Outreach through OctoberCraft

Dia de los Muertos arts & crafts

Looking for ways to reach out to the community and prove that a museum can be a fun place for families to spend the day sometimes takes more than talking about the cool exhibits you have and what kids can learn.  Sometimes, you just have to focus on the fun and let the learning creep up on your visitors- especially the younger ones.

Learning to use a sewing machine

To get families excited about coming out over this last weekend, we put on our first- and hopefully not last!- OctoberCraft. A day of fun, costumes, arts and crafts. We advertised through Facebook, community bulletin boards, and word of mouth.  We crossed out fingers that we might get 20 people to come out. By the end of Saturday, over 70 people had come out and everyone seemed to hav a good time.

For the past 3 years Bob Diaz has come out for Halloween to do crafts and stories centered on Dia de los Muertos.  This year we also had exhibit designer, photographer, and bag-maker Michael Field and his wife Stephanie Bedwell come out to do bags.  Sticking with the Dia de los Muertos theme, kids drew colorful skulls on fabric, then learned how to use a sewing machine to turn their fabric into bags perfect for an evening of trick-or-treating.  For many of the kids, this was their first time on a sewing machine, and several took to it like pros!

After making their bags, the kids discovered that Michael wasn't just great on a sewing machine- he's pretty awesome behind a camera too! His seasonal exhibit: PHOTOLAB: Michael Field: Designer, Hiker, Photographer is currently on display in the museum, and they were excited to see the different hiking bags he'd made and compare them to the bags they had just learned to make.

Modeling their bags, and Michael's hiking bags in PHOTOLAB: Michael Field: Designer, Hiker, Photographer

And no craft event is complete without the chance to do some coiled clay! Kids in costumes ranging from princesses to skeletons to spacemen practiced making clay pots and 'spooky lanterns'. It was great watching everyone have fun, and also getting the chance to engage with the exhibits in between their crafts.  This was a successful event that brought families out to the museum and gave them a chance to see the full range of what we have to offer them in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

SAA Conference Session Success!

Caitlin, Anne, Jessica, Kelsey & Caitlin celebrating a successful SAA session!

Many of you know one of the reasons I headed to the Society of American Archivists national convention in Cleveland this year was to give a presentation.  Over the last several months I've been working with colleagues (and now friends) from across the country on a panel discussion called "You Do What? Nontraditional Outreach that Works!"

Caitlin Brennecke with Troy Historic Village; Caitlin Christian-Lamb with Davidson College; Kelsey Duinkerke with Thomas Jefferson University; Jessica Holden with the University of Massachusetts, Boston; and I gave a panel discussion moderated by the wonderful Michelle Ganz from Lincoln Memorial University, Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum.  We each discussed specific outreach program from our institutions that step a little bit outside the box from "traditional" outreach.  Lectures are fun, but why not play with clay or historic medical instruments while learning?  Each of us explored the idea that outreach events should be fun and engaging as well as educational.  Being unique and going beyond the walls of our institutions meant that we could reach wider audiences and interest them in different ways. 

Between 125-150 people attended our session.  We were thrilled by the number of interesting and engaging questions people had. It was obvious people were already thinking of ways to bring our suggestions into their institutions.  This was also my first experience with "live tweeting" from audience members. It sounded a little intimidating beforehand, but we received some really wonderful comments from audience members: #saa #s303: 

"Lack of arts programs in community can be helped by local museums/archives. See Imperial Valley Desert Museum for good example"

"Just saw a fabulous session on outreach. Thanks to the panelists on #s303 #saa15!"

"s303 was a really great session on archival outreach! And they actually left plenty of time for questions."

"#saa #s303 Ceramics collection. Bringing hands-on programming TO the schools."

"Being a visible presence in the community is definitely an outreach goal of mine"

"Build outreach programs around the strongest most unique part of your collections- and if something works, be ready for growth!"

"Lesson: communities are often excited & hungry for engagement once they know what you have to offer- so let them know!"

"Outreach/service: If it's feasible, low risk/high reward, always say yes!"

Special thanks to the many people who sought us out after the session was over to tell us how much they enjoyed our talk. This was very supportive and helpful to a group of young professionals giving their first SAA conference presentations!  It was especially energizing since we were starting to look at the challenging process of turning our talk into an article for publication- your comments helped give us the push to make sure we will go through with that plan!

Exploring Cleveland's Museum of Natural History

Cleveland Museum of Natural History

I'm in Cleveland for the Society of American Archivist's annual convention this week (and presenting on Friday! more about that later in the week).  In between sessions and workshops I actually managed a whole day with nothing scheduled.  So, after a little research online, I planned to spend the day at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.  I'm probably not the person an average museum browser wants to go to the museum with.  I'm there looking at text panels and artifact mounting choices as much as the exhibits themselves- looking at what works, what choices I'd make in designing a similar exhibit, etc.  It means I take way longer looking at stuff than others want to, and I'm boring in what I focus on.  But I was going by myself, so I didn't have to feel guilty about being boring today.


The first room I went in consisted of dioramas of artifacts and animals - heavy on the taxidermy- similar to what you'd see in most museums.  I get it. You want to show the entire culture, history, archaeology, flora, and fauna of North America and you've got one room to do it.  There are limited ways that's going to happen.  There were a surprisingly large number of small children there today and the animals clearly grabbed their attention the most.  I enjoyed listening to the chatter between kids and parents- so very similar no matter what museum you're in! My favorite was a little girl asking if an animal was an alligator or a crocodile and her dad telling her to read what the card said, because when we read, we learn things.  She was very proud to discover all on her own that it was an alligator.



This museum has Balto.  The actual dog.  There was a very nice little explanation of who he was and why he was in Cleveland as well as a more modern (and I thought very well done), hands-on touch screen that let you watch silent film clips
from the news on Balto and the Serum Run; as well as a game where you got to pick your team of animals to pull a sled and see if you'd make it to Nome.  With an explanation of why you'd win the race when you picked the right sled animals or why you'd lose the race when you picked a team of chihuahuas or cats to pull the sled (yes, cats. Who wouldn't pick that team once just to see what would happen?).

Smilodon, a.k.a. Saber-tooth Cat

 The dinosaurs included interesting information and I got to see a mammoth and saber-toothed cat. There was a special, temporary exhibit looking at the "Largest Dinosaurs on Earth" which had some amazing science and hands-on activities to look at how giant dinosaurs might have lived. It went "beyond the bones" into the science of how animals so large could breathe, eat, move, etc.  Incredible, and well worth going to the museum just for this while its there.  And there was a table where kids got to put on their scientist hat and dig with a little tool kit. Very similar to what we keep trying to figure out how to fund with archaeology.

Be a paleontologist!

I was particularly interested in the geology, Earth sciences, and Gems & Minerals section since that's what we'll be designing next.  Cleveland has the coveted "shake table" we're cutting from our design. It was cool, well done, and the kids I watched really liked it- which means I'm going to have to come up with something interactive that's even better (well, equally cool. You can't really do better than an earthquake simulator) so I'm not disappointed in myself. That eternal challenge of limited funds and limited space!  But I'm working on a few cool possibilities. 

See volcanoes and earthquakes that have 'recently' been active? Those are plates for you

 Last, but by no means least, there was the outdoor Live Animals section.  Who'd expect that in a museum? It was great- otters, foxes, a bobcat, and a very tame coyote who was showing off some of her tricks for a photographer while I was there.  The information on each species included why these particular animals were there.  They made sure to explain that these particular animals were too tame to be set into the wild, but not good pets in general! I thought that was very well done. I can't wait to see the new habitats that are being planned!

Charcoal the Coyote shows off for a photographer

A little female red fox

Otters Linus & Lucy enjoyed a fishy snack and some play

Like any good museum staff, I was both thrilled and insanely jealous to see all of the plans the museum has for its renovations.  Added space! New exhibits! Fancy new animal enclosures! More hands-on interactive for kids and adults! Everything you want to see, they are working on.  I wasn't overly impressed with my first look at Cleveland, now I want to move here and design exhibits for the Natural History Museum.  It combines the personality and warmth of a small museum with the collection scale of a large museum into a wonderful learning experience for kids and adults alike.  I can't wait to come back and see the finished renovations in 2020 (unless they do hire me and I'm back sooner? I'll be watching their website for job openings!)

Behind the scenes: IVDM YouTube series

In December, we were awarded a Cal Humanities: Community Stories grant to integrate video into our permanent exhibit.  The grant has made it possible to include unseen interview footage from the over 70 hours of raw footage for the award-winning, Emmy-nominated documentary First People-Kumeyaay into our work.  Eventually some of these videos will be projected into the Lake Cahuilla Object Theater diorama in the Museum's new exhibit.  Hopefully, future grants will allow us to install projectors and computer equipment to even more seamlessly integrate the stories within the physical exhibit.

One of the main parts of the grant was that we would have 20 videos available to the public through YouTube, hosted on the Museum's website, so that even people who can't drive out to the museum can see and experience them.  We believe the videos will succeed in reaching younger audiences in particular, and teachers will be able to show the videos in their classrooms- hopefully encouraging an increased understanding, appreciation, and awareness by the students not only of Kumeyaay culture, but also the uniqueness of the Imperial Valley.

A new part of our website Kumeyaay Nation Stories of Change will not only host the videos but also provide background information on the project and, eventually, teacher resources for classrooms use.  The website will grow over the next several weeks as additional videos are posted.  But today marks the first video to go live and the official beginning of the online project.  We hope everyone gets the chance to explore this exciting and unusual series as it goes live and as new features are added over the next several weeks and months.

Click here to go straight to our YouTube channel and the first of the Kumeyaay Nation Stories of Change videos!

No Animals Were Harmed in the Making of this Exhibit

Our mountain lion: Queen of all she surveys

Camouflage- helping desert animals survive, even in museums

 One of the things people love in museum exhibits are animals- and in a museum that focuses on celebrating the desert and local Native American voices, animals are especially important.   There are currently two animal statues in our exhibit, both so lifelike that they might be mistaken for real animals.   Early in design process, we determined that all representation of animals in the exhibit would be sculptural. In many respects, this follows the current trends in the museum field; it also played into the strengths of our design team.

          

  Bridget Keimel is a Senior Modelmaker at Weldon Exhibits. When making statues she starts with lots of reference photographs for the animal she will be creating. What does it look like? How do muscles bunch, tails drape, and eyes shine? 

            For the case of both our desert animals, she began with the same premade foam base sculpted bodies that taxidermists use when mounting animals. The foam manikins can be altered to fit a desired pose.           

         

Fishing line for whiskers- art from the unusual?

   Our animals were made in Weldon Exhibits’ workshop in conjunction with the rocks that would be their domain. An animal that will stand where it can be touched, like our Borrego, has rods in its feet anchoring it to the rock base. The mountain lion, on the other hand, was built separately to fit a rocky perch that was designed in the workshop. The lion was put into place when she reached the museum.  The lion’s tail was a separate piece attached later, allowing for last minute adjustments to the rocks as well as the tail for the maximum realistic effect.

Some assembly required

            Some parts of our animals are made with common materials. Glass eyes give the Borrego his soulful gaze, and the mountain lion’s whiskers are made from fishing line.  Cement, epoxy putty, and stucco are used to make layers of muscle and fur, with stronger materials used if the animal will be touched frequently.  

Photo op! Only time you'll get a Borrego to pose with you

Our Borrego was designed with the idea that he would probably be touched a lot; he will endure a lot of wear and tear. 

In fact, he has become the center of a new social media campaign- Sheep Selfies (#shelfie).  Designed as a photo opportunity, we invite people to send us their photographs of themselves and their families with the sheep for us to post on Facebook and Twitter. Who knows- can his own Twitter account be far behind?

What's it called when a sheep takes a selfie? A #shelfie of course!

Rocking a Museum

Rocks coming to the Museum

This Sunday we had our first group of visitors to see the "behind-the scenes" construction zone that is currently the museum.  While I know it's more traditional to not show people a new exhibit, especially something as major as we're building, before it is complete, I think it is important for the community to be a part of the entire process.  Here in the Imperial Valley people have been waiting and supporting this museum for years and are excited that we are finally graduating to a permanent exhibit.  "Becoming a real museum" as so many visitors call it.  My philosophy on what a "real museum" is can wait for another blog though.  Today is about what goes on behind-the-scenes of rocking an exhibit.

Travertine Point's waterline, in progress

One of the features of our new museum that everyone was blown away by were the large rocks we have throughout the building.  Built into each section of the museum you now find giant fake rocks that look exactly like rocks you would find hiking in the Valley.  When the installation is finished there will be pull-out panels describing a hike in the area where you would see these rocks "in the wild" as well as explanations for different features, like Travertine Point's water line.


How are these rocks designed and built so that you can't tell a real rock from a fake? According to the designers at Weldon Exhibits it all starts with photographs and rock samples.  A scale model is built in the workshop in order to work out design issues, location issues, etc.  A full sized model is built next onto mocked up walls simulating their final location. The foam models are then carved and shaped with hot wires, saws and knives until the features are perfect.  Layers of plaster coat the model, soaking into the foam and creating a shell that will keep the rocks from being damaged.  Different coats create a rocky texture and seal the structure.  Everything is then dismantled, boxed, shipped, and reassembled in its new home.  Layers of paint are applied referencing more photographs to endure that the end result looks like the original.  For most of the rocks here that means layers of weathering, orange desert varnish and patina, quartz veins, and different textures for granite, basalt, tufa, etc.  One large rock piece can weigh several hundred pounds, take a week to build in the workshop, then up to two days of a team painting them during installation before they are declared ready to go.

Rocks foamed and ready for paint

Layers of paint and days of work go into the details of rock painting

While on site some changes may be made. They installation team was inspired to add a few real rocks to one section of the design, although it will take a close examination for anyone to pick out the real rocks from the manmade ones.  The end result is something durable enough to handle hordes of field trips, but realistic enough to be instantly recognizable as certain areas to hikers.  While many visitors may see these as merely frames to the exhibit, others will see them as a seamlessly integrated aspect of the exhibit- another way of reminding us all that the desert and the people who live here are deeply entwined. And perhaps that science, history, and art are just as connected.

In progress veined rock, and rocks with 'patina' applied

Installing a New Exhibit Begins

Looking good, even in protective wrap!

Monday, March 30 and Tuesday, March 31 trucks arrived and members of the Weldon Exhibitsteam spent an intense two days unloading exhibit components.  Wednesday began installation and even at the start of Day 3 you can already see the exhibits starting to take shape. 

Unloading components

Before installation

  

It's thrilling to see what we've only imagined through design drawings starting to take shape in our museum- we hope you're getting as excited as we are!

WE staff applying photographic mural

Our sheep will supervise the rest of installation