Berkeley Art Museum

For museum hoppers across the Bay, a visit to the Berkeley Art Museum (BAM) is an exciting glimpse into an expansive art collection with both local and global significance. Founded in 1963, the museum is U.C. Berkeley’s visual arts center and one of the largest university art museums in the country.

Designed to spark the imagination and the dialogue process, it is only fitting for BAM to feature an exhibition by William T. Wiley, a beloved Bay Area artist and social commentator who was dubbed “a national treasure” by the Wall Street Journal. Wiley’s style is witty, political, ambiguous, and layered with meanings. Beauty and tragedy both can be gleaned from his work, where absurdist humor makes frequent appearances. “What’s It All Mean: William T. Wiley in Retrospect,” consists of paintings, sculpture, and installation art on display at BAM through mid-summer of 2010.

In addition to hosting a diverse breadth of continuing exhibitions, BAM’s permanent collection includes Asian, early American, mid-twentieth century, contemporary international, and local art. Important works by Jackson Pollack, Paul Gauguin, Mark Rothko, and many more can be found here.

One of the best features of the museum is the MATRIX Exhibition, where contemporary, avant-garde artists display their latest creations six to eight times a year. In addition, the first Friday nights of the month at BAM bring in a range of artist talks and events that are open to the public, with expanded hours, live music, and refreshments.

A discussion of BAM is not complete without mentioning The Pacific Film Archive (PFA), part of the larger museum. PFA is internationally recognized for housing 14,000 innovative and socially relevant films. These films are regularly shown at the BAM’s Pacific Film Archive Theater. Audiences come here daily to see rare films and classics, new historic works, independent fiction films and documentaries, and even international animation.

Expect big improvements to come soon for BAM/PFA, with a new building project in the works. The addition of 50,000 square feet to the existing site will further enable the museum to meet creative artistic goals and engage a global audience.

HelloOakland tip: Get into the Berkeley Art Museum free on the first Thursday of each month.

 

- by Renee M. Rutledge, San Francisco Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Renee M. Rutledge

Renee M. Rutledge currently writes articles on local travel and culture for Red Tricycle, Parents' Press, Oakland Magazine, and Alameda Magazine.