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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL
Februar y/March 2014
Bakersfield Californian file photo
The Lopez-Hill House at the Kern County Museum is decorated with lights as part of the museum’s month long Christmas event.
Roger Perez: Kern County Museum’s future Roger Perez was named executive director of the Kern County Museum by the museum foundation board in October 2012. Before assuming the post, Perez was the marketing and creative services director for the North of the River Recreation and Park District. Perez has extensive experience in media, web design, marketing plans, television production, social media, print production and community relaRoger Perez tions. He recently answered the Kern Business Journal’s questions about the future of the county’s museum, which includes Pioneer Village on Chester Avenue.
used to raise money to support preservation and education efforts.
Why has the museum been focusing on “entertainment events?” I don’t know that I would say we have “focused” on entertainment events as of late. We have always used events as a fundraising tool at the museum, and we have been making improvements to the current events roster to maximize return on investment and visibility. I feel strongly that education and entertainment go very well together. In order to succeed as a museum, we need to add “entertainment” to the historical and educational components we offer. A trip to the museum should not only be fun, but it should be a great time for the whole family. Perhaps by offering “entertainment” at a multitude of different events on the grounds, we can attract people to the museum who never would have come without those events.
What can visitors expect in the future? You can expect to see more educational events, more improvements to our current line-up of events, and deeper partnerships with local business and non-profit organizations. We are looking to improve some of our exhibits with interactive content and sound, and possibly open some new exhibits in the future.
What events have been held at the museum and what has been their success? We only hold a handful of annual events at the museum. They include the Nut Festival, which was a huge success, with more than $160,000 raised to support museum education programs and preservation efforts; Safe Halloween, which continues to be a strong fundraiser, raising nearly $80,000 this year; and our Holiday Lamplight Tours, which typically raise between $15,000 and $20,000 per year. We also offer regular education events from time to time that tie closely to the school tours we offer at the museum. These are more historically focused, such as Wild West Days and California History Day.
Bakersfield Californian file photo
The entry to the Kern County Museum.
How can a balance be struck between preserving artifacts and entertaining? We take great care in our preservation efforts at the museum. The best way to strike a balance between the two is to keep separate departments working on them. It is, for the most part, the goal of the Curatorial Department to preserve, protect and collect history for the museum. The Education and Events departments, however, can focus more on providing fun ways to highlight and celebrate that history. Of course, they do go hand-in-hand. “Entertainment events” are
Is the museum an economic development tool? I believe it can be. One of the things local museum directors have been working on is a more collaborative approach to getting the word out about the wonderful museums we have here in town. Museums of any type add value to an economic landscape, because they add quality of life, culture and education to the things offered by a community.