Curation Month: Call for Volunteers

~Ryan McHale, Head Curator

May is Curation Month at the Museum – and IVDM needs your help! Volunteers will have the chance to go behind the scenes, work directly with our staff, and get a hands on experience curating collections. You’ll be bagging, tagging, and boxing artifacts from the Childers Collections, helping to understand over 30 years of archaeology in Imperial Valley.

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. 

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^thand Sunday May 5^th. There are spots for 10 volunteers each day and we encourage anyone ages 12 and older to come help us preserve this special part of Imperial Valley history.

Don’t worry if you can’t make May 4^thor 5^th. There will be more chances to come out for volunteer curation days on May 11^th, 12^th, 19^th, 25^thand 26^th. 

Are you interested in volunteering? You can sign up by sending us an email at ivdmuseum@gmail.com or giving us a call at (760)358-7016.

Slides, Books, and Geoglyphs: Celebrating the Desert Southwest

~Dr. David Breeckner, Executive Director

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.  

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.  

"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

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 deliberate 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.

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, Geoglyphs of the Desert Southwest: Earthen Art as Viewed from Above 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!

Volunteer Days!

~Ryan McHale, Curatorial Research Fellow

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!  

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. 

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.

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! 

The work we completed is extremely important to the museum’s collections and ended up being a lot of fun. We still have a lot to do, and are going to need more volunteers. 

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.

Night at the Museum!

~Ryan McHale, Curatorial Research Fellow

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. It was an awesome experience learning more about the geology of our desert and joining them on their desert excursions!

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.

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. 

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!

I spent Saturday night at the Museum, and as much as I wanted it to be like the movie Night at the Museum, 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. 

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!

A Night under the Blood Moon

~David Breeckner, Executive Director

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! 

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.

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 umbra and penumbra 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.

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.  

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.

A Museum in Motion

~Ryan McHale, Curatorial Research Fellow

This week marks my second month as the Curator at the Museum. I have learned that, like the Valley itself, the museum is in constant motion, and this past weekend highlights exactly that.  From new exhibits to community events, to public hikes, the IVDM is much more than just a building with 4 walls.

A big part of my last week was focused on exhibit development.  Since the beginning, it's always been a goal of the Museum to bring the outside geology into its education space with a dedicated exhibit.  Since January -- with the help of an IID grant -- we've been doing exactly that, and I was lucky enough to be there at the finish line.  Last Friday night David (the Museum Director) and I stayed up until 2am completing the final touches.  The result was a now-complete exhibit -- Geology: the Power of the Earth!  Exhausted, we decided to get some well deserved shut eye, and were back at the museum at seven to begin setting up for our event for the day, Ocotillo Rocks! 

Bright and early in the morning the kids of the Imperial County Probation Work Service Program came out to help us prepare for the event, setting up tents and chairs and then testing out our activities and exhibits. The Imperial Valley Gem and Mineral Society installed a new, permanent display case, taught visitors how to pan for gold, sawed open geodes, and gave a lecture on the geology of the Valley.  Museum staff led geology walks and painted petrified wood with our younger visitors. In total we had 191 people attend the event! 

But wait, my busy weekend didn't end there! Sunday morning, I joined the museum on its second Lowlanders hike, which is our beginner hiking program. We went to the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge and had such a great turnout! Between our first two hikes of the season we have had a total of eighty people attend, not to forget all of our four legged friends that came along too. Our leaders Alicia and Tom, both Sonny Bono rangers, did a phenomenal job and pointed out all the different species of birds in the refuge. 

I left work on Sunday ready for a day off, but also with a profound sense that I am a part of this community, of which I am grateful.  I can't wait to see what the next few months will bring!

Fall Fieldtrip!

~Andrew Alverez, Education Coordinator

Yesterday, Imperial Valley Desert Museum received Ballington Academy for our first field trip of the season.     We were excited to have our first students, parents, and teachers, so we arrived early to make arrangements.   I attached myself to a group and began to take pictures as children and parents went through the stations.   It was a challenging task that I was eager to take, for I was ready to do my part as a staff member.   I recalled advice given to me by other staff about photography and tried to apply it.  So, I was going up, down, and to the sides to capture moments as they happened.    In my excitement, I had forgotten my cap at home for the nature walk station, so I was taking pictures with sun obstructing my view as it obscured the camera feed.  I was determined to do a good job, so I sought an angle and focused on it.  I tried to find a center of focus and began to take pictures without using the camera as a reference.   As we moved through the wash, I was able to make a “makeshift” shade with my hands that allowed me to see through the camera and keep taking pictures.  Despite this obstacle, I was able to take great pictures that were used on museum social media posts.   When I saw that this had happed, I felt accomplished. 

When I was taking pictures, I was able to interact with parents and Ballington Academy staff.   I made some comments to reinforce some points made during the field trips and also answered questions about plant life in the Imperial Valley.   It was this station that I saw an interesting phenomenon:  Students were capturing our stations on their phones and tablets.   I was intrigued by this as it was a different method of engagement that I had not experienced before.    They were recording our stations to share them with their friends and family, and in the age of social media, there is no better way to do so.   

When we returned to the building, my group worked on our concrete tortoise, which served as our art station on this field trip. Students enjoyed this activity immensely and so did parents.   One parent wished they had known about us earlier so they could’ve come to us.   As we were nearing lunch time, we spoke about geology while we waited for the other group to come from the wash.   Ryan and I showed kids a phenomenon known as tribo-luminescence; a process that occurs when no electrons are passed between objects creating a spark inside it.  Students and parents alike were amazed by how two rocks were able to create something spectacular.   

It was fun and challenging to participate on my first field trip and I cannot wait to for the next one!