First Visitors

by Dr. Neal Hitch

Bryan and Terry were my first visitors to the museum. Bryan is my brother. He now lives in Fresno, California. He reminded me a few weeks ago that he had seen every museum I have developed or re-developed, including the one on Grand Turk, which required a 9-hour plane ride and three days on a boat. Well, actually a Holland America cruise ship, but I got his point. So the drive from Fresno to Ocotillo did not seem that long to him.

Though there is not much to see at the museum, we enjoyed our time together talking about the museum's plans and what the future holds. I had not seen Bryan and Terry since they came to Grand Turk in January of 2009. So, the visit was really more than a trip to the museum. But it did present an opportunity to get an idea of what a visitor might find interesting about the museum.

Blank Canvas

The exciting thing about the museum is that it is a blank canvas. Right now you can envision the museum to be anything.

But there is a reality about projects like this. Everything can be summed up into an equation: Time:Money:Quality.



You can rarely have all three in equal measure. Decisions that affect one, elevate the others. Time, money, and quality is what planning at the museum is currently all about.

We would like to develop plans that focus on quality. But when quality is the focus, it puts a lot of pressure on time and money. Right now we need a lot of one, and would like to need less of the other.

Care to guess?

Beginnings

Welcome to the daily blog of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum. Daily may be over stated, perhaps the blog will be every other day, or weekly...

It is a beginning, however, and we hope that you enjoy following the challenge of opening a brand new museum in the heart of the Yuha Desert in Southern California.