IMAS Musette Summer/ Fall 2020

SUMMER/FALL

2020

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Eryn Reddell Wingert

Lesley Chavez

CHAIR

SECRE TARY

Juan Garcia VICE - CHAIR

Ernesto Sepulveda

MEMBERS

IMAS OI Summer Camps: From In-person Interaction to Virtual, read on p.14

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION The International Museum of Art & Science is one of six museums nation-wide chosen to participate in this year’s Cultural Competence Learning Institute (CCLI), a partnership between Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose (CDM), Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), and Garibay Group, a research and evaluation firm specializing in informal science learning, funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Building from the document Museums, Libraries and 21st Century Skills, published by IMLS in 2009, CCLI focuses on these 21st Century skills that are particularly relevant to helping institutions advance their cultural competency: creativity, innovation, communication, collaboration, and global awareness.

Article continues on p.4.

Debbie Crane Aliseda Dr. Steven Block Graciela Cobo Julia Collins Dr. John Gerling Kate Horan Dr. Katherine McAllen Hari Namboodiri Juan Peña

Jeri Clark PAST- CHAIR EX-OFFICIO Beth Brown ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR

Ofelia Estevis IMAS GUILD

Bill Ranganath TRUSTEE EMERITUS

Lindsey Richards JUNIOR LE AGUE OF MC A LLEN

Veronica Whitacre MAYOR PRO - TEM

STAFF DIRECTORY Ann Fortescue

Lisa Moreno

PRESIDENT & E XECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SCIENCE EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Adrian De Anda

Valerie Escamilla

OPER ATIONS & FINANCE DIRECTOR

ART EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Mary Garza

Celina Michel

E XECUTIVE ASSISTANT & HR COORDINATOR

RESERVATIONS & OUTRE ACH COORDINATOR

Anastasia Perez

Edgar Cortez

DE VELOPMENT & MARKE TING DIRECTOR

EDUCATOR

Claudia Martinez DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Jessica Rodriguez VISITOR SERVICES MANAGER

Amelia Whitehead DIRECTOR OF COLLECTIONS & EXHIBITIONS

Mayra Zepeda

Yelitza Garcia EDUCATOR

Selena Garza EDUCATOR

Elisa Hernandez EDUCATOR

Kristen Sanchez EDUCATOR

EXHIBITIONS COORDINATOR

Aylaia Sifuentes

Alex Garza

DE VELOPMENT & MARKE TING COORDINATOR

FACILITIES MANAGER

Yerenett Ceballos FACILIT Y REN TA L S & VISITOR SERVICES COORDINATOR

Diana Reza MEMBERSHIP & VISITOR SERVICES COORDINATOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TRE ASURER

Marissa Salazar GR APHIC DESIGNER

Eloy Rodriguez PREPAR ATOR

Jesus Velazquez CR AF TSMAN

Ana Guerra

Rene Olivarez

VISITOR SERVICES ASSISTANT

FACILITIES ASSISTANT

Anita Rodriguez

Pedro Gomez

VISITOR SERVICES ASSISTANT

HOUSEKEEPER

David Cantu

1 COMMUNITY

14 EDUCATION

6 RECAP

17 EXHIBITS

Valerie Mercurio TELEPHONE RECEPTIONIST

SECURITY OFFICER

9 BY THE NUMBERS

19 SUPPORTERS

Roni Cortez

Antelmo Gonzalez

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION ASSISTANT

SECURITY OFFICER

11 UPDATES

John Mercado SECURITY OFFICER

Thank you to The Warren Group Inc. for generously underwriting this issue of the IMAS Musette newsletter.

Cover Credits Top image by Christy Sanchez, 2 Nov. 2019.

Bottom image by Ernesto Herrera, 6 Dec. 2018.

A SAFE PLACE FOR EVERYONE

BY ANASTASIA PEREZ, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING

through the IMAS website or over the phone by entry time, available for every half hour. A face mask is required to enter the museum, hand-sanitizer stations will be available at doorways, and visitors are encouraged to practice social distancing.

Public hours are Thursday from 10:00 AM−1:00 PM and from 3:00−6:00 PM. On Fridays and Saturdays, the museum opens from 9:00 AM−1:00 PM and from 3:00−6:00 PM. The museum closes for cleaning on these days from 1:00−3:00 The International Museum of Art & Science reopened to the public on Thursday, June 11, at the 25% limited capacity as recommended by DSHS and CDC with reduced admission and modified hours. Open areas of the museum will include the art galleries, Science On a Sphere (SOS) theater, McAllen Public Utility BioZone, outdoor areas and Museum Shop.

PM. Phone operators will be at the museum between the hours of 8:30 AM−4:30 PM. Monday through Friday and closed on the weekends.

Dedicated hours for visitors include Wednesday mornings from 9:00 AM−1:00 PM which will be reserved for visitors with sensory sensitivities or special needs. Wednesday mornings include reduced lights and sounds in some areas

“The IMAS staff has been working diligently on our

and a limited number of headphones and fidgets will be

reopening plan with measures in place to provide a safe

available. On Thursdays, the first hour, 9:00−10:00 AM, are

and educational environment for visitors,” says Ann

reserved for immune compromised and older visitors without

Fortescue,

children. The general public hours begin on Thursdays at

IMAS

President

and

Executive

Director.

“Engaging with our audiences online for the past few

10:00 AM.

months has given staff rewarding opportunities to learn

Active IMAS Members will continue to enjoy free

and develop their skills as museum professionals. It’s

admission. Visitors are granted admission for $1 per person.

been a delight for all of us to witness connecting with

Children ages 3 and under continues to receive free

the community through virtual Toddler Tuesday

admission.

storytimes, Workshop Wednesdays, peeks into our

All existing IMAS memberships that were active on March

collection with Mineral Mondays and Folk Art Fridays,

20 when the IMAS began its temporary closure have

online exhibitions and social media sharing from the

automatically extended by three (3) months beyond their

community with #IMASArtist. We’ll continue producing

original expiration date. All new IMAS memberships

our online programming and content as welcome the

purchased since March 20 began their term once the IMAS

community back into our museum.”

reopens. All new memberships can take advantage of our

Areas of closure include high-touch exhibits and spaces

program discounts and free admission since June 11, 2020.

such as Seed to Table, Water Journey, DigiWall, the Ann

Membership benefits such as discounts for online registration

Moore Art Studio, and ViewSpace.

are valid during closure. Visit theimasonline.org/welcome to

Visitors have several ways to reserve a ticket by entry time beforehand to plan their visit. Tickets can be purchased

learn more, purchase a membership, or reserve a ticket for your upcoming visit.

SMR/FALL 2020 IMAS Musette | 1

DOORS CLOSED, NEW HORIZONS OPEN

BY YELITZA GARCIA, EDUCATOR

On April 27, 2020, IMAS allowed visitors to take pieces from our permanent collections to their homes- their Animal Crossing homes! The Nintendo Switch game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released worldwide few weeks earlier on March 20th. Many people will remember late March as the start of the United States COVID-19-response quarantine. As a result, many were left unemployed and under stay-at-home orders. People turned to the arts, consuming more music, movies, and, yes- games, more than ever before in modern history (Patel 2020).

At the same time of this new, grim reality, imagine a life where money grows and falls from trees, and your only responsibility is to live life to the fullest on your own private island. That’s the escapism experience that Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers. The player is a human villager who helps build their island community through various tasks, such as decorating spaces or donating art, fossils, insects, and fish to the in-game museum. The player’s community is a colorful cast of pudgy, anthropomorphic animals with their own unique personalities and hobbies. There is no way to “win,” since the goals of the game are player-driven, and the message of the developers is embedded in every gameplay aspect of this world: “Stop and smell the roses.” The slow-pace, wholesomeness and charm of this fantastical re-imagining of life won over the hearts of millions in a pandemic-stricken world. Animal Crossing took the world by storm. In May, Nintendo announced the initial sales number of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, passing 13 million physical copies sold worldwide within the first month and an active daily userbase of 11 million people, making it the fastest-selling game in the Switch’s 4-year lifetime. Later figures determined it was the top selling game of any platform for the months of March, April and May and set various other sales records for the company (Gilbert 2020).

Malls and dine-in restaurants weren’t the only ones affected by the pandemic. As many will recall, with a heavy

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heart, IMAS, along with the country’s other museums, closed as a public-health response. Though our doors had to physically close, our online platforms opened in ways it never had before to fulfill our mission. One of the gameplay

SCAN QR CODES THROUGH THE NINTENDO SWITCH ONLINE APP FOR INFO AND MORE QR CODES VISIT THEIMASONLINE.ORG

mechanics of Animal Crossing is the ability to create art within the game that can be used to customize various items, such as flags, bed comforters, posters, etc., and so appeared an opportunity to reach the world in a way that we could not have predicted. Museums across the nation, from the IMAS to the Field Museum in Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and hundreds of others have uploaded an estimated total of over 400,000 of their permanent collection pieces (Sarsfield-Hall, 2020) as downloadable art in Animal Crossing. In addition, various other aspects of the game inspired museums and other educational institutions. The Monterrey Bay museum held aquarium tours where an interpreter took visitors through a tour of the in-game museum to talk about the animals it featured, which are all realistic renditions of real-world animals. The Computing History Museum re-created their museum on an island. The Museum of English Rural Life held a rural smock design contest. Installation artist Shing Yin Kohr recreated her favorite installations within the game (Sarsfield-Hall, 2020).

For many years, video games have been seen as time-wasters. As a society, we’ve neglected to acknowledge that video games are art, and like all art, can be used to tell stories that make us laugh, cry, learn, and shape our

Literature Cited

worldview. Through everything that humanity has faced in the

Gilbert, B. (2020, May 7). How big of a deal is ‘Animal Crossing’? It had the biggest launch of any Nintendo Switch game, including ‘Mario’ and ‘Zelda. Business Insider. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/animal-crossing-new-horizons-launch -sales-nintendo-switch-2020-5

past few months, we have once again seen that art brings us together as a society unlike anything else. At IMAS, our mission to promote a deeper appreciation of the arts and sciences guided to think of ways to reach our community. We are excited to continue to stay on top of trends in the future to reach more and new audiences to share our love for our artistic and scientific heritage.

Gontovnikas, M. (2020, April 30). The (surprisingly complex) impact of COVID-19 on streaming media. Auth0. Retrieved from: https://auth0.com/blog/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-streaming-media/ Sarsfield-Hall, A. (2020, April 14). Visitor attractions move to Animal Crossing during Coronavirus lockdown. Blooloop. Retrieved from: https://blooloop.com/news/visitor-attractions-animal-crossing-duringlockdown/

SMR/FALL 2020 IMAS Musette | 3

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

BY ANN FORTESCUE, PRESIDENT & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Cultural Competence Learning Institute (CCLI) introduces a

inclusion and equity. This document identifies our deeply held

framework for thinking about these 21st Century skills within

value of learning as the glue bringing us together to listen,

the context of cultural competence and diversity and offers

reflect, and act in partnership with our community. It

accompanying tools and resources. IMAS is using the CCLI

acknowledges working on making DEAI (diversity, equity,

framework to create a shared vocabulary and examine our

access and inclusion) ingrained in our work is a process and a

DEAI (diversity, equity, access, and inclusion) practices – both

practice. Our “Commitment to Inclusion” holds staff

internally with policies and procedures and externally with

accountable to our pledge to do this work. If you’d like to read

our audiences and community partners.

the full document, it is in the “About Us” tab on our website

The IMAS staff wanted to bring together their shared values for diversity and inclusion. Following a zoom staff

in the “Your Museum” section, theimasonline.org/welcome/ your-museum/.

meeting discussion, a cross-departmental group of staff

As we continue this journey to use 21st century skills in

members worked together and sought input from their peers

deepening our cultural competency, we are discovering areas

to write the internal document “Our Existing and Ongoing

we want to focus on and improve our practices – one is

Commitment to Inclusion at IMAS” affirming our stand

internal communications and the other is to become more

against racism and injustice and upholding our dedication to

inclusive of our entire community. We are incorporating these topics in our regular department and staff meetings. The information we learn from CCLI and the resulting staff discussions will help IMAS become a more responsive, community-focused, inclusive museum as have past CCLI participants, including The Exploratorium in San Francisco, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the High Desert Museum in Oregon, and Long Island Children’s Museum in New York. IMAS is one of a growing number of museums nationally responding to calls from within the museum field and outside to make DEAI a central part of our work.

ACCEPTANCE TO CCLI IS THROUGH A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION PROCESS AND IMAS IS HONORED TO BE SELECTED FOR THIS YEAR’S COHORT OF SIX MUSEUMS: ERIC CARLE MUSEUM, AMHERST, MA GRAND RAPIDS CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, GRAND RAPIDS, MI INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF ART AND SCIENCE, MCALLEN, TX LIVING HISTORY FARMS, URBANDALE, IA NEVADA DISCOVERY MUSEUM, RENO, NV

Left to right: Anastasia Perez, Ann Fortescue, and Claudia Martinez in the CCLI conference

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SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA, RICHMOND, VA

IMAS AWARDED $10K RELIEF GRANT BY HUMANITIES TEXAS The International Museum of Art & Science is honored to have received a $10,000 Relief Grant from Humanities Texas.

Humanities Texas is grateful to have the opportunity to offer over $1M in emergency funding to more than 175 Texas cultural and educational nonprofits affected by COVID-19.

These Relief Grants were made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the CARES Act signed into law on March 27, 2020.

IMAS will use these grant funds to support staff creating original cultural programs such as our annual Dia de los Muertos and Lunar New Year celebrations organized in collaboration with community partners. Typically, the museum’s annual fundraisers, A Night at the Brew-seum and Collage gala, raise over $370,000 each year to support the museum educational programs and exhibitions. With the disruption and uncertainty of holding these significant events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Relief Grants like those awarded by Humanities Texas will help sustain these cultural education programs in providing content and activities virtually or in-person once it is safe to do so.

“This is vital support to fund original, engaging programs created by IMAS museum staff drawing inspiration from our permanent collections and exhibitions and working with partners to serve our community

through

discovery

and

exploration,

especially for families,” said IMAS President and Executive Director Ann Fortescue.

Relief Grants were available for both general operating support and humanities programming. Between now and June 2021, funding will support operations; at-risk humanities positions; and projects at museums, libraries and archives, Among the annual cultural events at the International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) are the Dia de los Muertos Festival and Lunar New Year Celebration, involving community performances such as UTRGV Ballet Folklorico (above) and calligraphy demonstrations (below).

historic sites, colleges and universities, and other cultural nonprofits that have suffered losses as a result of the pandemic. Humanities Texas accepted applications on a rolling basis from April 27–June 9, 2020.

SMR/FALL 2020 IMAS Musette | 5

R RE EF FR RE ES SH HIIN NG G

6 | 2020 ISS2 IMAS Musette

Keeping the spirit of its biggest and most-anticipated

in the Clark Gallery at IMAS and invited viewers to continue

fundraising event alive in 2020, the International Museum of

their bids in the museum's online auction which featured

Art & Science shifted the traditional in-person Brew-seum

incredible items including a Love Street electric guitar

event to an online platform in order to raise the much-needed

donated by L&F Distributors and the painted barrels which

funding which enables IMAS to continue to bring cultural and

had been featured in the Empty Barrels Food & Funds Drive to

educational resources to the communities in the RGV.

benefit the Food Bank of the RGV.

This year's first-of-its-kind virtual fundraiser at IMAS

The day culminated in the Brew-seum@Home video

was by all accounts a huge achievement. The event increased

program which was broadcasted on Facebook at 7PM that

online engagement for the museum by over 4,000 online users

evening. While last year's in-person Brew-seum event drew

during the same period of time as last year, and raised 40% of

over 1,500 attendees to the museum, this year's online

the funding of the previous year's on-site event!

program reached over 3,000 virtual attendees and was

Comprised

of

special

guests,

live

music

and

entertainment, plus a few surprises for the audience including

hosted by none other than beloved local newscaster, Tim Smith and MISD Board of Trustees Secretary, Tony Forina.

guest brewers and a specially curated beer kit to party along

Viewers witnessed a glimpse into the taproom at

and participate in the event, Brew-seum@Home was a

FreeTail Brewing in San Antonio and heard from other

groundbreaking response to this year's mounting challenges.

special brewery guests throughout the program including

The newly re-imagined Brew-seum@Home, also featured

Lorelei Brewing Co., Karbach Brewing, and Mission's

satellite events that helped support the museum's fundraising

very own 5x5 Brewing Co. Musical acts for the evening

efforts. Among these events were the Empty Barrels Food &

included Dezorah, Sick Sea, and previous Brew-seum

Funds Drive, aimed to benefit the Food Bank of the RGV, a

headliners, The Powell Brothers.

Beer Dinner at Salomé in early March, which featured an

The IMAS extends a very special thanks to all sponsors

incredible 5-course meal prepared by Chef Larry Delgado and

and supporters, notably Brew-seum@Home's Title Sponsors,

team, LIVE Facebook events which saw the IMAS partner

Clark Chevrolet and Clark Knapp Honda, and presenting

with previous Brew-seum restaurant attendees CC's Sweets

sponsor L&F Distributors for their steadfast support of the

& Tweets, Dragon Warrior Noodle, and Nuri Korean

12th Annual Brew-seum!

Fusion Kitchen to engage viewers with recipes featuring the beer in their kits which were distributed ahead of time with help from our restaurant partners at Santa Fe Steakhouse & Cantina, and an online auction which enabled participants to support the museum in a more traditional format.

On June 6, 2020, the day of the event kicked off with a

Brew-seum@Home Committee Eryn Reddell Wingert−Co-Chair, Josh Forrester−Co-Chair, Meylo Rodriguez−Producer, Adrian De Anda, Nestor Belmares, Rigo Flores, Ann Fortescue, Amy Garcia, Kristina Garza, Mary Garza, Gaby Jones, Suzy Lee, Mario Lopez, Genesis Moreno, Anastasia Perez, Marissa Salazar, Ernesto Sepulveda, Aylaia Sifuentes, and Michele Sparks.

LIVE online yoga class led by Casa Om Yoga that took place SMR/FALL 2020 2020 ISS2 IMAS IMAS Musette Musette || 7

Special thanks to the Brew-seum@Home Co-hosts Tim Smith and Tony Forina, restaurant host Santa Fe Steakhouse, and the Brew-seum Committee for their time, talent, and dedication to the IMAS

8 | 2020 ISS2 IMAS Musette

IMAS GUILD CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY The International Museum of Art and Science Guild is on a roll! After many successful years of raising funds for museum

programs

and

facility

improvements, this group of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers is preparing to celebrate fifty years of service to the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas via the museum.

The IMAS Guild was founded in 1970 by the McAllen Junior Service League and since then has provided the museum with hundreds of volunteers and raised thousands

of

dollars

for

museum

programs such as the popular Science on a Sphere as well as, recently, a state of the art acoustic system and a splendid grand piano.

Currently, the Guild raises funds for the museum with the immensely popular annual spring Style Show and Luncheon as well as mounting huge Rummage Sales and 5K Runs. The Guild also curates and organizes the annual Christmas Tree Forest for the museum.

Members routinely meet at the museum at 10 AM on the second Wednesday

of

each

month

from

September through May. Other meetings are called as needed.

SMR/FALL 2020 IMAS Musette | 11

IMAS FACT Over 15,000 visitors were served through the year-long Free Family Sunday Funday program, supported by a grant from the H-E-B Tournament of Champions.

IMAS GOES VIRTUAL The International Museum of Art & Science brings its

zine and DIY looms. Folk Art Friday, a series sharing weekly

permanent collection and programs to the digital space for

collection features highlights from over 4,500 folk art and

our patrons to enjoy at home. IMAS social media presents

textile objects. 1,500 of the 4,500 folk art pieces reflect many

daily an extensive array of artworks, natural objects, and

countries and artistic movements beyond Mexico, dating from

virtual workshops.

the 16th century to the present. In addition, some of these art

Starting off with Mineral Mondays, the series features

pieces are available as illustrated coloring pages.

minerals from the 2,000 natural history and geology

The museum invites anyone to recreate any work from

specimens in the IMAS vault. Next, Toddler Tuesday and

IMAS permanent collection, snap a photo and share your end

Workshop Wednesday are educational tutorials and activities

products. Use #IMASartist on your post and tag

for families and educators to use in a virtual setting.

@imasmuseum on Instagram, @imasmcallen on Facebook,

Activities ranging from tape paintings and foil sculptures to

or e-mail: info@theimasonline.com.

#IMASARTIST As the IMAS closed its doors to the public in early March, in response to the CDC and local health officials’ urgent requests for everyone’s efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, our dedicated staff did not skip a beat to find ways to fulfill the IMAS mission of promoting art, science, and culture. The museum encouraged community members to discover art and science at home and share their creations using the hashtag #IMASartist as a way to connect with, learn from, and create memories with each other virtually.

10 | 2020 ISS2 IMAS Musette

@IMASMUSEUM

@LETTYAPREALESTATE

@LYLES_JERRY

@_KATARINAMARIE

@IMASMCALLEN

@AYVALENCIANA

@KEKAKURIART

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IMAS OPERATION IMAGINATION CAMPS: FROM IN-PERSON INTERACTION TO VIRTUAL

BY VALERIE ESCAMILLA, ART EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Summer 2020 has been a season to embrace change. The International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS) has always offered Operation Imagination camps in winter, spring, and summer break. Unfortunately, things were different this summer as we transitioned from seeing our eager campers stroll through the halls of our museum to now logging onto a virtual platform.

We were not sure how campers and their parents would respond to virtual camps, but we were hopeful that they would have a fun and engaging experience. It was also a brand-new experience for the museum educators involved in camps. Once the bell chimed, webcams came on, and the faces of our eager campers were displayed on the screen, I knew that our campers were going to have a safe place to have a great time. The campers were so eager to share and to make new friends. The virtual camps have been very successful. The campers were always sad to see us go and couldn’t wait for the next day to see their friends and educators. It was not a setting we were all used to, but it has been a new learning experience for us all.

14 | SMR/FALL 2020 IMAS Musette

The 19 original lesson plans the museum educators created and the kits we packed and prepared each week were not easy tasks to take on. In keeping with our commitment to accessibility, we created 10 lessons that were available free online for families to participate in the weekly camp themes.

All 19 lessons were offered for our paid portion along with all the supplies needed for the camps. A lot of time and preparation was put into these camps, with hours spent writing lessons and manually packaging and making the activity kits with everything our campers would need for the week. We even included small surprises to brighten up their week, like eye patches upcycled from plastic beer can holders. Those campers taking part in the paid portion of summer camps had access to Monday-Thursday webinars from 2:45-4:00 p.m., which were filled with fun activities for the campers, such as Pictionary, Animal Charades and virtual field trips to places related to camp themes. We took a “trip” to Claude Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny, France during Art Masters camp. Friday’s webinars were dedicated to Show and Tell. From 2:00-4:00 p.m., campers had their time to share and show all the wonderful work they did throughout the week, what they learned and what they enjoyed doing.

Then, the next week began and we started over with camp preparation and kit pickup, then engaging with campers through our webinars via Zoom.

In addition to Operation Imagination virtual summer camps, IMAS continues to share many resources for the public online, free of charge through our website and social media channels. We have our coloring pages of artwork from the permanent collection, Workshop Wednesday videos, online exhibits, and more for our audiences spending more time at home during these challenging times. Unexpectedly, technology has begun to play even a bigger role for us sooner than we thought. We have embraced this change and look forward to developing more virtual programs for the start of the new school year.

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MY VIRTUAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE

BY KRISTEN SANCHEZ, EDUCATOR

too in depth with it and lose sight of making a character, so I had a lot of consultations and input from other educators. This in turn helped me to develop four key points the teens could focus on to develop a character and their character story.

During the Mythical Creature Bookmark webinar, we discussed the Griffin, the Hydra, and Poseidon. Their initial step is to create a “pop-out” bookmark with different cut-out sections of the creatures. It was fun to see how engaged the teens were. They had complete creative freedom where they could either create an accurate creature or mix them up to create a completely new, hybrid creature. One participant mixed Poseidon with a whale head! During the Character Design webinar, we discussed what is and how to create an analysis and storyboard, how to develop a concept map and how it progresses a character’s story, and putting together a While brainstorming for the Myth + Teen Art program for the

background to enhance the actions/characteristics of the

McAllen Public Library, the most frequent question I kept

character. Most of the characters made were based on anime

asking myself was “How can I make this fun and engaging for

or video games. A teen created her own version of a nun. It

teens and what learning process is easier for them to

was overall fun to participate with them and create my own

understand?” Making an engaging art lesson plan is always

bookmark and character alongside them.

fun. There is enough room to show passion and experience.

Art can be ever so expressive and neither too broad or

Understanding how both work have helped me to not only

too vague, and there are many ways to approach a final piece.

further develop an engaging lesson, but to show participants

Teaching art virtually was a new and different experience for

how they can identify and “tap” into their creative side.

me – how to approach, describe, and show how techniques

Creating both the Mythical Creature Bookmark and Character

can be done over camera weighed heavily on me. It was a

Design Teen Art lessons instilled enthusiasm to for me, the

different thought process than making lessons for in-person;

other educators, and teens who participated in the virtual

so instead of focusing on how high detailed and accurate

workshops via Google Hangout.

images should look, I focused more how these lessons can be

To help me feel a bit more comfortable teaching virtually,

engaging for everyone to enjoy while learning a few fun facts

I thought of artists I have seen through videos and how they

on mythical creatures. They also learned some historical

work/teach virtually. They never go too deep into the topic

information on character designers and their processes.

(unless stated otherwise), they always do it in sections so you

Though the teaching process was different – not having to

can focus on either material, techniques, proportionality, etc.

remember a lesson to re-teach again and not writing for

That also helped me with writing the lesson but occasionally

myself – I adapted to the “new” form of teaching. As an

I would hit a wall when writing a section of the Character

educator, it is my job to keep learning and growing so I may

Design lesson when describing technique. I did not want to go

pass down what I have learned.

16 | SMR/FALL 2020 IMAS Musette

Devil Icons

The Science and Art of Cooperation

DE VIL ICONOGR APH Y IN ME XIC AN MA SKS

Explore etchings by John Gould and learn how artists and scientists have benefited from each other’s work as they strive to unravel the mysteries of nature. Curated by Yelitza M. Garcia, this exhibition takes a closer look at the role of social behavior in the theory of natural selection by Charles Darwin through an artistic lens.

Devil Icons, curated by Veronica Cortez, is a IMAS virtual exhibition exploring popular and mysterious Mexican iconography of the devil through the use of Mexican folk art masks. Learn not only of this iconic form of folk art but also about the historical, cultural and religious meaning they hold.

Pollinators in Action

RGV COMMUNITY PHOTOGRAPHS

IMAS made a call to the public to submit their photographs of bees and butterflies from the RGV area.

The community voted on the top 20 images and are exhibited on site at the museum until September 27. All 45 entries are available on view on theimasonline.org under virtual exhibitions.

UTRGV COVID-19 VISUAL JOURNAL

This online exhibit is a Instagram project by UTRGV students in a time of crisis led by Christen Sperry García MFA, PhD. The project documented the lives of each student during quarantine. The goal of the online visual journal was to make sense of the chaos and changes the students were experiencing socially, emotionally, philosophically, and politically in crisis.

VIRTUAL

18 JULY−27 SEP. 2020

Individual Minds OF AR TIS TIC S TAFF

IMAS is proud of its staff who capably navigate the intersection of art and science every day and the inspiration it brings them. In honor of the artists among us, we are presenting this online exhibition featuring a collection of works created by our very own IMAS staff artists. Learn about the breadth of creativity from these exceptional artists and museum staff members.

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CURRENT

25 JAN−25 OCT. 2020

23 MAY−18 OCT. 2020

Cosmic Connections

Wild Bees

THE METAPHYSICAL PRACTICE OF KIRK CLARK

Cosmic Connections exhibits Kirk Clark’s sixty year period of life long practice in art making meanwhile collecting an enviable body of work. He has been a prolific artist by creating over a thousand mono-prints, hundreds of paintings and dozens of sculptures and other artworks in various media.

Wild Bees, an exhibition showcasing the works of Paula Sharp and Ross Eatman, a collection of stunning macro photographs depicting the world of America’s native bees and the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The exhibit is on a national tour of prominent museums, botanical gardens and galleries.

THROUGH 1 JAN. 2023

Mexican and Latin American FOLK ART COLLECTION

The exhibition was made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Raul Tijerina Jr. Foundation, and The Warren Group Architects, Inc.

The Mexican & Latin American Folk Art Collection connects traditional and contemporary folk art forms evolving around regions of Central and South America. Over the past 50 years, the International Museum of Art & Science accumulated its permanent collection of folk art to over 4,000 pieces, a large portion of which will be rotated on exhibit over the next two years.

SPONSORED BY

UPCOMING 5 SEP. 2020−28 MAR. 2021

Warriors of Light Through the Warriors of Light, artist Max Vityk seeks to modernize the archetypal mystical material to convey current events onto the plane of the internal struggle between good and evil. His 12 large acrylic paintings explore the historical revolutionary events the artist lived through during his stay in Ukraine and Egypt between 2011 – 2015.

Warriors of Light is on loan from the artist, Max Vityk.

18 | SMR/FALL 2020 IMAS Musette

The operation of the International Museum of Art & Science is made possible with funding from the City of McAllen, foundations, corporations, public and private donors. The following organizations have provided support from July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.

Platinum Patron $15,000+ Charles Clark Chevrolet Co. Kirk & Jeri Clark City of McAllen Clark Knapp Honda H-E-B Tournament of Champions L & F Distributors McAllen Public Utility Laura Warren Ogletree & Dan Ogletree Bill Ranganath The Warren Group Architects, Inc.

Gold Patron $10,000−$14,999 Loring Cook Foundation National Endownment of the Arts Humanities Texas Raul Tijerina Jr. Foundation Wells Fargo Bank

Diamond Patron $5,000−$9,999 Marcela Arredondo BBVA Compass Bullard Construction, Inc. Mr. & Mrs. Alonzo Cantu Eddie Cantu CARATS James W. & Kathleen C. Collins Family Foundation Alice East H-E-B Christian Hernandez IMAS Guild Byron J. Lewis Dr. Katherine McAllen MEP Solutions Engineering Albert & Sony Rego

Ruby Patron $2,500-$4,999 Lucielle Cavazos Law Office of Michael J. Daley Daltile 1-800-Radiator of Deep South Texas DHR Health Dr. John & Mrs. Gerling Jesse Gonzalez IDEA Public Schools Lone Star National Bank Javier De Luna Alonzo A. & Bertha Nassiff

Smithsonian Woman’s Committee Charles E. Thompson Dr. Roger & Mrs. Jolene Vitko Waterford Gardens

Sapphire Patron $1,000−$2,499 Eduardo Canales Vannie & Julia Collins Atlas, Hall & Rodriguez, LLC Bert Ogden Chevrolet Frank Boggus Armando J. Brennan, The Nautilus Group, New York Life Fox Packaging Juan & Denise Garcia Vicky de la Garza Hector Guerra Alma Ortega-Johnson Memorial Funeral Home Abraham Padron Juan & Diana Peña Rita Peterman RGV Glass Inc. Dr. & Mrs. Porfirio S. Rodriguez Roy Rodriguez Santa Fe Steakhouse Seven Cities Foundation South Texas GMC Maria Elena Useda Zitro Electric

Friends of the IMAS $100−$999 Jaleina Aboud Debbie Crane Aliseda Michael Allen Amanda Alonzo Adrian de Anda Andrina De Anda Oralia de Anda Rubi Arce Isidoro Arjona Dr. Cayetano & Mrs. Yolanda Barrera Dr. Rama Behara BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse Brewsome Mr. & Mrs. Phil Brown Sandra Brown Dr. Steven Block Burton McCumber & Longoria, L.L.P.

Elizabeth Perkins-Cardenas Marilyn Carren David Cantu Lisa Chakery Lesley Chavez Gloria Culligan Mayor James E. & Sandra Darling Larry & Jessica Delgado Abram Dominguez Carm Elliot Sandra A. Esquivel Robie & Sarah Flores Ann & Jeffrey Fortescue Gina Garcia Cheryce George Bruce Goldman Jennifer A. Gonzalez Ronnie Guerra Mr. & Mrs. Gary Gurwitz Melba Gutierrez Robby Haddad Victor Sebastian Haddad Roberta Hardy-Castillo Julie K. Harrington Kate Horan IBC Bank Illuminations RGV Maria Jimenez Klinck Foundation Hollie Kirby Brandon Lau Suzy Lee Brandon Lewis Ralph Medrano Mission C.I.S.D Paul & Marilynn Moffitt Annie Holand Miller Paulina Mohamed Anita Moon Ann Moore Ruben Moreno Dr. Nancy Moyer Mr. Chad & Mrs. Gabriela Nunnery Jaime & Jennifer Ortegon Orlando & Anastasia Perez Zac Propst Marisela Pulido Anna Quintana REMAX Platinum Pat Reynolds Lindsey Richards

RGV Food Bank, Inc. Rio Bank Rio Grande Regional Hospital Raquel Rivera Gonzalez Roerig, Oliveria & Fisher, L.L.P. Sarah Rogers Jessica Rodriguez Ann Rowland Roberto & Aura Salazar Yvonne Salinas Vicente Sanchez Shepard Walton King Insurance Ernesto Sepulveda Helen Slomski Frank Smith Henry & Bonnie Smith Rebecca Solis Texas National Bank Texas Regional Bank Topgolf VIDA Welcome Home RGV Veronica Whitacre Eryn Reddell Wingert

IMAS Giving Circle $25-99 Maggie Cantu Kenton Carley Fernando Cavazos Elizabeth Erickson Elinor Fortescue Gabe Gonzalez Ana C. Guerra Barba Florencia Huerta Hari Namboodiri Elena Ledesma Rashid Augustine Reyes Aylaia Sifuentes

IMAS Supporters Kirk Clark, artist and dealer at Clark Chevrolet and Clark Knapp Honda, and Tim Smith, KRGV Chief Meteorologist and Brew-seum@Home Co-host, visited the IMAS in preparation for the virtual fundraising event and program held on June 6, 2020.