Monumental (Mosaic) Achievement

~ Marcie Landeros, Education Coordinator

Today marked a monumental day, not only for the museum, but for me personally. Today was the dedication of a mosaic sign that will sit at the front of the museum property, welcoming visitors as they turn up Frontage Road to the museum. Having worked on every part of putting this sign together, from writing grants to get funding, to working with students to make the sign, to helping pour the cement, I was overwhelmed with joy to see it completed.

We started in 2015, with a grant from the Imperial Valley Community Foundation, and support from Imperial County Board of Supervisors, designing the sign through Rainforest Art Project. During the 2016-2017 school year, I worked every Wednesday with Seeley Elementary’s afterschool program to construct the sign, with the guidance of Rainforest. Working with students whose grades ranged from 2^ndto 8^th, we pieced together the 3-foot-high, 11-foot-long sign. 

Once the sign was completed, Home Depot worked with us to pour the foundation of the sign, and donated all the materials for the foundation. To build the wall that the sign is attached to, individual volunteers came out to support the museum. Were it not for the people who helped throughout the process, this dream would never have come into fruition. As Dr. David Breeckner said, “This project is a lot like a mosaic. A lot of different pieces came together, to create something truly beautiful.”  

Jessica Villalobos, Jennifer Hernandez, Jorge Casteneda, Pablo Quintero, Megan Herndon, Julissa Anaya, Alana Rodriguez with Pam Morton at the official unveiling of their mosaic sign 

A Night of Wine Tasting

A night of friends, fun and wine!

Southwest High School string quartet provided beautiful music all night

Last night the IVDM Society Board held their annual Wine Tasting event- and a great time was had by all!  125 museum members, guests, and wine lovers from across the county joined us at the El Centro Community Center for a night of wine, music, conversation, and high stakes bidding on a range of silent auction items. All wines were from Fernando Gaxiola and Baja Wine Food.  Beautiful chamber music was provided by members of Southwest High School's talented orchestra.Interim Director David Breeckner said "It was great seeing old friends tonight, but also really exciting to see so many new faces!"  More than half the people in attendance were at their first IVDM event.

Silent Auction- bidding war!

Over $13,000 was raised this year and all proceeds from the Wine Tasting go to the museum's Endowment Fund. When fully funded, the Endowment will support two permanent staff positions at the museum: a Head Curator and a Cultural Collections and Programs Manager.  These positions are vital to retain the necessary expertise for collections management and preservation on staff.  Every successful museum program stems from the preservation and accessibility of our local collections. Best of all, through 2019 all donations towards the Endowment are being matched by a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities!  The goal of this five year grant has been to raise $1 million for the Endowment Fund and before last night, we were less than $300,000 to our goal.  Through July, the NEH grant will match donations dollar for dollar, so everyone's contributions are doubled! If you are interested in donating towards this grant, please click here.

Edgar rocked the hair and the wine pouring all night!