News

Latest news and announcements from the Rice Northwest Rock and Mineral Museum.

Rice Museum Selected to Participate in National Museum Assessment Program

The Rice Museum has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), which is administered by the American Alliance of Museums.  Through guided self-study assessment and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower the Rice to better serve the citizens of Portland Metro by facilitating its meeting and exceeding the highest professional standards of the museum field. The museum’s participation is made possible through funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). MAP helps museums strengthen operations, plan for the future, and meet standards through self-study assessment and a consultative site visit from an expert peer reviewer. “Museum collections are held in trust of the public and made accessible for the public’s benefit. Effective stewardship ensures that the objects the museum owns, borrows, and/or uses are accessible to current and future generations,” said Rice Museum executive director, Aurore Giguet. The Rice has chosen to do a MAP Collection Stewardship Assessment to prioritize long-term collections stewardship issues, provide better access to the collection, and update museum policies that govern the collection. A team of museum staff, Rice Museum board members, community volunteers, and a peer reviewer will work together to assess and improve the museum’s care of the more than 24,000 objects in its collection.  “Choosing to be part of the MAP program is indicative of the commitment to civic involvement, public service and overall excellence on the part of the Rice Museum” said Laura Lott, president of AAM. “Studies have shown America’s museums to be among the country’s most trusted and valued institutions. MAP is designed to make them even better.” Since its creation in 1981, the MAP program has served over 5,000 museums. MAP is supported through a cooperative agreement between AAM and IMLS. For more information, including a complete list of museums participating in MAP, please visit www.aam-us.org/map, call 202-289-9118 or e-mail [email protected]. Our website also has information about museums across the country who have previously participated in MAP and other AAM Excellence Programs (such as Core Document Verification and Accreditation).

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Museum Moment Tour

Popular Program Museum Moment Returns

MAKE A RESERVATION The Rice Museum is bringing back one of our most loved programs! Join Museum staff and volunteers for Museum Moment, each mini-tour lasts about 10-15 minutes.  Locations vary from day to day. Ask a staff member on the day of your visit about the programs location.  Museum Moments are presented each day the galleries are open. Program Times:11:30 am3:00 pm Visit with staff and volunteers to learn about how the Rice’s started the collection, specimens on display, or current activities at the museum. Schedule a visit to the museum to explore the many exhibits and wonders.

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May 1 Reopening with New Access Programs and a Fresh New Look

The Rice Museum will reopen to the public on Saturday, May 1. Visitors will notice a few changes, including new flooring, new displays, and a reorganization of gallery spaces.  In preparation for reopening, the Museum will use an advance reservation system and take other health and safety measures outlined by the State, CDC, and other public health officials. The Rice has prioritized three goals: Protecting the health and safety of visitors;  Deliver on its public service mission of education; and  Contributing to the recovery of the Portland Metro area. NEW OPERATING PROCEDURES: The Museum will be open three days a week, Friday- Sunday 10:00 to 5:00 pm, and require advanced reservation as a means for limiting attendance. New health protocols have been instituted to protect the health and safety of visitors and staff, including limiting attendance; requiring facial coverings; requiring physical distancing; self-screening; implementing enhanced cleaning procedures; adding plexiglass barriers at the ticketing counter; limiting elevator and restroom capacity; and providing hand sanitizer throughout the facility.   NEW EXHIBITION: The Smithsonian poster exhibition “Picturing Women Inventors” will be on display at the Rice throughout the Summer. Organized by the Smithsonian and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, “Picturing Women Inventors” explores the inventions of 19 highly accomplished American women. Astronauts, computer pioneers, and businesswomen join athletes, engineers, and even teenagers in this remarkable group of inventors.  NEW ACCESS PROGRAMS: With the commitment to seek, include, and welcome all audiences. The Rice has joined the access programs Museums for All and Blue Star Museums. The Museums for All program supports those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits visiting the Rice Museum for a reduced fee of $3.00 per person, up to four people, with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. The Blue Star Museums program begins on Armed Forces Day—Saturday, May 15, 2021, and ends on Labor Day—Monday, September 6, 2021. Active-duty military personnel, including the National Guard and Reserves, and their families will receive free admission to the Museum with the presentation of a valid military id.  The Museum has been closed to the public since November 17 following guidance from Governor Brown to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and recover from a January flooding incident.

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Smithsonian Exhibition Highlighting the History of Women Inventors in the US

Throughout American history, women with diverse backgrounds and interests created inventions that changed lives every day. But women haven’t always had equal opportunities to be inventors or received as much recognition. The Smithsonian and the United States Patent and Trademark Office present Picturing Women Inventors, a poster exhibition that explores the inventions of 19 highly accomplished American women. Astronauts, computer pioneers, and businesswomen join athletes, engineers, and even teenagers in this remarkable group of inventors. The posters will be on view at the Rice Museum when it reopens to the public on Saturday, May 1, and throughout summer 2021. Picturing Women Inventors showcases the breakthroughs, motivations, and challenges women encountered while pursuing their goals as inventors. The poster exhibition highlights stories of inventors like Marilyn Hamilton, who after a hang-gliding accident in 1978 left her paralyzed, invented a lightweight wheelchair that was easy to maneuver. Diversity of background and age are showcased including inventor Alexis Lewis, who at 12-years-old in 2011 was inspired to adapt a traditional Native American sled, called a travois, by adding wheels to create a simpler way to transport families and their belongings in Somalia. Picturing Women Inventors is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, in collaboration with the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and is sponsored by Lyda Hill Philanthropies IF/THEN Initiative and Ericsson.

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Auction to Benefit the Rice Museum

The Museum has partnered with Dr. Rob Lavinsky and MineralAuctions.com for an online auction to benefit the Rice Museum. The online event will feature eighty fabulous lots, including artwork, one-of-a-kind mining experiences, and mineral specimens, some of which were once part of the Rice Family Collection. See below to learn more about the Rice specimens and the selection process. Over the past 25 years, the Museum has exposed hundreds of thousands of school children and adults to the wonders of the Earth. It should come as no surprise that the past year has been challenging. As a museum reliant heavily on earned income from ticket and gift shop sales, the mandated closures to help stem the pandemic have been very impactful to our financial position. In a typical year, the museum would hold a benefit gala and auction, but we are taking this event virtual with ongoing concerns about gatherings and events. We have had such an outpouring of support that we may make this an annual event, replacing the in-person gala with an online auction that expands our reach to our international community of supporters. We thank the following donors for their generosity and support of the Museum: Scott Ankenbrand Jeremy Fuller  Evan Jones  Gene Meieran  Daniel Peters  Amanda Ravetta Gail Copus Spann Jim Spann Sean Sweeney Stuart Wilensky James Zigras  Registration is required to bid. Please visit mineralauctions.com/account/register to sign up, or click the Register link in the top right corner of the site. Payment information is required to activate accounts, but this information is not saved or stored on the site. Winners will receive a personal invoice after the auction with shipping and insurance costs added. Mineralauctions.com does not add buyers premiums to auction items.  A message regarding Rice Family specimens up for auction:  Several years ago, the Curator, in coordination with museum Founder Sharleen Harvey, embarked on a project to categorize the collection and identify redundant items from the Rice Family catalog (which was gifted as a whole when the Museum was formed in 1997). After the first phase of the project (specimen identification), it was shelved due to staffing levels and time availability.  For much of 2020 and 2021, the Museum has been either operating at a diminished capacity or shuttered entirely. Museum staff used this downtime to focus on deferred projects, including property maintenance, refreshing galleries and exhibits, developing new marketing and educational materials, and collections management, which includes a focus on responsible deaccessioning (the act of removing something from a collection).  As with most museums, only about 25% (or less) of our collection is on display at any one time. The specimens that were selected in coordination with the donor were chosen because other similar, often more significant and more unique, are represented. Visitors will see no difference when touring our galleries, and the process has opened up valuable storage space for continued acquisitions.  A message from the Rice Museum Board of Directors on the choice to deaccession:  After much discussion and reflection, the Rice Museum Board has decided to move forward with targeted deaccessions. We, the Board, believe there are four facts about museums that should be shared with you, our supporters.  First, most private museums are established to educate and share with others, interests of the person(s) founding the museum. And while a great degree of care usually goes into defining and exhibiting objects, significantly less attention, and resources are devoted to the significant costs needed to make the exhibitions viewable and the care of collections, which includes cases, lighting, documentation, security, curation, storage, insurance, building maintenance, etc.  Second, museums are living institutions; they grow and expand as people make donations of objects and as the museum makes targeted purchases. As a result, museums accumulate an abundance of objects that they neither have room to store or curate, and many are redundant to existing collections or deemed unsuitable for exhibit. Third, rarely do donations of objects also come with the financial support needed to ensure the objects can be appropriately displayed or stored.  Finally, museums resort to many ways to raise funds to support not only the acquisition of more objects, to remain current and relevant, but to pay all of the associated costs of running a museum. Fundraising activities are critical to a museum’s success.  Consequently, it is not uncommon for museums to go through the formal process of deaccessioning. Some recent examples of peer institutions include:  The Harvard Mineral Museum has held periodic sales of mineral specimens. The University of Arizona has held sales of redundant specimens.  We recognize that museums are held to high standards in protecting the objects that justify their existence; we cannot overemphasize that this project was done thoughtfully in coordination with the co-founder of the Museum and donor of the deaccessioned specimens. A committee of knowledgeable mineral collectors on the Board and the Curator worked together to ensure that the Collection Management Policy process was followed and that additional steps were taken to maintain what is considered the Museum’s core collection.  A message from Gail Copus Spann, Chairperson, Rice Museum Board of Director: What an exciting albeit challenging time for museums, and our museum is no different than many across the nation. We have, though, made lemonade from lemons by working on giving the world a great way to help ensure our continued success! This auction will be a boon to our growth and programming. I hope you can join us and bid on some wonderful items, trips, and experiences.  Till then, Gail Copus Spann

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Your Museum Needs You

Dear Friend, I am writing to you at a time of great need for the Rice Museum. It is no secret that this is a challenging moment for nonprofits. Today, we turn to you, our community, for the strength and support to endure. The Rice Museum Board of Directors has come together to offer an exceptional challenge to our members, supporters, and friends. For every dollar you donate to the Museum through January 31, 2021, the Board will match your donation 1:1 up to $20,000 to double the impact of your contribution to the Rice. This extraordinary opportunity paves the way for the Museum to raise $40,000, which will cover the Museum’s day-to-day operations and recovery expenses as we look to reopen in 2021. Each month the Rice’s operating expenses (salaries, utilities, maintenance, etc.) cost $25,000. That’s before any visitors, students, interns, or volunteers come on site. For nearly 25 years, the Rice Museum has been providing inspiring experiences to the residents of Portland Metro and to visitors from around the world. And as we move through this tough year together, we are thinking about ways to reimagine the Museum in the age of COVID so we emerge a stronger institution that is reflective of community and engages an even broader audience. This year’s closure due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation has placed a financial strain upon the institution unequal to any time in our history, in order to continue being a vital community resource please consider making a donation to the Rice Museum today. Double your impact through the Board Match Challenge, and ensure that your Museum will be waiting for you when you’re ready to come back in 2021.  Your contribution will make it possible for the Museum to continue to offer engagement, fulfillment, and inspiration in 2021. With your help 2021 will be our most successful and engaging year.  Every contribution, of any size, is appreciated. Your gift is 100% tax deductible with 100% of proceeds directly supporting the Museum’s public programs and exhibitions.  Our staff, volunteers, and the Board of directors – everyone here joins me in thanking you for your generous support in our hour of need. Please send your gift today and always let us know if your employer offers matching contributions.  Please help the Rice Museum find the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.   Gratefully,  Aurore Giguet Executive Director  Donate OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE RICE MUSEUM Become a member  Buy a gift membership  Buy a gift certificate that can be used for admission, in our shop, or to pay for future event tickets Volunteer your time Become a sponsor of an exhibition, program, or event Tribute or memorial gifts Give appreciated securities  Gifts through your IRA Bequests and planned giving Schedule a store visit

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National Fossil Day

Join us on Wednesday, October 14 for a live on-line discussion with local amateur paleontologist Greg Carr. Carr is a long-time volunteer with the Rice Museum and a member of the North American Research Group (NARG), a club of amateur paleontologists who scour sedimentary rocks across the western U.S. for fossil remains. A fossil preparation expert, Carr will give a tour of his home lab and talk through the process of how to carefully remove rock to expose the fossil within. Greg and his daughter Gloria discovered Bernie the Thalattosaur, an ancient sea-going reptile, in 2011 in a roadcut in central Oregon. Carr worked carefully over 6 1/2 years to prepare the specimen, using many of the same tools you’ll see in this demonstration. He then used a 3D scanner and 3D printer to produce a life-size replica of Bernie’s skeleton, which now hangs from the rafters of the Rice Museum of Rocks and Minerals. Carr has also loaned numerous fossils to the museum, designed, built, and donated hands-on displays, and volunteered as a fossil preparator and consultant, recently including the conservation and display of a huge brontothere skull, and a delicate crinoid fossil plate. He can frequently be found at the Museum’s “Mystery Mineral Day” events identifying potential fossils brought in by visitors. This event is FREE but registration is required to receive login information.   Date & TimeWednesday, Oct 14, 2020 12:00 PM – 1:00 PMA LIMITED NUMBER OF RESERVATIONS ARE AVAILABLE    The Rice Museum will offer additional content throughout the day on our Youtube channel and across our social media accounts. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.  RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW

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Distance Learning & Small Group Tours

Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals is excited to offer limited capacity programs to expand access to our educational tours for those participating in distance learning and smaller educational programs this school year. These tours will hit all of the same Next Generation Science Standards that our typical school tours fulfill, and be lead by the same enthusiastic group of educators. Content covered is appropriate for grades 1-6.  Tours have limited availability so make sure to reserve your date. Students Learn about: The rock cycle How minerals form Volcanoes The scientific beginning of the universe Fossils and ancient life Pricing: Limited capacity of 10 attendees (adults and children) $75 Restrictions: A minimum of 1 adult for 9 students is required to participate. Groups may be smaller and have fewer students and more adults with a maximum of 10 attendees total per group.   Questions: Please contact Lena Toney.

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The Mineral Adventures of Bruce Carter

Make your reservations now to experience our newest exhibit in the Master Gallery – The Mineral Adventures of Bruce Carter. It’s a two-case extravaganza of mineral beauty, with several notable specimens hailed by experts as tops in the world. Schedule your reservation here Bruce has been a life-long mineral collector. Growing up in New Jersey and Connecticut, he often scoured the local pegmatites and garnet-rich metamorphic rocks for interesting crystals. He received a BS in Geology from Earlham College and then earned his Master’s degree in Volcanology from the University of Montana, where he mapped Eocene age extrusive rocks in the northern Rockies. After graduating, he worked for years in minerals exploration in the Western USA, Mexico, and Canada, as well as mapping coal reserves in the Illinois Basin. His final three years of exploration were in helicopter-supported remote camps in the Alaska Range. Sadly, plummeting metals prices and the advent of remote satellite reconnaissance finally brought an end to Bruce’s professional mineral adventures. Shortly thereafter, fate brought Bruce to Los Angeles, where he was accepted into the apprentice program at the Directors Guild of America. Since graduating from the program he’s worked on many film & TV shows, both in the United States and abroad. He is currently a television and film producer here in Portland; however, he maintains an avid interest in rocks, minerals, and all things geologic. Earlier this year his collection was exhibited at the world-renowned Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.

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Gift Shop Open by Appointment

Good news! During the time of COVID-19 we are now able to take appointments to visit the museum gift shop. We hope to open the museum galleries in the near future. Thank you for choosing to support the Rice Museum! Our Museum Store offers a wide variety of rocks, minerals, fluorescent minerals, thunder eggs, petrified wood, jewelry, fossils, books, and posters for collectors of all ages and interests. Schedule a store visit

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