IMAS Musette, Issue 2, Fall 2015

IMAS Musette IS002

P2 /

FROM IMAS PRESIDENT

P3 /

H-E-B AWARDS $2500

P4 /

MEMBER NEWSLETTER

EDUCATION’S CORNER

FALL 2015 EDITION

P4 /

NEW EXHIBIT

Latest member letter from IMAS

H-E-B awarded IMAS $2500

Find out about the latest

New exhibit spark visitors’

President details changes

through Samling Showcase

programs we have to offer

imagination this October

7.495” x 4.1995”

IMAS Prepares for 37th Collage The IMAS Board of Trustees is happy to announce this year’s annual gala will honor Dr. Cayetano and Mrs. Yolanda Barrera for contributing and enriching the community of the Rio Grande Valley.

This year we will be honoring Dr. Cayetano and Mrs. Yolanda Barrera for contributing and enriching the community of the Rio Grande Valley along with their lifetime of service to IMAS. In its 37th anniversary, Collage is one of the longest running fundraisers and most eagerly anticipated social events of the year. All funds raised at Collage enable the museum to continue creating an inspirational legacy by providing life enhancing art and science exhibitions, educational programs, and cultural events serving to inspire our visitors

to “Think. Discover. Experience. Create.”

This year’s Collage committee is spearheaded by IMAS Fundraising Chair Carlos Melguizo and IMAS Vice-Chairman Laura Warren. The Collage Committee has been working all summer securing sponsorships and acquisitions, as well as planning a spectacular evening of elegance paired with scrumptious delicacies created by mastermind Executive Chef/Owner Larry Delgado from House.Wine. & Bistro and SALT.

Collage will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. For sponsorship opportunities or tickets, please call (956) 682-0123.

Tickets for the event are $150/IMAS Members and $175/Non-Member; tickets to the event include: valet parking, open bar service, appetizers, dinner, and access to the ever-popular Collage Après Fête presented by The Warren Group from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Tickets to the Collage Après Fête are also available for $40/person or $70/couple.

Member Letter

From IMAS President Julie Johnson Dear IMAS Members, I hope you enjoyed your summer. The IMAS staff and I have been working very hard over the past seven months to update, expand, and grow the museum. Below is just a taste of some of the much needed updates to the building and the art and science programming.

We have remodeled the Science Lab. It has a fresh coat of paint, additional storage, and new hands-on science equipment. We will also be changing its name to “BioZone”. We will be concentrating on the life sciences in this lab. In addition, we are adding a second science lab to the museum in one of the other classrooms beyond The Ann Moore Art Studio. This science lab will concentrate on the physical, earth, and space sciences, and will be called “Exploration Station”. Look for it to open this fall.

The Ann Moore Art Studio also received some updates including a fresh coat of paint, a new sliding door and soon we will be modifying the tables. In addition, we opened two art exhibits this summer including “Inherent Trajectories” by Richard Slechta and “Avenue of the Strongest” by photographer Mark Roddenberry. We were pleased to host Mr. Richard Slechta at our #TremendousThursday Event on July 16.

2.2567”x 3.0067”

Photo Courtesy of RGVision Magazine

In October we will be opening several new art and science exhibits! We are very pleased to announce that we will be opening “Electricity”, an exhibition developed and produced by The Franklin Institute, on October 3. This exhibit has 19 hands-on stations that brings the science and history of electricity to life. Our Curatorial department is working diligently to produce an exhibit from our permanent collection on “Nature’s Beauty”. This exhibit shows how art and science co-exist in nature. In addition to all of these wonderful and exciting changes, we will be opening the breezeway between the Discovery Pavilion and the Fine Art Galleries to allow visitors to move directly from one building to the next without going outside.

you on Wednesday October 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. our very first “Members Night Only”.

The museum will be open exclusively to only IMAS Members as you will have the chance to be the first ones to experience our brand new Fall exhibitions and take part in special activities and presentations in our labs.

Make sure to save the date as we will be bringing

Julie Johnson

We are excited about all of the changes that have taken place and hope that you are too! We have more planned throughout the following months as we complete our Strategic Planning process and look forward to sharing this with you soon.

Sincerely,

IMAS by the Numbers OPERATION IMAGINATION

1,495 children took part in Operation Imagaination Summer Camps. Summer camps at IMAS have been running over 10 years, but this year’s revamp allowed campers to stay the whole day to enjoy the museum.

FA M I LY FUN N I G H T

3,683 residents of the Rio Grande Valley community enjoyed the museum through our Family Fun Night Program where every Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. IMAS general admission is $1 per person. # TR E M E N DO U S T H U R S D AY

843 visitors in total experienced an explosion of art and science during the summer to take part in our first-ever #TremendousThursday Events on July 16 and August 23.

L I QU I D N I T R O G E N Dr. John Gerling conducted a special mini, liquid nitrogen explosion for a young visitor who traveled all the way from Weslaco but arrived too late.

2.5 liquid nitrogen explosions took place at IMAS thanks to Dr. John Gerling’s passion for science. He conducted 2 explosions during our #TremendousThursday Events and a special, mini one for a young visitor who traveled all the way from Weslaco to see the explosion but arrived too late.

Behind the Scenes with IMAS Curatorial By: Mayra Zepeda, IMAS Registrar

With the effort and dedication of the curatorial department, we have been able to restructure our permanent collections vault. This is a major step for the conservation process of the IMAS permanent collections. The vault has undergone major changes through reorganization and rehousing of objects in actual preservation grade boxes, proper cataloguing, and proper creation of inventory and updating of the collections database.

At the end of April, we gave welcome, once again, to Shinzaburo Takeda’s Mexican Biennial of Printmaking. We are proud to announce its

IMAS UPDATES 2.2968” x 1.6598”

return in 2017. Innovative artist Richard Slechta, who not only gave a presentation on his work, also facilitated IMAS’ acquisition of one of his photograms titled “Pastoral State”.

This fall we are pleased to be collaborating with South Texas College for an upcoming exhibit, as well as husband and wife artists Dewane Hughes and Alexis Serio.

SCIENCE ON A SPHERE UPGRADE By: Mario A. Lopez, Outreach Manager

Addditionally, the IMAS Curatorial Department has welcomed new staff members: Collections Manager Gabrielle Augustine and Head Curator Jennifer Cahn.

In June, Science On a Sphere (S.O.S.) was upgraded to Ubuntu, the lastest operating system for this type of technology. John Marciniak and Scott Muller from BWC Visual Technology in Maryland joined the IMAS staff for a week to help

H-E-B Awards $2,500

to IMAS as Part of Showcase Sampling

4.9933” x 2.684”

with the installation.

The upgrade allows IMAS to use a faster system that only runs on one computer with a single backup. We are now also able to download and access the most up-to-date data from NOAA, NASA, and other affiliations and partners who create content for S.O.S.. The image has improved immensely. The upgrade allows the use of the HD feature in the projectors that make for a better, crisper image. The system is now controlled with iPads rather than Wii remotes. This makes the aligning of the sphere a lot quicker which means less time fixing the sphere and more time to feature it to our museum visitors.

The S.O.S. updgrade was made possible through the support of BBVA Compass, the Trull Foundation, Johnson Controls and Mr. Bill Ranganath.

The H-E-B Team presents a $2,500 check to IMAS for completing the “Sampling Showcase”.

IMAS and H-E-B joined forces on Thursday, June 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for a “Sampling Showcase” at H-E-B’s McAllen location on Fern Avenue and 10th Street. IMAS was awarded $2,500 from the “Sampling Showcase” that featured H-E-B food specials alongside six IMAS activities. Activities included Fish Prints, Homemade Bird Feeders, Strawberrry DNA Sampling, Painting with Spices, Fruits and Veggies Microscopes, and a Food Pyramid Puzzle.

Over 270 IMAS Members and guests visited all six stations located throughout the store. H-E-B awarded $10 to IMAS for every person who

completed their “Sampling Showcase” (only up to 250 people).

Among the guests that completed the showcase were IMAS Chairman Joe Habbouche, IMAS Board of Trustees Beth Brown and Tom Woolsey, and IMAS Guild President Gracie Cobo. Members of the IMAS Staff were onsight to conduct the hands-on activities.

Make sure to mark your calendar for October 31 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. as we team up with Boggus Lincoln for “Driven to Give” at IMAS. More information coming soon!

OUTREACH PROGRAMS BACK AT IMAS This fall season the Outreach Department is back and gearing up to take educational hands-on programming to schools and institutions in a way that has not been done before. Former Manager of Education Operations Mario A. Lopez has been appointed as the IMAS Outreach Mananager.

Soon you will be able to look through options on subjects such as physics, engineering, life science, astronomy, art and much more. These options will offer the latest in museum education and informal education techniques. For Texas public schools, we alre also aligning all of our hands-on activities to each grade level according to TEKS. There is no limit on what we can do if we do not currently have a program for your institution’s needs, we will work with you in order to design it.

New Exhibit to Spark Visitors’ Imagination

4.9933” x 2.684”

SAVE THE DATE OPENING “THROUGH A TRANSCENDENT LENS”

BY DEWANE HUGHES & ALEXIS SERIO

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015 6:00 P.M.-8:00 P.M. INCLUDED IN ADMISSION GRANDPARENTS DAY

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 ALL DAY FREE ADMISSION FOR GRANDPARENTS A TALK WITH ARTIST MARK RODDENBERRY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2015 6:00 P.M.- 8:00 P.M. INCLUDED IN ADMISSION COLLAGE: LEGACY OF SERVICE

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2015 6:00 P.M. - 12:00 A.M. $150 MEMBER/ $175 NON-MEMBER SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES “ELECTRICITY” AN EXHIBITION DEVELOPED AND PRODUCED BY THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE

Photo Courtesy of The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA.

On October 3 IMAS will welcome its latest science exhibit “Electricity”, an exhibition developend and produced by The Franklin Institute in Philadephia, PA. The exhibit will be inside in the museum’s Discovery Pavilion and is composed of 19 hands-on stations.

“Electricity” is a classic exhibit that brings science and the history of electricity to life through interactive activities. Fundamental principles such as magnetic fields, electric charges, and battery technology are explored through interactive stations. Visitors can safely examine concepts such as static electricity and

Education’s Corner

By: Bethany Connor, Manager of Public Programs

OCTOBER 3, 2015 - JANUARY 6, 2016

live current, motors, batteries and wires, attraction and repulsion, sparks, charge and discharge, voltage, AC and DC, magnetic fields and magnetic motion, lights, telegraphs and transmitters, and more.

“CONNECTING WITH NATURE” FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION OF IMAS

This exhibit will explore questions such as: “How does electricity get into your home?” and “What makes some light bulbs brighter than others?”.

“HUMANS RIGHTS ART EXHIBITION: WORKS FROM THE PERMANENT COLLECTION AT SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE”

“Electricity” will be on display from October 3, 2015 to January 6, 2016. It is included in the price of general admission and FREE for IMAS Members.

OCTOBER 3, 2015- FEBRUARY 14, 2016 MEMBERS NIGHT ONLY

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2015 5:30 P.M.- 7:30 P.M. FREE FOR IMAS MEMBERS

OCTOBER 8, 2015 - JANUARY 3, 2016 HALLOWEEN AT IMAS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2015 ALL DAY INCLUDED IN ADMISSION DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FESTIVAL

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2015 1:00 P.M. - 6:00 PM. INCLUDED IN ADMISSION VETERANS DAY

2.411” x 2.034”

NOVEMBER 11, 2015 ALL DAY FREE ADMISSION FOR VETERANS “COLLECTORS SERIES: KENNETH GRAMS”

NOVEMBER 19, 2015 - FEBRUARY 28, 2016

We have several new programs to look forward to this Fall. Homeschool Workshops will take place on the first Wednesday of every month and give students in grades 1-12 a chance to socialize with other students while enjoying a special hands-on interactive program. Each program is conducted in one of our dynamic learning environments and will take students on an in-depth exploration of art and science concepts.

On Select Saturdays this fall, IMAS will conduct Boy Scout and Girl Scout workshops. Look for our brochure with details about dates, times, and specific programs offered on our website.

Besides our new programming, our former Science Lab has been renovated and reimagined as “Bio-

CHRISTMAS TREE FOREST

NOVEMBER 21, 2015 - JANUARY 10, 2016 GINGERBREAD HOUSE MAKING WORKSHOPS

DECEMBER 5, 6, 12, & 13, 2015 $8/IMAS MEMBERS, $10/NON-MEMBERS OPERATION IMAGINATION HOLIDAY CAMPS

Pabu is the latest Animal Ambassador to make the newly renovated Science Lab his new home.

Zone”. Along with the name change, we will be focusing the activities and experiments specifically on the life sciences. Pabu is our newest Animal Ambassador in the “BioZone”. He is a two-year old African Hedgehog who loves to eat cat food and munch on Mealworms.

DECEMBER 21, 22, 23,28, 29, 30, 2015 HALF DAY: $18/IMAS MEMBERS $20/NON-MEMBERS FULL DAY: $36/IMAS MEMBERS $40/NON-MEMBERS NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH

DECEMBER 31, 2015 9:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. INCLUDED IN ADMISSION