The film I mentioned screening Friday is described below. Also, while on-line at the OM website, I noticed there was a free film screening tomorrow evening.

Oakland Museum free film Tuesday, 10/2 and Friday 10/5
Free film: Miss Navajo at the Oakland Museum of California, at the James Moore Theatre, 1000 Oak Street, at 6:30, October 2, 2007. There is free parking in the museum garage on Oak Street.
Visit http://www.museumca.org/pdf/missnavajo510.pdf

First Friday Events
Public Japanese Gardens in the USA: Present and Past Author Reading and Book Signing, 5:30

For more than 35 years, David Newcomer has been searching out Japanese gardens in the U.S. His new book is a guide to gardens in Northern California. Included with museum admission.

Dude, Where's My Black Studies Department?
Author Reading and Book Signing, 6:30

Dude, Where's My Black Studies Department? The Disappearance of Black Americans from U.S. Universities. African American author Cecil Brown will be signing copies of his new book. Brown writes that Blacks have been vanishing from college campuses in the United States and “reappearing in prisons, videos, and movies.” He tackles this unwitting “disappearing act” head-on, with special attention to the University of California system and UC Berkeley, where Brown received his PhD in African-American Literature, Folklore, and Theory of Narrative. Included with museum admission.

Feria Urbana Fair/Sale 5–9 p.m.

Courtesy Feria Urbana
An urban fair of local artists and designers. One-of-a kind crafts, jewelry, clothing, fashion accessories, baby items, and more. Included with museum admission.

Ric Alexander, 5–9 p.m.
The first Friday of every month takes on a whole new groove at the Oakland Museum of California! Hear live performances by leading Bay Area artists (tonight features the fusion jazz of Ric Alexander), enjoy the full cash bar and light dining in our café. Take a break from the music to hear insider secret stories about our galleries, practice yoga, catch a flick, meet an author, check out new merchandise at the Museum Store, and support local artists and designers at Feria Urbana and Oaklandish. Visit www.museumca.org/ffaf/index.html for additional information. Included with museum admission.

Simmin Joy, 5:30 & 7:15
Simmin Joy practices Anusara-style yoga in a class for adults that is deep and lighthearted, focused and fun. Bring your mat, sit down, relax—and breathe. Included with museum admission.

Sunset Cinema: Piece By PieceFilm. Screens 6:30-8:30 p.m.

KQED's Truly CA film series returns to the museum gardens. Nic Hill's film documents 20 years of San Francisco's controversial and often misunderstood graffiti art movement-a candid look at the story behind the writing on the wall. Bring a picnic basket and blanket and enjoy the film and complimentary beverages, dessert, and one glass of wine (with ID). Q & A after the film. Sunset Cinema is co-sponsored by the museum, the KQED Education Network, and the Oakland Film Office. Download the outdoor screening guide (PDF) Free.

Thursday Club 1967 Riot Photo. The Thursday Club © 2005. 8 p.m.

Filmmaker George Paul Csicsery was beaten at an antiwar demonstration in Oakland in 1967. Thirty years later he set out to find the police officers who were present at that event— and his best clue, a newspaper photograph of himself getting clubbed. The film looks at the now retired officers and reveals their thoughts on the protests of the ’60s. Included with museum admission.

Gallery Secrets Revealed Curator's Tour at 6 p.m.

Inez Brooks-Myers, curator of costumes and textiles, is a great story-teller. Hear some insider secrets in the Art and History Galleries. Included with museum admission.