Find out what’s happening behind the scenes
On Thursday April 14, 2016 a team from CMK Realty Corporation representing the Sailrock Development of South Caicos met with Pat Saxton to discuss collaboration on the creation of a historical walking tour in Cockburn Harbour, South Caicos.
Scott Hoskins, President of CMK Realty along with Liz Le, Marketing Director and CJ Walstrom, Marketing Specialist spent the afternoon touring the Museum and the Botanical and Cultural Garden. The history of South Caicos and points of interest for inclusion in the walking tour were the focus of the discussion. B. Naqqi Manco from the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) also attending to provide background information on the natural history of South Caicos.
We applauded the Sailrock Development for taking the time and effort to make sure their tour is historically accurate. The Museum hopes that all new developments will take these important steps to ensure that accuracy and sensitivity towards the local natural and cultural history are considered.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
In 2012 Bryan Naqqi Manco (DEMA) together with a team from the Turks & Caicos Islands Environmental Club and under the Department of Environment & Maritime Affairs under the “Rescue & Collection of Endangered & Endemic Plants” Project, rescued several very special orchids from the path of development and bulldozers on North Caicos.
All five of TCI’s native Encyclia orchids were planted in the Museum Botanical Garden and have flourished despite their early rough start (to read more about their rescue read Orchid Survivors in our blogs). This spring one of these tough, beautiful orchids, the Roufus Encyclia, sometimes called the Butterfly Orchid, is putting on a show. This orchid is found throughout the Bahamas and Turks & Caicos Islands. It normally blooms red-brown (rufous colored) but here it usually blooms yellow or green.
The blooms are on long stems, up to 90 cm long, and can have more than a dozen flowers that may redden with age.
Please do come by, see and smell this extraordinary Museum’s living collection every December to April; other species of orchids will flower at different times of the year.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Thank you to all who came out for the first in our 2016 series Evening with the Experts with Mr. Ivan Day, one of Britain’s foremost food historians. Day is particularly noted for his reconstructions of period meals and has curated exhibits in many museums in the US and Europe including the Getty Museum, the New York City Metropolitan Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
In Royal Ragoos: Courtly Dining and the Cookery in Early Georgian Britain, Day took us back to a time where food was not only for fuel, but for presentation and a statement of wealth. The craftsmanship of the dishes presented to 17th Century royalty were incredibly and painstakingly beautiful—and all done without electricity! They even had ice cream..and molded it to look like vegetables and fruit!
We thank Mr. Day for taking time out from his holiday to give this lecture. We should also point out that he is the elder brother of Grand Turk residents Seamus and Paul, who are our friends and neighbors.
For more about the work of Ivan Day see the following links:
NY Times: Setting a Place for History
BBC Country File: The Evolution of the Country Christmas Dinner
Historic Food: A Feast for the Eyes
The Getty Museum: Celebrating Sugar in The Edible Monument
As a member, you can have a front row seat to these special events. Join the Museum today so that you too can experience this wonderful series for free! Non-members $10.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Reference to the Turks and Caicos Islands is synonymous with miles of beautiful white sandy beaches and excellent snorkeling on the coral reefs. These reefs support marine life, contribute significantly to the economy and protect the shoreline of these islands. Therefore coral reef conservation and preservation should be of paramount importance to us all. One of the ways to ensure this is through education.
Turks and Caicos National Museum, TC Reef Fund, Department of Environment and Maritime Affairs are all involved in the coral reef education of our youth on these islands and have now joined forces to develop a coral reef conservation and preservation curriculum for grades one through six focusing specifically on the Turks and Caicos Islands. This is being done in collaboration with the Department of Education and will be integrated into the National Curriculum, currently being developed by the Department of Education to be introduced into schools September 2016, at the beginning of the new school year.
A workshop will be conducted for teachers to introduce them to the coral reef conservation and preservation education program and the resources and support available to them to bring a practical component to the program. It is our hope that this program will foster a better understanding of and appreciation for our marine environment in our youth. We trust that the environmental groups that will be the offshoots of the program will be a catalyst to coral reef conservation and preservation island-wide.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Three groups of Grade two students totaling 73 students, accompanied by their teachers, visited from Ianthe Pratt Primary School. A group of Grade 4 student visiting from Osetta Jolly Primary school made for a busy week. They all choose to visit the Caicos Heritage House and Garden and the Museum’s Development Office as an Education Week Activity.
Two of their teachers, Ms. Aliathe Michel and Ms. Fabienne Forbes worked at the museum in Grand Turk before they moved to Providenciales and became teachers. So, once they heard that the museum had a presence in Providenciales they put taking their students to visit at the top of their list. Having had the experience of working in the museum they are passionate about instilling in their students the importance of a knowledge of and appreciation for their history and cultural heritage.
A group of Grade 4 students from Osetta Jolly Primary School with their teacher Ms Vinette Forbes particularly liked the Caicos Heritage House.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Shining Stars Preparatory School is one of the schools whose students visited the Museum’s Development Office during Education week, which is observed during the first week of March. This visit was a little different because they were doing early career exploration under the theme “Preparing Today for Tomorrow”.
Don Stark of TCI Reef Fund and Candianne Williams , museum representative made a presentation to them that spanned the spectrum of careers on the land and sea that work together to create the museum experience. The students were very engaged throughout the visit and asked many questions.
One such interesting question was directed to Don, the student wanted to know if he had seen any mermaids as an underwater videographer. I think I can safely say that we have budding, archaeologist, underwater videographers, artists who want to specialize in museum design and layout, museum managers and genealogists to name a few. We were delighted to spend some time with the students on their career exploration.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
Congratulations to Aravna Lucsama, Elishah Sidnord, Solomon Dormeus and their coach Ms. Anetra Musgrove, on winning the Turks and Caicos National Museum’s first annual History and Cultural Heritage Quiz.
The event final round was held on March 1st during Education Week at the Gustarvus Lightbourne Sports Complex. It was a very exciting final between Maranatha High School and Clement Howell High School, the two schools scoring the highest points in the preliminary round, which was also closely contested by the participating six secondary schools. All of the teams represented their schools very well and the great effort that was put into preparing for the quiz was evident and a great source of encouragement for all of the partners involved in the organizing of this quiz.
The Quiz was one of the events held by the museum to mark its twenty-fifth anniversary and was done in collaboration with the Department of Education. The prize for the winning team and their coach is a trip to Cap Haitien where they will visit the Citadelle which is a UNESCO protected world heritage site. The team and coach from Clement Howell High School are excitedly planning their trip.
We would like to thank our very dedicated quiz team for doing a wonderful job at both the preliminary and final round of the quiz; Apostle Claudette Basden for opening the events with prayer, Ms. Rachel Harvey for being a wonderful moderator, Ms. Ludwina Fulford, Mr. Edgar Howell, Mrs. Patricia Saxton for their inspirational and encouraging words as well as judging the events. We would also like to thank Mr. Alexander R. McLeod Environmental Officer in the Department Environment & Maritime Affairs; Mr. David Bowen-Education Officer responsible for Public and Private Secondary Schools, Mr. Gordon Burton – Accountant and President of the Kiwaniis Club for performing the unenviable tasks of judging the events.
Special thanks to Mr. Mark Garland, Deputy Director of Education and Mr. David Bowen, Education Officer responsible for all of the private and public secondary schools for the guidance, assistance and support given to Mrs. Candianne Williams of the National Museum throughout the process of taking the idea of the quiz to a successful reality. We say thank you to our partners Ms. Amy Avenant – Environmental Outreach Coordinator, Dept. of Environmental & Maritime Affairs (DEMA), Ms. Angela Freites, Cultural Officer, Department of Culture and Mr. David Bowen, Director of Wellness, Culture and Entertainment, and Grace Bay Resorts supported by Grace Bay Resorts Community Foundation for working along with Mrs. Patricia Saxton and Mrs. Nikki Jennings of the National Museum to facilitate the workshop for teachers, provide study materials and contribute questions for the quiz.
Our sponsors; Fortis TCI, Caicu Naniki Tours and Marco Travel have been instrumental in making this event a success and to them we say a big thank you.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
On Friday March 4, 2016 the teachers from the Mills Institute in Providenciales came to visit the Turks and Caicos National Museum on Grand Turk. Twenty-two teachers were guided through the Museum by Fred Glinton, then spent some time in the gift shop. The teachers were here for “Teachers Appreciation Day” as part of Education week.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
By Pat Saxton
Director
On January 13, 2016 the Museum held an invitation only exhibit preview for our members, volunteers and supporters.
HE Governor Peter Beckingham did the honor of cutting the ribbon to our newest exhibit: 19-20th Century Office. Governor Beckingham’s office donated the funding for the exhibit and the revitalization of the John Glenn and Military Base exhibits.
After a good look at the new exhibits and lively conversation over the old photos, we congregated on the outside back deck. A slide show entertained the guests while we all munched on delicious appetizers.
A special shout out to volunteers; Mitchell Loeb, Catherine Foley, Jack and Janet Sheery, Hilary Day, Claudia and Edger, and of course our staff: Candianne, Fred, Nikki and Cecile! Special events like this are just one more reason to become a member and supporter.
- Published in A Day at the National Museum
By Pat Saxton
Director
On New Year’s Eve the great-great grandson of our famous Dennis Jeremiah Murphy, whose life and adventures are featured in our new exhibit The Golden Age of Grand Turk, visited the Museum. Dennis R. Murphy and Charlene, his wife, came with their three children: Ashley, Tracy, and Dennis Jeremiah Murphy II.
Dennis R. gave the Museum a family tree that we greatly appreciate receiving because of the Murphy family connection to the many people living on Grand Turk today. Tim Dunn from the “Salt Cay White House” stopped in to talk to Dennis because they are actually related! We hope that the Murphy family can come back and stay a bit longer so that we can really show them Grand Turk hospitality.
Thank you Dennis and Charlene, for all that you and your family have donated and the stories that you always share!
- Published in A Day at the National Museum, Museum News