Stories of Change- behind the YouTube video

-by the Curator

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

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

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

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

Stucco Party: Volunteer Fun!

-by the Curator

When the mixer broke, all stucco had to be mixed by hand

Some chose to ignore the tools and dive right in

One of the projects our Artist-in-Residence has been working on this summer has been to finish stuccoing the Ocotillo Observatory.  It has proven challenging, and slow going.  To help get more done,  this Sunday a group of friends came out to the Museum to have a stucco party.  Even though the mixer broke early on and all the stucco had to be mixed by hand, everyone had a good time.  The competition to see who could become the best at stuccoing was matched only by the unintended competition of who would come away covered in the most stucco!  The Observatory is not entirely stuccoed yet- so another volunteer party may be coming soon

Lucas wins the competition for having the most stucco on him in this volunteer shelfie

What We're Doing Today

-from the Curator

We've been working so hard lately we've forgotten to tell you what we're up to!  Besides the usual visitor tours, grant writing, and painting as we finish the new exhibit, there's plenty happening behind the scenes.

Lucas and Davis Hitch are learning to apply stucco and finishing off the Ocotillo Observatory . . . 

It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it . . .

And who doesn't want to work outside in the summer. In Ocotillo.It's barely 100 with cloud cover

Marcie is learning to edit videos for our Cal Humanities Community Stories grant: The Kumeyaay Nation: Stories of Change 

Learning a new skill: video editing

We've accessioned a new collection and you know what that means- curation continues!  Are you interested in learning how to curate and seeing some of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making the museum run? Talk to us about volunteering!  

Curation continues!

Chaos Theroy

Student: I was just listening to a TED talk about time and how the universe starts orderly and then entropy sets in. It said when you watch something in reverse you can immediately tell something is wrong, because things are becoming more organized. Entropy is the natural state of things

Socrates: The key tenant to Western Culture is organization; a constant focus on creating categorization and organization. Trying to control and annotate the natural world is unnatural. Native American Culture is exactly opposite; trying to live in the natural world. If living in the natural world is chaos, then the history of the Western World is about trying to unsuccessfully control chaos. 

Artist-In-Residence Project: Jacumba Mosaic Tables

-from the Curator

This week our Artist-in-Residence Lucas Hitch finished a set of 6 picnic table mosaics in Jacumba.  The project was an original design submitted for a $5,000 Community Enhancement Grant funded by the San Diego County Supervisors for the Jacumba-Boulevard Revitalization Alliance.     

Matching finished tiles to designs before instal

Making snakes from scratch 

Mock up of finished table with 'sandy' mosaic background

Lucas's design concept called for all 6 picnic table tops to be covered with a carefully designed mosaic.  Separately, each table will stand alone as art, but taken together they will form one image of three snakes.  "The snakes are not necessarily meant to be photographed and pieced together by the public" Lucas says.  "The art is experienced by looking at the image and seeking out the various tables.  More like a scavenger hunt." 

Original Concept Art of tables & finished tables- Lucas Hitch

Jacumba students sign the finished tiles

Each snake tile was made by museum staff with the help of students in the Jacumba After School program. The junior high students learned all the steps of making mosaic tiles from kneading clay to painting tiles, and participating students wrote their names on tiles that will be included in the tables. "Our names are going to be there forever" one student said "I can't wait to show everyone."

 "They can bring their parents and their friends here and show off their work" said Lucas. "It gives the students and, through them, the community a real sense of ownership in the project.  The impact of this project will last for years to come." 

Jacumba students learn to set tiles on a picnic table

Students from the Jacumba After School program learned about the art of ceramics, the importance of designing and planning ahead of time when building a mosaic, and enjoyed breaking up ceramic tiles that have become the sandy background for the snakes. They even got to learn how to apply grout and lay tiles.  

Lucas Hitch, IVDM Artist-in-Residence

Our Artist-in-Residence program provides outlets and programs directed by local artists for local artists, and has been incredibly successful since its inception in 2012.  The Museum has twice won a Sidney Stern Memorial Trust Grant to support this program and our Director, Neal Hitch presented on the program at the American Alliance of Museum's annual national convention this spring. 

Ceramics preview Friendraiser

-from the Curator

Tonight we had our last FriendRaiser of our 2014-2015 fiscal year.  With the amount raised tonight we have raised the projected $10,000 from ten FriendRaisers that was our goal for the NEH Challenge grant this year.  Congratulations to our Board Members for all their hard work!

This FriendRaiser focused on ceramics and premiered a short video we have been editing for our permanent exhibit.  A grant from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts allowed us to go through raw footage from the award winning, Emmy nominated documentary First People-Kumeyaay and focus on the footage on ceramics.  Frank Salazar, our Cultural Collections Project Manager edited together from this footage a video of renowned Kumeyaay ceramics artist Teresa Castro going through the steps of making a pot.  A grant from the National Environmental Education Foundation allowed Frank to work with several different Kumeyaay culture bearers and language experts to add Kumeyaay words to the video.  Videos and technology are some of the best ways to reach the younger generations and gain their interest, and have proven successful in other situations.  The hope is that seeing the language embedded in a situation will support "situational fluency" for language learning.

Attendees ate food prepared in ceramic pots, saw both newly made and older ollas that will be in our permanent exhibit, and commented on the video.  Frank is now planning on going back for some more editing to incorporate this great feedback.  We're looking forward to having the final version in our ceramics visible storage exhibit by this fall. Thanks to Conveyor Group for their help in turning these clips into a lovely, smoothly transitioning video.


 Thank you to everyone who attended this and any of the other FriendRaisers this year - you are helping us to drive this museum forward to success!

Congratulations to Frank!

-from the Curator

We'd like to congratulate our Cultural Collections Manager, Frank Salazar III (a resident of Boulevard, CA from the Campo Band of the Kumeyaay Nation for completing a four month training course entitled "Leadership Training for Enterprenerial/ Small Business/Economic Development" conducted by the California Indian Manpower Consortium, Inc. (CIMC).  During the training period, Frank developed a business plan for his emerging business, Condor Bad Creations Nature Themed Apparel.  We look forward to carrying his business' creations in the Museum's gift shop when they are available.

Recipients of this unique training opportunity were selected through a
competitive application process. Trainees received extensive training
from a select group of individuals chosen for their outstanding skills, accomplishments
and expertise in their respective fields and for their contributions to Native entrepreneurship.
The culturally-relevant curriculum included development of analytical skills (e.g.,
feasibility/market analysis, financial projections) and persuasive writing and presentation skills.
Students learned to develop a business plan and received information on resources to start and
grow businesses. Also, the group benefited from the experiences of several successful Native entrepreneurs.

This training program was made possible by funding provided by the U.S. Department of Labor
as part of CIMC's Workforce Development Program and through a donation provided by the
Cahuilla Economic Development Corporation.

More than 350 Native American individuals have completed this Native entrepreneur training
program during the past fifteen years. Through this training program, CIMC, a Native non-profit
organization operating in California since 1978, makes every effort to provide leadership training
to build healthy Native communities by developing the skills of Native entrepreneurs to be profitable
and sustainable in the larger context of Native culture and sovereignty.