OMCA’s “Born of the Bear Dance” (Through June 22, 2025)
Experience the diverse voices of California’s Indigenous peoples as they shape the present and future through the lens of celebrated Native photographer Dugan Aguilar.
OMCA’s latest exhibition, Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs of Native California offers guests a first look at a significant collection that highlights Indigenous endurance and explores the vivid tapestry of contemporary Indigenous California life.
“Dugan’s photographs demonstrate a living presence of spirit held within the embrace of beliefs, culture, language and ceremony by California Indian people—an embrace that comes from the heart of love and defiance.” – Theresa Harlan, She Sang Me a Good Luck Song
Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs of Native California
On view in the Great Hall now through June 22, 2025
OMCA, 1000 Oak St., Oakland
Hours | Tickets | Getting ThereHOURS
– Wednesday-Sunday: 11am to 5pm
– Thursday After Hours (Adults 18+) – 5pm to 8pm
– Monday-Tuesday: ClosedPlease note:
- Thursday After Hours is every Thursday, 5–8pm, Jan 9–Mar 27, 2024.
- Friday Nights at OMCA with Off the Grid is on its seasonal break. Oakland’s favorite weekly block party will resume in April 2025.
Aguilar’s work, spanning from 1982 to 2018, defies colonial narratives and captures instead an unwavering Indigenous presence and dynamic cultural practices. His powerful images document a rich array of Indigenous experiences, from breathtaking California landscapes to gatherings, ceremonies, and the artistry of basket weaving.
This collection honors and showcases moments of profound cultural significance and weaves together the stories of resilience and unyielding vitality that define contemporary Native life. More than simple documents, his photographs radiate a sense of quiet but determined celebration and resistance. Drawing from Aguilar’s extensive photographic archive, gifted to OMCA by his family in 2022, the exhibition brings these images to life through video, audio, and narratives from Indigenous artists, activists, elders, and community members.
- Born of the Bear Dance – 11am to 5pm – Please check website as hours may change seasonally
- $25 (Adult) Special Exhibition ticket – Free for Museum members
- Visitors are encouraged to reserve tickets online in advance to secure your preferred entry time and reduce your wait.
- Tickets are available at the admissions desk on a first-come, first-served basis.
ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) tells the many stories that comprise California, creating the space and context for greater connection, trust, and understanding between people. Through its inclusive exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, and cultural events, OMCA brings Californians together and inspires greater understanding about what our state’s art, history, and natural surroundings teach us about ourselves and each other. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA brings together its multidisciplinary collections of art, history, and natural science with first-person accounts and often untold narratives of California, all within its 110,000 square feet of gallery space and seven-acre campus. The Museum is a leading cultural institution of the Bay Area and a resource for the research and understanding of California’s dynamic cultural and environmental heritage for visitors from the region, the state, and around the world.
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. Museum admission is $19 general admission; $16 for seniors; and $12 for youth ages 12 to 17 as well as for students and educators with valid ID, and free for Members and children 12 and under. There is a $6 charge in addition to general admission pricing for special exhibitions in the Great Hall. OMCA offers onsite underground parking and is conveniently located one block from the Lake Merritt BART station, on the corner of 10th Street and Oak Street. An accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum. museumca.org
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Sunday, March 23
Experience the diverse voices of California’s Indigenous peoples as they shape the present and future through the lens of celebrated Native photographer Dugan Aguilar. OMCA’s latest exhibition, Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs of Native California offers guests a first look at a significant collection that highlights ...
