Intern City Blog

Hello! We are the fearless interns of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH). We have a whole lot of fun at our jobs and we want to share it with YOU! Stay tuned for our favorite DIY projects, museum events & community encounters.

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Screaming Hand Expo

Recently the MAH had a huge opening of the Screaming Hand gallery, which featured hundreds of renditions of Jim Phillips original design (pictured below on the event logo shirt). 

People were ecstatic to see the collection. We worked hard to make sure everyone got there chance to see the art and the gallery wasn’t too crowded. All in all it was a long day that had all us interns rubbing our feet, but it was amazing to see so many people come in to see the great art from all over the world.

Here’s a few pics from the day. 

MAH member sporting the events logo T. A snapshot of the line that went up all three flights of stairs leading up to the gallery.

People were so intrigued with the spinning stairwell fixture. It took weeks for the staff to decide how to place the art and install all of the sick fixtures that came with them.

Jim Phillips himself gave a talk about his original design. the talk was overflowing with people, and everyone was eager to meet the man behind the hand.

The line went all the way down the stairs at one point. Wow, were we busy with crowd control. But it was good to see so many people interested in seeing the exhibit. 

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A Look Back at Race Through Time

Over here at the MAH we recently had one of our biggest annual events: Race Through Time! It’s basically a scavenger hunt all over Santa Cruz that uses historical sites and activities to inspire people to learn more about their communities past!

Interns, like us, got to participate in the rad event and host games at different sites all over Santa Cruz! Here’s a few inside looks about what it was like working the event.

Race Through Time was an amazing experience! At my station we played a quick round of Silent Movie Charades. Participants got to act out scenes and interact with their group in a fun and exciting way. I loved being able to be a part of it, no two scenes ever looked exactly alike, and men women and children of all ages could enjoy the activity. Can't wait until next years Race Through Time! ~ Susan Plessas

During this year’s Race Through Time, I was at the Hinds House. The Hinds House is a historic inn located in downtown Santa Cruz, which was built in 1888. It’s a special inn because the visitors have to stay for the minimum of one week. Going along with the theme of bed and breakfasts, the activity I ran was a pillow fight. Most people enjoyed playfully hitting each other and laughed a lot. I felt like I got to bring the child side out of the adults who participated. I timed the groups doing the pillow fight for thirty seconds and was surprised how long 30 seconds seemed. Usually after 5 seconds passed, the participants would ask if the time was up. I would tell them, “No, 25 more seconds!” They then would continue while confused, but were usually having a blast. My favorite part was when multiple groups would come and I would have a group versus group pillow fight. They enjoyed the friendly competition and made new friends (even if they only spent time with them for 30 seconds). ~Alison Olejniczak

My station was the Water Street Bridge, and we held a mini scavenger hunt for the mosaics that adorn every light post along the bridge. It got a little crazy once the event started because my location was so close to the MAH. I ended up having crowds of people running up and down the bridge looking for a fish mosaic. All in all it was a lot of fun seeing people so involved and ready to participate. ~Larissa Gonzalez

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Jamie and Gorety are here in MakeStuffCity preparing to educate some kids on some Santa Cruz History!

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MAH interns are getting syched for the Screaming Hand Expo!

Are you ready?

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Summer interns are in MakeStuffCity making stuff happen!

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Community Building School Tours: A Reflection

Helping with MAH school tours has been incredibly fun and interesting. Every tour gives me a funny quote or a cute moment from a student to take back with me. A lot of these endearing moments come from one of our newer activities, where kids make miniature protest signs. These signs are based off of a protest sign on display in the Kinsey Gallery, and it’s a sign calling to “honor King” after his death by following his principles. It’s a fun challenge to try and explain how the students can translate such a serious idea into their own lives-or to watch their parents try and explain it. The signs the students make are always really cute, and what the kids write is often entertaining. They’re quick to catch on, and easily incorporate issues that are important in their lives. Sometimes I wonder where they get their ideas-some are very specific, like the one pictured. Although students on the museum tours have done lots of cool projects over the course of the year, the protest signs are my favorite. I’m always reminded how much students can surprise me with their intelligence and goodwill. I’m grateful that I can leave a tour feeling like the world is gonna be alright-because we got some woke third graders in it. -Meg Spaulding, School Programs Intern 

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My time spent at the MAH over the past 9 months has been an amazing experience. I have had the pleasure of meeting so many great people, and kids as well. The school tours have allowed me to see students get creative, and one of my favorite projects that a group made is a dog named Greg, a robot that explores around the community, finds lost animals, and picks up pollution found in the environment. It has been so rewarding to see children think about the future of a community, and come up with visionary ideas about how to make it better. I have also enjoyed spending time with the school groups in the Solari Gallery, especially   with The Kinsey Collection. I had the opportunity to help install the collection, which was a very valuable experience. Being able to help with the installation, talk with the Kinsey family, and then guide the students around the exhibition has allowed me to grow as an individual and progress as an educator in the arts. Although I am graduating and won't be living in Santa Cruz much longer, I am thankful for the MAH, and all that it has taught me about involvement in my community. This unique museum will always have a place in my heart. - Rebecca Ashlock, School Programs Intern 

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Find your"Inner Santa Cruz Activist" with School Programs Interns!

School Programs created an interactive and engaging activity! “Find Your Inner Santa Cruz Activist!”

Artivism at the MAH, (co-presented by the MAH's Subjects to Change)was an interactive gathering of local artists and activists giving live performances and hosting “drop-in” workshops raising awareness of local issues and resources for teens to discover creative pathways to make change within the community.  Project Pollinate, FoodWhat, Queer Youth Task Force, were just some of the organizations that held interactive workshops.

The School Programs Interns created  an activity that was taken place in the History Gallery; “Find Your Inner Santa Cruz Activist.” Rebecca Ashlock, Margaret Spaulding , Hanna Dennis and I created a personality quiz that directed you to a historical "Santa Cruz Activist." We also created laminated bookmarks for everyone to take home with information about each activist such as Josephine McCrackin, Great Morgani, Brown Berets, Louden Nelson,  Ann Simonton, Linda Yamane.

Many people were enthusiastic about participating in the activity. The most popular activists that people were drawn to were the Brown Berets (Chicano/Mexican-American–based community organization in Watsonville protecting and empowering youth) This Activity was a huge success because it also promoted more awareness about the School Programs that the MAH offers.

Meg Spaulding (School Programs Intern) said, "Designing this project was so rewarding, even though I didn't get to see it in its final form. Just hearing that people really enjoyed taking the quiz makes me really happy! I think this project could be applied to the School Program Tours, and could really help the students identify with the different activists of Santa Cruz History. Maybe we could give them a printed version of the sheet that they could fill out before the tour or even afterwards, when they've seen a little something about each group or person. It's exciting to think about all the possibilities that could sprout from this one project. I am glad our minds were able to meet and to create something that visitors can enjoy and that will hopefully live on."  

The School Programs Interns were asked to repeat the project digitally for April’s Third Friday “Beyond Borders.” There will be food from the Watsonville Food Vendors and live performances from local musicians such as Love Gutter  and Vive Oaxaca.  Check out all the Fun!!!!

-Stephanie Maher (School Programs Intern)

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Third Friday: Lightning Talks on Mystery at the MAH

This past Third Friday consisted of five minute information sessions on various mysterious topics. My favorite was the talk on mushrooms, and even though I’ve been interested in mushrooms for most of my life, I learned so many new and interesting things in that five minutes! Christian Schwartz introduced those of us at the MAH the the world’s largest and smallest mushrooms, the symbiotic relationships that mushrooms take part in, and some gorgeous fungi photos. It was just the reminder I needed to appreciate our mycological friends here in Santa Cruz!

by Trinity Esola, Community Programs Intern

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Polypore Mushroom Instructions

Our current exhibit (3rd floor) at the MAH is “Wild Mushrooms and Functional Fungi” and polypore mushrooms can be seen on the walls in front of exhibit. As a Community Builder Intern I get so many questions from 3-5th graders during the “Field Trip Experience: Community Building with Art and History”  that I decided to post how to make them!

1) Cut paper plate in half (you can use a pre-cut plate if you like)

2) Cut about 2-3 inches off each side so the plate has a 3 inch tab in the middle

3) Watercolor both sides of the plate (any color but preferably brownish)

4) Place on drying wrack to dry

As a side note: The Polypore Mushrooms that have sprouted up all over the museum were made by First Friday participants. To learn more go to this link: http://www.santacruzmah.org/events/category/free-1st-fridays/

By Stephanie Maher (School Programs Intern)

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Alexander Ruzek’s “This Week at the MAH”

Since I became an intern at the MAH last summer, I’ve been making “This Week at the MAH”, a series of videos that go along with the museum’s weekly email blasts and help explain whatever events are on that week.

I’d done video work by myself before, but helping the museum create “This Week” has shown me how different (and fun) it can be to work collaboratively with the MAH’s goals in mind.

Collaboration means more people generating more ideas, which is great! For example, with philanthropist/vaudeville superstar/community programs coordinator Sandino Gomez acting as the show’s host, I’ve really had to think on my feet -- his flourishes and ad-libs keep things from getting too dry, and capturing them all is a skill set in itself.

I’ve had to learn to improvise too. We don’t follow a strict script, and we leave room for ideas to change throughout a shoot, so when it comes time to edit I end up with loads of footage. On the one hand, I have to be really decisive -- when you’re making a minute-long video you can’t keep everything in. But I also have to let myself follow the little ideas that pop up as I’m editing; it might be a visual joke that works with some footage we captured, or a way to smoothly transition between two clips. Over time I’ve learned to figure out which ones are worth following.

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Alana Matthews on “First Friday” of December!

I greatly enjoyed watching the visitors’ excitement when viewing the “Wild Mushrooms and Functional Fungi” exhibit! Some came up the stairs, at first wrinkling their noses while commenting on the smell of the mushroom statues, but many others eagerly rushed into the room to experience the wonderful world of mushrooms and all of their possibilities beyond their natural setting. I, personally, had been very excited about the exhibit and the idea of mushroom/fungi furniture, because of a Vice short on developing packaging out of mushrooms to replace plastics that can't be easily broken down after use. It blew my mind that we could use something found so directly in nature and that has great possibilities for solving some of humanities waste problems. Sure enough, a museum visitor introduced me to more mushroom/fungi possibilities. She shared information of another video that she had watched on mushrooms and fungi which revealed the possibility of burying the deceased pre-implanted with fungi so that the body breaks down into nature faster. It seemed a lovely idea rather than to try in vain to preserve someone that has already passed, to allow them to become a part of life again much more quickly. If there is any key lesson to take away from this exhibit and discussions around it, it is that when it comes to mushrooms and fungi, the sky is the limit!

by Alana Mathews

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Anika Tabachnick on Radical Craft Night

Radical craft night was a very exciting event for Subject to Change, the MAH’s resident teen program.  It was the first time this year’s group of teens had curated and run an activity for museum visitors and for many of them it was the fist time they had been to a “Third Friday” event. It was an amazing experience to see these teens get excited about the project they were sharing with the community and to explain the purpose of our program so eloquently. At Radical Craft night we had a “DIY” photo booth taking the photo booth project that we have done at Teen Nights and altering it to be even more crafty and empowering. We called our photo booth “Power to the Picket” and visitors were invited to make their own picket signs and then pose against a backdrop. For the last few months we have been focusing on the issues and assets that our teens see in Santa Cruz County and this was a creative way to look out into the community and see what was important to others.  I loved the variety of signs people created, which ranged from serious to funny to inspiring. The age rang of those who participated also gave us a wonderful spectrum of viewpoints. I left the event excited (even more than I already was) to work with this group in the future and was amazed by what an enthusiastic reception this activity got, both from the teens running it and the community members participating.

by Anika Tabachinick

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Radical Craft Night

Radical Craft night was an inspirational night of hands on activities provided by artists of “non-traditional” crafts.

Radical Craft Night attracted many people to the MAH. In the Classroom; “Kid Happy Hour,” with Intern Natalia Cortes hosting “Bubble Wrap ‘n Roll Prints and Intern Yarely Ramirez hosting “Window Wonderwash Painting.”

“Hand-Cranked Sewing Machines” was one of my favorite workshops on the second floor in the “History Gallery” which was hosted by Sara Homan (https://www.facebook.com/ThreadMonsterStudio)

On the 1st floor in the Atrium, live performances from the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center and a Runway Show with Pivot: The Art of Fashion.

Intern Anika Tabachnick and Malakia Wade helped with the Subjects to Change “Power to the Picket Photobooth” (http://subjectstochangesantacruz.tumblr.com/)

In the Auditorium, Intern April Riddle hosted “CD Jewelry” which I helped with. I loved making CD earrings and necklaces! People from all ages participated. Not only did the jewelry reflect light, guests drew patterns on the CD pieces. Each CD piece, April carefully shaped with scissors rounding the edges.

Radical Craft night drew an impressive crowd. It was so inspiring how non-mainstream crafts can be so trendy!

By Stephanie Maher

(photos from Flicker https://www.flickr.com/photos/santacruzmah) 

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Jacob Mann on “Radical Craft Night”

I thought radical craft night was spot on for the MAH's mission. Everyone was really mingling, getting hands on, and having a great time. By Jacob Mann 11/23/15

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Yarly Ramirez on “Radical Craft Night” (with volunteer help of Danielle Wilcox)

This was my first time leading an activity for Radical Craft Night and Kid Happy Hour and was it fun seeing how excited everyone was to contribute to the Window Wonderwash. It was a very simple activity that let everyone be as creative as they wanted to be and in the end created awesome murals for everyone to see!     

by Yarly Ramirez 11/23/15  

 Working in the kids happy hour crafting area was such an awesome experience! Some of the kids were timid at first about using the paint and all the radical stamps (because it was messy!), however a few minutes into the activity they all seemed to love the hands-on craft and contributing to the collaborative window art! It was great to see the kids enjoying themselves and having free reign to get as creative and messy as they desired!

by Danielle Wilcox (volunteer)

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April Riddle on “Radical Craft Night”

"Radical Craft Night! I was so glad for this night to finally come, as it is one of my favorite events at the MAH. While I had attended this event last year as a volunteer, this was my first time hosting an activity as an intern. When I was told I would be designing and leading an activity for this night, I racked my brain thinking of something that would fit in with the creative energy all of our collaborators would be bringing with them. Thus, I decided to work with my own “radical” craft: jewelry creation with unconventional tools and materials.

From there, “CD Jewelry” was born. To prepare for this activity, I spent hours & hours cutting and drilling CD pieces made from dysfunctional CD’s donated by Streetlight Records. While this may have resulted in some radical blisters and cuts, it was all worth it. Not only did I get to see the empowerment of people brought about by them customizing what they decorate their bodies with, but I also got to experience the joy that comes with planning and executing a project from start to finish in order to contribute to the larger extravaganza that is Radical Craft Night. There really is only one night in which you can share your craft in the midst of blacksmiths, activists, taxidermists, quilters, dancers, podcasters, and just overall amazing people!"

by April Riddle 11/23/2015