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Mandarin Museum News
May 2024
Embrace the Mandarin Experience
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Dear Friends,
April was National Volunteer Month - and a very special month at Mandarin Museum! Volunteers are the backbone of our organization. They welcome you each time you step through our doors and at every event you attend. They take you on guided tours. They are hard at work in our archives. They help us as stewards of Walter Jones Historical Park and its historic buildings. The list goes on and on.
In celebration of their dedication to our mission and our community, it was our pleasure to honor them at our annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon on the Museum's front lawn. The afternoon was filled with good food, beautiful weather, laughter, and lively conversation. Did you know that several of our volunteers have flown experimental or single engine aircraft? Others have gone skydiving. One volunteer showed a cow in the Jacksonville Fair, won a red ribbon, and then the cow promptly ate the award!
We also celebrated our annual Miss Aggie Day. Two very special volunteers - Olis and Jo Garber - received the Miss Aggie Award in honor of their selfless giving of time and professional skills in support of Mandarin Museum's programming and operations.
The month was a reminder of a sentiment we hear often and truly believe: Mandarin Museum is a special place because our people are special - our volunteers, our members, our visitors, and our community!
May brings more opportunities for you to experience this sentiment for yourself. Stop in for one of our monthly events (all details below) or to view our new exhibits. Our volunteers will be here to greet you!
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----Brittany Cohill
----Executive Director
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Pictured: Olis and Jo Garber (standing), with their family seated on the historic Mandarin Store & Post Office steps.
Photo courtesy of Keith Bartholomew, KBArt Photography
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More Miss Aggie Day 2024 photos can be found here. | |
Throughout the entire month of May, visit Museum Guest Services to enter for your chance to win this one-of-a-kind Mandarin Squirrel Frog, handcrafted by our own Don "Frogman" Bowden! One might ask, "what is a Squirrel Frog?" The answer is, we're not sure. But our standard Mandarin Frogs also have teeth, so perhaps it was only a matter of time before one of them sprouted a tail!
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, May 4
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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Mandarin Frog Painting
Saturday, May 4
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Museum Front Lawn
Very limited spots remain for our May Frog Painting!
Pick, paint, and take home your very own Mandarin Frog (or turtle, squirrel, or alligator).
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Advanced registration is required. To register, please email info@mandarinmuseum.org. The cost is $22, payable upon arrival.
The next Frog Painting will be Saturday, June 1st. Registration is now open.
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Meet the Maple Leaf Divers
Saturday, May 4
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, May 4th. 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, May 5
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. | |
Third Thursday Lecture
Thursday, May 16
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Mandarin Community Club
12447 Mandarin Rd.
May's Third Thursday Lecture continues our series, "Our Mandarin Neighbors." Featuring Chef Dennis Chan of Blue Bamboo, guests will enjoy a taste of some of his popular menu items. In addition, Chef Dennis will present his family's story, their history of feeding Jacksonville and the Mandarin community since the 1930s, and the blended cultural traditions that inspire him today.
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Thank you to our generous sponsors for making "Our Mandarin Neighbors" possible! | |
Mandarin Museum's Third Thursday Lectures are held in partnership with Mandarin Community Club. | |
Our March Third Thursday Lecture featuring retired Judge Henry E. Davis is now available for viewing on Mandarin Museum's YouTube channel. | |
Video courtesy of Olis Garber. | |
New in the Museum Shop! Ray Melvin's beautifully hand turned wooden bowls, boxes, and trinket dishes have been added to the shelves. 100% of proceeds benefit Mandarin Museum's programming and operations.
Perhaps you recognize the Melvin name. Ray's grandparents, Melvin O. Melvin and Pearl Flynn Melvin, owned and operated Melvin's Store, once located at what is now San Jose Blvd. and I-295.
It is apparent that creativity runs in the family. Melvin and Pearl Melvin are also grandparents to Don "Frogman" Bowden, making Ray and Don first cousins.
Be sure to stop by the Museum Shop on your next visit to check out our entire selection!
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Artist Brenda Councill's life-size bronze sculpture, "Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin," is making steady progress toward its installation in Walter Jones Historical Park later this year. Many of you have followed this process from the beginning, watching Brenda sculpt the piece in clay during her open studio hours and then seeing it off to the foundry this past February. Brenda recently sent us this exciting update from the foundry! | | |
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They have begun the lengthy "lost wax" process that will transform "Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin" from clay to bronze.
Brenda's original clay sculpture has been segmented and "painted" with rubber. The pieces are now being coated with a fiberglass shell. This shell will serve as the "mother mold." The interior of the mother mold will be layered with molten wax, making an even coating.
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This creates a wax replica of Brenda's original clay sculpture. At this step in the process, Brenda will return to the foundry to remove any imperfections in the wax replica and ensure all details are captured accurately. There are many more steps to come. Stay tuned for further updates! | |
Congratulations to our past interns!
It is our pleasure to congratulate our Summer 2023 intern, Taylor Knapp-Calkins, and our Spring 2024 intern, Dakota Fogg, on their successful completion of the Seaman to Admiral Program through Jacksonville University Naval ROTC and the University of North Florida! Following many years of military service, both Taylor and Dakota have earned bachelor’s degrees in history from UNF. Last Saturday, they were commissioned as officers in the United States Navy. Their service to Mandarin Museum was invaluable, and we’re grateful for their continued service to our country. Congratulations, Ensign Knapp-Calkins and Ensign Fogg! We’re so proud of you!
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This spring season is the perfect time to become a member of 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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...think of ways you can help the people and places around you!
A big THANK YOU to our local Publix stores for sending a team to Mandarin Museum and Walter Jones Historical Park for a day of volunteer service!
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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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