Another Musuem mystery. Was Turtle Bay’s copy of Little Mendocino painted by Grace Hudson herself? Or is it one of many dozens of copies made by other artists? “The Game is Afoot”, as another famous Holmes would say.
This miniature pendant replica represents the type and styling of gold objects that characterize the Tolima culture of central Colombia. A reproduction that accurately depicts a creation of inspiration from supernatural visions and nature. Often worn as a pendant, this piece captured an embellishing portrayal of a shaman being in an animal spirit form.
Did a local lawman really tangle with Black Bart? Explore the history of M. F. Eldridge, Black Bart, and Samuel Colt and delve into the fascinating history of Gold Rush stamped holsters in the September Artifact of the Month by volunteer Bob Harris.
In 1984, a traditional Quinua ceramic figurine was purchased from a Valerie’s Choice catalog by the
Redding Museum of Art and History, one of the predecessors of Turtle Bay Exploration Park.
Most people see me as a pretty confident, self-assured person, but the truth of the matter is that when it comes to raising these wild animals, I am always worried that I am going to mess it all up. When they turn out good, I am sure that it was luck and I had nothing to do with it. Up until this point I had been pretty lucky but I was sure that this time my luck was about to run out. I was failing with this animal and success didn’t look like a probable outcome.
Federally recognized as the Timbisha Shoshone Band of California, and sometimes referred to as “Panamint”, the Nümü Tümpisatti’s traditional homelands located in the Death Valley, Saline Valley, and the Panamint Range are some of the most challenging environments on earth. The harsh desert landscape has shaped traditional material culture, such as this coiled basket.
Hopefully, you have had a chance to see one of our permanent exhibitions focused on two of our local icons: Shasta Dam and Sundial Bridge. These two structures offer an architectural snapshot of our rich history and our relationship with water.
Presented by Dignity Health
November is Native American Heritage Month, but at Turtle Bay Exploration Park, we celebrate Native American Heritage every day. Our 300-acre campus straddles two traditional Wintu territories; ?elpom on the south side of the river and dawpom to the north. When you are at Turtle Bay, you are walking in the footsteps of people who have lived here since time immemorial.
The Redding City Identity Project is working to strengthen the image and reputation of our city. It serves as an opportunity to tell our story: it will establish our city’s image and reputation by defining who we are and intentionally building toward what we will become. A city’s image is connected to its competitive advantage as a place to live, vacation, and invest.
Turtle Bay Exploration Park holds a collection of over 35,000 objects, but our art and artifacts are not kept exclusively for our museum. Just as we often borrow objects for our own exhibitions, we are a resource for other researchers and other institutions. These objects act as ambassadors for Turtle Bay and our mission.
Most of us had access to some sort of wagon when we were kids. Commercially made children’s wagons have been around since the 1880s and the iconic red metal Radio Flyer brand debuted in the early 1930s. Even today, with the prevalence of digital gadgets, wagons come in a wide range of materials and still sell well.
A lifelong horse lover, Suzie Burgess has transformed her passion into tangible results to become a growing name in the equestrian art sphere. Her masterpieces from various collections have been spotlighted at multiple showings on the West Coast, and her life-size portraits have most especially earned acclaim. An expert at completing realistic commissioned paintings as well as original work, Burgess is able to capture the intricacies of the equine spirit that can be enjoyed for lifetimes.
The Iconic Fashion Exhibit features the personal, designer collection of local resident Aleta Carpenter who spent her career as a political lobbyist. The collection elegantly displays the high fashion of the 1980s and early 1990s created by world-famous designers such as Valentino, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and more.
Not only are her designs adorably whimsical and highly collectible, but she was a role model to aspire to! My curiosity was piqued and I was falling headfirst down the rabbit hole. Before things went too far, I opened up our collections database to see how many Tammis Keefe items we had in the collection. Would there be enough to create an exhibition? The answer is… yes!
Oktoberfest 2019 at Turtle Bay was a blast! Nearly 700 people came out to celebrate fall in newly renovated Paul Bunyan’s Forest Camp with 14 local breweries paired with delicious food, local art, live music, costume contests, crafts, face painting, and more! Kids and adults of all ages explored Turtle Bay’s new outdoor playground and water feature areas while Black Vinyl 45 played all the hits in the outdoor amphitheater. Some guests even tried their hand at glass blowing their own works of art.
At first glance, these four pages may not seem too compelling, but there is more here than meets the eye! What appears to be a stack of personal notes, jotted down in old-fashioned cursive, are actually records from court cases related to miners and land claims. The cases were conducted in French Gulch in the late 1800’s. Legal documents like these offer a glimpse into 19th Century life while also providing insight into the local affairs of 1890.
On Tuesday evening, at the Mosaic Gallery, we hosted a very special opening reception for Suzanne Gibbs’ Carr Fire Exhibition, observing the anniversary of the Carr Fire and commemorating all that came to follow. It was a restorative evening of healing, and even at times, humor. The artist shared her personal experience of the Carr Fire which led to the unique technique of including ash in her artworks in an effort process the loss and devastation that occurred in her community of East Fork in French Gulch…
