OCMA - Costa Mesa Grand Opening
Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) opened in 1962—then called the Newport Harbor Art Museum—in the Balboa Pavillion. During their 60 years of being opened they’ve moved locations a couple times, but alway stayed within Orange County. Back in 2018 they announced their new building’s design and on October 8, 2022 they will open their new doors to the public.
Grand Opening 24hr Program
5 PM Homecoming Procession A drumline leads a celebratory procession down the Avenue of the Arts across to the Lower Grand Staircase to open the museum, ending in fireworks. 15 min Avenue of the Arts, OCMA Grounds, Lower Grand Terrace
5:15 PM The Violet Hour Inspired by artist Fred Eversley’s exploration of color, OCMA’s new café Verdant presents the Violet Hour, a series of custom crafted mocktails! Kick off the 24-hour opening in style ! 90 min Fireworks: Violet Café, Level 2 and Upper Plaza, Level 2
6 PM Pacific Chorale Performance: Skyscape An aleatoric free form/change choir work performed on four levels connecting us to the sky. 5 min Sky Bridges
6:30 PM Pacific Chorale Performance: Magnificat An acapella choir performance of composer Arvo Pärt's evocative 'Magnificat' a work that recalls the past while echoing the future. Conducted by GRAMMY® awardwinning Artistic Director Rob Istad. 7 min Special Exhibitions Pavilion
7:00 PM Philharmonic Society Performance: Pacific Gold A performance by the Orange County Youth Symphony string quartet inspired by the artists in OCMA’s California Biennial 2022: Pacific Gold. 20 min Permanent Collection Galleries, Level 1
8 PM Pacific Symphony Performance: 13 Women A string trio performance inspired by the artists and work in the 13 Women exhibition. 30 min Special Exhibitions Pavilion, Level 1
9 PM Rooftop Dance Party Dance to your heart’s content on OCMA’s Upper Plaza with KCRW’s own Jason Bentley. 90 min Upper Plaza, Level 2
10 PM Spotlight Tour Join OCMA curators, past and present, for an immersive tour of OCMA’s new exhibitions. With artists and experts positioned at key artworks throughout the galleries, this is a unique chance to get insider details on all the artworks currently on view! 60 min Special Exhibitions Pavilion, Permanent Collection Pavilion, Mezzanine Gallery
11 PM Silent Disco Can’t stop, won’t stop dancing? Join DJ Dylan, DJ Kemistry, and DJ Camillion for a party that is all your own. With headphones provided, you can dance the night away and choose from multiple DJs spinning - move to your own beat! 120 min Upper Plaza, Level 2
Sunday October 9, 2022
12 AM Light it Up: Midnight Fireworks Enjoy a decadent dessert from the museum’s café, Verdant, inspired by the exhibition Fred: Eversley Reflecting (Back the World), and fireworks on the museum’s Upper Plaza. 60 min Fireworks: Amber (1 min) Café and Upper Plaza, Level 2
1 AM Movies for Insomniacs Join Santa Ana’s premier arthouse theater, Frida Cinema, for a curated selection of films that pay homage to artists and the artistic process! 240 min Education Pavilion, Level 2
2 AM Late Night Lounge with Boss Harmony Chill out and take a break to listen to artist and DJ Boss Harmony spin 60’s global music. 120 min Café, Level 2
3 AM The Witching Hour Experience and embody the magic of the museum by getting your chakra read by Soraya Kelly and your tarot read by Tayler Barakat amongst the galleries. 120 min Special Exhibitions Pavilion, Level 1 and Mezzanine
4 AM The Blue Hour Start the day with the healing properties of the color wheel through Ayurvedic coffee, tea, and matcha drinks at the Fueling Station. 60 min The Fueling Station, Level 1
5 AM Sound Bath with Somer Waters and Skye Ray Connect with the artworks in California Biennial 2022: Pacific Gold and 13 Women with soothing sounds. A unique chance to embody the connection between art and healing in this special early morning sound bath! 60 min Permanent Collection Pavilion, Special Exhibitions Pavilion, Level 1
6:30 AM Sunrise Yoga Reset and refresh on the beautiful Upper Plaza with gentle yin yoga led by Linda Chen. Starting with breathwork, followed by yin yoga, the drop in session ends with a meditation. Bring your own mat. Open to all yoga levels. 60 min Upper Plaza, Level 2
8 AM Japanese Tea Ceremony Experience “The Way of the Tea”, a traditional Japanese matcha tea ceremony led by Kentaro Chiba and Soko Okazoe. A way to pass ancient teaching to future generations. Tea ceremony with tastings to follow. 45 min Café, Level 2
9 AM Color Wheel Juice Bar Sample a rainbow array of freshly made juice in all colors, inspired by artist Fred Eversley’s exhibition. 60 min Fueling Station, Level 1
10 AM Donut Drop Enjoy special unique flavors and a special surprise treat from our friends and neighbors at Sidecar, Fill Bakeshop, and Good Town. Sample some of the best donuts in Orange County! 60 min Café, Level 2
11 AM Pop-Up: Aura Photography Capture images of your aura, the electromagnetic energy field that radiates in and around your body. Each color signifies a vibration with its own distinct meaning - find out what your aura is today! 120 min OCMA Grounds/Lower Grand Staircase, Level 1
12 PM Kids First: Movie Shorts Join our friends at the Newport Beach film festival for a series of short films just for kids! 90 min Education Pavilion, Level 2
1 PM Inside Out: Dance Performance Dancers from the Orange County School of the Arts play with perspective and movement in a site-specific performance inspired by the museum’s architecture. View the window gallery performance from the exterior street or inside the gallery - your choice! 7 min Avenue of the Arts Gallery, Level 1
2 PM Live Music: Yamila Guerra Cuban Latin Band Let the two-time Latin GRAMMY winning Yamila Guerra Cuban Latin directed by Yalil Guerra take you on a musical journey through Latin and Caribbean sounds. Feel the joy and dance to the rhythm with your family and friends! 60 min Upper Plaza, Level 2
2:30 PM Artmaking: Open Studio Take a moment to let your own creativity flow. Explore selfguided prompts for drawing, paper sculptures, and more! 90 min Education Pavilion, Level 2
3 PM Family Workshop: Color Your World Join OCMA educators in an intergenerational art making activity where we explore storytelling through color. 120 min OCMA Grounds/Lower Grand Staircase, Level 1
4 PM Jazz: Ella Takes the Mic Sway to Ella Fitzgerald jazz classics with the powerhouse singers in the Standard Mel Duo. Inspired by Carrie Mae Weems’s artwork Untitled (Ella On Silk)(2014), from the OCMA collection, this is sneak peak at what’s to come in future exhibitions! 30 min Lower Grand Staircase, Level 1
4:30 PM Gospel Voice of OC: Youth Choir Youth singers from throughout Orange County and a special guest express the joy of the African American experience, finding inspiration in Sanford Biggers’s Of many waters....(2022), a site-responsive artwork. 30 min Lower Grand Staircase, Level 1
5 PM Closing Fireworks The Gospel Voices of OC: Youth Choir closes us out with O Happy Day followed by a blue firework show Fireworks: Blue Lower Grand Staircase, Level 1
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Opening Dates
On Oct. 8, 2022 at 5pm, OCMA will host a 24-hour grand opening event with “inaugural contemporary art exhibitions, film screenings, performances, workshops, and more…” according to their website.
Member previews will be on Oct. 4-7, 2022.
Admission
Admission will be free for a decade thanks to a $2.5 million gift from Lugano Diamonds, ARTNews reported in Oct. 6, 2021.
OCMA has five membership levels on their website starting at $95 for two people. “As an OCMA member, you support one of the world’s leading contemporary art institutions…”, states their website, along with mentioning pre-sales and discounts offered.
Building specs
“In September 2019, OCMA broke ground on its permanent home at Segerstrom Center for the Arts…” and have been building since. Thom Mayne of Morphosis Studio designed the 53,000 square foot building with 25,000 square foot exhibit space and 10,000 square foot multipurpose space.
The new building will be an art spectacle as much as the art it houses with innovative, state-of-the-art designs. Morphosis has an international portfolio with futuristic brutalism designs.
Welcoming Sculpture
Los Angeles Times reported OCMA commissioned artist Sanford Biggers for the museum’s welcoming piece—a 24-foot-wide, 16-foot-tall steel and aluminum sculpture. The rendering shows the sculpture sitting a the top of steps looking over visitors.
Sanford Biggers is an LA-native currently living and working in New York. Biggers is a highly awarded artist specializing in multi-media sculptures.
Museum Cafe
Stu News Newport reported on Aug. 26, 2022 OCMA’s onsite cafe, Verdant, will have a weekly-rotating “plant-forward” menu. Verdant’s design will compliment OCMA’s vision to “…connect people with art and artists.”
