modern art. With more than 170,000 square feet of gallery space,

MCA - Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

United States
Chicago, IL

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago stands as a bold and dynamic space where new ideas in art are explored, questioned, and brought to life. Since opening its doors in 1967, the MCA has embraced the ever-evolving nature of contemporary art, serving as both a stage for experimentation and a site for reflection on the world we live in. Unlike traditional museums that preserve the past, the MCA is firmly rooted in the present, showcasing the work of living artists who respond to today's social,

Nevada Museum of Art

United States
Reno, NV

The Nevada Museum of Art, founded in 1931, stands as the state’s only art museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and is nationally recognized for its unique focus on the intersection of art and environment. From its earliest years, when it was guided by Dr. James Church and a circle of landscape painters, the museum has explored how human creativity engages with natural and built surroundings. That mission was physically embodied in 2003, when its striking Reno building—designed b

J. Paul Getty Museum

United States
Los Angeles, CA

The J. Paul Getty Museum of Photography is a cornerstone of one of the world’s most influential cultural institutions dedicated to the visual arts. Established through the vision and generosity of businessman and art collector J. Paul Getty, the museum reflects a profound commitment to preserving and sharing humanity’s artistic legacy. Getty believed that art had the power to elevate and educate society, and his legacy lives on through the many branches of the Getty Trust. Housed within the G

MoMA - The Museum of Modern Art

United States
New York, NY

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City has been a leading force in recognizing photography as a vital form of modern and contemporary art. Its commitment to the medium began in 1930, when it first started acquiring photographs, and was solidified a decade later with the creation of a dedicated photography department in 1940. Today, MoMA’s photography collection has grown to encompass more than 25,000 works, making it one of the most significant and influential collections in the world.

National Gallery of Art

United States
Washington, DC

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is one of the world’s leading cultural institutions, welcoming millions of visitors each year to engage with art across centuries and continents. Founded in 1937 as a gift to the American people, the museum embodies a commitment to accessibility and learning, offering free admission to its West and East Buildings, the Sculpture Garden, and all exhibitions and public programs. Its mission extends beyond preserving masterpieces—it is dedicated to fo

MAM - Montclair Art Museum

United States
Montclair, NJ

The Montclair Art Museum has stood as one of the leading cultural institutions in the United States dedicated to American and Native American art since its founding in 1914. Located in Montclair, New Jersey, the museum has earned a distinguished reputation for collecting, preserving, and interpreting works that reflect the richness and diversity of American artistic expression. From its earliest years, the institution embraced an inclusive vision, recognizing both established and emerging artist

Noyes Museum of Art

United States
Hammonton, NJ

The Noyes Museum of Art of Stockton University has become one of southern New Jersey’s leading cultural institutions, combining the preservation of regional artistic heritage with an active commitment to contemporary creativity and public engagement. Built upon the distinguished Fred and Ethel Noyes Collection, the museum has evolved into a dynamic network of exhibition spaces serving communities across the region. Since its partnership with Stockton University began in 2010 and its formal integ

New Mexico Museum of Art

United States
Santa Fe, NM

The New Mexico Museum of Art stands at the heart of Santa Fe’s rich artistic heritage, serving as one of the oldest and most influential cultural institutions in the American Southwest. Established in 1917 as the first building in New Mexico dedicated exclusively to art, the museum has spent more than a century preserving, interpreting, and presenting the creative spirit of the region. Today, its activities span two distinctive locations: the landmark Pueblo Revival Plaza Building overlooking th

MAK Center for Art and Architecture

United States
West Hollywood, CA

The MAK Center for Art and Architecture occupies a distinctive place within Los Angeles' cultural landscape by bringing together architecture, contemporary art, design, and critical research in a series of historically significant buildings designed by pioneering modernist architect Rudolph M. Schindler. Serving as the California satellite of Vienna's MAK – Museum of Applied Arts, the Center presents an ambitious year-round program of exhibitions, residencies, lectures, performances, publication

Santa Barbara Museum of Art

United States
Santa Barbara, CA

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA) stands as a beacon of cultural excellence in Southern California, offering a world-class collection that far exceeds what one might expect from a city of its size. With over 25,000 works of art spanning more than 5,000 years of human history, the museum presents a diverse and compelling narrative of global creativity. Housed in a stately building in downtown Santa Barbara, the museum’s collections are both expansive and refined. Its holdings include nota

Brooklyn Museum

United States
Brooklyn, NY

The Brooklyn Museum stands as one of the United States’ most important cultural institutions, celebrated for its commitment to innovation and inclusivity in the arts. For two centuries, it has pushed boundaries, fostering new dialogues and expanding the narratives of art to embrace a diversity of voices and perspectives. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, the museum occupies an iconic Beaux-Arts building that is as much a part of New York’s cultural heritage as the treasures it houses. Its vas

expand_circle_rightPhotography Events Ending Soon

From photography exhibitions and photo festivals to art fairs and gallery shows, these events are closing soon and still worth a visit. Whether you're an avid collector, a photography enthusiast, or simply looking for cultural inspiration, find the best photography events near you before they end.