In a groundbreaking exhibition rich with opportunities for public input and dialogue about the uses and evolving attitudes about marijuana, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will open Altered State: Marijuana in California, the first-ever museum exhibition to focus on the topic, April 16, 2016, in its Great Hall. Set against the backdrop of a likely California ballot measure in 2016 to legalize marijuana's recreational use, the exhibition features artwork, political documents and posters, scientific displays, and interactive and multimedia exhibits all meant to provoke questions and conversations about the provocative plant.

Designed as a catalyst for conversation and reflection, the exhibition explores the many ways that people consider marijuana, including historical, social, and political perspectives, scientific data, and opinions of a diverse range of community members and groups. Organized into ten different areas of focus-Cannabis Science, Medical Marijuana, Profitable Pot, Sacred Ganja, Criminal Dope, Creative Grass, Evil Weed, Politically Loaded, Youth and Weed, and Recreational Reefer-Altered State will provide the opportunity for Museum visitors to add their voices to the evolving conversation.

We have designed an open and participatory experience to engage anyone who has an opinion or wants to learn more about the complex issues and information about this topic, which is relevant to all Californians, says Associate Curator of Natural Sciences

Dr. Sarah Seiter, who also curated OMCA's popular exhibition Bees: Tiny Insect, Huge Impact. We're interested in presenting a forum for all sides of deep community conversations about marijuana, its history, politics, culture and impacts on our state.

Highlights of the exhibition include live and preserved specimens of cannabis on loan to the Museum, a walk-in installation by artist Cybele Lyle that alters viewers' perspectives of space and time, a Cannabis Confessional that allows visitors to share their private, anonymous thoughts about marijuana, youth views about the topic, and explorations of the historical, social, political, and economic impacts that are changing the State. Content for the exhibition has been gathered from a wide range of sources, including science, government, growers, dispensaries and historical and social sources including media and popular culture.

The roles of museums in today's world are shifting, says OMCA Director Lori Fogarty. At OMCA, we aim to inspire Californians to create a more vibrant future for themselves and their communities. As part of this, we are dedicated to being a place where people can come learn about complex topics and, more importantly, add their voices and stories to the dialogue. This exhibition is proof of that in action.

With marijuana increasingly in the news and as several states have recently legalized the recreational use of marijuana while many others are considering new medical and recreational legislation, the exhibition will be a timely opportunity to explore how people have constructed different perspectives and sets of values about marijuana over time, many of which are in conflict. These have been brought into sharper focus by recent and relevant discussions about the status of marijuana in California.

The Altered State exhibition is participatory and visitors will be active players in the evolution of conversation about the issues it explores. Through historical, scientific, social and personal stories, the exhibition will present ten ways that people consider cannabis in California. Each topic will be explored using the most current data, expert and community voices, historical and contemporary media and ephemera, interactives and prompts to stimulate conversation, and direct contributions from museum visitors.

The exhibition's ten sections include:

Cannabis Science " The unique characteristics of cannabis are explored, including its three species, hundreds of man-made strains and scientific theories about why cannabis evolved to include cannabinoids including THC and CBD, chemical components that affect humans. Specimens-both living and preserved-will be presented in protective cases for visitors to get a closer look at cannabis plants.

Medical Marijuana " Is it a treatment, a cure, or a harmful substance? As marijuana gains increasing acceptance in medicine, visitors will learn what science knows about what it does to the brain and body and how government restrictions have limited how it is scientifically studied, giving an incomplete picture of its medical value.

Profitable Pot " California is the largest market producer and consumer of cannabis in the US. Economic and environmental opinions vary as to the impacts this cash crop creates. Visitors will explore these impacts and voice their opinions about the pros and cons and meet the people working in this of this growing cash crop and its surrounding industry.

Sacred Ganja " Some ancient cultures have used marijuana as part of ritual and shamanistic practices. Visitors will explore the spiritual history of cannabis, including how traditions such as Hinduism and Rastafari use it.

Criminal Dope " Although the US government classifies marijuana as a hard drug, laws controlling its use are applied differently in different jurisdictions and to different kinds of people. Visitors will explore how laws and their interpretation and application have developed over time and how they are affected by culture, geography, race and economics.

Creative Grass " Marijuana alters perceptions and some people find that it enhances creativity. In addition to delving into the science and personal opinions about marijuana's ability to enhance or hinder cognitive and creative thinking, this section will feature a walk-in art installation by Cybele Lyle that demonstrates altered perceptions of space and time.

Evil Weed " California was an early adopter of ideas about marijuana, from criminalization to legalization. Californians' beliefs about marijuana use and users have been the result of generations of social concerns about deviance, social change, personal freedom, and the role of authority. As a result, stereotypes about marijuana users have changed over time. Visitors will view dramatic images from American cultural history, including newspapers, pulp novels, quotations and photographs that convey differing emotions, viewpoints and values over time.

Politically Loaded " Although Californians has been engaged in a thorough discussion of putting legalization of marijuana on the ballot, there are many complex issues that demonstrate that the decision is far from cut-and-dried. Visitors will participate in a dialog about these complex issues with a range of experts, consider possible post-election scenarios that may result from various legalization and regulatory models and how these may affect Californians' daily lives.

Youth and Marijuana " Created in collaboration with local youth who do anti-drug education and youth drug and culture experts, this section explores youth perspectives about marijuana and examines education and awareness practices of the past, both effective and not, including PSA's that illustrate social concerns about youth and the risks of drug use.

Recreational Reefer " Californians have a range of feelings and opinions about recreational use of marijuana. Exhibition visitors will learn about how marijuana popular culture has changed over the decades, and can secretly and anonymously share their feelings about marijuana.

SPECIAL EVENT

Museum Admission $4.20 on 4/20
On Wednesday, April 20, 2016, OMCA admission will be reduced to $4.20 in recognition of the counterculture holiday observance of 4/20. While there are many opportunities outside of the Museum to celebrate on April 20, OMCA invites the public on this day and throughout the exhibition to engage in the discussion around marijuana that Altered State presents.

The exhibition will be on view in the Oakland Museum of California's Great Hall April 16 through September 25, 2016.

Altered State: Marijuana in California is made possible in part by generous support from the Oakland Museum Women's Board.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS & PROJECTS

Altered State: Marijuana in California
April 16-September 25, 2016
In Spring 2016, OMCA presents the first-ever museum exhibition to focus on marijuana in California today. Designed as a catalyst for conversation and reflection around the marijuana plant, its uses, evolving public attitudes, and the complex policy and social issues surrounding it, the exhibition explores the many ways that people consider cannabis, presented through the perspectives, knowledge, and opinions of a diverse range of community members and groups. With marijuana increasingly in the news, and California on the verge of making important decisions around marijuana that will impact people living in this state, the exhibition provides a community space where people can come together to learn, question, discuss, and add their voice to the different points of views surrounding this complex and evolving topic.

Open Engagement-POWER
April 29-May 1, 2016
Open Engagement 2016-POWER will take at the Oakland Museum of California and additional sites throughout the Bay Area. An annual, three-day artist-led conference dedicated to expanding the dialogue around socially engaged art, the conference will explore the centralized theme of POWER, guided by the curatorial vision of OMCA's Senior Curator of Art Rene de Guzman, and will feature keynote speakers Angela Davis and Suzanne Lacy. Founded in 2007, Open Engagement has evolved into an unparalleled hub for practitioners and audiences of socially engaged art to assemble. It is the only conference on this subject of this scale that operates on an inclusive open call model that supports emerging and established artists and collaborates closely with national institutions to further the networks of support for socially engaged art. Open Engagement-POWER (2016) in partnership with the Oakland Museum of California and the California College of Arts (CCA) marks the first year of a three-year cycle, followed by Chicago (2017-JUSTICE) in partnership with University of Illinois Chicago, and New York (2018-SUSTAINABILITY) in partnership with the Queens Museum.

Oakland, I want you to know
July 27, 2016-January 1, 2017
Opening in July 2016 in the Oakland Museum of California's Gallery of California Art, Oakland, I want you to know explores how gentrification is changing the demographic, economic, and social fabric of Oakland. Led by OMCA's Curator of Public Practice Evelyn Orantes, and created in collaboration with Oakland artist and social justice educator Chris Treggiari, along with community collaborators from West Oakland and other surrounding neighborhoods, the exhibition explores how Oakland residents are grappling with the tensions that surface through the City's economic development and gentrification. The exhibition is part of an ongoing artist/community-driven series designed to respond to important community needs and inspire residents of the Oakland Museum of California's surrounding neighborhoods-Chinatown, Fruitvale, San Antonio, Uptown, and West Oakland neighborhoods-and the broader Bay Area community to connect to their personal creativity and express their cultural identity.

All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50
October 8, 2016-February 12, 2017
In Fall 2016, the Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will present a major exhibition to coincide with the 50th anniversary the Black Panther Party's founding on October 15, 1966, in Oakland. Presenting a contemporary view of the Black Panther Party's legacy from multiple perspectives, All Power to the People: Black Panthers at 50 will show how the Party continues to inspire culture, social activism, and community empowerment efforts locally, nationally, and internationally. Designed to create empathy and emotional resonance, the exhibition explores the Black Panther Party as a necessary, heroic, and human response to societal needs. Informed by insights from former Black Panthers, artists, scholars, and community members, the exhibition will feature art installations, historical photographs and media presentations, artifacts, and contemporary works of art.

Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing
November 12, 2016-April 23, 2017
Through the lens of her camera, Dorothea Lange documented 20th century life with riveting, intimate photographs that showed the major issues of the times. The emotional impact of her works continues to resonate with millions and illustrates the power of photography as a form of social activism. From documenting the plight of Dust Bowl migrants during the Great Depression to magnifying the grim conditions of incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II, Lange's photographs demonstrate how empathy and compassion, focused through art, can trigger political action. Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing presents approximately 100 photographs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the artist's gift of her personal archive to the Oakland Museum of California. Drawing upon vintage prints, unedited proof sheets, personal memorabilia, and historic objects, this exhibition takes a unique approach to a beloved American photographer by examining how her artistry and advocacy swayed minds and prompted significant change in this nation's history.

ON VIEW

UNEARTHED: Found + Made
Through April 24, 2016
In a unique mash-up, UNEARTHED: Found + Made intermixes work by a contemporary artist with the creative practice of amateur local clubs. Oakland-born, Los Angeles-based artist Jedediah Caesar imitates geological processes in making his sculptures, sometimes encasing found objects from the urban environment in clear or colored resin. The California Suiseki Society and the San Francisco Suiseki Kai practice a Japanese tradition of carefully collecting, appreciating, and displaying stones on carved wooden platforms. Placing Caesar's sculpture alongside suiseki by members of these clubs highlights a similarity in process they share: each collects loose material from the landscape, reworking and presenting it for shared appreciation. Highlighting the mashing-up of two distinct types of activity and the literal act of taking things from the earth, UNEARTHED: Found + Made features the comparisons between these two practices to generate conversation and mutual understanding across communities and creative ways of working.

Bees: Tiny Insect: Big Impact
Through July 24, 2016
This exhibition in OMCA's Gallery of California Natural Sciences takes a look at the wildly diverse and intricate world of one of the most important creatures to human agriculture and the natural environment. Through family-friendly experiences, hands-on activities, and media, Bees: Tiny Insect, Big Impact touches on topics of honeybees and Bay Area beekeeping, the diversity of California native bee species, citizen science projects, and the similarities between bees and humans. Visitors will discover real bee specimens under a microscope, crawl through a human-sized beehive, and try on a beekeeper suit. In an immersive gallery environment, visitors can explore the causes of bee population decline, learn about the significance of bees to California's economy and ecosystems, and discover how simple but powerful actions by Californians can help bees to survive in a changing world.

ABOUT THE OAKLAND MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) brings together collections of art, history, and natural science under one roof to tell the extraordinary stories of California and its people. OMCA's groundbreaking exhibits tell the many stories that comprise California with many voices, often drawing on first-person accounts by people who have shaped California's cultural heritage. Visitors are invited to actively participate in the Museum as they learn about the natural, artistic, and social forces that affect the state and investigate their own role in both its history and its future. With more than 1.9 million objects, OMCA 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.

VISITOR INFORMATION
The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is at 1000 Oak Street, at 10th Street, in Oakland. Museum admission is $15.95 general; $10.95 seniors and students with valid ID, $6.95 youth ages 9 to 17, and free for Members and children 8 and under. 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. The accessibility ramp is located at the 1000 Oak Street main entrance to the Museum. museumca.org

Source: http://www.theweedblog.com/first-ever-museum-exhibition-on-marijuana-in-california-to-open-in-april