Media Advisory: Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life open house Jan. 22

ATTENTION: Reporters covering art, culture and higher education

WHAT: The University of California, Berkeley’s public opening of the new home of the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life. The new Magnes, in the heart of downtown Berkeley, will provide unprecedented access for scholars and the general public to special collections, exhibitions and public programs.

The 25,000-square-foot facility features a lecture room, seminar areas and a state-of-the art, central space to exhibit the Magnes’ treasured prints, paintings, photographs, costumes and Jewish ceremonial objects that tell the stories of Jews in the Global Diaspora and the American West.

One of the world’s preeminent collections of Jewish life, culture and history, the Magnes became part of The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley in 2010.

WHEN: Noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 22

WHERE: The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley

DETAILS: The open house will feature a ribbon cutting and remarks, and four exhibitions will be open:

o "Dissolving Localities: Berkeley-Jerusalem"

o "The Magnes Effect: Five Decades of Collecting"

o "Case Study No. 1: Shaken, No Stirred"

o "Gale Antokal: The Spill"

The event also will include food and a variety of musical performances by:

o The University of California Marching Band

o Kol HaDov, a campus a capella ensemble

o Za’atar, a Mizrahi band

o Veretski Pass, music from the Carpathian Bow