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Mandarin Museum News
June 2024
Embrace the Mandarin Experience
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Dear Friends,
This past month at Mandarin Museum was a lively one! We welcomed more than 1,000 visitors through our doors as daily admissions, walking tour participants, or through a group tour. And although that's quite a number for our little "boutique museum," as one guest called us in a complimentary manner, you can always count on our team to make your visit feel like the only visit we've been waiting for!
One Saturday in May we had the pleasure of hosting the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council for a day of activities at the Museum and Park. Museum volunteer Deborah McLaughlin - a former Gateway Council Girl Scout, herself - arrived for her docent shift donning her old sash and hat. This small but thoughtful gesture brought so much joy throughout the day.
As we head into the warm days of summer, find respite from the heat during your visit to Mandarin Museum and Walter Jones Historical Park! Our beautiful oak canopy keeps you shaded as you embark on a guided walking tour of the historic buildings. The breeze off the St. Johns River keeps you cool as you meander along the boardwalk. And we keep the A/C kickin' in the Museum as you view the exhibits, learning more about Mandarin's history, culture, and natural resources. We're open every Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission is free and walking tours are just a suggested $7 donation per person, no reservations required (aside from group tours).
I can't promise you you'll find Deborah in her Girl Scout sash when you arrive, but I can promise you you'll find someone just as welcoming when you step inside.
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----Brittany Cohill
----Executive Director
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Throughout the entire month of June, visit Museum Guest Services to enter for your chance to win this one-of-a-kind Mandarin Frog Bank, handcrafted by our own Don "Frogman" Bowden!
Collect your coins in Mandarin Froggy fashion. But don't worry, you won't have to break the bank when you'd like to cash them in. Frogman has installed a rubber stopper in the bottom for such an occasion.
It is free to enter! One entry per visitor.
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Memphis Wood Revisited is on display in the Stowe Gallery at Mandarin Museum and is hosted in honor of MOCA Jacksonville's 100 year celebration.
Curated by UNF Associate Professor of Art History, Dr. Elizabeth Heuer, and UNF Assistant Professor Emeritus of Art and Design, Nofa Dixon, the exhibition explores the decades-long career of famed fiber artist and longtime Mandarin resident, Memphis Wood.
Experience the color and shapes that brought Memphis "the keenest joy."
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First Saturday @ the Museum
Saturday, June 1
10:00 am to 2:00 pm
All historic buildings throughout Walter Jones Historical Park will be open to the public. Stroll along the park's paved pathways and stop in to the 1898 St. Joseph's Mission Schoolhouse for African American Children, the 1892 Losco Winery, the 1876 Barn, and the 1875 Webb-Jones Farmhouse.
Located just down the road from Mandarin Museum & Walter Jones Historical Park, the historic Mandarin Store & Post Office will also be open to visitors (12471 Mandarin Road). Admission is free.
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Pictured: Mandarin Museum volunteers Roger Sallas and Dolly Strother at the Losco Winery Log Cabin. Dolly is the great-grandaughter of Frank Losco and Dometilla Danese Losco. The pair emigrated from Italy to the United States in the 1880s, married, and began their winery operation in this little log cabin. Hear more on this history from Roger and Dolly at First Saturday @ the Museum. | |
Mandarin Frog Painting
Saturday, June 1 POSTPONED
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Museum Front Lawn
Our June 1st Mandarin Frog Painting has been postponed to Saturday, July 6th.
Our Mandarin Frogman is resting after an unplanned procedure.
He is doing just fine and asked that we say hello to all our readers for him! He'll be back on July 6th and ready to greet you whether you're signed up for painting or visiting the museum.
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In the meantime, if you'd like to send him a card, drawing, or little note, please send them by snail mail to:
Mandarin Museum
Attn: Frogman
11964 Mandarin Rd.
Jacksonville, FL 32223
For July 6th: Pick, paint, and take home your very own Mandarin Frog (or turtle, squirrel, or alligator). Advanced registration is required. To register, please email info@mandarinmuseum.org. The cost is $22 ($26 for an alligator), payable upon arrival.
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Meet the Maple Leaf Divers
Saturday, June 1
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Maple Leaf Shipwreck Gallery
Meet the men who dove the Maple Leaf Shipwreck! In 1864, the Union steamboat Maple Leaf was sunk by a Confederate mine just off Mandarin Point in the St. Johns River.
In the 1980s, Dr. Keith Holland and his team located and excavated the site. Now a designated National Historic Landmark, the nearly 3,000 artifacts his team recovered have been entrusted to the State of Florida for preservation. Mandarin Museum displays many of these artifacts through a long-term partnership with the State Archives.
The Maple Leaf Divers will be in the gallery from 10:00 am to noon, this Saturday, June 1st. This is an informal, conversational-style event. Drop in to hear their story of discovery, recovery, and preservation.
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Music Under the Oaks
Sunday, June 2
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Museum Front Lawn
Join Mandarin Museum and North Florida Folk Network for an afternoon under Mandarin's historic oak canopy. Bring your acoustic instrument and join the jam session OR bring your chair or blanket and enjoy a day in the shade, taking in the melodic sounds.
Mandarin Museum and the 1898 Schoolhouse will be open to visitors during the event. Admission is free.
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Photo courtesy of Olis Garber. | |
Volunteer Interest Meeting
Saturday, June 22
10:30 am - 12:00 pm
Mandarin Museum
Mandarin Museum will host a Volunteer Interest Meeting on Saturday, June 22nd at 10:30 am in the Museum’s main gallery space.
Mandarin Museum offers many regular volunteer opportunities including positions at Museum Guest Services, as a docent, and at special events.
Attendees will receive a guided tour of the museum (including behind-the-scenes) and learn more about the volunteer program and its benefits. Please email info@mandarinmuseum.org to RSVP or for more information.
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Pictured: Longtime Museum Volunteer, Anne Morrow, greeting visitors at Museum Guest Services. | |
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Summer Harvest Dinner 2024
Thursday, September 12
Blue Bamboo
You won't want to miss our annual fundraising dinner! Celebrating 35 years of Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, it will be an evening to remember. Mark your calendars now! More details soon.
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Welcome Summer 2024 UNF Interns!
Mandarin Museum is pleased to welcome two summer interns from the University of North Florida Department of History.
Aidan Wright is pursuing his bachelor's degree in history with longterm plans to become a full-time educator. He is also a substitute teacher at Duval Charter School and a camp counselor for the YMCA. As part of our archives team for the summer, Aidan is working on implementing new technologies and procedures for making our collections more accessible to the public.
Ezeen Anilah-Hall holds a bachelor's degree in history and ancient and Jewish studies from UNF. She is currently earning her master's degree in history with a continued focus on Jewish studies. During her undergraduate years, Ezeen conceptualized an online exhibit centered on Jacksonville's Jewish history. During her time at Mandarin Museum, she will turn her concept into a reality, creating an online exhibition available at no cost to the public through our website.
If you see Aidan and Ezeen around the Museum or Park, be sure to say hello!
|  | Our May Third Thursday Lecture featuring Chef Dennis Chan of Blue Bamboo is now available for viewing on Mandarin Museum's YouTube channel. | Thank you to our generous sponsors who made our Spring 2024 "Our Mandarin Neighbors" Lecture Series possible! | |
New in the Museum Shop! We have a new selection of 500 and 1000 piece puzzles. Choose from Feathered Friends (pictured), In the Garden, or Pollinators. Take one home, enjoy it with your children or grandchildren, and then see if you can spot these birds, vegetables, or butterflies in Walter Jones Historical Park!
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Summer is here! And what better way to enjoy it than with a membership to Mandarin Museum? Benefits at the individual, family, and patron levels include free guided walking tours of Walter Jones Historical Park, reciprocal benefits at other museums across the nation, discounts in our Museum Shop, and more!
Every contribution made through the purchase of an annual membership enables us to fulfill our mission!
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Mandarin Newsline
Read 2024 issues of the Mandarin Newsline online now!
This free newspaper allows Mandarin Museum to share history, events, and programs with the public. The newspaper remains free to readers due to the robust local advertising. Please visit, shop, and eat at those businesses who support the community in this way.
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...be the reason someone smiles today!
Recent walking tour participants and their tour guide, Dolly, were all smiles in the 1875 Webb-Jones Farmhouse before heading over to stroll along the boardwalk.
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More ways to stay up-to-date! | | |
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Thank you to all our community partners!
Mandarin Museum is funded, in part, through the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and the City of Jacksonville.
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MISSION: Mandarin Museum & Historical Society shares the stories of Mandarin's history, culture, and natural resources by providing engaging programs that educate, entertain, and inspire.
VISIT. JOIN. VOLUNTEER.
Mandarin Museum & Historical Society
904-268-0784
info@mandarinmuseum.org
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