{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"KZYX News","title":"County Museum asking public to weigh in","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":390,"description":"The Mendocino County Museum received an outpouring of community support last year, when word spread that the county fiscal team had suggested closing it as a cost-saving measure. That idea was quickly abandoned, and now the museum is rolling out a strategic plan, which includes a survey and public events around the county to find out what community members want from their museum.\r\n\r\nMuseum Administrator Karen Mattson, a trained curator, is happy to show off the work that’s gone on behind the scenes to keep track of the collection.\r\n\r\n“We’ve been working really hard,” she said. “It’s a huge undertaking, to keep things organized. If you think about the library, everything has a place and a shelf and a number. And a museum is the same way. It’s really important to stay on top of things.” In a library of objects, “Organization is everything. Except beyond that, every object that you see has a corresponding file that tells us the history and significance of it. So those things have to be kept together, because we’re not keeping objects, we’re keeping stories. We’re keeping history, so documentation is everything.” \r\n\r\nSome of those stories are from the past, and some are about current events, placed in a historical context. The newest exhibit, Exploramos Juntos, is a bilingual collaboration with Nuestra Alianza, an educational and outreach organization in Willits. The display includes costumes and photography from a local Spanish-language summer camp, where children learn about Latino cultures. \r\n \r\n“All of the photographs you see were taken by two local photographers from their community events this summer,” Mattson said, pausing beside a display of masks and other objects, which was accompanied by a photograph of children wearing them as they performed a traditional dance called the Dance of the Iguana. “We would have people coming in and recognizing themselves or their friends or their family. They were able to give tours for and with us about what the exhibit...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/xZpAumwbhFUpJUYcwaQ1-q6snzOyqAm13l7cW6AWPCM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mMzkz/NjAwNjc2OWMyZmFk/YWY2YTdmYjI5M2Mz/YWMxNy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}