SHINING A LIGHT ON UNSTOPPABLE WOMEN AT INTREPID
On November 15, 2022 the Intrepid Museum held its inaugural Unstoppable Women Leadership Symposium in the Space Shuttle Pavilion beneath the orbiter Enterprise. The event was designed to engage ambassadors, mentors and partners in inspiring the next generation of leaders in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) and entrepreneurship.
The more than 120 attendees heard from a panel of truly unstoppable women who discussed their career paths, lessons learned, challenges overcome, and advice they wished to impart, especially to the young women in the audience. Panelists included Dana Canedy, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author; Dr. Sandra H. “Sandy” Magnus, Principal at AstroPlanetview, LLC and former NASA astronaut; and Dr. Ellen Ochoa, former NASA astronaut and former Director of NASA Johnson Space Center. Sara Haines, Cohost of ABC’s The View and Host of The Chase moderated the dynamic panel.
In addition to the panel, the Museum honored Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, Commanding Officer, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) with the Intrepid Unstoppable Woman Leadership Award, which recognizes an individual who shares the Museum's passion and dedication for shaping our future innovators and has demonstrated extraordinary achievement in their field. Capt. Bauernschmidt is the first woman to command an aircraft carrier.
Support from the event helps fund educational initiatives through the Intrepid Museum's Center for History and Innovation. We look forward to making Unstoppable Women an annual event so that we may continue to honor and celebrate inspirational women.
BETTY SKELTON: FOR ALL WOMANKIND
The Intrepid Museum shines a spotlight on champion aviator, Betty Skelton, who became the first woman to undergo the physical and psychological tests of NASA’s Mercury 7 astronauts, opening the door to future opportunities for women. This first-person, live performance engages our visitors and allows them to learn and become inspired by Betty's story. In tandem with this performance, the Museum recently opened a new exhibit, Women Astronauts of the Space Shuttle Era, which features remarkable women who have made a critical contribution to human space flight.
The Museum continues to strive to highlight unique stories, like Betty’s and the women shuttle astronauts, and is committed to offering inspiring content for our visitors. Support from our donors and friends make programs like this possible and helps the Museum to honor the past and inspire the future through engaging performances, exhibits and experiences.
Thank you to the Betty Skelton: For All Womankind funders, Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Foundation and the Michael Tuch Foundation; New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature; and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
UPCOMING ONSITE AND VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
We are pleased to share our exciting calendar of upcoming events. For more information, please visit intrepidmuseum.org.
VETERANS PROGRAM: WOMEN ASTRONAUTS
Wednesday, February 8
Join fellow current and former service members to learn about the first U.S. women astronauts in the temporary exhibit Women Astronauts of the Space Shuttle Era. Enjoy a performance about one of the Mercury 13, Betty Skelton: For All Womankind. Then, continue the conversation over a catered dinner.
Programs at the Museum and online for current and former service members and their loved ones are free with advance registration and valid ID.
INTREPID MUSEUM’S ASTRO LIVE VIRTUAL PROGRAMS
February 19, March 19, May 21, June 25 at 3:00pm ET
Join scientists, astronauts and other out-of-this-world experts as they discuss the most fascinating space topics of today and give a sneak peek at what’s next in the world of space exploration.
Learn more: intrepidmuseum.org/virtual-astronomy-live
ACCESS FAMILY PROGRAMS
The Intrepid Museum is pleased to offer monthly programs for individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. Families take a guided, interactive in-person or virtual tour of the Museum and can participate in art-marking activities that everyone can enjoy.
These programs are aimed at children (ages 5-17) with learning and developmental disabilities or teens (14+) and adults with developmental disabilities. Visit our website for the complete schedule, intrepidmuseum.org/education/access-family-programs.
CITIZEN SCIENCE (VIRTUAL)
Sunday, March 5 | 11:00am - 12:00pm All ages
Scientists need you! In order to gather data for large-scale projects, scientists are seeking help from people around the world. Explore projects that scientists are asking everyday citizens to contribute to.
NUTS & BOLTS (AT THE MUSEUM)
Sunday, April 2 | 11:00am-1:00pm Children (ages 5-17) 2:00pm-4:00pm Teens and adults (ages 14+)
Figure out how airplanes and ships are assembled and maintained. Learn about the tools used by aircraft restoration specialists at the Museum, and practice building your own designs
KIDS WEEK | FEBRUARY 18-25
Join us for our annual Kids Week where children of all ages and interests will learn about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) through fun-filled activities, NASA displays & exhibits, live animal shows, hands-on workshops, performances, special guests and interactive demonstrations designed to educate and inspire. Learn more: intrepidmuseum.org/kidsweek
BEHIND THE SCENES LIVE: 80TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION VIRTUAL PROGRAM
March 30
Go behind the scenes and virtually tour some of the unique spaces within the Intrepid Museum. Join us as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the USS Intrepid’s commissioning and take viewers on an exclusive journey.
FREE FRIDAYS | APRIL 28, MAY 26, JUNE 30
Last Friday from April - September | 5:00pm-9:00pm
Free Fridays are back! Celebrate the ship’s 80th commissioning anniversary and enjoy special programs, including our popular Astro Live with special guest speakers, demonstrations, stargazing on the flight deck and more.
SUMMER MOVIE NIGHT SERIES
May 26, June 30
The Intrepid Museum’s summer movie series kicks off Memorial Day Weekend with a free screening of Top Gun!
FLEET WEEK | MAY 24-29
Visitors are invited to take part in special activities and events, including demos from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard, and workshops and activities from the Intrepid Museum and many of our partners. There will alo be opportunities to meet former Intrepid crew members.
All days and times are subject to change, please check the Museum's website for the latest schedule.
The Museum’s education programs are supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Veterans programs are made possible by public funds facilitated by the New York City Council's Committee on Veterans, in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. These programs are also supported by Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
"Education & Engagement programs at the Intrepid Museum are also supported by The FAR Fund, Mellon Foundation, Con Edison, J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation, Motorola Solutions Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation, The Barker Welfare Foundation, ISTAT Foundation, Robert & Toni Bader Charitable Trust, Michael Tuch Foundation Inc., May & Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, The Cowles Charitable Trust, Frank J. Antun Foundation, Harry S. Black and Allon Fuller Fund, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, and the Sarah K. de Coizart Article TENTH Perpetual Charitable Trust.
THE IMPACT OF YOUR GIVING
On November 29, 2022, the Intrepid Museum participated in Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving. It was a record year for the Museum. Because of 93 generous supporters and their dedication, the Museum raised close to $19,000.
The fundraising efforts didn’t stop there. Giving Tuesday kicked-off our year-end campaign where nearly 300 donors made a collective impact of raising more than $140,000 to honor the past and inspire the future. Trustee Stanley Hubbard generously matched all gifts up to $50,000.
Museum supporters were encouraged to give towards initiatives of the Museum they are passionate about.
80% GENERAL OPERATIONS
Gift made to the general operating fund provide support towards areas of the Museum where it's needed most.
300 YEAR-END GIVING
$140,000
RAISED DONORS
GIVING TUESDAY
$19,000 RAISED DONORS 93
6% HISTORIC COLLECTIONS
Support towards collections helps the Museum continue to collect, digitize, restore and share these historic materials.
4% AIRCRAFT RESTORATION
Donations to aircraft restoration will support the ongoing work to preserve our collection of historic aircraft for years to come.
4% EXHIBITS
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
6% Donations to education programs support the development and delivery of a variety of unique learning opportunities that delve into the intersection of history and innovation.
Donations allocated towards exhibits allow the Museum to create new exhibits that provide for a deeper exploration of the collections on display and inspire our visitors to learn more about the intersection of history and innovation.
The Oral History Project at the Intrepid Museum was launched in May 2013, with the goal of collecting the stories of those who served on board the historic aircraft carrier Intrepid from 1943 to 1974. Due to the importance of these oral histories, the Museum has expanded to collecting oral histories from individuals associated with the submarine Growler, the space shuttle orbiter Enterprise and the supersonic airliner Concorde.
Oral histories are part of the Museum’s collections and are used to educate our visitors by providing first-hand accounts by the men and women who served.
The interviews vividly depict triumphs, tragedies, and even occasional comedies. They provide a human-voice to exhibits that otherwise would lack the passion and humanity that the oral histories bring to the displays. Providing different people’s perspectives is another goal of the interviews.
Although former crew members are the Museum’s most interviewed group, the Museum is keenly interested in hearing from the spouses of former crew members. Spouses bring a different perspective to service and how it affects not only individuals but also families and loved ones.
“Oral histories allow us to capture and preserve firsthand accounts of the past. Some oral history narrators may recall the details of a historic event they witnessed,
MEMBERS GET MORE!
describe the experience of piloting a historic aircraft, or discuss life aboard Intrepid or Growler, while others may recall life on the home front during a war, discuss their training to become an astronaut, or describe maintaining and piloting Concorde. In some cases, only a select few lived these experiences, so who better to learn from, than them?” David Dzendzel, Senior Coordinator, Oral Histories.
Through oral histories, the Museum is able to explore untold stories through these interviews and firsthand accounts. Shining a light on underrepresented stories—like Germiniano Tubao, a captain’s steward who served in the Cold War—is critically important because it gives a voice to the former crew members who might not have been allowed to speak up when they served.
By telling their stories, our visitors can learn about the disparities amongst the crew and listen to different points of view on what life was like on board Intrepid. Sharing these oral histories is another way we are spotlighting stories from Black, Asian American, Latino, Indigenous American and LGBTQ+ service members about their experiences serving on board Intrepid as part of the Full Muster: Inclusive Histories on Historic Naval Ships project, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Members enjoy more access, including complimentary, reservation-free admission to the Museum all year, more discounts such as discounted guest tickets, and more exclusive events like invitations to exhibition previews!
To learn more, visit intrepidmuseum.org/membership or call 646-381-5030.
A STELLAR NEW EXHIBIT
In February 2023, the Intrepid Museum will feature a new exhibit, Postcards from Earth: Holograms on an Intersteller Journey, showcasing the history and the future of space technology and travel. This exhibit represents the delight of research and curiosity through unique materials and approaches to develop a vehicle capable of reaching another star system at speeds never thought to be achieved.
Through artistic expression of the human experience, Postcards from Earth will highlight the connection between art and science as it explores the future of space technology. The vehicles are a fleet of one thousand laser-powered light sails, each accompanied with a glowing hologram. The holograms – the kind seen on passports and trading cards – play a role in stabilizing the vehicle’s sail on its 40-trillion-mile trip, but also serve as carriers of artwork, images of life on Earth, which will greet any beings that live in distant worlds.
The exhibit will shine a spotlight on “Alpha CubeSat” and its eventual journey to orbit through a future SpaceX mission. A CubeSatellite, or CubeSat, is a miniature spacecraft. Visitors will learn from and interact with the functions that allow Alpha CubeSat to collect data in space through miniaturized sensors and send it back to Earth. And the scientific innovation does not stop there.
The tiny spacecraft will be propelled by a specialized fabric solar sail that will utilize a beam of light instead of wind to traverse the cosmos. This is where the holograms play a vital role stabilizing the sails through the journey. This exhibit is an exemplary representation of how scientific innovation and artful expression can work together. Each side of the CubeSat is covered with hologram images of animals, plants and faces representing the range of living creatures on planet Earth. Alpha CubeSat’s holograms are exposures of sculptures created by Brooklyn based artists C Bangs.
Open to all ages, from February 16, 2023 – October 9, 2023 the small but powerful exhibition will be on display in the Museum’s Space Shuttle Pavilion, home to Enterprise, the orbiter that paved the way for the Space Shuttle program.
Postcards from Earth: Holograms on an Intersteller Journey is a collaboration between a team at Cornell University’s Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Intrepid Museum.
ARTIFACT HIGHLIGHT
Oral histories enable us to collect and preserve stories, like the one depicted on the right with Pamela Walters, who worked on the Space Shuttle Program and Space Shuttle Enterprise. Not only are oral histories recorded, but they are taped and transcribed so that the stories can reach audiences of all ages and abilities. The Intrepid Museum aims to share oral histories with a diverse audience, while also striving to capture diverse voices, like Pamela Walters', a woman in STEAM.
CALLING ALL INTREPID FORMER CREW MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES!
80TH COMMISSIONING ANNIVERSARY | August 16, 2023
RSVP: intrepidmuseum.org/80RSVP
Register by June 30 to join the Intrepid Museum for this milestone celebration! For more information, call 646-381-5272 or email kpower@intrepidmuseum.org
