tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78870644839688957242024-03-13T06:32:39.437-07:00Spirit of the DesertThe Blog of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum ~ www.ivdesertmuseum.orgIV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.comBlogger395125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-70656083007500177412021-10-27T15:35:00.001-07:002021-10-27T15:35:41.285-07:00Untapped: IVDM BeerFest 2021<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: underline; text-indent: 48px;">~ Kayla Kirby, IVDM Education Specialist</span></p><p>"A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure." -- Czech proverb</p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0BqVmkyqQ1M/YXnMCO_wWSI/AAAAAAAAvew/vvL2GZ1yX7QngSthGhD2b5Tgi7ty6A3kwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Beerfest%2Bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0BqVmkyqQ1M/YXnMCO_wWSI/AAAAAAAAvew/vvL2GZ1yX7QngSthGhD2b5Tgi7ty6A3kwCLcBGAsYHQ/w150-h200/Beerfest%2Bad.jpg" width="150" /></a></p><p>Guests traveled from all over the Imperial Valley, and even San Diego County, to visit the Imperial Valley Desert Museum this past Saturday for a night of beer tasting. Museum staff were happy to host our annual BeerFest, especially after missing out on the chance for fun last year. </p><p>The event sponsor, Alford Distributing, donated a variety of beers, including a pumpkin porter, passion fruit kombucha, a michelada lager, a fleet of IPAs, and more. The two favorite kinds of the night were the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Oktoberfest and the Karl Strauss Brewing Co. Boat Shoes. </p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5fBJ6wxn2Zk/YXnLlrkXztI/AAAAAAAAvek/TpnHeXS5vo0VdaND2r9JAkBccwLQiWJlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20211023_193150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5fBJ6wxn2Zk/YXnLlrkXztI/AAAAAAAAvek/TpnHeXS5vo0VdaND2r9JAkBccwLQiWJlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20211023_193150.jpg" width="320" /></a>More than 80 guests sampled beer, toured the museum's exhibits, and generously participated and tried their luck with the night's raffles. As the keystone fundraiser for IVDM in its fall season, and the seasonal alternative to the institution's spring Wine Tasting and Silent Auction, raised funds from the night offer continued support for the museum's education and curation programs. The sounds of unleashed carbonation and the cascade of liquid hops into customized beer glasses resounded against the backdrop of classic rock blaring through the museum's exterior speakers, the ever-changing hues of LED event lighting, and the groans and cries of celebration among patrons of the night's featured horror-movie trivia game.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KhFmpIFSMWc/YXnPnzp70pI/AAAAAAAAvfY/22THWFRzHkAhTQx0AA688GtUOpniIDJ2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20211023_192824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KhFmpIFSMWc/YXnPnzp70pI/AAAAAAAAvfY/22THWFRzHkAhTQx0AA688GtUOpniIDJ2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/20211023_192824.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xq69fTotuU/YXnL4uY451I/AAAAAAAAves/nPNV0NF7ukgPQ7WFwaopIUWaCweuJoN9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20211023_192740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xq69fTotuU/YXnL4uY451I/AAAAAAAAves/nPNV0NF7ukgPQ7WFwaopIUWaCweuJoN9ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/20211023_192740.jpg" width="320" /></a>Despite the windy night, guests and staff had a wonderful time. This year saw the museum move away from taps and kegs to instead offer bottle service, allowing for a greater variety of beer. Museum staff greatly enjoyed sharing that wider range of offerings and helping guests to find their new favorite flavor and style of beer!</p><p>We hope to see you all again -- and, hopefully, many new faces as well -- for the 2022 wine tasting event. Stay tuned for details... and happy drinking!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNvJXTcsuNM/YXnMbkcy3iI/AAAAAAAAvfA/ldptCV6GSBEAef3FWwmPJsh27LoJo013QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/20211023_194855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qNvJXTcsuNM/YXnMbkcy3iI/AAAAAAAAvfA/ldptCV6GSBEAef3FWwmPJsh27LoJo013QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/20211023_194855.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-34181050600677232462021-10-09T14:44:00.000-07:002021-10-09T14:44:08.465-07:00Picking Pigments for Pottery Painting<div class="separator"><span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-size: 14.85px; text-decoration-line: underline; text-indent: 48px;">~ Kayla Kirby, IVDM Education Specialist</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hf17qxlKUuQ/YWIDYgalarI/AAAAAAAAvZQ/ZM5CVSHaIOsWbyKUVPpsRyUl4mNoqQDKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/21930905358_1e82e7fe5b_k.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hf17qxlKUuQ/YWIDYgalarI/AAAAAAAAvZQ/ZM5CVSHaIOsWbyKUVPpsRyUl4mNoqQDKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/21930905358_1e82e7fe5b_k.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Art is important to any civilization. Art can be used to tell stories, share information, practice religion, and much, much more. Today, we sing at concerts, host plays and dance recitals, and paint on canvas. Those who came before us, enjoyed art a little differently. Have you ever seen photos of paintings on rock faces and cave walls (pictographs)? If you’ve toured our exhibits, you’ve probably also seen some of the Kumeyaay’s painted ollas on display.</span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In one of our previous #TraditionalCraftDays guests used the traditional practice of coiled clay pottery making to make small bowls similar to the Kumeyaay ollas. Having dried and then fired those pots, guests were invited to return for their painting -- mixing raw, ground pigments to create paints and add color and life to their vessels!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HM5MwZhwy8/YWIDy4OyV0I/AAAAAAAAvZY/3ANsoY3tTx8co_w3ouuZOuxKofUnD_O5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/image3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3HM5MwZhwy8/YWIDy4OyV0I/AAAAAAAAvZY/3ANsoY3tTx8co_w3ouuZOuxKofUnD_O5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/image3.jpeg" width="240" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guests seemed to have a lot of fun choosing what pigments to use and what designs to include on their pots. Some guests created intricate designs with snakes and polka dots, while others tried their hand at abstract painting. We were even asked to mix pigments to create custom colors! After painting, guests trickled through the exhibits to learn more about the Kumeyaay and their traditions. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Modern Pottery, Ancient Traditions</span></p><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But the Kumeyaay didn’t visit their local craft store for paint or canvas like we do today. So how did they do it?</span></p><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Knowledge of the local geology was key! From the rocks and minerals of the region, new colors and slips (paints) were created. Indigenous groups in the area made red and yellow pigment from red ochre deposits, sourcing the material from hills and red clay deposits across the state. This ochre was then ground in sandstone or basalt mortars. Sources for red ochre were kept secret between the tribes.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KvoGawybKv0/YWIE_6-2BuI/AAAAAAAAvZk/E2kXQUOU-fc6qOOfjCVaKoQs5A_uWYOEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s6000/IMG_1375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KvoGawybKv0/YWIE_6-2BuI/AAAAAAAAvZk/E2kXQUOU-fc6qOOfjCVaKoQs5A_uWYOEwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h133/IMG_1375.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KvoGawybKv0/YWIE_6-2BuI/AAAAAAAAvZk/E2kXQUOU-fc6qOOfjCVaKoQs5A_uWYOEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s6000/IMG_1375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those of you whose favorite colors are more blue-green, well guess what, indigenous groups knew how to make those colors too! Blue pigment was commonly made from blue azurite, and green was made from green malachite. However, blue azurite tends to become malachite overtime, meaning some of the blue azurite paint could have turned green over long periods of time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0jv_My7S1rs/YWIMUapoheI/AAAAAAAAvZ8/Jq-1FvFucicESobILJxCOUnT92dqvOypgCLcBGAsYHQ/s6000/IMG_1364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0jv_My7S1rs/YWIMUapoheI/AAAAAAAAvZ8/Jq-1FvFucicESobILJxCOUnT92dqvOypgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1364.JPG" width="320" /></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With the exception of a few indigenous groups, black was typically made from charcoal. It is noted that some groups believed charcoal from ash trees and oak bark were the best for making black pigment. Can you take a guess how white pigment could’ve been made? White pigment was usually made from burnt and pulverized seashells.</span></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Even though we did not search for our own red ochre deposit, harvest the red ochre, and then grind it into a powder-like substance, we sure did have a ton of fun sharing this knowledge with the community during our first pottery painting #TraditionalCraftDays.</span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-24YKeIn2xoI/YWILV-pwJ0I/AAAAAAAAvZ0/w-SzMIh4RGIm32xgBvvL8P_ZgM5l3yIsACLcBGAsYHQ/s6000/IMG_1407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-24YKeIn2xoI/YWILV-pwJ0I/AAAAAAAAvZ0/w-SzMIh4RGIm32xgBvvL8P_ZgM5l3yIsACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-46185475360014525132020-05-26T08:49:00.000-07:002020-05-26T08:49:34.503-07:00A New Donation promises SIdewalk Astronomy at IVDM<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">~ Michael Rood, Amateur Astronomer & IVDM Volunteer</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The
desert’s night sky has been a focus for Indigenous Folklore, Greek
Mythology, and just good nighttime entertainment for people
throughout human history. It only takes one visit to Ocotillo and
the Imperial Valley Desert Museum during one of its Stargazing
nights to appreciate how impressive the desert nighttime sky can be.
Children and adults all stare with wonder into the universe; they may
be listening to cultural stories of old, imagining pictures made by
stars, or listening to astronomy science, but it is always a relaxing
and enjoyable experience. The desert’s nighttime sky is the window
through which anyone can view the universe.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9Tn2YZLzWI/Xsgl09tlhxI/AAAAAAAApTQ/F7eJ8eTQ22wAgJr96NpAvGLFBXq4lamSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q9Tn2YZLzWI/Xsgl09tlhxI/AAAAAAAApTQ/F7eJ8eTQ22wAgJr96NpAvGLFBXq4lamSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/3.jpg" width="162" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Recently, through the diligent efforts of Executive Director, Dr. David Breeckner, the Imperial Valley Desert Museum has received the donation of a 30 inch Dobsonian telescope. This telescope is huge, standing at nearly 10 ft in height! Amateur astronomers are usually very satisfied with the results of six to ten inch telescopes. A 30 inch mirror telescope is simply incredible and could take astronomy nights at the museum to a new level.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A
Dobsonian telescope is an altazimuth-mounted Newtonian telescope
popularized by John Dobson in 1965. The design is optimized for
observing faint, deep-sky objects such as nebulae and galaxies.
Dobson built telescopes through his hobby of instructional “sidewalk
astronomy.” He set up his telescopes on sidewalks in San Francisco
for any passerby to view for free. He took satisfaction in
connecting people caught up in their busy urban lives to wonders of
the universe. He is credited with being the originator and promoter
of the design of large Dobsonian telescopes that revolutionized
telescopes available to the amateur astronomer.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYoMJrfVuG8/XsgmbnuBUgI/AAAAAAAApTY/Jr0-gCPHRTs0qku40FquIfb83FlrfAjsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="795" data-original-width="692" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYoMJrfVuG8/XsgmbnuBUgI/AAAAAAAApTY/Jr0-gCPHRTs0qku40FquIfb83FlrfAjsQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/5.png" width="278" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf3CEX2IuoY/Xsgl3wWgGPI/AAAAAAAApTU/PE4k8KNsy_QnDVMePezUmL6AU1etRIvVACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zf3CEX2IuoY/Xsgl3wWgGPI/AAAAAAAApTU/PE4k8KNsy_QnDVMePezUmL6AU1etRIvVACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What
does IVDM have planned with this new telescope? Dr. Breeckner is
researching possible grants and additional donations that could
assist in building a structure for housing this telescope at the
museum, providing it a forever home where Dobson's tradition of
“sidewalk astronomy” can be continued.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Any
ideas for this next step would be appreciated. For any interested
parties, remember that the Imperial Valley Desert Museum is owned
and operated by the Imperial Valley Desert Museum Society, Inc. which
is a non-profit 501(C)(3) qualified corporation that can provide tax
credits and related tax benefits to donors.</span></div>
IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-29848467189075443072020-05-07T10:28:00.000-07:002020-05-07T11:46:36.407-07:00Museum Staff Working from Home During COVID-19<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">Museum Staff Working from Home</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">Here at Imperial Valley Desert Museum, its Education staff have been
hard at work to redefine what it means to be community leaders8 and educators in
the time of social distancing and COVID-19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">IVDM closed its doors to the public on Friday, March 20. That
same day, it transitioned all of its staff to a work-at-home environment. Their
new mission? Find new ways to engage our audiences virtually and share the
history, heritage, and science of our deserts from the safety of home. Just
because its building is closed does not mean the same for the museum itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">As the Education Coordinator I am grateful for what the museum
and board is currently doing for us by allowing us the privilege of working
from home. As this pandemic continues, a lot of people have lost their jobs, or
are currently working jobs that put them in danger every single day; my utmost
respect and appreciation goes to these essential workers.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">Curriculum Development</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">One of the greatest challenges facing educators right now is the
transition to an online classroom. Every day, these teachers are reinventing
education in this country. They are hungry for new, trustworthy content to
share with their students. The Education Staff and I are currently working to
answer this need: developing new online virtual curriculum and revising current
curriculum for the next season of field trips and education programs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; text-align: center;">We are utilizing this time to create online content and lessons
to provide support for teachers and students during this time. We are also
making sure the existing education material reflects the most updated and
current version of California State Standards.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">How
does the Education Staff feel about working from home?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">The Education Staff
shared some insight on what their experience working from home has been like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHUT8zC9t_s/XrRCkcZloyI/AAAAAAAApNs/5uZUrzeDmm0vWPM5X549LaEUXv2y23lQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/cory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHUT8zC9t_s/XrRCkcZloyI/AAAAAAAApNs/5uZUrzeDmm0vWPM5X549LaEUXv2y23lQwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/cory.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">Cory
Fitzsimmons<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">Working
from home has been a great experience overall. As a prospective teacher, I see
that it's really valuable to be able to create online educational material. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu6LPa-Tn0Y/XrRB4fbw1dI/AAAAAAAApNg/mezYV69pazkdYWSOatARdw1HV3a4fXuagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/luis.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1453" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pu6LPa-Tn0Y/XrRB4fbw1dI/AAAAAAAApNg/mezYV69pazkdYWSOatARdw1HV3a4fXuagCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/luis.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> Luis
Landeros</span></div>
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<i><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">I
have been learning so many new things either from doing research or writing
outlines and scripts, which I never thought this was something I would get to
do! It is such a different experience and working from home is what is needed
in such hard times so it is what we will keep doing to help the museum keep
moving forward!</span></i></i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VsR04XJkDEU/XrRBwatGJ_I/AAAAAAAApNc/7SLxFmpyRrkYpfCY-P_G3gw7Y2XmCoeXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/charles.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VsR04XJkDEU/XrRBwatGJ_I/AAAAAAAApNc/7SLxFmpyRrkYpfCY-P_G3gw7Y2XmCoeXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/charles.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> Charles Kirby</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: "Lucida Sans";">Of
course, I would prefer being all together, but I feel everyone is just as
committed to getting the work done. I also feel that my colleagues and
supervisors are always available if needed and have been super willing to work
with me if I have any issues or concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-20804958916202705152020-02-28T13:33:00.000-08:002020-06-01T08:37:37.846-07:00Ocotillo Blooms 2020!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u3A2Z59bZtw/Xlg-Xml0jPI/AAAAAAAAo4k/YZj0I8e6HU0IPC7XJs6lBIUIPwS2ftgTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/image_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u3A2Z59bZtw/Xlg-Xml0jPI/AAAAAAAAo4k/YZj0I8e6HU0IPC7XJs6lBIUIPwS2ftgTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/image_8.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each
spring, the desert comes alive as the wildflowers bloom and transform the Yuha
Desert into a colorful canvas, and the best place to celebrate this is at the
Imperial Valley Desert Museum!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On Sunday,
February 23, the IVDM hosted its 2<sup>nd</sup> Annual Ocotillo Blooms! – a
community based event designed for families and children to come out to the
Museum and celebrate wildflowers blooming in our desert and learn the many
values of native plants.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This year we had 170 attendees, many of them being families with young children. The event included food,music, vendors, painting, a water color activity, scavenger hunt, desert biome lecture, and butterfly release. We were able to release 100 </span>painted<span style="font-family: inherit;"> butterflies into our desert!</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fWZv13jLS3g/Xlg_JoJAG1I/AAAAAAAAo4w/hv1l70G26ngkT9Rmv4OdEEQrIsbdwi-OgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/image_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fWZv13jLS3g/Xlg_JoJAG1I/AAAAAAAAo4w/hv1l70G26ngkT9Rmv4OdEEQrIsbdwi-OgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/image_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fWZv13jLS3g/Xlg_JoJAG1I/AAAAAAAAo4w/hv1l70G26ngkT9Rmv4OdEEQrIsbdwi-OgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/image_11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our vendors included, Vince & Victor Zazueta, who were set up with a compost station, and natural products for sampling and purchasing. Some of the items available were loofahs, seeds, and fresh homemade lemonade! Imperial County Behavioral Health Services Positive Engagement Team (P.E.T.) provided a booth with their therapy dog, Bo, who made many friends including our resident tortoise Speedy! Loko Bean Cafe's coffee cart had many refreshing drinks to offer like Italian soda, iced coffee, and chamangos, as well as cotton candy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T1-l7OxjvF8/XlmABz36YVI/AAAAAAAAo5U/_FUnNxd23-I3HFURYm5JaxnKmBbl2kfGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_3790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T1-l7OxjvF8/XlmABz36YVI/AAAAAAAAo5U/_FUnNxd23-I3HFURYm5JaxnKmBbl2kfGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/IMG_3790.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It was a beautiful day in the desert to celebrate the yearly phenomenon known as the desert bloom. A desert bloom occurs when enough </span>rainfall<span style="font-family: inherit;"> penetrates dormant seeds and causes them to grow quickly before desert conditions cause them to dry out again. We received a small wave of rainfall two weeks prior to the event, which caused the </span>brittlebush<span style="font-family: inherit;">, Ocotillo, and </span>creosote<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to thrive </span>surrounding<span style="font-family: inherit;"> the museum. We look forward to what it's in store for us next year!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thank you to our sponsors El Centro Costco, the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, participants, vendors, staff, and volunteers for making this event possible!</b></span></span></div>
IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-74536693333110945492020-02-02T12:11:00.002-08:002020-02-02T15:57:27.357-08:00Meet and Greet! IVDM visits the San Diego County Archive<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">~ Kristin O'Lear, Curatorial Research Fellow</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The staff here at IVDM has been on the go-go-go! This past week I was fortunate enough to be invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of the new San Diego County Archives before they open to public on Monday February 3, 2020.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ub-nut5JPc/XjYGPSm-wfI/AAAAAAAAosg/Sim4hcukQocYzayJNDiBkkj5hOo8oDZTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_0964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7ub-nut5JPc/XjYGPSm-wfI/AAAAAAAAosg/Sim4hcukQocYzayJNDiBkkj5hOo8oDZTACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0964.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Here at IVDM we understand just how important a facility designed for preservation is! About to undergo our own renovation of collection spaces here at the Museum, the sneak-peek of the new archives facility was an opportunity for me to meet and network with other institutions in the greater San Diego area. This allowed for me as acting curator to learn about collection management policies utilized at other institutions and steps they have taken to ensure the preservation of their collections for future research and use. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ol4v1ZoiP0c/XjYGvgxS7bI/AAAAAAAAoso/EShQOMr6rt8eli2HjGCLGbqsd5KH7givQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_0948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ol4v1ZoiP0c/XjYGvgxS7bI/AAAAAAAAoso/EShQOMr6rt8eli2HjGCLGbqsd5KH7givQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0948.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">From a collections perspective, the building is a Curator's dream! The space dedicated to archival material is roughly 5000 square feet and built with the intention to grow as San Diego County (SDC) grows, setting aside space for approximately 50 years of SDC records in addition to the archival collection that is currently being housed off-site! The building also provides a spacious reading room that allows multiple researchers to utilize the space at one time. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHzN7UZTIiw/XjYGwRoKejI/AAAAAAAAos0/xd6_9E2pgfgZzT8X-xa7VjS56JbfMB4JwCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NHzN7UZTIiw/XjYGwRoKejI/AAAAAAAAos0/xd6_9E2pgfgZzT8X-xa7VjS56JbfMB4JwCEwYBhgL/s320/IMG_0958.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Although IVDM is a smaller institution and our collection needs differ than those of SDC, the preview of the new archives facility reinforces our commitment to the highest standard of care for our collections. As a curator, it makes me more conscious of IVDM's needs as a smaller museum to make sure we take the best possible care to preserve our history! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Stay tuned for future posts as we begin our renovation project in March! We can't wait to show you what we have in store(age)! </span><br />
<br />IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-74296421219012197772019-12-12T15:52:00.000-08:002019-12-12T15:52:02.310-08:00Life Along the Border: A Local Perspective Reflects on a National Conversation <span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">~ Kristin O'Lear, Curatorial Research Fellow</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">As temperatures in the desert begin to cool down, things are heating up at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum! </span></span>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vhpUqQN9tZk/XfEwMqBFzfI/AAAAAAAAoV8/1-nZcTqSvSYSKf49LrGHZVjHj10zALsewCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/20191204_133443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vhpUqQN9tZk/XfEwMqBFzfI/AAAAAAAAoV8/1-nZcTqSvSYSKf49LrGHZVjHj10zALsewCK4BGAYYCw/s320/20191204_133443.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">We just opened our new temporary exhibit <i>Life Along The Border</i>, featuring the photography of local artist and photojournalist, Jimmy Dorantes. Growing up along the border in Calexico, CA, Mr. Dorantes captured the reality of what was going on, literally, in his own front yard. Mr. Dorantes' work has been featured across national news outlets such as the Associated Press and Time magazine, as well as partnered with major institut<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">ions s</span>uch as the Smithsonian Institute. We are excited for our partnership with Mr. Dorantes and proud to showcase five decades of his work. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w8XRf8iESDQ/XfEy2SOWY9I/AAAAAAAAoWU/WAphO4nf7Y0TBF8Af_payKlLMP9Xrh2FACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w8XRf8iESDQ/XfEy2SOWY9I/AAAAAAAAoWU/WAphO4nf7Y0TBF8Af_payKlLMP9Xrh2FACK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Since my arrival in the desert two months ago, <i>Life Along The Border</i> has been my labor of love. It's not very often during exhibit development one gets the opportunity to work with the artist whose photography is at the center of the exhibit, but that's exactly what I've been fortunate enough to experience. Mr. Dorantes worked closely during the exhibition's development, lending his expertise and perspective. Working with him has been a real highlight during my time at the Museum so far. Growing up primarily on the East Coast, discussion of the border/border wall has always been abstract and distant. Conducting research for this exhibit, especially from a local perspective, has shown me just how complex the border, border wall, and the people living along it, actually is. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRY-awuK0iA/XfExHHupMsI/AAAAAAAAoWI/KxeZ3KSt7i4-XFn0pq66WHU_xbMHI0psgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/IMG_0114.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mRY-awuK0iA/XfExHHupMsI/AAAAAAAAoWI/KxeZ3KSt7i4-XFn0pq66WHU_xbMHI0psgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/IMG_0114.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> With
this exhibit, IVDM is venturing into new territory. The exhibit will be
open until March 1, 2020 and will then travel across the United States,
becoming the first exhibit developed and curated by IVDM that will
travel nationally and bring a local perspective to a national
conversation. </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We at the Museum encourage you to take time to come and see
the exhibit before its whisked away! </span><br />
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<br />IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-14490122170142813952019-11-09T16:42:00.000-08:002019-11-09T16:42:23.961-08:00We Will Ocotillo Rock You!<span style="color: #b45f06;">~ Rebecca Santiago, Education Specialist</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tER8Ln9600k/XcdYItiHptI/AAAAAAAAn7Y/vXUUbw8cATIw00Ala9PNuTnXxUI9ynEfACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tER8Ln9600k/XcdYItiHptI/AAAAAAAAn7Y/vXUUbw8cATIw00Ala9PNuTnXxUI9ynEfACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">James Egger cutting a geode</td></tr>
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Your Imperial Valley Desert Museum team rocked out at the 2019 Ocotillo Rocks! event providing educational geological speeches, hikes and games. Ocotillo Rocks! focuses on the importance of geology not only in the desert, but also the adjoining mountains of the desert and dunes on the eastern side of the Imperial Valley. We brought along our partners at the Imperial Valley Gem and Mineral Society to showcase the proper skills needed to be a successful gold miner, part a geode to reveal the hidden beauty within a plain rock, and spin a wheel of fortune for a chance at winning desert treasures, including geodes and rocks native to the desert.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luis showing soapstone to a visitor</td></tr>
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James Egger, Vice President of IV Gem and Mineral Society, shares his love and passion for desert rocks by cutting plain white and buffed rocks to expose the sparkling build up of crystals within, showcasing the hidden beauty that lies in our deserts. Along with Egger's passion for rocks, came the IV Gem and Mineral's society's passion for gold! Visitors were taught the proper methods to pan for gold guaranteed to find a nugget every time. After the thrill of finding gold or hidden beauty came an educational talk done by Education Specialist, Luis Landeros. His lecture was intriguing, interactive and inclusive of the visitors eager to know where their favorite rocks resided on the scale of rock labels. Last but not least, hiking the trails along the wash just behind the museum building, Cory Fitzsimmons and myself showed our visitors where to find milky quartz, petrified wood, sandstone and a few natural habitats of animals residing within the sands. We even had a young hiker find a beautiful piece of salt turned blue by the natural introduction of copper, leaving him excited to find more!<br />
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Once hikers were done exploring the different mysteries of the desert, they were welcomed by the warmth of fresh lunch and cold beverages along with a fun activity for those who enjoy arts and crafts. The Petrified Wood painting booth was led by Education Coordinator Lesliee Parker<br />
, where learning was made fun by letting the artistic juices flow. By painting a petrified piece of wood, visitors were not only learning about the process of minerals overtaking wood but also being able to create their own pieces of history. Ocotillo Rocks! is an event of its own that pushes the importance of education of not only the animals residing in the deserts of Ocotillo, but also the often overlooked and stepped on rocks that make up the majority of it. We thank everyone that came to enjoy this event with us as well as those who volunteered their time to be with us to make a spectacular event.<br />
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<br />IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-57252014490586592372019-10-13T11:18:00.000-07:002019-10-13T11:27:26.396-07:00East Coast, West Coast: A Curator on the Move!<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hello everyone! </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">My name is Kristin O'Lear and I am the new Curatorial Research Fellow with the Imperial Valley Desert Museum. I am originally from Macomb, Michigan and received my bachelor's degree from Michigan State University in International Relations and German. I am currently finishing my Master's degree in History, with a concentration in Public History, at East Carolina University in North Carolina. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUlc28CUA70/XaNsgA3TWBI/AAAAAAAAnyg/wRnA7dquzNoM8OEiZEEKDPbJZ-aoSMu9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_1484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUlc28CUA70/XaNsgA3TWBI/AAAAAAAAnyg/wRnA7dquzNoM8OEiZEEKDPbJZ-aoSMu9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_1484.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Before working with IVDM, I served as Pre-Professional Intern at Mystic Seaport in Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. I worked directly under the Director of Exhibits and as part of my work I developed audience evaluation tools in an effort to understand how visitors engage and perceive the exhibits they visit. As a secondary role, I worked closely with Curatorial Affairs, contributing to the photography exhibit, <i>When This You See, Remember Me</i>. As a graduate student at East Carolina University, I had the great privilege to assist in the research, design, and fabrication of an exhibit centered on a local World War II Naval Aviator at the May Museum in Farmville, North Carolina. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81xgIrHpmmY/XaJDGccNZtI/AAAAAAAAnyU/CRATJwkbqRIEioC6URKJNWWR1yr861OxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG-1545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81xgIrHpmmY/XaJDGccNZtI/AAAAAAAAnyU/CRATJwkbqRIEioC6URKJNWWR1yr861OxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG-1545.JPG" width="240" /> </a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">IVDM is unique from other museums and historical sites I've previously worked at. I am impressed with the museum's mission to be more than just four walls and serve not as a space for interpretation, but rather as a platform highlighting local history and culture, particularly through its community outreach and educational programs. In my short time here in Imperial Valley, its clear that its history is rich and complex. I am excited to be new member of the team here at IVDM and be a small part of the museum's effort to promote and preserve the history of Imperial Valley!</span><br />
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</style>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-76608713580086610062019-10-02T04:02:00.000-07:002019-10-02T04:02:50.644-07:00New Beginnings <span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">~ Ryan McHale, Head Curator</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hi Everyone,</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">My time here in the desert has come to a close, and I'm beginning my next adventure. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I'm</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> m</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">oving to Ketchikan, Alaska to be the Curator of Exhibits at the Tongass Historical Museum and the Totem Heritage Center! </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It is a bittersweet goodbye. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I began last September as a Curatorial Fellow right out of graduate school, still wet behind the ears and ready for a challenge. </span><span style="background-color: white;">As the Curatorial Fellow I was given the freedom to find what interests me and pursue it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to gain the practical experience I needed. </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">IVDM understands that learning by doing teaches you something you can’t gain from a textbook. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">As Head Curator I was challenged with wearing many hats. In this role, I learned the importance of adaptability and the need for cooperation and collaboration between staff members and departments. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">IVDM has taught me that after housing and caring for collections and historical artifacts, museums should be cultural and community centers. They should be places where people can come together and socialize, explore ideas and cultures, and build stronger connections with each other and their local community. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">After my time at the IVDM, I want to focus my career on traditionally marginalized histories and bring underrepresented voices to the forefront of the museum experience. I hope to create informative and culturally relevant exhibits that inspire and connect us to our shared history.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This past year has been an invaluable experience and has prepared me for my next step. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I am grateful for my time here at the Museum and for the friends I have made both on staff and within the community. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thank you IVDM for the opportunity to grow, and thank you Imperial Valley for welcoming me with open arms!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> I look forward to the new horizons that lie ahead and will always remember where I have been. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." - Seneca </span>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-14756628408250024792019-09-11T13:32:00.001-07:002019-09-11T19:41:32.779-07:00Meet the Team: A New Class of Educators<span style="color: orange;">-Lesliee Parker, Education Coordinator</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As we say goodbye to summer and parents, children, and teachers shift back into their school year routines, your IVDM education staff are preparing as well. Over the past year we've had more change in our education department than in the last four years. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">So let's talk a little about our Education Coordinator and Education Specialists -- Lesliee, Luis, Cory, and Rebecca -- and introduce or re-introduce you all to the amazing members of our team this school year.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">(Left to Right) Rebecca, Cory, and Lesliee reconstituting red clay.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">If you've picked up a copy of the Spring 2019 edition of Imperial Valley Alive!, you've seen a picture of our curator, Ryan, showing a history student cassettes from the Morlin Childers collection. This excited student is Rebecca Santiago, one of our newest additions</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8t9AUMyEtsg/XXlNY_Bi9tI/AAAAAAAAnVU/Nr-qRR2Iads8J4rAvysf2Xc9LtP8VTqTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8t9AUMyEtsg/XXlNY_Bi9tI/AAAAAAAAnVU/Nr-qRR2Iads8J4rAvysf2Xc9LtP8VTqTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Untitled.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rebecca and Lesliee reconstituting red clay.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> to the team. </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Rebecca attends SDSU's Calexico campus and is currently working on a Bachelors in History. With this degree, she hopes to pursue a career in teaching or further her education through Museum Studies, specifically focusing on either curation or education. We're very excited to accompany her on her journey. Rebecca identifies as an American-Mexican-Puerto Rican and has learned about many different cultures thanks to her father's military career. She is most interested in seeing the different ways history affects young students and is excited to help them learn how history isn't just something that happened in the past, but something we're creating right now!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XAIfMFsGTqU/XXlQa8Hne_I/AAAAAAAAnWA/MT0T9gpzzzY_cJGUTGjtd9N6n508JbgaACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0472%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="992" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XAIfMFsGTqU/XXlQa8Hne_I/AAAAAAAAnWA/MT0T9gpzzzY_cJGUTGjtd9N6n508JbgaACEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_0472%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="123" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Cory at Ocotillo Water Day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Cory Fitzsimmons recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a Bachelors in Biochemistry and a minor in Mathematics Education. He is interested in becoming a high </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">school chemistry teacher here in the Imperial Valley. One of Cory's goals is to help our community reconnect with nature, specifically nature right at our fingertips that we somehow overlook every day. This is why he's excited to be part of the team. Aside from his amazing professional goals, Cory has a few hobbies including playing the trumpet, tennis, and video games. He also sketches, paints, dabbles in gardening and, as if that weren't enough, he's always willing to help out his friends with their own projects. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuPfxzl-62M/XXlQ6a1vylI/AAAAAAAAnV4/NdhfB4zt1fw8wLkNPq1UXK3iztqGAPFBwCEwYBhgL/s1600/20190718_110727%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1119" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JuPfxzl-62M/XXlQ6a1vylI/AAAAAAAAnV4/NdhfB4zt1fw8wLkNPq1UXK3iztqGAPFBwCEwYBhgL/s320/20190718_110727%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="223" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Luis leading an educational hike.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Don't worry, it's not all new faces this school year. Luis Landeros has been with us for a year now. Happy Anniversary Luis! Over the last year, Luis has been key in achieving inter-departmental goals; in addition to being the longest-serving employee on our current education team, he's a constant aid to every department in the museum. He truly is a jack-of-all-trades! Luis is currently attending Imperial valley College, majoring in Mechanical Engineering for Transfer. His goal for this year is to make an impact with under-served youth through the museum's partnership with the Imperial Valley Probations Department.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lesliee leading tie-dye booth at</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last but not least, Lesliee Parker is the IVDM Education Coordinator as of November 2018. This year has brought a lot of opportunities to learn from, educate, and connect with our community. Before officially joining the team, Lesliee has volunteered </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif;">with the museum since 2015. The museum staff really are like a part of the family at this point. Lesliee strives to meet and surpass the mission and vision of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum every day. Next time you're driving by Ocotillo, try to stop by and meet our education staff in person. Every encounter is a learning opportunity!</span>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-73642127650077039882019-09-04T18:20:00.001-07:002019-09-06T10:49:01.173-07:00Museum of Tolerance <span style="color: orange;">~Marcie Landeros, Museum Manager</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kris Haugh in Anne Frank Exhibit</td></tr>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Z-1XwRN6ec/XXBhMgIBMqI/AAAAAAAAnSY/4doLEXzsFvQxdbewabK4sjuTL0z-ugUTQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2140.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Z-1XwRN6ec/XXBhMgIBMqI/AAAAAAAAnSY/4doLEXzsFvQxdbewabK4sjuTL0z-ugUTQCEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_2140.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;">This week, myself, IVDM’s Education Coordinator Lesliee Parker, and US Navy Public Affairs Officer Kris Haugh, took a road trip to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, California, for some professional development. Kris is also the Communications Director for the Center for Genocide Research and Education, along with working on his PhD in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, so this was a fantastic opportunity to work with our community partners to expand our understanding of history, and explore how other museums create exhibits that focus of challenging history. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gas Chamber inside of Museum of Tolerance</td></tr>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnI8z5XBxTY/XXBhNPsxiJI/AAAAAAAAnSc/bLsjhFBYCSobO8pf-C3Il0mqOYGor3vXQCEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_2149.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZnI8z5XBxTY/XXBhNPsxiJI/AAAAAAAAnSc/bLsjhFBYCSobO8pf-C3Il0mqOYGor3vXQCEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_2149.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;">The Museum Tolerance had 3 exhibits running, one focused on the Holocaust, one focused on Anne Frank specifically, and one that covers the bigger ideas of hate crimes, genocide, and violence, called The Hall of Tolerance. While all three were fantastic, the Holocaust exhibit was the most moving for me as a museum professional, and for my own personal experiences. Having family of both German and Jewish descent, I found myself deeply moved by the exhibit, particularly as I walked through a hallway marked for children, and walked into a gas chamber. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lesliee Parker in Anne Frank Exhibit </td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;">The Anne Frank exhibit I found fascinating, because it a much lighter feel. When talking about her story, it is easy to imagine it as very dark, and terrifying, but after reading her words, and the words of those who truly knew her, I realized that telling her story in that way doesn’t begin to do her justice. She kept a positive outlook, even when things were terrifying for her, and the lighter air of the exhibit reflected that. It was an amazing trip, and I look forward to returning in the future. </span></div>
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-5429761306407579022019-08-06T15:54:00.002-07:002019-08-06T15:59:35.181-07:00Nativa! An IVDM roadtrip to celebrate living cultures<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">~ David Breeckner, Executive Director </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-df-rgahLUYQ/XUn9YZVCa6I/AAAAAAAAmrE/VnuTbKT8ovAheuTDMmJWoyVNUaEvshHOACLcBGAs/s1600/20190804_130439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-df-rgahLUYQ/XUn9YZVCa6I/AAAAAAAAmrE/VnuTbKT8ovAheuTDMmJWoyVNUaEvshHOACLcBGAs/s320/20190804_130439.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">Some days you just have to get out of the office! At Imperial Valley Desert Museum, we strive to be more than just a building with four walls. Sometimes, that means a road trip to work with others on their own turf. On Sunday, August 4, IVDM staff made the three hour drive south of the border to the coastal town of Ensenada for its 15th annual Nativa! festival.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSZopYFQS_Y/XUn-GmTqPcI/AAAAAAAAmrY/KOKqZVgQ47oqPTJzL5xzC30eG2GkjEbFACLcBGAs/s1600/20190804_125520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZSZopYFQS_Y/XUn-GmTqPcI/AAAAAAAAmrY/KOKqZVgQ47oqPTJzL5xzC30eG2GkjEbFACLcBGAs/s640/20190804_125520.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">Bringing together indigenous artists from across Baja, the weekend-long festival featured traditional crafts, foods, songs, and dances of the Kumiai, Pai Pai, Kiliwa, and Cucapa [sic]. Its purpose? To spread, strengthen, and celebrate their ancestral traditions of crafts! Over 60 stalls and vendors were present across the day with everything from </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">pottery to reed, pine, palm, and willow basketry, hunting tools, stone and metal sculptures, traditional herbs and medicines, and loads of food and drink.</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNKsx0GZSSI/XUoEqAOhPjI/AAAAAAAAmsk/f4peYfpisb8xeGHaRNp_vnibjeOxn_QywCEwYBhgL/s1600/20190804_135230%2Bcopy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TazY3Cf1YJw/XUn9kkqBKNI/AAAAAAAAmrQ/IXB6k-vLiKQr7WVRp03b4LokXhV-I9CEgCEwYBhgL/s1600/20190804_130836.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TazY3Cf1YJw/XUn9kkqBKNI/AAAAAAAAmrQ/IXB6k-vLiKQr7WVRp03b4LokXhV-I9CEgCEwYBhgL/s320/20190804_130836.jpg" width="320" /></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1369" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pNKsx0GZSSI/XUoEqAOhPjI/AAAAAAAAmsk/f4peYfpisb8xeGHaRNp_vnibjeOxn_QywCEwYBhgL/s320/20190804_135230%2Bcopy1.jpg" width="273" /> </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">IVDM staff had a blast exploring around the festival, meeting the artists and learning more about their process and the crafting itself. Sampling not only traditional dishes like <i>shawii </i>(a ground acorn paste that's a high-protein superfood), staff also got to experience the continued evolution and growth of these traditions with more modern staples. From homemade wine to the bitter grounds of <i>Ajak Kuneey A'aal</i> (a new, acorn-based coffee), all sampled while watching a large group sing their traditional bird songs, the flavors and offerings were as rich as the day itself. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">The festival was an incredible and busy day with plenty to see, do, and experience. It truly was something amazing to see so many come together to celebrate the rich history and culture of the region's indigenous peoples, and to explore the new ways in which that culture continues to grow and thrive today. As both a tribute of their past and a celebration of the tribes' present and future, I'm thrilled that IVDM was fortunate enough to attend!</span></div>
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-17579102204347751012019-07-10T10:23:00.000-07:002019-07-12T12:26:18.006-07:00The Desert Through a New Lens!<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">~ Ryan McHale, Head Curator </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">As the temperatures begin to rise in the Valley, many places start to slow down, but here at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum we are still in full swing! </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVFxDO1gvOI/XSYQ4BXUB2I/AAAAAAAAmbo/ysy87_lb-eIpV3kyoE3eJs75dElZ0kWwgCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XVFxDO1gvOI/XSYQ4BXUB2I/AAAAAAAAmbo/ysy87_lb-eIpV3kyoE3eJs75dElZ0kWwgCLcBGAs/s400/IMG_0093.JPG" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">We just finished installing a new temporary exhibit, <i>Through the Lens: Desert in Modified Infrared</i>. These unique photographs are captured by Luciano Demasi, a professor of</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0); font-size: 14.850000381469727px;"> Aerospace Engineering at San Diego </span></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">State University. </span><br />
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<span style="text-indent: 48px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0); font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">When not in the classroom, Demasi spends his time in the desert capturing its beauty both visible and invisible to the naked eye! </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">What is Modified Infrared? </span><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R8Yymv59OY8/XSYc8TCL40I/AAAAAAAAmcU/ZogHdEG_dDI0Qh-MfoEqC8NBRWEafh9egCLcBGAs/s1600/8X12_MOJAVE_DIAMONDS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R8Yymv59OY8/XSYc8TCL40I/AAAAAAAAmcU/ZogHdEG_dDI0Qh-MfoEqC8NBRWEafh9egCLcBGAs/s320/8X12_MOJAVE_DIAMONDS.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">The visible spectrum - what is visible to the human eye - is about 380 to 700 nanometers. But this is only a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum! The infrared spectrum refers to 700 to 16000nm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">Demasi first captures the photos with an infrared filter to </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0); font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">“see” light beyond what is visible to the human eye. He then modifies the photos through Photoshop to enhance the images and add vibrant colors. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">His work produces a dreamlike or Dr. Seussesque landscape. When viewing the photos your imagination can run wild and your creativity is sparked! </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">If you have spent any amount of time in and around Anza-Borrego Desert State Park or Joshua Tree National Park, you might actually recognize some of these seemingly other worldly landscapes! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">The exhibit will run for three months, so make sure you get a chance to see it!</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;"> If you decide you must have these unique photos hanging on your walls, they are available for purchase! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">With highs possibly reaching above 115 degrees this week, come beat the heat at the Museum, and see the desert through a new perspective! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-45211377158111164752019-07-07T16:57:00.000-07:002019-07-10T09:07:25.807-07:00Sun, Fun, and Fireworks<div class="MsoNormal">
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This past Thursday, July 4<sup>th</sup> the U.S. of A
celebrated its 243<sup>rd</sup> birthday and here in Imperial Valley we went
all out with Freedom Fest 2019 hosted at Imperial Valley College. Your Imperial
Valley Desert Museum team and a handful of our most engaging volunteers set up and
manned two booths in the children’s area at Freedom Fest. The day was spent interacting
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For one of our activities, we played a tool making
game we use to teach youth about adaptation. The idea is simple, using a limited amount of crafting items, inspired by materials found in our desert, you create a tool that will stick to a foam target we’ve provided from a few
feet away. Sound simple? Well, it’s a little harder than you’d expect; it's all about perseverance and adaptation. Some of
the tools we saw were incredibly imaginative and the shouts of excitement whenever
someone got their tool to stick on the target were enough to liven up anyone’s
day.<o:p></o:p><br />
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Under our second canopy, staff and
volunteers were having fun getting their hands dirty with clay. Children and adults enjoyed
learning how coil clay pottery is traditionally made in our region. I heard a
few exclaims of delight whenever someone's olla came out just the way they wanted. A few individuals also had fun making whistles and going about the area showing off their works of art to their friends. All in all, the day was unbelievably fun-filled and the heat was made bearable thanks to all the excitement, smiles, and laughter. As the evening's big event snuck up on us, portable lights were lit in our space to keep the fun going until the very last possible moment. Eventually, like all good things, the fun had to come to an end, but the amazing fireworks show brought everything together so well and gave an explosive ending to a fantastic day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fireworks show at Freedom Fest 2019</td></tr>
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<br />IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-28762664570140653372019-07-05T12:07:00.000-07:002019-07-10T09:08:50.311-07:00Tortoise Enclosures and New Beginnings<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0); color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">~ John Andrew Davis Hitch, Artist in Residence</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello
readers,</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My time in Ocotillo has come to a close. On Saturday, I made the move to Los Angeles to start my new career after spending the last month and a half working as the Imperial Valley Desert Museum's Artist-in-Residence. It has been wildly rewarding working here.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j8Tz_28qNng/XQ_5a-f7k_I/AAAAAAAAmLI/vjPW6t-Mqh45UjToUdTjitQ4IzEetgjPACLcBGAs/s1600/Davis1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="1600" height="276" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j8Tz_28qNng/XQ_5a-f7k_I/AAAAAAAAmLI/vjPW6t-Mqh45UjToUdTjitQ4IzEetgjPACLcBGAs/s320/Davis1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Graduating with two degrees in science, the connection between my degrees and my time here is not the easiest to see. However, my background working with the Museum and its staff as a volunteer, as well as the project I was brought on to complete (the Desert Tortoise Enclosure) utilized the skill set I had developed from college very well. I couldn't have asked for a better opportunity right out of college.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Working alongside not only the Boy Scouts of Imperial Troop 4070 but also the youth of the Imperial County Department of Probation Community Work Service Program was an absolutely incredible and rewarding experience. Volunteering their time to help better their community (in lieu of fines for minor offenses), these youth came out every Saturday morning to help complete the enclosure. I loved sharing my experience and knowledge with them, and they were quick studies as they learned the technical method behind my madness. It wasn't easy work, but was a labor of love that they worked passionately on. Now that it is finished, these students will see the exhibit as they drive past on the highway, and the fruits of their labor will be easily visible to them and countless others for years to come. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wTuC4oMI4gU/XQ_59VUxs2I/AAAAAAAAmLg/faZfGBiaB_sMIqM5GNH3WzSNOOD-mtFIwCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_0605.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wTuC4oMI4gU/XQ_59VUxs2I/AAAAAAAAmLg/faZfGBiaB_sMIqM5GNH3WzSNOOD-mtFIwCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_0605.HEIC" width="320" /></a>It was this program that also gave me the learning experience needed to apply for and accept a position as Environmental Campaign Field Manager in Los Angeles. My time leading the kids and teaching them the process of laying down a little over two thousand pounds of stucco cement, and watching them pick up the process of applying the stucco around the enclosure to solidify its permanence at the museum, made me incredibly proud. It was this same process I started when I was their age, fresh into high school when I was taught how to do the process on the Museum's Celestial Observatory. Almost seven years later that same skill set was applied to my first college position, which was a fact I let the kids know when discussing my plans for the future.<br />
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I will always remember the students wishing me luck while I left on the weekend to interview for my position in Los Angeles, and their smiling faces when I saw them the next week and they asked if I had gotten the offer. Thank you IVDM and thank you Imperial Valley for all you've done for me; this truly is an amazing place ripe with opportunity and chances to grow into your own.<br />
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-72688166188635100522019-06-02T15:44:00.000-07:002019-06-02T15:44:20.912-07:00A New Curatorial Intern!<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;">~ Mary Jane, Summer Curatorial Intern</span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7xphu9TRVU/XPRQP7tTgkI/AAAAAAAAliQ/rncnJRTRSTkSSEUEtqH9hDnWBM1dBybqACLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7xphu9TRVU/XPRQP7tTgkI/AAAAAAAAliQ/rncnJRTRSTkSSEUEtqH9hDnWBM1dBybqACLcBGAs/s320/IMG_7589.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hello! My name is Mary Jane and I am a law librarian. I was born and raised in the Imperial Valley and because I am a desert girl at heart, I returned home as soon as I graduated. I earned my Bachelors from California State University of San Bernardino in Public and Oral history as well as a certification in Museum Studies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Currently, I am finishing my Masters in Management of Library Information Sciences program at the University of Southern California. I have always had a passion for libraries, museums and history, so I am honored to be interning with the Imperial Valley Desert Museum, expanding my knowledge and gaining experience in the fields of preservation, archiving, and museum practices. </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J8mMiF_w1_c/XPRQSfKh1cI/AAAAAAAAliU/bOuHH3BGRDoUf0Ymqm6b6gPJTxRhm0AmQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_7582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J8mMiF_w1_c/XPRQSfKh1cI/AAAAAAAAliU/bOuHH3BGRDoUf0Ymqm6b6gPJTxRhm0AmQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_7582.JPG" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While at the Museum, I will be working on a couple of projects. I have already begun work on sorting and cataloguing the museum's Reference Library to make the materials more accessible for staff and researchers.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.850000381469727px; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-27916389741077857712019-05-24T09:09:00.000-07:002019-05-29T18:48:37.003-07:00Confrences and Grad School<span style="color: orange;"><span id="goog_535554993"></span>~Marcie Landeros, Museum Manager</span><br />
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This week David and I took a trip to New Orleans for an American Alliance of Museum's Conference. As I sat on my second plane, in Houston, Texas, getting ready to turn my phone off for takeoff, I received an email. Oklahoma University had accepted me into their Museum Studies Grad School program!<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIE3ZDW_NWU/XOgWB5NzGkI/AAAAAAAAkb8/eqCLlSSca74yVXHnMpDC1K9FfugIdPGDQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_2762.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SIE3ZDW_NWU/XOgWB5NzGkI/AAAAAAAAkb8/eqCLlSSca74yVXHnMpDC1K9FfugIdPGDQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_2762.jpeg" width="150" /></a>The program is online, so I will get to stay with the Imperial Valley Desert Museum, while also finding out what the most cutting edge museums are doing. At the conference, I spent one day going to sessions and talking to professors working in museum studies departments. I cannot wait to start my program so I can knock the socks off of everyone when they see the cool things we are already doing at IVDM.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5MYEaTPYjzo/XOgWCXqeJBI/AAAAAAAAkcA/uqDFv7ikZWcJQrqgOnjW3tVa_MWXO9wXQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5MYEaTPYjzo/XOgWCXqeJBI/AAAAAAAAkcA/uqDFv7ikZWcJQrqgOnjW3tVa_MWXO9wXQCLcBGAs/s200/IMG_3529.jpeg" width="150" /></a>I spent another day focusing on the diversity of Indigenous Peoples and their inclusion and representation in museums. I am proud to say that there is a strong Indigenous voice throughout our institution. I now have some new ideas on how to continue that into our Phase 3: Geology Exhibit design. While here, we are also are checking out the latest technology in museums, getting a chance to test things out as we plan our next steps!<br />
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While David has returned home, I will be staying a few more days. I will be back next week, refreshed and full of new ideas! See you soon!<br />
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<span id="goog_535554994"></span>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-75395640194271055612019-05-19T13:50:00.000-07:002019-05-19T18:31:51.030-07:00A New Artist in Residence! <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IhiqHXkE56U/XOG-Xrd-GCI/AAAAAAAAkYg/1b2X3QwjgrwZNvNMmFDPHiZme__kjkHmgCEwYBhgL/s1600/davisssss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IhiqHXkE56U/XOG-Xrd-GCI/AAAAAAAAkYg/1b2X3QwjgrwZNvNMmFDPHiZme__kjkHmgCEwYBhgL/s1600/davisssss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IhiqHXkE56U/XOG-Xrd-GCI/AAAAAAAAkYg/1b2X3QwjgrwZNvNMmFDPHiZme__kjkHmgCEwYBhgL/s320/davisssss.jpg" width="177" /></a><span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-indent: 48px;">~John Andrew Davis Hitch, Artist in Residence </span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"> Hi everyone! My name is Davis Hitch and I’ll be working for the next month as the artist in residence here at the museum. I'm a recent college graduate from Judson University in the Chicago Suburbs, double majoring in Biology and Biochemistry. Bringing a new perspective from the Mid-West I am an advocate for environmental work, planning on continuing my education further into conservation biology. I attended high school here in the Imperial Valley at Southwest and am familiar with the desert and all it has to offer, so much so that I've decided to join the team working on a few projects alongside the museum. I’ve lived in many crazy places; Ohio, the Caribbean, Catalina Island, Yellowstone National Park, and the Chicago area. Working a wide variety of jobs, albeit the Imperial Valley left an impression that I cannot seem to get away from no matter where I go. </span></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWJzRNvNkH4/XOG951RFvgI/AAAAAAAAkYc/_wQSEUZ5MtQAX6xzLofLp58WyQU6-C40ACEwYBhgL/s1600/IMG_0256%2B%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lWJzRNvNkH4/XOG951RFvgI/AAAAAAAAkYc/_wQSEUZ5MtQAX6xzLofLp58WyQU6-C40ACEwYBhgL/s200/IMG_0256%2B%25281%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-kerning: none;"> I have prior experience working along side the previous artist in residence, Lucas, on finishing the Museum’s Observatory as well as the Kerplunk Buildings, where combined I personally laid down over two tons of cement to permanently fix these structures as a part of the museum and the desert skyline! I'm joining the team to complete the ongoing Tortoise Enclosure exhibit and I'm excited to say it’s making fast progress! I am passionate for animals, life, and the desert itself, and am looking forward to helping</span> out! <a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rqAkKvsZpEs/XOIDLs6clHI/AAAAAAAAkY8/2y318h8YRlYvPmFrS-pka1XDcj538wBgQCLcBGAs/s1600/photo%2Bdavis%2B3%2Bjpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1600" height="312" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rqAkKvsZpEs/XOIDLs6clHI/AAAAAAAAkY8/2y318h8YRlYvPmFrS-pka1XDcj538wBgQCLcBGAs/s640/photo%2Bdavis%2B3%2Bjpeg.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-75716521442362610192019-05-15T15:01:00.001-07:002019-05-15T16:59:04.033-07:00Planes, Trains, and Automobiles! <span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">~Dr. David Breeckner, Executive Director</span> <br />
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Greetings from Greece!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iknm_Pwnu3Q/XNx9iy2yiDI/AAAAAAAAkW8/ci-KZ5rI_Z85RIAz7M_tLrdo0tmq0Kp0ACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/60331770_1450143721795010_3882313126032441344_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iknm_Pwnu3Q/XNx9iy2yiDI/AAAAAAAAkW8/ci-KZ5rI_Z85RIAz7M_tLrdo0tmq0Kp0ACK4BGAYYCw/s320/60331770_1450143721795010_3882313126032441344_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Since 2011 when I first started as a wide-eyed student volunteer, I have been working with the Priniatikos Pyrgos Project, exploring the history of an ancient settlement on the north-eastern shores of Crete, in the Greek Mediterranean. Priniatikos Pyrgos is a multigenerational settlement, with a history of occupation and activity extending back over the last 5,000 years.<br />
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My job in all of this? I am a ceramic archaeologist, and since 2012 I have spent my summers studying the pottery of the ancient Minoans during their Protopalatial Period (1900-1700 BCE). There is a saying about ancient Greek pottery -- it's ubiquitous. It's literally everywhere!<br />
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From its study, we can learn any number of things about its creators. From a study of the types of pottery represented, we can see the sort of activities ancient peoples were doing: does the site have cooking pots? How about storage vessels? Any luxury goods? Was there a pottery workshop? The physical make-up of a piece of pottery -- the minerals included in its construction -- can tell us where it was made and, if not local, who the Minoans of Priniatikos Pyrgos were trading with. But wait, there's more! Looking at the decorative style of pottery can even help us to understand the artistic values of these ancient peoples -- what was in vogue at the time, what was the latest decorative trend.<br />
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This year marks the last year of my research with the Project. Together, these 7 years of study have helped us to explore and rediscover a lost people and ancient past. It will be sad to say goodbye at the end of this week, but I'm sure to enjoy my time while it lasts and look forward to sharing that experience and knowledge in full in the later publication. Stay tuned!<br />
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<br />IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-54742301619563247342019-04-27T17:20:00.000-07:002019-04-27T17:27:05.397-07:00Curation Month: Call for Volunteers <span style="background-color: white; color: orange; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 14.850000381469727px;">~Ryan McHale, Head Curator</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">May is Curation Month at the Museum – and IVDM needs your help! </span>Volunteers will have the chance to go behind the scenes, work directly with our staff, and get a hands on experience curating collections. <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">You’ll be bagging, tagging, and boxing artifacts from the Childers Collections, helping to understand over 30 years of archaeology in Imperial Valley.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Morlin Childers, one of our Museum founders, worked on archaeological sites throughout the Valley from the 1950's to 1980s. His collection returned to the museum in 2015 from BLM, and we have been working on sorting and cataloguing the collection ever since. With thousands of documents and artifacts to go through, we need all the help we can get. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Curation days will be held two days a week on Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 – 4:00pm. Curation Month kicks off next Saturday May 4<sup>th</sup>and Sunday May 5<sup>th</sup>. There are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">spots for 10 volunteers each day and we encourage <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">anyone ages 12 and older to come help us preserve this special part of Imperial Valley history.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Don’t worry if you can’t make May 4<sup>th</sup>or 5<sup>th</sup>. There will be more chances to come out for volunteer curation days on May 11<sup>th</sup>, 12<sup>th</sup>, 19<sup>th</sup>, 25<sup>th</sup>and 26<sup>th</sup></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">Are you interested in volunteering? You can sign up by sending us an email at </span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><a href="mailto:ivdmuseum@gmail.com">ivdmuseum@gmail.com</a><a href="mailto:ivdmuseum@gmail.com" style="color: #954f72;"> </a></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;">or giving us a call at (760)358-7016.</span></div>
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-72177042275823050612019-04-10T11:23:00.000-07:002019-04-10T11:32:57.984-07:00Slides, Books, and Geoglyphs: Celebrating the Desert Southwest<span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman";">~Dr. David Breeckner, Executive Director</span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iw4vnYhuTFQ/XK4y7x57ecI/AAAAAAAAghg/fQGV5cAMFjsZPvfjmoavaZ80nd8lnE_DgCLcBGAs/s1600/Jay%2Bat%2BPilot%2BKnob0001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="1600" height="221" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iw4vnYhuTFQ/XK4y7x57ecI/AAAAAAAAghg/fQGV5cAMFjsZPvfjmoavaZ80nd8lnE_DgCLcBGAs/s320/Jay%2Bat%2BPilot%2BKnob0001.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The deserts of the North American southwest are truly a wondrous place, abundant with life and rich in history and tradition. Despite their harsh conditions, these deserts have been home to and supported a multitude of peoples, long before the arrival of Europeans. The evidence of this past is still alive around us today, and is no more present than in the large works of stamped, earthen art known as geoglyphs. Only truly appreciated when seen from above, the desert southwest is filled with these monumental works that feature everything from abstract lines and shapes to more recognizable human and animal forms. The meaning, stories, and intent behind these amazing pieces are not known, and are not our place to speculate -- only appreciated. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Across the second half of the 20th century, archaeologist Jay von Werlhof and Brawley native Harry Casey used a plane with underslung camera to document and preserve on film these regional treasurers. Their work recorded hundreds of sites across a territory spanning from Yuma to across the Imperial Valley. In 2017, Harry's collection of over 8,000 slides and photos were donated to Imperial Valley Desert Museum, where they were digitized (scanned and electronically recorded) by IVDM Curator and Archivist Anne Morgan. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>"People are always surprised when I show them photographs of the geoglyphs. They don't think of our desert as having such incredible features. But they are still here. They are reminders that people have been living and thriving in our area for thousands of years and have left their stories -- whether on purpose or not -- for us today." -Anne Morgan</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">This multi-month project was not only for the sake of good housekeeping: geoglyphs are indigenous, regional, and global treasures. Our desert has the second-largest collection of them in the world, second only to the Nazca lines in Peru. Many are thousands of years old. The greatest threat to their continued existence is human intervention -- off-roading and d</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">eliberate vandalism. Documenting decades of photography allows us to cleanly observe changes to sites over time, and to better respond to new and emerging threats, becoming good stewards of the Valley's past.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Now, that legacy is within reach for everyone and not just those with a plane and camera. A new book, continuing in the traditional publications of Jay von Werlhof, is set to be released. Combining the photos of Harry Casey and Museum's research by Anne Morgan,<i> Geoglyphs of the Desert Southwest: Earthen Art as Viewed from Above</i> is the next step in celebrating and promoting the protection of these rare desert wonders. IVDM and the authors will be premiering this new book at a Book Release on Saturday, April 13 from 1pm to 3pm. We hope you can join us!</span><br />
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-80359851997374347862019-03-16T13:58:00.001-07:002019-03-16T18:05:30.687-07:00Volunteer Days! <span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman";">~Ryan McHale</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman";">, Curatorial Research Fellow</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It was an exciting week at the Museum, well for me anyway. This week we had a total of 17 volunteers come out over three days to help bag, tag, and box artifacts from our collections. We made good progress towards sorting through the over 100 boxes in the Childers Collection and finished 44 boxes! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pk2KEbUj2nI/XI1bljNqw3I/AAAAAAAAb-A/IvGZE-dZuyAz0_NLag9-3yayxAESXP9yQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_4977-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pk2KEbUj2nI/XI1bljNqw3I/AAAAAAAAb-A/IvGZE-dZuyAz0_NLag9-3yayxAESXP9yQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_4977-1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The research and collection of Morlin Childers, one of our Museum founders, is currently drawing a lot of interest from professional researchers, students, and volunteers on a local and national level. Childers worked on archaeological sites throughout the Valley from the 1950s to the 1980s. His collection returned to the museum in 2015 from BLM, and we have been working on cataloguing the documents and artifacts ever since. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There are thousands of objects in the collection, and there’s no perceivable organization to it. That's where I come in, with the help of volunteers, to bring order to the chaos. Our volunteers get a chance to go behind the scenes and get hands on experience curating our collection.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Last Saturday was our busiest day. Ten teenage volunteers from the Imperial County Department of Probations Community Work Service Program came out to help us sort artifacts. They got really into sorting, bagging, and tagging the artifacts. At the end of the day, a few asked if they could come back out to volunteer again and some asked if the museum was hiring. Their enthusiasm and interest in the collection really made my day! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The work we completed is extremely important to the museum’s collections and ended up being a lot of fun. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We still have a lot </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">to do, and are going to need more volunteers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Are you interested in volunteering? Keep an eye out for our upcoming Volunteer Days. You can get in contact with us via our email ivdmuseum@gmail.com or give us a call at (760)358-7016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 165, 0);"><br /></span>IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-25547647495767468502019-03-05T20:18:00.001-08:002019-03-16T18:06:20.358-07:00Night at the Museum! <div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0.5in; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: 0px;">~Ryan McHale</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: 0px;">, Curatorial Research Fellow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wow, what an exciting weekend! 23 students from Southwestern College, in Chula Vista, spent the past couple days at the Museum on a geology field trip led by Professor Carole Ziegler and her colleague Professor Bulent Bas</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">. It was an awesome experience learning more about the geology of our desert and joining them on </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">their desert excursions!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Arriving Friday evening, the students attended a stargazing lecture by Bradley Pickett, and afterwards, camped out at the Museum. Our Executive Director, David, spent the night at the Museum too, and brought along his husky, Brandy, who periodically checked in on the students to see how they were doing throughout the night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a Saturday morning lecture titled, “What?! There’s Water in the Desert!”, I joined the class on a hike to Mountain Palm Springs. For many of the students, it was their first time hiking in the desert and they were surprised to see running water and wildflowers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It felt surreal being surrounded by desert on all sides and relaxing in the cool shade of the palms, but this was no mirage. As you can see by the pictures, we couldn't have asked for a better day to explore!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I spent Saturday night at the Museum, and as much as I wanted it to be like the movie <i>Night at the Museum</i>, our exhibits didn’t come alive. We still had very lively night, and even saw a shooting star while out stargazing! Since it was such a clear night, I decided to sleep out under the stars. </span><br />
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This was my first overnight at the Museum and I had an absolute blast! Every day here is an adventure, and I can't wait to see what else is in store!<br />
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7887064483968895724.post-60100187226912737452019-01-23T10:28:00.000-08:002019-01-23T10:28:07.517-08:00A Night under the Blood Moon<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: 0px;">~David Breeckner</span><span style="color: orange; font-family: "times new roman"; text-indent: 0px;">, Executive Director</span></div>
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What do the moon, hot dogs, and museums have in common? This past Sunday night, January 20, they all came together for a massive public event at Imperial Valley Desert Museum. 611 guests joined Museum staff, volunteers, and their Board of Directors for a night under the stars at its first stargazing event of the new year -- a total lunar eclipse and Blood Moon! </span><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeztP8b4rc8/XEivjWCQZqI/AAAAAAAAajU/kfZGmsZIplUEffjB4uKvfkAha3BwykGcQCLcBGAs/s1600/Robin%2Bphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PeztP8b4rc8/XEivjWCQZqI/AAAAAAAAajU/kfZGmsZIplUEffjB4uKvfkAha3BwykGcQCLcBGAs/s320/Robin%2Bphoto.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;">It was a big night at IVDM. The Museum hosts a number of stargazing events across the year, which are always well attended. But the Blood Moon Eclipse was something different. With nearly three times our usual attendance, visitors from as far away as Julian, Lakeside, and Yuma came to IVDM to relax under the night sky. Though the weather wasn't as kind as we'd first hoped -- our evening's host, Mike Rood, did put a call into NASA to see about the cloud cover, but there was nothing that could be done! Nevertheless, the brightness of the full moon shone through. Despite a slight haze through the clouds themselves, the crowd still marveled as the moon slowly traveled in full into the Earth's shadow... and disappeared.</span></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1T7O0R0eIE/XEiwlBI8GsI/AAAAAAAAajk/ysEjrgMGbE8XQwK355qEHpzzLQ-xvMM6gCLcBGAs/s1600/Diagram%2Bof%2BUmbra%2Band%2BPenumbra.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_1T7O0R0eIE/XEiwlBI8GsI/AAAAAAAAajk/ysEjrgMGbE8XQwK355qEHpzzLQ-xvMM6gCLcBGAs/s400/Diagram%2Bof%2BUmbra%2Band%2BPenumbra.png" width="400" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">A lunar eclipse takes place when the moon passes through a part or all of the of the Earth's 2 shadows. That's right -- 2 shadows! The </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">umbra </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">and </span><i style="text-indent: 0.5in;">penumbra </i><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">represent a range of shadows, from ones that block the full effects of the sun and are darkest -- found on the side of the Earth directly opposite the sun -- to a partial shadow that fans out from the umbra like shades of grey as portions of the solar light sneak around the sides of the planet. What you see at an eclipse depends on these shadows -- a penumbral eclipse is subtle and hard to spot, while partial and total eclipses are visible to the naked eye. Visitors this past Sunday were fortunate to experience all three! These were added to by the "blood" effect of the Blood Moon, created from the tint of sunlight passing through the Earth's atmosphere and bathing it in a reddish-orange glow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;">For many, it was their first time to the Museum. Welcomed by the smell of cooking hot dogs and chili, and guided by a string of red rope lights, these newcomers and returning guests alike each saw and experienced something new. From a parking lot filled to capacity, to a groundscape filled with families on blankets, lawn chairs, and canopies, the IVDM and its guests made Sunday night in Imperial Valley a signature community event of the MLK weekend. Looking like something closer to a crowd gathered for fireworks on July 4, it was inspiring to see so many come out to enjoy and marvel at the movements of the sun and moon, and our place in the night sky. </span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm thrilled at the way the community came together for the night. From our great volunteers who worked over a hot grill to serve up tasty bites, to our Board members and staff who kept the night on track and everyone happy, to our Master of Ceremonies Mike Rood, and to our guests who took the time out of their evenings to spend it with us. Together, it made for an incredible night, and a fantastic start to the Museum in the new year. I cannot wait to see what else lies ahead.</span></span></div>
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IV Desert Museumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02826711040515432040noreply@blogger.com0