By Candianne Williams
Over the past two weeks we were visited by two groups from the Iris Stubbs Primary School in South Caicos. We had the privilege of welcoming twelve Grade 3 students and ten Grade 2 students accompanied by their teachers.
They were very interested and attentive as they toured the museum. They also had great fun shopping for mementos from the gift shop.
It was great to have you visit us Iris Stubbs Primary School!
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
On Monday, March 3rd, Drs. Sullivan and Freimuth gave back-to-back “Meet the Experts” presentations describing the excavations they conducted on several Arawak sites they discovered on Middle Caicos in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
These were the first archaeological investigations ever conducted in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Museum Founder Grethe Seim was one of the participants in these excavations and they contributed to her desire to create the National Museum many years later.
Glen started the show with a description of a large village site called MC-12 located not far from Bambara. Shaun’s presentation dealt with the site known as MC-6 and the evidence there for an ancient astronomical “observatory.”
We’re happy to welcome back Shaun and Glen after such a long time away from the islands.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Lighthouse restorer and iron founder Gary Knappenberger arrived on Grand Turk February 18th to spend a few days with Donald Keith and Sherlin Williams examining the “light room” of the Grand Turk lighthouse and elements of the light at the Museum.
Gary will use his measurements and photographs to reproduce parts of the light that we need to complete our exhibit. The Museum has had the Fresnel lens on exhibit and the clockwork mechanism that rotated the lens in storage for many years.
The new exhibit we are planning to complete and install this summer will reunite the old team—the lens, light, clockwork, and pedestal—and make them fully operational. The exhibit will be enhanced further by recreating the light room itself.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Friends Director Dr. Randy Davis arrived on a cruise ship on February 24th traveling with his wife and parents. He was delighted to see that we had assembled the old helmet-diver’s “air pump” that we also acquired for the Murphy exhibit.
Randy is the one who found this rare artifact in England and arranged for the Museum to purchase it.
The wooden cabinet makes it look disarmingly simple, but once you open the top and look inside you can see the crankshaft, pistons, cylinders, cooling jacket, valves, gauges, and other machinery that makes it quite heavy. British broad arrows stamped into some of the parts signify that it was once property of the Royal Navy.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
By Candianne Williams
Form Four and Form Five students of the Marjorie Basden High School in South Caicos visited the museum today to research the Lucayan Indians. The students are submitting a paper on that topic for the School Based Assessment portion of the Caribbean Examination Council’s Caribbean History O-Level Examination. They listened attentively to our tour guide Fred and diligently took notes as their teacher Ms. Bonaparte instructed. The ten students were accompanied by three teachers. They were very interested in the map showing the Lucayan archaeological excavation sites and endeavored to visit as many of them as they could and imagine what would have been happening at those sites hundreds of years ago.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
By Pat Saxton
Director
Thanks to an early Christmas gift from Santa Claus the TCNM is now in possession of a beautiful artificial Christmas tree. It is in the upstairs landing so that everyone in the Museum and outside on Front Street can share it with us.
Candianne Williams and Cecile Wennick put their decorating skills to good use and trimmed the tree with lovely blue and silver ornaments.
There are even gifts under the tree for all those good employees!
Happy Holidays to our visitors, friends and families.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
By Pat Saxton
Director
The Governor and Mrs. Beckingham came to the Turks and Caicos National Museum on Monday December 16, 2013.
They were greeted at the gates of Guinep House by Nikki Jennings our tour guide. After a brief introduction to the Guinep House the Governor and his wife Jill, saw one of our new exhibits the “old kitchen.” Then it was time to learn about the Molasses Reef Wreck.
Once upstairs Fred Glinton took over showing them the many exhibits which are housed in the Museum.
Afterward they toured the Botanical and Cultural Garden and then came to the Science building where Governor Beckingham looked through the archives. It was wonderful to showcase the Turks and Caicos National Museum to the Governor and Mrs. Beckingham, as they really have a passion for history.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
By Cordelia Creese
Children’s Club Coordinator
In keeping with the tradition of cleaning in December for Christmas, two club members met at the dock in North Creek to clean the shore and land near the shore of the dock.
We removed many cans, oil bottles, clothing, plastic bags, and wood from the area. We were joined by a very young volunteer who assisted us. We are very grateful to this very, young girl and Mr. Winston Quelch who removed ten bags of trash. Thank you Mr. Quelch for your undying support!!
- Published in Children's Club News
By Candianne Williams
Gift Shop Attendant
On Wednesday 11th December, a wonderful group eleven students accompanied by two teachers visited the museum from Shining Star Preparatory School in Providenciales.
They truly enjoyed their learning experience and took the opportunity to do some shopping at the Gift Shop as well.
It was great to have them visit and we look forward to many more visits from our schools next year.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
By Nikki Jennings
Children’s Club
On November 26th the JAGS MacCartney International Airport entrance hall was taken over by Museum members, members of the Museum Board, and the parents and children of the Museum’s Children’s Club for a ceremony to unveil the mosaic “Grand Turk”. Our friends who follow the blog know the artwork was this year’s Children’s Club Summer Project.
Pat Saxton, Director of the Turks and Caicos National Museum Foundation, opened the ceremony. She was followed by Donna Seim, author of the book “Where is Simon, Sandy?” whose entire profit goes towards supporting the Museum Children’s Club. Donna said the mosaic project was a perfect coming together of the club’s mission to encourage learning the history, the culture, and the natural environment of these beautiful islands and it was also about having fun. Also speaking were Lisa Wandres, mosaic artist and part-time Grand Turk resident, who taught the children how to convert their drawings of Grand Turk into glass mosaics and Shivago Missick, the manager of the airport, who pulled the names of two of the children out of a hat. With a flourish, Children’s Club members Kentrelle Prospere and Andrew Clarke tugged down the sheets unveiling the mosaics for all to see.
The mosaics were greeted with claps and cheers and astonishment from the children themselves, who could barely believe how beautiful their artwork is. The artwork is now a permanent part of the airport and is sure to give great pleasure to all who go through its’ halls.
The Museum Children’s Club is open to all children on Grand Turk between the ages of 8 and 12. The club meets once a month, inviting children to discover the history and culture, flora and fauna of the Turks and Caicos. There is also a yearly Summer Program in which one topic is studied in depth for a week.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Children's Club News