San Diego Historical Society

THE MISSION OF THE SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER IS TO PRESERVE OUR REGIONS HISTORY - TELL THE DIVERSE STORY OF OUR REGION PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE EDUCATE AND ENRICH OUR COMMUNITY AND FOSTER CIVIC PRIDE.

EXHIBITIONS & COLLABORATIONS:THE HISTORY CENTER OPENED 2 NEW EXHIBITIONS IN BALBOA PARK DURING THE PANDEMIC WITH ON-LINE COMPONENTS THAT FOCUS ON SAN DIEGOS BLACK HISTORY & HERITAGE: NATHAN HARRISON: BORN ENSLAVED, DIED A SAN DIEGO LEGEND AND CELEBRATE SAN DIEGO: BLACK HISTORY & HERITAGE. OUR PUBLIC PROGRAMS HAVE SEEN A 30% INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AS THEY HAVE TRANSITIONED TO ZOOM.COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS REMAIN A CORE FOCUS OF THE HISTORY CENTER WITH SMITHSONIAN AFFILIATION TO PRESENT DR. DAMION THOMAS, SPORTS CURATOR WITH THE SMITHSONIANS NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF HISTORY & CULTURE ON CURATING THE BLACK LIVES MATTERS MOVEMENT. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CELEBRATE SAN DIEGO: BLACK HISTORY & HERITAGE AND NATHAN HARRISON: BORN ENSLAVED, DIED A SAN DIEGO LEGEND EXHIBITIONS, AND IN COLLABORATION WITH SDSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, WE PRESENTED LIVE PROGRAMMING FROM BOTH PALOMAR MOUNTAIN (THE NATE HARRISON ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE) AND THE BALBOA PARK MUSEUM. ADDITIONALLY, THE HISTORY CENTER HAS RELOCATED THE WOMEN'S MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA'S ARCHIVE AND OPERATIONS TO THE HISTORY CENTER FROM LIBERTY STATION. THE HISTORY CENTER IS ALSO COLLABORATING WITH CINEWEST PRODUCTIONS AND DIRECTOR ISAAC ARTENSTEIN TO CREATE AN ORAL HISTORY ARCHIVE OF SAN DIEGOS JEWISH COMMUNITY FROM THE INTERVIEWS DONE FOR THE DOCUMENTARY FILM TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH: A PORTRAIT OF JEWISH SAN DIEGO AND EXHIBITION CELEBRATE SAN DIEGO: JEWISH HISTORY & HERITAGE. AT THE SERRA MUSEUM IN PRESIDIO PARK, WE CONTINUE OUR LONG-STANDING COLLABORATIONS WITH THE SAN DIEGO RIVER CONSERVANCY AND KUMEYAAY DIEGUENO LAND CONSERVANCY. IN ADDITION, THE HISTORY CENTER HAS PARTNERED WITH THE 53RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT SERVING AS THE HOST GALLERY FOR CONGRESSWOMAN SARA JACOBS PARTICIPATION IN THE NATIONAL CONGRESSIONAL ART COMPETITION.

EDUCATION & PUBLIC PROGRAMMING:THE HISTORY CENTER OFFERS BOTH K-12 AND ADULT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. IN ADDITION, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE HISTORY CENTER IS OFFERING SUMMER PROGRAMMING THROUGH THE SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTS LEVEL UP PROGRAM. THE LEVEL UP GRANT HAS ALLOWED US TO COMMIT TO INCREASED COMPENSATION FOR OUR EDUCATION TEAM, AND TO ADD A SUMMER POSITION THAT WE HOPE TO BE ABLE MAKE A YEAR-ROUND POSITION. OUR EDUCATIONALPROGRAMMING HAS RECEIVED VERY POSITIVE REVIEWS, INCLUDING FROM SITP TEAM AND STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE LEVEL UP PROGRAM AND THEIR PARENTS.AMONG THE FEEDBACK FROM OUR FIRST GROUP OF LEVEL UP STUDENTS/PARENTS: PLEASE LET THEM KNOW MY SON WAS REINVIGORATED EMOTIONALLY AND INTELLECTUALLY AND HIS MOM AND DAD ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR PROGRAM AND FOR THE AWESOME STAFF. THE TEACHERS WERE GREAT AND HANDS ON ACTIVITIES WERE FUN. THANKS! YOURE DOING AMAZING AND MY CHILD WILL MISS YOU ALL

COLLECTIONS & ARCHIVE:THE HISTORY CENTER HAS HISTORICALLY HAD THREE MAIN COLLECTING AREAS - THE OBJECT COLLECTION, THE DOCUMENT ARCHIVES, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION. THE OBJECTS COLLECTION CONTAINS APPROXIMATELY 16,000 ITEMS, INCLUDING OBJECTS THAT ARE EXTRAORDINARY, OBJECTS OF DAILY LIFE, DECORATIVE ARTS, FINE ARTS, AND ONE OF THE MOST NOTABLE HISTORIC CLOTHING COLLECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY. THE DOCUMENT ARCHIVES CONSIST OF COUNTY RECORDS, MAPS, UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS, NEWSPAPERS, ARCHITECTURAL RECORDS, EPHEMERA, AND ONE OF THE LARGEST ORAL HISTORY COLLECTIONS IN CALIFORNIA. THE HISTORY CENTERS COLLECTION OF HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS INCLUDE APPROXIMATELY 2.5MILLION IMAGES AND IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT REGIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES.THE HISTORY CENTER ADDS TO COLLECTIONS ON AN ONGOING BASIS, PRIMARILY THROUGH DONATIONS. ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTIONS ARE USED IN EXHIBITIONS; REPRODUCTIONS OF IMAGES CAN BE SEEN IN BOOKS, MAGAZINES, REPORTS, FILM, TELEVISION, ADVERTISING, AND ON THE WALLS OF NUMEROUS SAN DIEGO REGIONAL BUSINESSES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND HOMES. THE HISTORY CENTER, AS A PART OF ON-GOING COLLECTION MANAGEMENT AND STEWARDSHIP, REVIEWS ITS COLLECTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS MISSION. THE PROCESS OF DEACCESSION, OR REMOVING ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTION, IS DONE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INSTITUTIONS COLLECTIONS POLICY, AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES.