SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN
1350 EL PRADO BALBOA PARK, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101 www.museumofus.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: THE MUSEUM OF US (THE MUSEUM), FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN, SITS ON THE ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS OF THE KUMEYAAY NATION, IN SAN DIEGOS BALBOA PARK, AND WAS FOUNDED IN 1915, AS PART OF THE CITYS PANAMA-CALIFORNIA EXPOSITION. AT ITS FOUNDING, IT WAS THE EPITOME OF AN EARLY 20TH CENTURY ANTHROPOLOGY MUSEUM; A PLACE DEFINED BY ITS ETHNOGRAPHIC COLLECTIONS AND THEIR ENCYCLOPEDIC DISPLAY. OVER THE LAST DECADE, THE MUSEUMS LEADERSHIP HAS INTRODUCED AND IMPLEMENTED A NEW STRATEGY THAT USES CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL ISSUES AND POPULAR CULTURE AS A SPRINGBOARD FOR EXPERIENCE-BASED EXPLORATIONS OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN. THE INSTITUTIONAL GOAL FOR THE MUSEUM OF US IS TO BE SAN DIEGOS DYNAMIC PLACE TO GO TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, REFLECT ON OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD, AND BUILD A BETTER COMMUNITY. WE ARE A PLACE FOR THE DIVERSE STORIES THAT DEFINE US, ESPECIALLY THOSE STORIES THAT HAVE LONG BEEN OVERLOOKED OR SILENCED BY DOMINANT CULTURAL NARRATIVES. THE MUSE

INSPIRING HUMAN CONNECTIONS BY EXPLORING THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE.

CULTURAL RESOURCES AND EXHIBITIONSTHE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL RESOURCES IS TASKED WITH CARING FOR MORE THAN 150,000 DOCUMENTED ETHNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS, MORE THAN 500,000 ARCHAEOLOGICAL CULTURAL RESOURCES, AND OVER 100,000 PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES; AND, FOR STEWARDING THEM WITHIN A DECOLONIZED PARADIGM. TO THAT END, THE MUSEUM PASSED POLICIES IN 2017 AND 2018 THAT REQUIRE DOCUMENTED CONSENT FROM DESCENDANT COMMUNITIES TO HOLD HUMAN REMAINS OR ANY INDIGENOUS BELONGINGS AT THE MUSEUM. THESE POLICIES COMMIT THE MUSEUM TO REPATRIATING ANY INDIGENOUS ITEM FOR WHICH THE MUSEUM DOES NOT HAVE SUCH CONSENT. SINCE 2017 WEVE BEEN WORKING WITH OUR KUMEYAAY PARTNERS AT MEANINGFUL WAYS TO INCORPORATE COMMUNITY VOICE IN BROAD-BASED DECISIONS ABOUT CULTURAL RESOURCES, EXHIBITS, AND PROGRAMS. THE MUSEUMS NEW STRATEGY IS FRONT AND CENTER IN ITS LATEST EXHIBIT OFFERINGS, INCLUDING LIVING WITH ANIMALS, A COLORFUL AND FUN EXPLORATION OF THE HUMAN-ANIMAL BOND, POSTSECRET, A FASCINATING EXPLORATION OF HOW SECRETS ARE THE CURRENCY OF HUMAN INTIMACY, AND CANNIBALS: MYTH AND REALITY A THOUGHT PROVOKING EXPLORATION OF CULTURAL OTHERING.IN MID-MARCH 2020, THE MUSEUM WAS FORCED TO CEASE ALL IN-PERSON ADMISSIONS AND PROGRAMMING BY MANDATE OF STATE/COUNTY ORDER DUE TO THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC. WHILE THE LACK OF EARNED REVENUES HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF THE MUSEUM IN FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2020, THE MUSEUM HAS BEEN STRATEGICALLY GROWING ITS RESERVES FOR YEARS. IN ADDITION, THE MUSEUM SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRACTED ITS OPERATIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC. THE CALIFORNIA TOWER CLOSURE FOR A SEISMIC RETROFIT PROVIDED US WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO REIMAGINE ITS COMPLEMENTARY TOUR TO BETTER REFLECT OUR MISSION AND INSTITUTIONAL GOALS. PREVIOUSLY, THE TOUR SCRIPT FOCUSED ON THE HISTORY OF THE TOWER'S CONSTRUCTION AND THE 1915 PANAMA-CALIFORNIA EXPOSITION. NOW, THE TOUR TELLS THAT HISTORY WHILE INCORPORATING NARRATIVES FROM FOUR UNDER-REPRESENTED SAN DIEGO COMMUNITIES; ONES WHOSE STORIES ARE OFTEN UNTOLD AND ARE INTERLINKED WITH THE EXPOSITION AND ITS THEMES. BETWEEN THE TOWERS REOPENING IN MID-FEBRUARY AND THE MARCH COVID CLOSURE, THE NEW TOUR WAS UNVEILED AND IT WAS WELL RECEIVED BY OVER 2,000 PARTICIPANTS. FOR FY20, OUR EDUCATION AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS SERVED 3,388 ADULTS AND STUDENTS, INCLUDING 1,588 TITLE I STUDENTS. OVERALL ADMISSIONS STOOD AT 105,270. BOTH THE SEISMIC RETROFIT PROJECT AND THE COVID-19 CLOSURE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THESE FIGURES FROM ANNUAL NORMS. AS THE PANDEMIC WORE ON, THE MUSEUM BEGAN SEARCHING FOR NEW WAYS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO ITS EXHIBITS AND PROGRAMS. BY NOVEMBER, WE HAD LAUNCHED OUR FIRST EVER DIGITAL OFFERINGS ON THE GOOGLE ARTS AND CULTURE PLATFORM - BRINGING TO LIFE, LONG SILENCED NATIVE AMERICAN NARRATIVES ABOUT THE EUROPEAN COLONIZERS WHOSE STATUES AND BUSTS ADORN OUR HISTORIC FAADE. OUR SECOND GOOGLE OFFERING FOLLOWS THE COMPLICATED AND FASCINATING STORY BEHIND OUR NEW NAME, AND HOW IT REPRESENTS A PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DECOLONIZATION, AND ANTI-RACISM. ACCESS TO THESE ON-LINE EXHIBITS IS COMPLETELY FREE TO ANYONE WITH INTERNET ACCESS.SHORTLY AFTER, WE PREMIERED OUR FIRST WEBINAR SERIES, RECLAIMING WELLNESS. THIS FREE, VIRTUAL SERIES FEATURED ACCLAIMED AEROSOL ARTISTS WHO SHARED THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THE OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD ART FORM. THE SERIES WILL CONTINUE IN 2021, AND EXPLORE OUR CONNECTION TO LAND, TRADITION, AND ART AND HOW IT PERSONALLY AND COMMUNALLY IMPACTS ALL OF US.ON AUGUST 2, 2020, THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF MAN, ANNOUNCED ITS NEW NAME: MUSEUM OF US. THE MUSEUM HAD BEEN ENGAGING IN COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ITS NAME SINCE THE 1990S. THESE DISCUSSIONS HAD INCREASED DURING THE LAST TEN YEARS AS THE INSTITUTIONS MISSION AND PROGRAMMING HAD SHIFTED DRAMATICALLY. AFTER A PERIOD OF OVER TWO YEARS OF COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER INPUT, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES VOTED ON THE NEW NAME AT ITS JUNE 2020 MEETING. THE NAME CHANGE REPRESENTS A PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, ACCESS, AND ITS DECOLONIZING/ANTI-RACISM WORK.

EDUCATION, PUBLIC PROGRAMS AND PROGRAM EVENTSSIGNATURE OFFERINGS INCLUDE STUDENT AND ADULT TOURS AND 90 MINUTE WORKSHOPS COMPLEMENTING THE RACE: ARE WE SO DIFFERENT? EXHIBIT. WE CONTINUE TO OFFER TOURS OF OUR ANCIENT EGYPT, KUMEYAAY, AND MAYA EXHIBITS TO SCHOOL GROUPS. DURING FY20 THESE PROGRAMS SERVED 3,585 INDIVIDUALS A LOWER NUMBER THAN TYPICALLY SERVED DUE TO COVID AND THE SEISMIC RETROFIT OF THE CALIFORNIA TOWER. THE CLOSURE OF OUR ANCIENT EGYPT AND KUMEYAAY: NATIVE CALIFORNIANS EXHIBITS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED STUDENT PROGRAMMING DURING THE CITY'S SEISMIC RETROFIT PROJECT PAVED THE WAY FOR A NEW STEM PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS - A GUIDED EXPERIENCE OF THE LIVING WITH ANIMALS EXHIBIT. THE GUIDED TOUR ENGAGES ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN AN INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE THAT CHALLENGES THEIR BELIEFS ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH ANIMALS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT. IT ALSO INSTILLS A SENSE OF ACCOUNTABILITY IN STUDENTS RELATIVE TO THEIR FOOD CHOICES AND THE IMPACT OF THOSE CHOICES ON THE ENVIRONMENT. ADDITIONALLY, THE PROGRAM EXPOSES STUDENTS TO MORE SUSTAINABLE WAYS OF EATING AND PREPARING FOOD, DRAWING FROM CULTURES ALL AROUND THE WORLD. OUR FIRST PILOT STUDENT GROUPS HAD STARTED TO EVALUATE THE PROGRAM JUST BEFORE THE COVID CLOSURE.

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