In 1927, the San Francisco Bay Area Muwekma Ohlone tribe was falsely declared extinct by a leading UC Berkeley anthropologist. For almost a century the tribe has fought the US government for their rightful federal recognition. Join us as we explore this critically important, Bay Area story of the tribe’s history, heritage and legacy.

Cement Prairie is an exhibition that explores the genesis, rollout and impact of the American Indian Relocation Program initiated by the US government in 1952.  This  significant yet little-known chapter in American Indian migration history will be viewed through a collection of personal stories, ephemera, primary source documents and support programming. The exhibition will focus specifically on the San Jose, California relocatee community and those who followed in their footsteps to the urban communities. The exhibit will examine the program’s successes and failures, the rise of Indian activism in the 1960s, and how today’s Pan-Indian community has adapted and preserves its native culture in the new “urban rez.”

In the 1950s, America’s general perceptions of Indians was formed by cultural and historical stereotypes of  “the noble savage” wearing a feather headdress, living in a teepee, kidnapping women and children; or the Lone Ranger’s stoic sidekick Tonto, characterized in popular literature. While these indelible images permeated American culture, the reality presented a stark contrast. The Indian reservation system became another failed attempt by the U.S. government to solve the “Indian Problem,” and as a result, many Indians suffered in poverty and cultures began to erode.

In an attempt to address this problem, the US government created the Indian Urban Relocation Program in 1952 to move Native Americans to major metropolitan cities to improve the community’s standard of living. In its first phase, an estimated 100,000 Indians left their reservations and settled in cities across the U.S. Today, over 70 percent of Native Americans live in urban centers, marking a significant migration period that has forever changed the Native American community and culture.

“We are privileged to have this opportunity to work directly with our local Indian community and offer a forum where they can tell this little-known but important chapter in contemporary Native American history, “ said Amy Long, NUMU history curator.

“The San Jose Indian community has long-attempted to create a visual platform to tell this story.  We are very excited to partner with NUMU to make this dream a reality, explains exhibition advisor, Al Cross, Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara, North Dakota.

In conjunction with this exhibition, NUMU is proud to present, Back From Extinction, an exhibition that focuses on the San Francisco Bay Area Native Indian tribe, the Muwekma Ohlone, and its struggle to gain federal recognition and its efforts to counter the myth of its extinction.

Cement Prairie is supported in part by San Jose State University’s Anthropology Department, the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, the National Archives, The Bancroft Library, the Indian Health Center, Bay Area photographer, Ilka Hartmann, and notable Bay Area American Indian community members.

The Oral Histories of members of the San Jose American Indian community are recorded here. Courtesy of a collaboration with San Jose State University.

This group exhibition features artists from the SETI Artist in Residence (AIR) program, including Danny Bazo, George Bolster, Charles Lindsay, Marko Peljhan, Rachel Sussman, Martin Wilner and Karl Yerkes. Making Contact marks the first SETI AIR group exhibition.

The work in Making Contact expands upon the SETI Institute’s mission to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. The exhibiting artists bring fresh perspectives to help navigate difficult concepts and help build bridges to broaden awareness of the science carried out at the SETI Institute. Additionally, many of the works have never been exhibited to the public.  “We’re excited to bring together the art, science and ideas of this unique international program and share it with our community,” says Marianne McGrath, NUMU art curator.

SETI AIR Exhibited Works

The artist team of Danny Bazo, Marko Peljhan and Karl Yerkes has created Somnium which examines both the micro and macro when considering planetary potential within a swath of the universe captured by the Kepler telescope. George Bolster’s film, The Moon, McMoons, and The Moon Museum illuminates our human endeavors to preserve culture relating to our fascination with the Moon. The sculpture and mixed media works by Charles Lindsay manifest in the confluence of re-purposed technology and Apollo images to create imaginary machines and lunar landscapes. In exploring the origins of our universe, Rachel Sussman integrates intention into the quest to understand the nature of the cosmos and our role as its inhabitants. Artist and psychiatrist Martin Wilner renders his series of monthly conversations with SETI scientists using a calendar format, creating spectacular illustrated diaries of correspondence with his subjects.

About SETI and SETI Institute
SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is an exploratory science that seeks evidence of life in the universe by looking for some signature of its technology.

Our current understanding of life’s origin on Earth suggests that given a suitable environment and sufficient time, life will develop on other planets. Whether evolution will give rise to intelligent, technological civilizations is open to speculation. However, such a civilization could be detected across interstellar distances and may actually offer our best opportunity for discovering extraterrestrial life in the near future.

The SETI Institute’s mission is to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe. It is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research, education and public outreach. Founded in November 1984, the SETI Institute began operations on February 1, 1985. Today it employs over 130 scientists, educators and support staff. Research at the Institute is anchored by three centers, the Center for Education, the Carl Sagan Center for the study of life in the universe, and the Center for Public Outreach. For more information: http://www.seti.org

Making Contact Artist/Scientist Panel Discussion will be held at NUMU on on Saturday, November 5th from 3pm-4:30pm. 

Making Contact is generously supported by The Robert Lehman Foundation, The Applied Materials Foundation, The SETI Institute, Montalvo Arts Center and The Lucas Artists Residency Program. NUMU gratefully acknowledges support from the Town of Los Gatos and its many donors and members. Additional funding provided by UBS.

Making Contact is curated by Marianne McGrath.

Views of the installation, as photographed by Charles Lindsay, SETI AIR Program Director.

Below is a time lapse video of artist Rachel Sussman creating the Cosmic Microwave Sand Mandala, installed in Making Contact.

For more information on the SETI AIR program visit these sites:

http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/news/making-contact-seti-artists-residence-program-inaugural-group-show-numu-los

https://www.facebook.com/setiairprogram/

The McMoons exhibition’s mission is twofold: to shine a light on the 50th anniversary of  NASA’s (1967-68) Lunar Orbiter Project that collected lunar images integral to the safe landing on the first Apollo landing on the moon, and to tell the little-known story of the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP) that began in 2008 to recover the original NASA Lunar Orbiter images.

McMoons will take the visitor on an extraordinary journey from a dilapidated storage space to a veterinarian’s garage in central California and on to an abandoned McDonald’s restaurant on the Moffett NASA campus in Sunnyvale. California where archival space history is still being made today.

The exhibition includes original prints from the Lunar Orbiter Project and digitized prints of the original film including a wall-sized reproduction of the first restored image - the Earth rising. Visitors can also see and touch the original film canisters and tapes and listen to original audio recordings from the Lunar Orbiter Project. Also on view are prints and video of the LOIRP Project still underway at the McDonalds “lab” on the NASA campus.

Background

In 2008, working out of an abandoned McDonald's on the NASA campus in Sunnyvale, a group of dedicated scientists, former NASA employees, and three 12-year-old interns began a project to recover the original NASA Lunar Orbiter images from 1966-67. Due to neglect and indifference over time, the original data, stored on large tape reels, was nearly lost. Now, fifty years after the Lunar Orbiter project, this vital piece of lunar mission history has been saved, enhanced and is being digitized thanks to the tenacity and foresight of a handful of self described “techno-archaeologists.”  

A Members and Special Guests Preview Party will be held on Thursday, November 3, 7pm-9pm.  A Public Opening Celebration will be held on Saturday, November 5th, 11am-5pm

NUMU is proud to collaborate with the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project and NASA on this exhibition.

Be a part of making this exhibition possible. Earn a prize and learn about Lunar Imaging. 

We need your support!
You can support the McMoons exhibition through the crowdfunding website Indiegogo, and receive perks from limited edition prints, stickers, VIP tickets and so much more. Your donation is 100% tax deductible and directly supports this exhibition. 

Thank you to our Media Sponsor, Photographer Winni Wintermeyer.

A Visible Journey in Time: Los Gatos History Project   This series of landscape wall murals by Santa Cruz-based artist Andrea Borsuk, charts a course through the Santa Cruz Mountains to Los Gatos, exploring the character of the Town of Los Gatos and its changing landscape and history. These murals lead the viewers through time and place, incorporating historical artifacts from NUMU’s permanent collection. The first phase of this project that opened on September 2016 is called, The Painter’s Journey: On the Road to Los Gatos. Its interactive component will invite the public to add their wish on a flag, completing the three-dimensional quality of the installation. 

Local artist Andrea Borsuk is a painter whose work explores notions of time and destiny. She holds an MFA from Columbia University and a BA from UC Santa Cruz. She is an art instructor at Cabrillo College and a visiting lecturer at The Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon. She is the 2010/2011 recipient of the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship. Her solo and group exhibitions include: The Riverside Museum of Art, The Nevada Museum of Art, Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, Monterey Peninsula Community College Art Gallery, The Sanchez Art Center, and the San Jose Institute for Contemporary Art. Her work can be found in numerous private collections.

The installation and the permanent history exhibit are made possible by the generous support of our partners, lenders and sponsors, Los Gatos Community Foundation, The Town of Los Gatos and Donors to NUMU’s Annual Campaign.

In support of the New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) mission to feature exhibits that are connected to globally relevant ideas, art and history, NUMU is pleased to present In the Heart of the Wild: Anne Brigman and Her Circle an exhibit about 19th century Los Gatos resident, photographer and poet, Anne Brigman.

Born in 1869, Anne Brigman moved to Los Gatos when she was 16 years old. She first studied painting, but gravitated to photography and began exhibiting in 1902. Brigman focused on rugged landscapes and the female body, which resulted in new ways to explore feminine identity. She achieved early success as a Pictorialist, belonging to the Camera Club of San Francisco and the Photo-Secession group, led by Alfred Stieglitz in New York.

Brigman lived an active life, exploring territories that were literally and figuratively unfamiliar to many women of her time. She exhibited nationally and abroad, was published both as an artist in the photo journal Camera Work, and as a poet in her book Songs of A Pagan. All of her work reveals a love of nature, a connection to the mystical and an element of freedom.

In the Heart of the Wild: Anne Brigman and Her Circle features the photography and poetry of Anne Brigman, photographic work by Edward Weston, Imogene Cunningham, Judy Dater and others, as well as an interactive poetry activity for all museum visitors. The exhibit is made possible by the generous support of our partners, lenders and sponsors including: The Weston Gallery, Richard Gadd, Judy Dater, Craig Krull, Scott Nichols, Lite Line Illuminations, ClearEdge Advisors, the Borgnicht Foundation, and Donors to NUMU’s Annual Campaign.

Curated by Marianne K. McGrath

Between the end of the Civil War and 1890 a number of African-Americans played alongside with white athletes on minor and major league baseball teams during this period. Although the original National Association of Baseball Players, formed in 1867 had banned black athletes by the late 1870s, several African–American players were active on the rosters of white, minor league teams.

Many black players played on white teams until the end of the 1880s, but in 1890 the situation abruptly changed. At the beginning of the 1890s season a “gentleman’s agreement” had been made which would bar black players from participation for the next fifty-five years. By the turn of the century the color barrier was firmly in place in the white leagues. Despite the ban in white leagues, many black players found a place in the one of 200 clubs that had formed between the mid 1880s and the early years of the 20th century. By the end of World War I black baseball had become the number one entertainment attraction for urban black populations throughout the country. 

In 1920, Andrew “Rube,” Foster, owner of the Chicago American Giants determined that it was time for an organized league. The Negro National League was born in Kansas City with eight teams. It thrived until the Great Depression when it was forced to close in 1931. The second National Negroleague was organized by Pittsburgh bar owner Gus Greenlee and became the dominant league in black baseball from 1933-1949, joined by the Negro American League and the Negro Southern League.

On April 18, 1946, the color barrier was broken when owner Branch Rickey signed Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers organization. The Negro League not only launched the careers of many legendary African-American players in the Major Leagues, it left an indelible mark on civil rights history.

All objects in this exhibit are courtesy of local collector and sports aficionado, Gary Cook.

Join us for film screenings themed around this mini exhibition, for the month of July.

Script and Scribble: The Art and History of Handwriting will examine the value of practicing traditional handwriting in a world that is increasingly concerned with abbreviated communication, and what the possible extinction of penmanship might mean. This exhibit will weave together the history of writing implements and scripts, the golden age of American penmanship, the growth in popularity of graphology and handwriting analysis.

This exhibition will include lectures, programs and interactive components that allow visitors to explore characteristics of their own handwriting, learn cursive and the art of lettering, as well as handwriting analysis.

“Ruth Comfort Mitchell and John Steinbeck shared a magnificent view of the Santa Clara Valley from their mountain homes six miles apart…Similarities in perspective end there” 

                        -Susan Shillinglaw, National Steinbeck Center

Through research, documents, photos, ephemera and interviews Mitchell vs. Steinbeck will look at the historical events that inspired John Steinbeck to write The Grapes of Wrath, and the controversy, and literary duel with a neighboring Los Gatos novelist, Ruth Comfort Mitchell, through her book Of Human Kindness.

In 1936, John and Carol Steinbeck moved from Pacific Grove to a house on Greenwood Lane in Los Gatos. It was here that the prolific writer wrote one of the most influential novels in American history, The Grapes of Wrath. Despite its success, the novel would prove to be so controversial it was banned and burned in cities across the country. In response, other authors attempted to tell the other side of dust bowl migrant story from the rancher’s perspective. 

One such author, Ruth Comfort Mitchell lived only six miles from the Steinbeck’s home in Los Gatos. Mitchell, who was married to Senator Sanborn Young and publicly spoke on behalf of conservative causes, rebutted The Grapes of Wrath with her own novel: Of Human Kindness. 

Through research, documents, photos, ephemera and interviews Mitchell vs. Steinbeck will look at the historical events that inspired Steinbeck to write The Grapes of Wrath, the controversy, legacy, and literary duel with a neighboring novelist in the town of Los Gatos.

Each work selected along with the artist’s statement will be presented and installed at NUMU.  An opening awards reception will honor all artists.  NUMU collaborates with Santa Clara County Office of Education. Top winners will have their art accepted into the County’s permanent collection.

Juried Process

Three university-level artist-educators will select works of art to be included in the exhibition for technical excellence and interpretation of the 2016 theme, Social Matters.

Theme: Social Matters

We are social beings, living in communities, interacting with others, nurturing relationships, and relying on each other for our basic needs. Matters arise involving social justice, social circles, social networks, social change, social responsibility and others. What are the social matters that affect your world? What do you mean by social? How are social matters addressed in our larger society? Which social matters will have an impact on the way we interact with each other?

For a full description of the program and exhibition, visit

Thank you to our 2016 Sponsors

In the spirit of celebrating our local history and its connection to global customs, trends and cultural production, New Museum Los Gatos is proud to present Hats Off: Highlights from the NUMU Permanent History Collection.

Over the years NUMU has amassed a collection of head coverings, fashion and ceremonial hats in an effort to preserve our shared history.  In collaboration with Wayne Wichern Millinery and History San Jose, Hats Off will feature highlights from several hat collections and explore the history of headwear and its place in our culture.

In today’s world of mass production, look into the rare world of a millinery studio. Examine how hats are made, learn about the styles, functions and symbolism of hats and see the tools of the trade.  Associated exhibit programming will include artist talks and hat making demos.

New Museum Los Gatos (NUMU) is located at the Los Gatos Civic Center in downtown Los Gatos. Engaging community at the intersection of art, history and education through innovative, locally connected and globally relevant exhibits, programs and experiences.

Hats Off is made possible by the generous support of our partners, lenders and sponsors: The Town of Los Gatos, Wayne Wichern Millinery, Teri Lyn, Jean Cannon, History San Jose, and Donors to NUMU’s Annual Campaign.