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Volume 56, # 7 July 2019

Maturango Museum: Preserve, interpret and develop an appreciation for

the natural and cultural history of the Northern Mojave Desert. 100 E. Las Flores Ave., Ridgecrest, CA 93555

10 am – 5 pm every day. 760.375.6900 www.maturango.org Death Valley Tourist Center Northern Mojave Visitor Center

Museum Director’s Notes

By Debbie Benson, Director

“The summer night is like perfection of thought.” ~ Wallace Stevens

The Museum is staying busy with visitors driving through town and people just wanting to come in and

get cool and look at the Gift Store and the Museum. This year has seen many hikers from the Pacific Crest

Trail come to Ridgecrest for a night in a hotel, a shower and some food. They often come to the Museum

and come from many places around the globe. It’s always interesting to talk to them and learn that many

never met their hiking mates before being on the trail. Their “trail names” are often fun and have a story to

go with it. (“Nirvana, Mint, Toasty, Beerman, Ranger, Cougar-bait, Abstract”… courageous, happy people.)

While we celebrate the Fourth of July, this is also a time when many celebrate their own events, including

the hottest day. Fortunately the Museum is a cool place to spend time. July seems to have its fair share of

hot days which is what makes the evening and night so enjoyable. The temperature drops as the sun sinks

in our sky and we have a chance to just sit and admire our view of the surrounding mountains and enjoy

the beauty of a summer night in the desert. I often find myself just sitting outside and enjoying the presence

of the evening bats flitting above taking care of the summer bug population.

Our primary hope this year is that the fires do not take control and all stay safe. Take care.

New Art Exhibit: “Fly Away” by Mahsan Ghazianzad

Opening Reception Friday July 12, 7 pm

Mahsan was born in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. She earned her

Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Nevada, Reno in May,

2016.

Primarily interested in works that convey personal meaning, Mahsan

works to capture the essence of her experiences through her paintings.

She uses color, line, and shape in harmonies and abstract

compositions to express emotions, thoughts, and sensations. A wide

variety of sources influence Mahsan’s artwork including personal

history, poetry, philosophy, music, and also the works of artists

that she admires.

This exhibit of large-scale acrylic-on-canvas paintings is titled

“Fly Away” because the main subject is paper airplanes.

“These works stem from my personal experiences with

migration and searching for freedom. I have tried to capture

the very essence of these experiences through the use of

paper airplanes in my paintings. I use images of paper planes

as a metaphor that expresses ideas about freedom and

movement without social or cultural limitations.”

Pacific Crest Trail hikers.

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Natural History Curation By Sherry Brubaker, Natural History Curator

I want to give a big shout out and Thank You to VX-9 Avionics Shop volunteers for their help in moving

some rocks back into curation storage. The rocks are part of the

Petroglyph display which is under renovation. The rocks - small

boulders - were in the way and had to be moved. Thanks guys!

I also want to thank the people who have donated to the

taxidermy sponsorship. I’m pretty close to having the current

batch of critters paid for. I’m hopeful that by another newsletter

or two I should have a final cost for them. If you’d still like to

donate, all amounts are gratefully accepted. There is a cute

Antelope Ground Squirrel at the taxidermist now.

2019 “Faces of Southeast Asia” Exhibit

This photographic exhibit in the

Sylvia Winslow Gallery showcases

the culture of the countries of

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia,

Myanmar, and China (Yunnan

Province). The photographer, Dave

Kurdeka, has traveled extensively in

these countries and was captivated

by the people, their culture, and the

landscapes where they live. Dave’s

photographs are rich in detail and tone and capture the beauty of the people

and landscapes. Through his photos, Dave wishes to provide a glimpse into

this fascinating part of the world.

VX-9 Avionics Shop helps with weeding our Gladys Merrick Garden

With a crew of 5 young strong men from VX-9 Avionics Shop, weeding at

the museum goes so quickly. Though we didn’t get to all the garden islands

this time, the crew and a handful of garden committee members weeded

the area closest to the parking lot making the initial view of the garden

much more presentable. This is the second time that VX-9 Avionics Shop

members have assisted the museum in yard cleanup. Steve Martin, the

organizer for the VX-9 crew, plans on return engagements of VX-9

Avionics Shop volunteers throughout the year. We are so appreciative of

their help and support!

Photo – from left to right: Steve Martin, Brandon Richards, Fernando

Maldonado, Michael York and Tyler Prather.

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Docent Doings

By Nora Nuckles

Our first summer school classes have been very successful. The students were enthusiastic learners

who made wonderful art and other projects. Fawn Martinez’s class did really amazing “Van Gogh” art that

is hung on the docent art board in the main exhibit room.

Students in the Native American class made atlatls, rattles, and game

activities. They learned to throw darts using their atlatls. They “hunted”

big horn sheep on the straw bales outside the Museum. Docents Dan

Burnett, Don and Shirley Crouse, Bob and Sue Parker, Sharon Oldfield,

and I enjoyed creating activities and

interacting with our energetic

students. Parents said the students

wished they had class for a few more

days!

Also new this year: Maturango

Music and Movement classes from

10:00-11:00 on the following dates:

July 17, July 31, and Aug. 14. Class is

open to children 0-5 years and is

limited to 12. A parent must accompany the child (obviously).

Registration for these classes is at the Maturango Museum.

We still have a few more tours to lead this summer as well as cleaning and reorganizing the docent room.

We also hosted a few activities for the Andean Textiles Day on June 22.

As you can see the docents can always use more help… Why is it great to become a docent? You can

teach and interact with many children and adults in the community. You can learn more about our desert,

its history, geology, flora and fauna. Most of all, you can meet the most incredible, fascinating people who

love our community and make Ridgecrest such a special place. You can interact with doctors, nurses,

geologists, biologists, engineers, and the rest of us who love to learn. Each docent brings interests and

enthusiasm to the group!

So consider joining the Docent League of the Maturango Museum. Contact me at nora@maturango.org if

you wish to know more about the docent league or have your own personal tour of the docent room, our

special headquarters.

Kids’ Summer Art Classes with Fawn Martinez

Fawn Martinez has planned art classes for summer.

We’ll focus on an artist each week and you’ll create

your own art. All students will learn about a different

artist each week (2 days each week). Fee will be per

week. Appropriate for ages 3 - 8; 10:30 am - noon;

$30 per week (2 days).

Registration will be through the City of Ridgecrest;

www.ridgecrest-ca.gov/recreation

Limited to 15 children with a minimum of 8 children.

Session 3: July 16 and July 18, Yayoi Kusama

Session 4: July 23 and July 25, Andy Warhol

Session 5: Aug. 6 and 8: Artist, Jackson Pollock

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Donations and New Members

Donations Dana Alloway Howard and Margaret Anderson Ron Atkins Jeanne Backman Glenda Blackshaw Lewis and Sharon Ballenger Thom Boggs Debby and Frank Buffum Daniel and Brenda Burnett Kathy Cummings Jeanette Davis Geralyn A. Haradon George and Eleanor Herr Sylvia Hillesland B. J. Holden Sarah B. Jayne Carolyn J. Lynch Robert and Becky McDiarmid Teresa Pastor Lois E. Reed Dr. and Mrs. Robert Rockwell – in memory of Steve Little Sam Schoenhals Jill Stansell Craig Stump

Leslie Treat-Carter – for Chris Carter Eagle Scout Project Nancy Vetter Louise Wetzel Pat Wharton Exhibit Rooms Anonymous (1) Marianne Kistler Frank and Joyce Markarian Janet Westbrook Endowment Fund Anonymous (1) Janet Westbrook Shade Structure Libby Vincent – in honor of Mike Cash’s birthday Shade Structure – in memory of Dick Benson Dana Alloway Geralyn Haradon

Docents Anonymous (1) Jessica David Student Anthropology Program Dennis Fenwick Richard and Rose Stone Janet Westbrook Taxidermy Fund Elizabeth Babcock Janet Westbrook Building Fund Robert Westbrook New Members Analiza P. Aratea Tristan Kratz Fawn Martinez Julie Sargent Roger Stockbauer Angel Young Lifetime Member Tine Brouwer

Archaeology Interns at the Museum

By Sandy Rogers, Archaeological Curator

Once again we have the benefit of interns working on our archaeological collections. This

opportunity gives them a chance for hands-on learning about archaeological artifacts and curation, and

performs valuable work for the museum by analyzing and cataloging the collections. This summer we have

four interns in archaeology.

Levi Bayer is cataloging a very interesting collection for the BLM Bishop Field Office. It is a very

large avocational collection from northern Inyo County, southern Mono County, California, and Nye County,

Nevada. Levi is entering his senior year at University of California, Irvine, majoring in anthropology.

Lauren Zajicek is analyzing the museum’s collection of rock art photographs and creating a finder’s

guide. We have received hundreds of such photographs through the years, but lack a finder’s guide to

make them useful in research. She is a student at Cerro Coso Community College.

Jacque Ahlin is also a student at Cerro Coso, and is cataloging a large archaeological collection

from Bedrock Spring, east of Red Mountain. The site had been damaged, and was excavated in 2000 by

the Ridgecrest BLM Field Office as a salvage project. Jacque is working with the collection itself, plus the

BLM’s rough catalog, to create an electronic catalog in museum format.

Donna Buehler, a student from CSU Bakersfield, is cataloging a series of collections from the Red

Mountain area and Robbers’ Roost area. The collections were made in the early 2000’s, and have only

rough catalogs. She is analyzing the artifacts and creating a catalog in museum format.

The stipends for the interns are funded by contributions from museum members. We thank all our

members for their generosity, which makes this program possible. We also thank Rebecca Caudill who

created the data input screens for the interns to use.

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Maturango Museum of the IWV 100 E. Las Flores Ave., Ridgecrest, CA 93555 Open every day (except major holidays)

10 am - 5 pm

Businesses and Organizations Supporters • Contributors • Sponsors

Please support the businesses and organizations

that support the Maturango Museum

Staff Debbie Benson, Museum Director Maureen Goff, Store Manager/Buyer Sandy Rogers, Archaeology Curator Elaine Wiley, History Curator Sherry Brubaker, Natural History Curator Julie Stephens, Finance Manager Fran Van Valkenburgh, Membership Andrea Pelch, Art Gallery Coordinator Joann Barbee, Assistant Bookkeeper Nora Nuckles, Education Coordinator Linda Saholt, Petroglyph Tour Coord. Leslie Layfield, Accounting Assistant Sue Gilbert, Museum Assistant Deanna Stewart, Museum Assistant Nora Nuckles, Museum Assistant Nick Rogers, Museum Assistant Andrea Pelch, Newsletter Editor

Committee Chairpersons Dan Burnett, Building Fran Rogers, Concerts Bev Hill, Docent League Sandy Rogers, Lectures Elaine Wiley, Publications Bob Westbrook, Strategic Planning Rebecca Caudill, Web-guru

Board of Trustees Jerry Bradley – President Bev Hill – Vice President Camille Anderson – Treasurer Robert McGowan – Secretary Ron Atkins Sue Parker Libby Vincent Tom Perkins Tom Zulkoski

Act Too Consulting, Inc. AltaOne Federal Credit Union American Assoc. of Univ. Women Ashley Furniture HomeStore Beanster’s Espresso Best Western China Lake Inn Boulder Creek RV Resort Clarion Inn Coldwell Banker Best Realty DART Daily Independent Eastern Sierra Custom Framing Econo Lodge Epsilon Systems Solutions, Inc. Friends of Jawbone Oasis at Death Valley Gary Charlon State Farm Hampton Inn & Suites High Desert Haven Historical Society of the Upper

Mojave Desert Hockett’s Builder’s Supply Inspire Charter School KPartners Hospitality Group Kristy’s Family Restaurant Law Offices of Phyllis M. Hix

McDonald’s Restaurant New Directions Technologies,

Inc. News Review Oasis Garden Club PackWrap Business Center The Pizza Factory Rodeway Heritage Inn & Suites Ridgecrest Area Convention and

Visitors Bureau Ridgecrest Regional Hospital St. Ann Catholic School Searles Valley Minerals Sierra Club, Owens Peak Group Sierra Sands Unified School

District SpringHill Suites by Marriott The Swap Sheet TJ Frisbee Bicycles, Inc. TOSS WACOM Warren’s Automotive

Regularly Scheduled Meetings

China Lake Astronomical Society: 1st Monday of each month, 7 pm

Kerncrest Audubon Society: 3rd Thursday bi-monthly [Jan, Mar, May, Sep, Nov, not July], 7 pm

Docent League: 1st Tuesday of each month, 8:45 a.m., everyone welcome

California Turtle and Tortoise Club: 2nd Monday of each month, 7 pm

Museum Board of Trustees: 3rd Monday of each month, 7 pm

Calendar

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Opening Reception for Art Exhibit: “Fly Away” by Mahsan Ghazianzad Friday July 12 at 7 pm

Free Saturday July 13

Pizza Factory and Beanster’s Espresso Fundraiser

All day, Thursday July 18.

20% of your purchase is donated to the Maturango Museum.