Tillamook County Pioneer Museum re-opens to the public on February 1st at 10:00am and invites the community to celebrate and experience the renovated gallery with the newest exhibit, Contact: How Cross-Cultural Exchange Shapes Us. The Museum will be open extended hours, with a reception from 3 to 6 pm.
The Maritime Archaeological Society’s Founder & Executive Director, Chris Dewey, will be speaking at the Museum @ 1:00pm about their organization, past discoveries, and upcoming plans for future projects. MAS’ book – Shipwrecks of the Pacific Northwest: Tragedies and Legacies of a Perilous Coast, is available at the museum gift shop when you visit.
TCPM Exhibit and Program Developer Jenny Teece describes the new exhibit as thought-provoking. “This is an interactive exhibit meant to get visitors thinking,” said Teece. “It will challenge the ideas that we might have of ‘first contact’ as being through objects rather than just in-person.” She explained, “What’s interesting about the Pacific Northwest is that there’s documented accounts from explorers that indicate there were tools and signs of past interactions with foreign cultures before the mid-to-late 1700’s. And we are continuing to hear of new discoveries that challenge our understanding of the current archaeological record even today.”
The “Contact” exhibit is also meant to be an introduction to some of the basics of anthropology, particularly how people influence and are influenced by their belongings. Designed to be interactive and kid-friendly, it allows visitors to explore how people have used – and continue to use – objects in a variety of ways and how it shapes their communities.
“Learning about history makes a more informed citizenry,” said Teece. “The more we know about our past, the better we can prepare for the future. I hope that this exhibit creates conversations and gets people asking questions, and wanting to learn more.”
Join the Museum from 3:00 to 6:00pm (extended hours) for a special reception on February 1st. Make plans to visit the museum to find out more about “Contact: How Cross-Cultural Exchange Shapes Us”, open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, located at 2106 2nd Street, Tillamook. www.tcpm.org
Learn more about the Maritime Archeological Society online https://maritimearchaeological.org
