By Shirley Hawkins
Contributing Writer
EXPOSITION PARK — After months of undergoing infrastructure repairs, the California African American Museum reopened to the public May 22.
Kicking off the museum opening is artist’s Paula Wilson exhibition entitled Toward the Sky’s Back Door which will be on display through Aug. 18.
The exhibit presents nearly two decades of Wilson’s work, which includes paintings, sculptures, prints, collages and videos while exploring subjects as wide-ranging as ancient Greek vases, West African D’mba, the moth that pollinates Yucca plants, and modern technologies.
For yoga buffs, meditation teacher Constance Hartwell will conduct Self Care Yoga from 11 a.m. to noon May 25.
The museum also is sponsoring a community bike ride from noon to 1 p.m. May 25.
The 2024 season of Jazz @ CAAM debuts May 30 with alto saxophonist and singer-songwriter Braxton Cook performing from 7 to 8 p.m.
Poet Yazmin Monét Watkins will share her poetry from 7 to 8 p.m. June 6.
The museum will celebrate Juneteenth with a full day of wellness and family activities June 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
An exhbit, Black California Dreamin’: Claiming Space at America’s Leisure Frontier will be on display Aug. 5-18.
The exhibit features historical photographs and memorabilia along with contemporary artworks that tell stories of self-determination, leadership, geographic and social mobility and cultural identity. It is curated by Alison Rose Jefferson, an independent historian, curator, and author of “Living the California Dream: African American Leisure Sites during the Jim Crow Era.”
Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays except for Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January.
Information: 213-744-7432.
Shirley Hawkins is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers. She can be reached at metropressnews@gmail.com.
