Association Of The Los Altos Historical Museum

THE LOS ALTOS HISTORY MUSEUM GATHERS AND PRESENTS ARTIFACTS AND STORIES TO BRIDGE THE PAST AND THE PRESENT BY FOSTERING THE CREATIVE ENERGY OF VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF TO PRODUCE ENGAGING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITS THAT CHALLENGE ESTABLISHED NARRATIVES.

OUR MISSION TO GATHER COMPELLING ARTIFACTS AND STORIES THAT DOCUMENT THE LIVES AND EXPERIENCES OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY COULD NOT BE PUT ON HOLD JUST BECAUSE OUR DOORS WERE CLOSED. INSTEAD, WE RECOGNIZED THAT IN THE MIDST OF SIGNIFICANT UPHEAVAL AND TURMOIL, THE MUSEUM'S OBLIGATION TO DOCUMENT HISTORY IS ESPECIALLY VITAL. LOS ALTOS HISTORY MUSEUM WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MUSEUMS IN THE COUNTRY TO ISSUE A CALL FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO CONTRIBUTE ARTIFACTS, ART WORKS, PHOTOGRAPHS, MEMOIRS, POEMS, VIDEOS, OR RECOLLECTIONS THAT DOCUMENTED THE COVID-19 EXPERIENCE. CALLED "COLLECTING COVID," THIS INITIATIVE RECEIVED DOZENS OF CONTRIBUTIONS, AND IS ONGOING. WE ARE HONORED TO BE THE REPOSITORY FOR ART WORKS AND WRITTEN PIECES THAT CAPTURE THE SHOCK, STRESS, AND DESPAIR, BUT ALSO RESILIENCE AND HOPE, OF THE PANDEMIC SO FUTURE GENERATIONS MAY UNDERSTAND OUR EXPERIENCE. ONE SPECIAL EFFORT TOWARDS THIS COLLECTION WAS MADE BY THE ORAL HISTORY COMMITTEE. ERIC GREENHUT INTERVIEWED MANY PEOPLE OF ALL AGES TO GATHER THEIR PERSPECTIVES ON THE PANDEMIC. HE AND OTHER VOLUNTEERS ON THE COMMITTEE CONTINUED TO DOCUMENT THE STORIES OF OUR COMMUNITY, BUT HAD TO DO SO OVER ZOOM RATHER THAN IN-PERSON!DURING THE LAST 12 MONTHS, AS PEOPLE HAD MORE TIME AT HOME TO SORT THROUGH THEIR PERSONAL STORAGE AREAS, WE ACQUIRED MORE ARTIFACTS FOR OUR COLLECTION. WE RECEIVED, FOR INSTANCE, AN AMAZING COLLECTION OF COLOR SLIDES DOCUMENTING LOS ALTOS IN THE 1940S AND 50S! WE ALSO COMPLETED OUR COLLECTION POLICY DURING THIS PERIOD, WITH A BOARD VOTE FOR FORMAL ADOPTION IN APRIL OF 2021. THIS DOCUMENT WILL GUIDE OUR PRIORITIES IN COLLECTING AN ARRAY OF MATERIAL RELATED TO LOCAL HISTORY AS WE CONTINUE OUR MISSION TO GATHER AND PRESENT COMPELLING ARTIFACTS AND STORIES. DURING THE SHELTER-IN-PLACE, WE SEIZED THE OPPORTUNITY TO UTILIZE MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO HELP DOCUMENT HISTORIC ARTIFACTS. AFTER A SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING EFFORT IN MAY OF 2020, WE INVESTED IN NEW EQUIPMENT TO ALLOW US TO SCAN, PHOTOGRAPH, AND ARCHIVE OUR COLLECTION WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE MUSEUM WITHOUT WALLS FUNDRAISING EFFORT! THE MOST EXCITING APPLICATION OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY TO HISTORIC ARTIFACTS WAS THE COMPLETION OF 3-D MODELING OF THE CENTRAL ARTIFACT OF THE MUSEUM, THE HISTORIC J. GILBERT SMITH HOUSE. FILMED DURING THE COVID LOCKDOWN, WHEN NO ONE COULD ENTER THE SMITH HOUSE, THIS TECHNOLOGY ALLOWS FOR A SELF-GUIDED, REALISTIC VIRTUAL TOUR, AND IS NOW AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE! WE THEN EMBARKED ON AN AMBITIOUS EFFORT TO EXPAND THE CONTENT ON OUR WEBSITE, INCLUDING A WARM AND ENGAGING VIDEO PRESENTATION OF OUR CAL AGGIES 4TH GRADE STATION, ADDED TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES PAGE. WE REVAMPED THE EXHIBIT SECTION TO MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND INFORMATION ABOUT PAST EXHIBITIONS, EACH OF WHICH CONTAIN ORIGINAL RESEARCH INTO OUR LOCAL HISTORY. WE ADDED GREATLY TO THE COLLECTION SECTION OF THE WEBSITE, WITH DETAILS ABOUT OUR PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS, ARTIFACTS, AND ORAL HISTORIES. WE ARE ALSO TELLING UNTOLD STORIES OF OUR COMMUNITY. 2020 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR A GLOBAL HEALTH CRISIS, BUT ALSO FOR RENEWED NATIONAL ATTENTION ON THE HISTORY OF RACIAL DYNAMICS IN THE UNITED STATES. HISTORY MUSEUMS HAVE BEEN CALLED UPON TO PROVIDE A FORUM FOR DIVERSE VOICES TO BE HEARD. TO HELP US ACCOMPLISH THIS, WE ASSEMBLED A WONDERFUL GROUP OF LOCAL HISTORIANS WHO FOCUS ON THE MINORITY COMMUNITIES IN OUR AREA. THE SUGGESTIONS OF THE DIVERSITY ADVISORY GROUP HAVE ADDED GREATLY TO THE COMPLEXITY OF THE STORIES WE WILL BE TELLING IN THE NEW PERMANENT EXHIBITION. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE MANY, MANY GENEROUS DONATIONS THAT CAME IN DURING 2020/2021 SPECIFICALLY FOR THE NEW PERMANENT EXHIBITION. THOSE FUNDS ARE HELD IN RESERVE UNTIL WE GO INTO FULL PRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT IN 2022/2023, AND HAVE ALREADY INSPIRED US TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING!

THOUGH THE ACTIVITIES OF OUR VOLUNTEERS WAS CURTAILED, THEY FOUND WAYS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE MUSEUM'S MISSION. THE GARDEN COMMITTEE RESUMED MEETING OUTDOORS ONCE A WEEK TO TEND TO THE GARDEN AS SOON AS IT WAS DECLARED SAFE TO DO SO. THE ORAL HISTORY COMMITTEE MET ONLINE AND STAYED FULLY ON SCHEDULE INTERVIEWING SUBJECTS. THE PUBLIC RELATIONS AND WEBSITE COMMITTEE CHAIR, KRISTEN FULLER, WAS AS BUSY AS EVER WITH MANY PROJECTS DIRECTLY AFFECTING OUR COMMUNICATIONS. THE FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE TOOK ON THE CHALLENGE OF MOUNTING A VIRTUAL ONLINE AUCTION. AND SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS AND PAST BOARD MEMBERS JOINED SPECIAL COMMITTEES FOCUSED ON SAFELY REOPENING, TRANSITIONING OUR RENTAL PROGRAM, AND CREATING A COLLECTION POLICY, ALL HELD VIA ZOOM.

IN ORDER TO FULFILL OUR MISSION TO PRODUCE ENGAGING PROGRAMS AND EXHIBITIONS FOR THE COMMUNITY IN THE MIDST OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, LAHM STAFF HAD TO BE ESPECIALLY CREATIVE AND FLEXIBLE. WE KNOW HOW MUCH THE COMMUNITY LOOKS FORWARD TO OUR SURPRISING AND INTRIGUING EXHIBITION TOPICS AND THAT OUR MEMBERS DESERVE ENRICHMENT EVEN WHEN OUR DOORS ARE CLOSED! AUGUST OF 2020 PRESENTED AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE-THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT GRANTING WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE-AND WE WERE DETERMINED NOT TO LET THAT HISTORIC MOMENT PASS BY UNNOTICED. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE MOUNTED AN HISTORIC EXHIBITION ON THE PORCH OF THE J. GILBERT SMITH HOUSE. RISE UP! THE FIGHT FOR WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE OUTDOOR VERSION INCLUDED PHOTOS OF NATIONAL AND STATEWIDE LEADERS IN THE WOMEN'S RIGHTS MOVEMENT, AND LOCAL LEADERS HERE IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, AS WELL AS THE TEXT ABOUT THE CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES OF THE MOVEMENT. THIS EXHIBITION OPENED IN TIME FOR THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY AND THE CITY-WIDE OBSERVATION, AND WAS VIEWABLE 24 HOURS A DAY WHILE STAYING SOCIALLY DISTANCED. WHEN WE SAFELY REOPENED, WE UNVEILED THE COMPLETE RISE UP! EXHIBITION WITH ARTIFACTS AND MORE INFORMATION, AND WE PRODUCED A TEACHER'S GUIDE AND 3D INTERACTIVE ONLINE TOUR OF THE EXHIBITION FOR STUDENTS, SINCE YOUNGSTERS WERE STILL ENCOURAGED TO STAY HOME. OTHER ONLINE EXHIBITIONS INCLUDED YOUNG AT ART, A CELEBRATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ART DOCENTS PROGRAM. WE BRANCHED OUT DURING 2020/2021 TO OFFER ONLINE PROGRAMS NOT ONLY DIRECTLY RELATED TO OUR CHANGING EXHIBITION TOPICS, BUT ALSO TOPICS OF GENERAL INTEREST TO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. WE HAD RECORD-BREAKING ATTENDANCE FOR OUR ONLINE PROGRAM ON THE HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY, AND OUR YOUTUBE LEARNING CHANNEL HAS BEEN ENHANCED WITH RECORDINGS OF ALL OF OUR ONLINE PROGRAMS. WE FEEL WE ROSE TO THE CHALLENGE OF 2020, THANKS TO THE INCREDIBLE SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY.