This month, Oceanside Museum of Art continues its streak of bringing innovative art and cultural experiences to our community!

Oceanside Museum of Art is debuting two brand-new exhibitions along with the return of their Music at the Museum series kicking off with a special tribute to Oceanside and OMA’s 25th anniversary.

Music at the Museum Returns | May 6

Music at the Museum: A Tribute to Oceanside is back Friday, May 6 at 5PM-9PM. This monthly event takes place the first Friday of every month featuring live music from local musicians.

This month’s event is a special celebration of Oceanside and OMA’s historic 25th anniversary and coincides with Oceanside’s downtown First Friday Art Walk.

The event will feature Oceanside’s Member’s Only Car Club parked in front of OMA with some of the finest lowriders on earth! Enjoy the sounds of local hip-hop artist Dezzy Hollow who is also featured in OMA’s Oceanside Unfiltered exhibition currently on display.

There will also be a live DJ spinning old school and funk music, along with freestyle breakdancing from local group, Wild Sevenz. Attendees can also enjoy local brews from South O Brewing Co along with wood-fired pizza available for purchase from Saucey Mouth made in mobile pizza ovens by Chef Daniel Pundik.

Shinpei Takeda: Limits of Your Safe Space | May 6 – September 10

This exhibition explores the concept of what a “safe space” means to different people, as expressed by five individuals impacted by issues such as immigration, forced displacement, and active combat.

Shinpei Takeda: Limits of Your Safe Space is experienced through a mixed reality environment, powered by elements of physical reality, augmented reality and virtual reality. Visitors to the museum will be invited to interact with the installation using their mobile devices, along with virtual reality headsets prompting conversations about safe space in our society and in the emerging virtual spaces.

Throughout fall 2021, artist Shinpei Takeda guided a series of virtual reality workshops with selected participants who identified as immigrants, refugees, and veterans, as they shared stories about how their physical, social, and psychological spaces have been impacted by their experiences. Participants worked with Shinpei collaboratively to envision, design, and create an expression of their safe spaces within the virtual environment.

Shinpei currently resides in Tijuana and his experiences with cross-border relationships has inspired not only this installation but works from throughout his career. He hopes this piece becomes a chance for visitors to think about their own safe space and how to step outside/break free.

Additionally, on May 7 from 6PM – 8PM, attendees can enjoy a guided tour of the exhibition led by Shinpei Takeda followed by a panel discussing the viewpoints of the “safe spaces” in more detail.

A Kind of Heaven | May 21- August 21

Curated by dynamic writer and critic, Michael Pearce, this exhibition features work by Southern California visionary artists who imagine the world as another place, where alternatives to everyday reality are made manifest, and landscapes, animals, and people are transformed.

A Kind of Heaven seeks common ground between visionaries, the conceptions of science fiction and fantasy, and intrepid explorers of the imagination. California is the land of imagination, the home of epic fantasies and wild creativity. The recipe for the show is a dash of Hieronymus Bosch, a taste of alternative reality, and a generous helping of dreams.

We love the innovative art and cultural experiences Oceanside Museum of Art is bringing to our community!

See you there, San Diego!