Los Altos History Museum Blog

Struggling for rightsBlog

Confronting an Uncomfortable Legacy

Museums, especially cultural and historic museums, are fundamentally about identity. The Los Altos History Museum gathers and presents artifacts and stories about our community in order to build an understanding of who we are and the choices we have made during our lives. Right now, museums across the country are being challenged to examine the choices they make about how…
June 11, 2020
Press Releases

History Museum Plans Reopening Strategy

LOS ALTOS, CA (June 9, 2020) – As Santa Clara County amends its shelter-in-place Order, a task force for the Los Altos History Museum makes plans for how to safely reopen its indoor galleries and gift shop in the future. For now, the Museum remains closed to the public, with the exception of the outdoor courtyard and agricultural exhibit. Visitors…
June 9, 2020
Press Releases

History Museum Goes Virtual for Latest Exhibition

LOS ALTOS, CA (May 19, 2020) – When the coronavirus pandemic hit, and the county issued shelter-in-place orders, Los Altos History Museum halted it’s planned exhibition, “In the Fields of the North / En los Campos del Norte,” originally scheduled to open on March 19 in the main gallery. The Museum is pleased to announce that portions of this exhibit,…
May 19, 2020
Blog

The Story of the Museum’s Apricot Tree

In January, the Los Altos History Museum’s Executive Director, Dr. Elisabeth Ward, envisioned a real live apricot tree growing next to the newly installed sign in the Museum's agricultural exhibit area. The sign tells the story of the Blenheim apricots in the nearby Los Altos Community Orchard, originally planted around 1905 by our Los Altos orchardist, J. Gilbert Smith. Fortunately…
May 13, 2020
Blog

A Museum without Walls?

At the foundation of every museum is a collection. Different types of museums are distinguished based on what it is they collect and preserve: art museums collect and preserve art, whereas natural history museums collect and preserve natural specimens. The Los Altos History Museum is a history museum, which means we collect things related to the history of our area.…
April 30, 2020
In The News

Living Through a Major Historical Moment

Los Altos History Museum seeks your COVID-19 stories and experiences By Heather Zimmerman / Mountain View Voice Your day-to-day routine, let alone your daily activities during quarantine, may seem like nothing special, but actually, it could be something for the history books. That’s why the Los Altos History Museum recently put out a call for submissions asking Santa Clara County residents…
April 26, 2020
Foothill Intern, Karen Quero cataloguing notes for the historic photo collectionBlog

Cultivating the Next Generation of Arts & Humanities Leaders in Los Altos and Beyond 

The Los Altos History Museum proudly welcomes back Humanities Mellon Scholars Ananya Khanna, Zahira Trejo, and Karen Quero for their spring quarter internships this week. Beginning Monday, April 13th, Ananya will continue her internship under the mentorship of Diane Holcomb, Outreach Coordinator, in marketing and public relations, and Zahira and Karen in museum collections and research with Dianne Shen, Collections Strategist. Designed by the Foothill-DeAnza Community College District, the…
April 16, 2020
Press Releases

History Museum Seeks Applicants for Teen Docent Program

LOS ALTOS, CA (April 14, 2020) – Los Altos History Museum is now accepting applications for its 2020-21 Teen Docent Program. Open to any student enrolled in a local high school for the 2020-21 year, the program offers teens the opportunity to interact with the community, fulfill volunteer hours for school, learn about history, connect with peers, and work alongside…
April 14, 2020
Press Releases

History Museum Asks Community to Share COVID-19 Experiences

LOS ALTOS, CA (April 7, 2020) – To document the impact of COVID-19 on the community, Los Altos History Museum is seeking stories, photos, diary entries, and other materials from residents of Santa Clara County. The material and online submissions will be archived for the Museum’s permanent collection, and preserved for future historians, researchers and visitors. “We want to hear…
April 7, 2020
Press Releases

History Museum Hosts a Virtual Story Circle

LOS ALTOS, CA (April 2, 2020) In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofits are finding creative ways to engage and interact with their community. As part of its mission to gather and present compelling stories, Los Altos History Museum will hold an online Story Circle for participants to share their experience of resilience during this unique moment in history.…
April 2, 2020
Blog

Write it Down: A Historian’s Plea During COVID-19

We are living in an extraordinary time. This feels like an understatement, given that in the space of just a few weeks, our lives have been turned completely upside down by the coronavirus. For many of us, adjusting to the new reality of a global pandemic has been a difficult process. In times of great stress and anxiety, one therapeutic…
April 1, 2020