As natural disasters and crises become prevalent, hear how four museums responded to wildfires and the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Learn innovative ways to help your community heal. Each museum will share how they addressed local crises in thoughtful and meaningful ways while staying true to their missions and protecting their collections. Through partnerships, interactive social media platforms, creative artmaking, reflective exhibitions, collecting oral histories, and developing programs, each museum became a place of gathering, engagement, connection, reflection, and support. PRESENTERS: Jeff Nathanson, Executive Director, Museum of Sonoma County Jesse Clark McAbee, Curator of Museums, Museums of Lake County Carol Oliva, Director of Development, California Indian Museum and Cultural Center Jessica Ruskin, Education Director, Charles M. Schulz Museum

1. Helping Communities
Heal in the Wake of
Local Crisis:
Moderated by
Jeff Nathanson, Executive Director, Museum of Sonoma County
Panelists
Jesse Clark McAbee, Curator of Museums, Museums of Lake County
Jessica Ruskin, Education Director, Charles Schulz Museum and Research Center
Carol Oliva, Director of Development, California Indian Museum and Cultural Center

21. Takeaways
• To effectively support their communities, museums
need to prioritize emergency preparedness –
update your collections, facility, emergency and
evacuation plans
• Be a community leader - build
alliances/relationships with community partners
• Don’t underestimate the power of a shared human
experience – seek common ground

22. www.museumsc.org/the-fire-project

23. HELPING COMMUNITIES HEAL
IN THE WAKE OF LOCAL CRISIS
“I LOST EVERYTHING.
I HAVE NOTHING LEFT BUT
MY STORY.”

24. COUNTY
OF LAKE
LOWER LAKE
MIDDLETOWN
COURTHOUSE
MUSEUM
HISTORIC SCHOOL
GIBSON MUSEUM

26. HISTORIC
COURTHOUSE
MUSEUM
BUILT IN 1871.
LAKEPORT CA
FIRST
CALIFORNIA
COURTHOUSE
ON THE
NATIONAL
REGISTER.

27. HISTORIC
SCHOOLHOUSE
MUSEUM built in
1877.
LOWER LAKE CA

28. GIBSON MUSEUM &
CULTURAL CENTER
built in 1930.
MIDDLETOWN CA

29. 3 OF
CALIFORNIA’S
TOP 6 LARGEST
WILDLAND
FIRES HAVE
BURNED IN
LAKE COUNTY.

30. FIRE STORIES- A
DOCUMENTARY
“We used to look at fire season being
about three and half to four months… We
have to be prepared year round for
wildland fires.” Lake County Fire Chief
Lakeport
In addition to video ORAL HISTORY
interviews done for Fire Stories a larger
number of audio interviews were
conducted and have been archived.

31. FIRE STORIES
Insert youtube videos
THE FIRE STORIES DOCUMENTARY

32. WHEN STUFF GETS
REAL!

33. An Artist speaks:

34. A DAY IN THE LIFE….
Lower Lake June 2021 Cache Fire 83 total acres about 90 structures, no loss of
life.
CACHE FIRE
June 2021
View from my
iPhone 12 on
the Historic
School
Museum
Porch
75 structures
burned, 83 acres-
12 Air Attack and
scores of
firefighters.

35. Event by Transformation by Fire
Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum
Duration: 4 hr
Public · Anyone on or off Facebook
We offer a sacred space for healing, there will be elements of sound healing, music,
chanting, dance, and Breema movements. - Lunch: Vegetarian Lunch will be served.
- Cost: Offered by donation.
- RSVP: 707-971-1226 or email:
architectofintention@gmail.com
Facilitated by Manaar and Christina:
Manaar began her spiritual awakening inspired by the relationship between the body
and rhythms through drumming, meditation, movement and years of martial arts.
Creating a sacred, safe and
nurturing space where people
can share their grief and losses,
begin to release their pain and
trauma, begin rebuilding their
lives.

36. Pro Schools During the Pandemic
School tours are a big part of public outreach and our visitor totals and the
Historic School in Lower Lake one our most popular for school tours.
Then came the pandemic….
No schools open, no tours.
THE PROBLEM:
THE SOLUTION:
Weaver Auditorium on the 2nd
floor as a Learning Hub
for Konocti Unified School District.

37. Learning Hub for:
• Our Weaver
Auditorium in the
School Museum
holds 100 people
and has decent
internet.
• Our Set Up
During the Pandemic when schools were
closed down it became this.

38. DEFEATING THE SUM OF ALL FEARS*
1. Have a plan for before.
2. Have a plan for during.
3. Have a plan for after.
* Or at least mitigating the damage of the disaster and recovery
and practice your plans.
THE BHAG? The Big Hairy Audacious Goal- Create
partnerships, alliances and ask: How can we, the museum,
help?

39. Helping Communities Heal
in the
Wake of Local Crisis
Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center
Schulzmuseum.org
Jessica Ruskin
Education Director
jessica@schulzmuseum.org

40. Schulz
Museum
Mission:
The mission of the Charles M. Schulz Museum
and Research Center is to preserve, display, and
interpret the art of Charles M. Schulz. The
Museum will carry out this mission through
exhibits and programming that:
• Illustrate the scope of Schulz’s multi-faceted
career,
• Communicate the stories, inspirations, and
influences of Charles M. Schulz,
• Celebrate the life of Charles M. Schulz and
the Peanuts characters, and
• Build an understanding of cartoonists and
cartoon art.

41. Free Reopening Celebration:

42. Fire Relief Fundraiser:

43. Fire Relief Fundraiser:
• Two months after the fires to keep
public engagement
• Invited sponsors to donate services,
goods, and money (covered entire
cost of the event besides staffing)
• Sold tickets (raised about $12,000)
• Sold books
• Created and sold a poster for
people to get signed
• Artists drew original sketches for
additional donations
• Raised about $20,000

44. Schulz
Museum
Response
through Public
Programs:
• October 2017: Museum closed: reached out to members, volunteers, and
other constituents.
• November 2017: Museum reopening with Making Memories Free Day
with photo frame and photo giveaways.
• November 2017-Summer 2018: Free admission for those displaced by
fires.
• December 2017: Fundraising evening with silent auction, book and ticket
sales, artist donations.
• March 2018: Free author event and book give-away: signed books to
children displaced by fires to replace books they might have lost.
• April 2018: Partnered with Sonoma County Medical Association Alliance
Foundation for free event and art supply give away for 200 families of
doctors with children who lost their homes.
• Summer 2018: Fee assistance for summer camps for families with FEMA
cards.
• June 2018: Launched Doghouse Design Project and Fundraiser.
• September 2018: Free day with quilt giveaways, doghouse display, silent
auction, and evening fundraiser.
• January 2019: Hillary Rose Miller and Sonoma Strong poster appearance.
• March 2019: Book release party for Brian Fies’ A Fire Story.
• September 2022: Grant funded project to use comics as a form of healing.

45. Raising Awareness and Funds One Year Later:

46. Community Partnerships:
• Artstart
• Art and Soul School of Creative and Performing
Arts
• Becoming Independent
• Chop’s Teen Club
• Doubletree by Hilton Hotel
• Fulton Crossing
• Green Mansions Design
• Happiness is a Warm Quilt Project
• Museum of Sonoma County
• Petaluma Arts Center
• Tipping Point
• Western Farm Center

50. Focusing Locally:

51. What didn’t
work?
• Free Museum admission.
• Early giveaways.
• Creating a pattern of Museum closure.

52. What was
meaningful?
• Taking care of our immediate constituents.
• Community Partnerships.
• Summer camp financial assistance 7 months
later.
• Raising awareness one year later.
• Focusing on local connections.
• Being resilient when the pandemic hit.
• Still addressing the need today.

53. Pandemic
response
• Taking care of our immediate constituents.
• Live online classes and programs for all ages.
• In-person summer camp, 2020.
• Serving an international audience.
• Still addressing the need today.

54. Take aways
• Advocate for audience needs: take care of your
constituents.
• Find where those needs intersect with your
museum mission.
• Keep addressing the need today.

55. Helping
Communities
Heal in the Wake
of a Local Crisis

56. California Indian Museum and Cultural Center
The purpose of the California Indian
Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC)
is to educate the public about the
history, culture and contemporary life of
California Indians and to honor their
contributions to civilization.

57. Community, Culture, Connectivity
● Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy
● Youth Centered
● Intergenerational Learning
Opportunities
● People not Objects

58. Wildfires
2017 Tubbs Fire, 36,807 acres, 5,643 structures
2017 Nuns Fire, 54,381 acres, 1,355 structures
Location, Response, Recovery and Direct
services
2020 LNU Lightning Complex Fire, 363,220 acres,
1,491 structures
Public Safety Power Shutoffs
Disproportionate impacts on tribal
communities

59. Renewal, Regrowth and Stewardship of our Ancestral Territory
●

60. Tribal Youth Ambassadors
Partnership with Inter Tribal Long Term Recovery Foundation
Fire Ecology Education
Direct Services: Gift cards, food, toiletry kits, assessment of needs and distribution of aid

61. Climate Vulnerabilities and Native Climate
Resilience Tribal Community Survey
CIMCC collected community input on identifying climate
vulnerabilities, solutions, and Native advocacy efforts concerning
Native climate resilience in our tribal communities throughout
Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties. The goal of the project was to
ensure that Native voices and perspectives are represented in city and
county climate change planning and adaptations.
• Policy and Infrastructure Impacts: emergency response,
transportation/evacuations and equitable distribution of aid
• Health Impacts: Water quality, accessing medical treatments,
exposure to fire related toxins
• Cultural Impacts: Loss of traditional foods, gathering areas, cultural
resources
• Environmental Impacts: Wild fires and rise in sea temperatures
• Social and Economic Impacts: home displacement and affordable
housing, economic losses from power outages
• Other: chemicals and pesticides
• Priority issues: wildfires, water, loss of traditional foods, loss of
cultural resources, health issues and Future Generations

62. Healing Hub and Strengths-Based Approaches

63. CIMCC Resilient Power System
74.25 kW Rooftop Solar Array
125kW/220kWh Battery Storage – 72 hours of operation
Clean Air Filtration and Cooling Center
Traditional Food Incubator
Reduced energy costs of $21,700 annually
Off set 68 metric tons of carbon per year
Provide services during Public Power Safety Shut Offs, Wildfires and Poor Air Quality
Sustaining Values for Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Stewardship

64. Challenges
Preparation: No two disasters are alike
Staff safety vs. Mobilizing resources
Stewardship of Ancestral Territory vs. Evacuation and Relocation
Short term vs. Long term responses
◦ Increasing Cultural Arts Skills within our Community
◦ Processing Trauma
◦ Fostering respect for Traditional Ecological Knowledge
◦ Increased use of digital platforms for culturally sensitive information
◦ Consideration of how today’s decisions impact future generations

65. Lessons Learned:
Need For A
Resilience Hub
EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES
VISIBILITY, REPRESENTATION AND
COLLABORATION – COMBAT TING USURPATION OF
AUTHORITY
COMMUNITY LEAD: STEWARDSHIP AND FOOD
SOVEREIGNTY
INCREASING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
CAPACITIES WITHIN COMMUNITY AND OUR
ORGANIZATION

66. Contact Information
Nicole Lim
The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center
5250 Aero Drive
Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 579-3004
www.cimcc.org
www.californiamissionsnativehistory.org
https://caindianeducationforall.com/
nikkimyers@aol.com

67. Mission/Collection:
Art: comics
Single artist
Hometown connection
philanthropy
Disaster/Need:
Fire
Homes lost
Money
Food/shelter/clothing-
EVERYTHING
PTSD healing
Communities/Audience:
Local
Kids and families
All economic levels
Directly impacted/indirect
PTSD
Helping Communities Heal in the Wake
of Local Crisis
 Jot down notes in each circle.
 What ideas/possibilities exist at the
intersection of all three?

68. Contact Information
Jeff Nathanson
Executive Director, Museum of Sonoma County
(707) 579-1500 x 102
jnathanson@museumsc.org
Nicole Lim/Carol Oliva
Executive Director, The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center
(707) 579-3004
nikkimyers@aol.com
Clark McAbee
Curator, Museums of the County of Lake
(707) 262-4552
jclark.mcabee@lakecountyca.gov
Jessica Ruskin
Education Director, Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center
(707) 284-1265
jessica@schulzmuseum.org