Arizona Experience Museum update

Excerpt from: The Arizona Historical Society Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Friday, August 12, 2011, Flagstaff, Arizona

A brief update on staff activities and programs - Woosley gave a brief update regarding meetings of the Arizona Experience Museum with WRL Architects, Mortenson Construction, Gallagher & Associates, the Arizona Department of Administration, and the Governor’s Office. A portion of the permanent mineral collections has been moved to the Flandrau Science Center as a loan to the UA Geosciences Department who will display many of the minerals and provide proper storage. Minerals will also be on exhibit at the Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson and the ASU museum. The remaining specimens are stored in the non-public areas of the museum not intended for renovation.

Woosley indicated that AHS also offered some storage cases that could not be utilized by AHS to other museums on a long-term, renewable loan basis. Some of the equipment was distributed to schools that have vocational programs. She said staff is also in contact with museums such as the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum and the Cave Creek Historical Society, to discuss loans for the larger, outdoor pieces of equipment. Woosley announced that AHS was fortunate to hire, highly recommended, Dr. Madison Barkley, a geosciences graduate from the University of Arizona. It will be a great asset to have a curator of mineralogy and someone to direct AHS with science education and programming.

Woosley commented that final schematics and hard costs figures for architectural and exhibit designs would be completed by the end of the month.

Woosley said that she, Wade, and Jim Norton met with Kevin Kinsall from the Governor’s office for an update of the Arizona Experience Museum. At the meeting, Kinsall indicated that Governor Brewer strongly endorses the project. Discussion followed. Responding to a question, Woosley said AHS would participate in the science and history pavilions at the Arizona Centennial Best Fests first scheduled for Prescott in September. She stated the Arizona Centennial Quilt would be unveiled in Prescott the week of Best Fest and that the quilt would be donated to AHS.

Exploring Arizona visits Marley Center

The home page for Exploring Arizona states:

Exploring Arizona.org is your local guide to all of the Arizona cities. With information from government and city links to dining and recreation, you will find it here.

On September 18, 2011, Exploring Arizona visited the Marley Center Museum. The Arizona Historical Society , apparently embarrassed by the Marley’s history,  is trying to rebrand it as the History Museum in Papago Park.  However, they made a million dollar deal with Kemper Marley, and his name therefore remains on the sign and on the building.

Exploring Arizona’s photos and comments are at: http://exploring-arizona.com/arizona-historical-society-museum-papago-park/

The comments include the following:

“We went on a Friday afternoon and had the place largely to ourselves.”

“Some of the displays were not working when we were there.”

Exploring Arizona may not be aware that they would have had the museum to themselves no matter when they visited. Attendance is so miniscule the AHS will not release attendance figures. The photo below was taken on Museum Day 2011 when admission was free and the Marley drew a “crowd”.  Only about half the cars belonged to visitors however. The rest belong to the many staff members that hide somewhere in the huge (80,000 square feet) underutilized building.

As for the non-working displays, “some” is an obvious euphemism for “most”, and Exploring Arizona may not be aware there was nothing unique about their visit.  The displays were not working six months before their visit, and may have been inoperable for years. The second photo shows that the out of order signs have a rather permanent look.

Madder Museum Madness

The Arizona Historical Society designed the Arizona Centennial Museum to obliterate the mineral museum and its science education programs. They then proceeded to close and eliminate the mineral museum even though they failed to raise the funds for the centennial museum. Now, feeling the sting of adverse public opinion, they are making a less than credible attempt to redefine their failing project.

The AHS now claims the Arizona Centennial (AKA Experience) Museum is a “prominent resource” for mineral education.  In fact, the experience museum does not and may not ever exist, and the AHS has terminated the education programs previously conducted by the mineral museum.

The AHS prominently features a link to Arizona Mineral Education on its website. As reported in the Sept. 8^th post (Flying false colors) the AHS actually has no connection whatever to the outreach education program presented there.

The AHS also has no connection to the mineral photos.  Those minerals are part of the Flagg Mineral Foundation collection.  For fifty years, that high quality collection was housed in the mineral museum. The Foundation was previously named the Arizona Mineral and Mining Foundation and conducted a number of annual fundraising activities to support the mineral museum.

Following the AHS takeover of the mineral museum, the Foundation voted to sever all connections to the AHS. The vote was based on the unwillingness of the AHS to continue housing the mineral museum and education programs in a portion of the building as prescribed by Arizona statute. The Foundation changed its name, and removed its collection from the building. Part of the collection is now on display in Tucson (not at an AHS facility), but most of it is in storage.

The AHS however, is now trying to credit itself with mineral and education resources not actually associated with it in any way.

Mineral Museum gutted

Even though fundraising for the centennial museum failed, the AHS is continuing with the total elimination of the mineral museum.  Minerals and artifacts have been removed from all cases, and the cases are being removed from the building.  The cases are being loaded onto U-Haul trucks that are taking them to Globe to display the Mofford memorabilia collection.

Many of the cases were recently refurbished and refinished by former mineral museum volunteers.  That also included the installation of new glass that was paid for by the Flagg Foundation.  This demonstrates the folly of providing volunteer labor or contributions to a state agency managed by fickle bureaucrats incapable of recognizing a top rated and historic science museum.

The newly hired curator (on the state payroll) was seen in the lobby, doing whatever it is that curators do in museums that are closed and empty.

Additional Centennial Commission donors revealed

As listed below, additional donors have appeared on the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation website (http://az100years.org).  Will their money be diverted to the Arizona Experience Museum?  Will it be used to remove or destroy the antique mining artifacts still in place in front of the mineral museum building?

Clear Channel OUTDOOR

2201 East Camelback Rd. Suite 500

Phoenix, AZ 85016

SRP

1521 N. Project Drive

Tempe, AZ 85281-1298

Channel 12

200 East Van Buren

Phoenix, AZ 85004

The University of Arizona

Tucson AZ 85721

Branded Cities Iconic Media

505 Huntmar Park Drive

Herndon, VA 20170-5155

CBS OUTDOOR

CBS Outdoor

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10174

Fiesta Bowl

FIESTA BOWL OFFICE

The Ellie & Michael Ziegler Fiesta Bowl Center & Museum

7135 E. Camelback Rd.  #190

Scottsdale, AZ  85251

Snell Wilmer

One Arizona Center

400 East Van Buren Street

Suite 1900

Phoenix, AZ 85004-2202

Arizona Diamondbacks

401 East Jefferson Street

Phoenix, AZ 85004-2438

American Outdoor Advertising

1702 E Highland Ave # 304

Phoenix, AZ 85016-4666

PetSmart, Inc.

Store Support Group

19601 North 27th Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85027

The Coca-Cola Company

P.O. Box 1734

Atlanta, GA 30301, USA

Hensley Brewing

4201 North 45th Avenue

Phoenix, Arizona 85031

Waste Management

1001 Fannin, Suite 4000

Houston, Texas 77002

Union Pacific Railroad

1400 Douglas Street

Omaha, NE 68179 

3 Amigos Tequila

http://3amigostequila.com

Letter to Centennial Foundation donors

The Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation’s website shows you as a sponsor.  Undoubtedly, you expect your contribution to make a positive impact on Arizona’s centennial celebration.

You should be aware that some centennial events may be downgraded or cancelled to divert Foundation funds to a seriously misguided project.   That project is the Arizona Historical Society’s Arizona Centennial Museum (AKA Arizona Experience Museum).

That poorly planned project is a third AHS attempt to build a reputable new museum.  The badly designed $30 million Marley Center Museum at Papago Park has not even been maintained. It attracts but a trickle of visitors.  The $80 million History Museum at Rio Nuevo was never built, even though it ate up $1.4 million in design fees.  The $15 million Arizona Centennial Museum is so far behind schedule it can never be open for the centennial.  Thus the name change. The theme is ever changing, and funds to complete it may never be raised.

The $15 million budget is an unrealistic lowball.  The east coast designer is planning high tech, high maintenance, interactive displays.  The budget includes no funding for the very expensive maintenance of such displays. That is the very same mistake made at the Marley Center Museum.  Today, the ten year old interactive displays are non-functional and probably non repairable due to obsolescence.  The museum was widely criticized in the media during the prolonged construction, and is today an embarrassment to Arizona.  Our state does not need to repeat that mistake, especially not as the “centerpiece” of the centennial.

Even though the centennial (experience) museum may never be completed, it has displaced the historic, top rated, and self-supporting Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum.  As a result, tens of thousands of students per year are being deprived of a lifetime experience in earth science education.  Protests from students and teachers were ignored.  Unique and historic Arizona artifacts are threatened, and popular science education programs have been scrapped.

Please review your support for the Arizona 2012 Centennial Foundation, and determine if it will really benefit Arizona.

A few Centennial Foundation donors revealed

For about a year, the only donor listed on the Arizona Centennial 2012 Foundation website was Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold, Inc.  Now, the foundation claims there are 75 corporate donors and has revealed nine more of them.  Will their money also be used to destroy the mineral museum?

APS

PO Box 53933 Sta. 3200

Phoenix, AZ 85072-3933

Arizona Cardinals

PO Box 888

Phoenix, AZ 85001-0888

Arizona Republic

200 E. Van Buren

Phoenix, AZ 85004

Discount Tire

5310 E. Shea Blvd.

Scottsdale, AZ 85254-4700

Giant Oil Inc.

1806   N. Franklin Street

Tampa, FL 33602

Nature’s Own

1919 Flowers Circle

Thomasville, GA 31757

Resolution Copper Mining

PO Box 1944

Superior, AZ 85173

Shamrock Farms Dairy Division

2228 N. Black Canyon Highway

Phoenix, AZ 85009

Swift Transportation

2200 South 75th Ave.

Phoenix, AZ 85043