History on the Go! goes to Summer Camp!

~ Marcie Rodriguez, Education Coordinator

One of our youngest students
shyly shows off his pot.

180 students made pots

Albert works with the older students

Today, education staff went to the City of El Centro's Summer Camp program with our History on the Go! program. We saw 180 students, ranging from toddlers to preteens. We were thrilled to get to work with so many students, at such a range of ages. We taught them how to make pots the same way the native people of the Imperial Valley made pots for the last 1000 years. It was good to see so many children connect with the history of their homes, and smile while doing it.

La Posta Makes Pots

- Edgar Bernal Sevilla, Education/Curation Staff

Today, Albert, Angelina, and I did a History on the Go program at the Boys and Girls Club at the La Posta Reservation of the Kumeyaay Nation. After we had unloaded everything, thirteen children lined up to make pots. Angelina did a small presentation while Albert finished setting up.

Some of the students recognized me from Earth Day, where we did a History on the Go here as well. I happily greeted these kids and they kindly became secondary teachers. Albert and Angelina got their hands dirty while I patrolled, making sure any kids that needed help got it.

The staff at the Boys and Girls Club were happy to see the kids engaged and enjoying themselves.


The students made some beautiful pots and everyone walked away with smiles on their faces, including our staff. After our History on the Go was done, we volunteered to help the Boys and Girls Club unload a food delivery they had received.

Definitely a success in my book!

Hello Wood Art and Architecture Camp

This past week, Neal V Hitch and Neal Lucas Hitch attended and taught at the Hello Wood art and architecture camp in Budapest, Hungary. This camp brings together architecture students from around the world to build architectural installations using wood.

Dr. Hitch, our museum director, was selected as one of six team leaders to build an installation. The selections were based on a call for proposals submitted last March for the development of art installations based on the theme "Project Village."

Neal Lucas Hitch, who has served as a visiting artist at the museum and built the Ocotillo Observatory, designed a structure called the Alt-Cathedral. Following the theory of "Adaptive Use,"   the installation was intended to be a habitable sculpture to serve as a flexible space for human scale fellowship and interactions. The pictures included here show the design that was submitted and the project as built.

Twelve architecture students joined Neal and Lucas as part of the building team and constructed the installation during the nine day camp. As part of the art project, during the week the installation was "activated" with a cello concert and a wine tasting event. Dr. Hitch also presented two lectures, one on the subject of desert sized art, which has been a theme of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum.

The project was extremely successful and we will follow up with additional information if articles or reviews are published on the project.

KXO's Freedom Fest!

Edgar helps students make a bowl

- by Edgar Bernal Sevilla, Curation/Education Staff

The rattle-cobra

Did you see us at KXO’s Freedom Fest 2017?!


On the Fourth of July, we set up a coiled clay booth at IVC for this annual event. We love working events like this! Angelina, Marcie and I made clay pots and figurines with children for the entirety of the event. Many students got really creative with their figurines. One even produced a lifelike cobra with a rattlesnake tail!

The event was super fun and the fireworks at the end of the night were the cherry on top.

One of the fireworks in the grand finale

Exhibit Testing

 ~ Marcie Rodriguez, Education Coordinator

We at the museum have begun to use the tool box that was donated by Home Depot to test out our third phase of our permanent exhibit. We will be changing out the artifacts and information within the tool box to gather information on our visitors interest on a variety of subjects. We are looking at the desert as a tool box! We compare the tools our desert provides compared to the tools we normally would have in a tool box, and how those tools were created! Come out to the museum and check it out, and tell us what you think!