MoAW responds to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19)
The coronavirus is affecting the Coachella Valley with public places being closed and major events cancelled. Luckily this will all be short term. In the meantime MoAW plans to stay open, taking precautions to keep our visitors safe and healthy. At least hourly we are wiping down door knobs and handles and cleaning our bathrooms. MoAW is not an interactive museum, therefore there are not a lot of surfaces that visitors come in contact with.
Further down in this weeks newsletter there is more on this and how you can help MoAW .
Museums have a history of helping America understand and work through pandemics. Below is a link to an article from the American Alliance of Museums, Lessons from History: Museums and Pandemics.
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Dan Tribal Mask,
Liberia
Alberto Acosta, Executive Director and Chief Curator at MoAW enjoys starting a tour with this piece and asking visitors if they recognize the look on the face of the mask. Some visitors knowingly smile, others don't see it...till he tells them...it is the face of a mother displeased with her children. Listen to your mother...
Migrating from the Savannahs of the Ivory Coast to the high mountain forests of Liberia, the Dan dedicated the deep, sacred forest to the spirits of their ancestors to wander contentedly. In order to journey the boundary between the village and the forest, a talisman made of materials from both worlds provides a token of safe passage.
Female Dan masks are identified by their oval shape, large forehead, squinting eyes of disapproval, with a half-opened mouth portraying dismay in a maternal fashion. Showing a grave and sedate expression, the mask is worn for traditional rituals designed to mediate disagreements within the community, to keep children safe from any harm or disease, correct unfair rules and control miscreant behavior.
The Dan are a fascinating tribe with mysterious possible biblical connections.
In the tenth century, political turmoil, population growth and land depletion caused the Dan to migrate south of the Nimba range and into the high forests.
The Dan had a reputation as a fierce warrior society. After Liberia became a nation in 1847, the new government in Monrovia began pacifying the Dan people. By the early 1900's, peace had been achieved, and administrative controls had been established.
The basic unit of Dan culture is the family. Dan culture is patrilineal and polygamous, so this unit comprises a husband, one or more wives and their children. Lineages, or groups of people descended from a common ancestor in the paternal line, live in distinct sections of the town, which are called
quarters
in Liberian English. Towns group together under a central government are called
clans
.
Below is a link to a fascinating video on the Dan tribe today,
Dan's Magical customs.
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March 13, 6:00 pm - 8:30 pm
DRAGONS
Presented at the Museum
A one-man musical reading by the composer,
Alberto Acosta,
Executive Director of MoAW
DRAGONS
,
a playful folk opera with a rich score by Alberto Acosta and a charming libretto by Marty Martin, fancifully tells the tale of the notorious Bone Wars that raged between 2 of America’s most infamous dinosaur hunters, Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh, from the late 1870s through the early 1890s.
The expansion of the country’s railways into the great and wild American West across vast stretches of Native American territory, with tracks laid through great mountains and over wide chasms largely by immigrant Chinese laborers, led to the discovery by this ruthless pair of rivals of over 125 species of prehistoric giants that once roamed the land. Their race to outdo each other by every conceivable act of sabotage is legendary.
Thrown into the adventure, the imagined characters of an irrepressible young woman on a hunt of her own, and a fiercely protective nun intent on guarding the Old World’s interpretation of the
Book of Genesis
at all cost, together with the amazing puppetry of massive Chinese dragons, spin a story of love, ambition, spirituality, and hope.
Below is a link to a video on Cope and Marsh and the "Bone Wars." After you see it you will rush to see
DRAGONS
.
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Each Friday we highlight a different artifact or fossil from MoAW's collection. With over 250 currently on display, with rotating exhibits and future acquisitions, we won't run out of pieces to spotlight anytime soon.
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Next Week;
Come back and find out what next weeks spotlight is. Even we don't know. At the March 13 performance of
DRAGONS
the audience will pick our next spotlight, come help us pick.
Do you have a favorite piece at MoAW you would like to see highlighted in our weekly email? Click below to write to us at info@moaw and let us know.
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The Latest MoAW
In the News:
How many times in life have you wished you had done something then it was too late. Did you miss buying
Apple at $1.50
,
Netflix at $3.00, Amazon at $2.00
? Don't wait, vote for MoAW for Palm Springs Life Best of the Best, Museum and Things to Do in Cathedral City. We don't want you to regret missing out on something else big.
Thank you!
You have until
March 31.
It is easy to do: vote MoAW for the Best of the Best Attraction and Museum in Cathedral City. This is an annual poll Palm Springs Life Magazine takes and MoAW deserves to win.
Click on the blue link below
,
go to Cathedral City, Things To Do - Attraction and Things To Do - Museum. Your vote is appreciated.
Thank you!
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MoAW responds to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
The coronavirus is affecting the Coachella Valley with public places being closed and major events cancelled. Luckily this will all be short term. In the meantime MoAW plans to stay open, taking precautions to keep our visitors safe and healthy. At least hourly we are wiping down door knobs and handles and cleaning our bathrooms. MoAW is not an interactive museum, therefore there are not a lot of surfaces that visitors come in contact with.
Since October 26, 2019, our opening day, we have seen the number of visitors increase each week and month along with class field trips, other groups and events. With concerns over the coronavirus this could mean lower attendance and revenues for MoAW. We know this will turn around as our numbers continue to grow. In the meantime, we are asking our friends and supporters to consider making a tax deductible donation to MoAW. Everything helps, is appreciated, and supports our mission to bring a unique, educational venue to the Coachella Valley.
Other ways you can help are to become a member. More information on memberships is below. Tell your friends and family, neighbors, co-workers, everyone you know to visit. Come to an event at MoAW and show your support,
DRAGONS
is still on for March 13.
Thank you
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In high school were you one of the cool kids? Or did you wish you were one of the cool kids?
Here is your chance to join an exclusive group and be one of the cool kids again or finally become one of them. Become a member of MoAW, our members are the coolest of the cool!
Click below to join our cool group and get cool benefits and perks.
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