CALENDAR
At the Museum and More…
MMGM Tours & Talks
November 19, 2015
3:00 – 4:30 pm
Talk: “Minerals of Lovell-Stoneham-Stow Pegmatites”
Dr. Carl Francis, MMGM Curator
Maine Mineral & Gem Museum
Rocks & Minerals,
Jan/Feb 2016 Issue
Aquamarine from Stoneham and Vicinity, Oxford County, Maine by Carl A. Francis, Myles Felch, Alexander U. Falster and Douglas Bailey
2016 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show
February 11-14, 2016
Tucson Convention Center
Tucson, Arizona
MMGM News
Director | Curator | Store
Events | Science | Support
Directives-Discover, Design, Develop, Document & Deliver
By Barbra Barrett, MMGM Director
As Maine Mineral & Gem Museum’s collections are curated, specimens and artifacts inventoried and organizational development is refined, at our core, we have an amazing story to tell. It is, in equal parts, verbal history and visual arts.
Discover, Design, Develop, Document and Deliver. The “5D process” as described by Jay Paulus, principal of the PaulusDesignGroup, who with critical input from the MMGM Board of Directors and staff, is orchestrating the evolving visionary and visceral appeal of the Museum in its architectural and interior design aspects.
“Each step along the process is important and requires ‘checks and balances’ at every phase. Most important, we employ 10 key components we use for successful museum exhibit design planning,” says Paulus.
Motivate Visitors: Target an audience—the general public and specific communities- Focus Content: Filter content so visitors move ‘through’ the story being told
- Immersion: Engage visitors within the unfolding narrative
- Modularity: Present smaller themes as well as one larger complex topic
- Skimmability: Information presented in such fashion as to capture the imagination of all
- Patterns: Incorporate traffic/circulation patterns, exhibit sequence patterns and pre-existing framework patterns and architectural elements
- Capture Curiosity: Use storytelling techniques to engage visitors
- Interaction: Give visitors a meaningful and entertaining experience that heightens their emotional connection to the Museum’s mission
- Integrate Technology: Technology enhances visitor experience
- Layer Content: Present information in a hierarchical manner
Soon, fabrication of MMGM’s exhibits—which capture each and every nuance of mining and collecting minerals, gems and meteorites—will commence. We’re confident that through the development of exacting museum design, this amazing story will unfold before your eyes.
Collections-Defining MMGM’s Developing Audience
By Carl Francis, PhD
“Mr. Bones” an interactive exhibit that
appears annually at the Denver Show. He is a hit with kids and adults alike!
Audience is a buzz word in the museum world. It is the sum of all the people the museum reaches including members, visitors, people who attend MMGM programs in Bethel or elsewhere, people who read our articles and newsletter, people who ‘like’ us on Facebook, people who view our displays at mineral shows, and more. We are delighted to say the MMBM audience is large and growing.
Attending mineral and gem shows builds our audience. It also builds our personal networks of individuals who are potential resources for the museum. Director Barbra Barrett, Geologist Myles Felch and I represented MMGM at the Denver Mineral Show in mid-September. The Denver show is actually ten shows anchored by the Greater Denver Area Gem and Mineral Council’s “main show” at the Denver Mart. We exhibit at the main exhibition and attend the others as appropriate, seeking specimens for MMGM’s collections and examining products for the MMGM Museum Store. The main show has lots of educational booths manned by clubs and government agencies and hosts the semiannual Society of Mineral Museum Professionals (SMMP) meeting, which fosters a sense of community with our colleagues.
MMGM Founder, Larry Stifler with Saco Valley
Gem & Mineral Club’s Dick Dennison and Bill Lessard, l. to r.
As I write, the fabulous Fryeburg Fair—the final and largest of Maine’s country fairs of the year—has just wrapped up. MMGM exhibited there too courtesy of the Saco Valley Gem & Mineral Club. It is the last of the eight annual events where we display our collections. I think it is a particularly important venue because it is local, attendance is large and most of the attendees are probably not rockhounds! I think by the time they chat with us, they become rockhounds!
Events-Third Thursdays Tours & Talks
By Amy Halsted, MMGM Communications
Maine Mineral & Gem Museum is excited to announce our new series called “Tours & Talks” which will be held on the third Thursdays of each month. Winter months will feature talks in the Museum Store and Preview Gallery Annex. Summer months will feature tours at renowned regional geological sites. Times will vary depending on time of the year; check MMGM’s website and newsletter calendar.
Thursday, November 19, 2015, 3:00 – 4:30 pm
“Minerals of Lovell-Stoneham-Stow Pegmatites” with Dr. Carl Francis, MMGM’s Curator, Museum Store and Preview Gallery Annex, 99 Main Street, Bethel, Maine
Carl will highlight the history and finds of the pegmatites in the Lovell area with contrast to the pegmatites of Auburn, Newry and Paris. Gem varieties, including aquamarine and amethyst, are prominent among the dozens of minerals found in this region.
Carl will illustrate how the granitic pegmatites in the towns of Lovell, Stoneham and Stow have yielded minerals of aesthetic, scientific and commercial interest since the late nineteenth century.
Treasures-Three Spectacular Pieces from Maine Mines
by Maggie Kroenke
When walking into a Museum Store, visitors are delighted to see spectacular pieces of fine jewelry. The MMGM Museum Store and Preview Gallery has many; here are three fine examples all from Maine mines.
The pendant featuring the three small rough amethysts has a center stone that is a morganite (the pink beryl). This gemstone was mined as part of the “The Rose of Maine” on October 8, 1989. “The Rose” was the largest pink beryl crystal mined in North America and was located at the Bennett Mine, Buckfield, Maine. The metal in the pendant is 14K white gold.
Needing no accent stones, these outstanding amethyst (purple quartz) earrings were mined at the Saltman Quarry in Sweden, Maine. This pair of stones features flashes of red that are highly desirable in amethyst and are the deep royal purple that is sought after by collectors and jewelry lovers alike. They are set in 14K yellow gold.
Also set in 14K yellow gold and set with full cut diamonds, the Museum Store’s tourmaline ring’s centerpiece is from Mt. Marie in Paris, Maine. The blue/green color of this gemstone is simply amazing; very few mines in Maine have produced stones with this color and brilliance. It was mined in June of 2009.
The Museum Store also features jewelry from acclaimed artists. You also have the ability to create your own spectacular piece; something to consider with the Holiday season on the way!
Be sure to visit the MMGM Preview Gallery and Museum Store. Store Hours: Monday through Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. www.mainemineralgemmuseum.org
Science-SEM Images and Bates on the MMGM Campus
By Al Falster, M.S. and Skip Simmons, Jr. Ph.D.
Secondary electron image of bertrandite, a hydroxylated beryllium silicate. The two large crystals are twins.
Research News
The big news is that the SEM is now producing the first images! That means, that the power supplies, electronics, vacuum system and seals are working. Next is to get our computer system to communicate. MMGM has two dedicated scientific computers, one for all the interfacing and program applications specific to the JEOL JSM 6400 SEM, and the other to interact with this computer and the operator. The electron microprobe is also making further progress; the WDS detectors are coming on-line.
Outreach and Community Service
We are delighted that a group from Bates University, including Dr. Dykstra Eusden, Jordan Cargill and Dr. Dwight Bradley visited in September. Their goal was to perform heavy mineral separation to extract zircons for age dating. The method used employed lithium metatungstate solution of a density of 5.00 g/cm3 through which the light rock-forming minerals such quartz and feldspars float and heavier minerals such as zircon, garnet, magnetite settle and can then be easily separated. This method permits finding the veritable needle in a hay stack, or a zircon in a fist-sized rock sample.
Dr. Dykstra Eusden breaking samples down to smaller size for the jaw crusher
Dr. Dwight Bradley, Jordan Cargill, and Dr. Dykstra Eusden removing ferromagnetic minerals
Dr. Dykstra Eusden, Michelle Devoe, and Jordan Cargill shaking the screened material with lithium metatungstate to wet all grains
Jordan Cargill crushing samples
Jordan Cargill waiting for the separation
process to complete
Jordan Cargill inspecting the heavy separates for zircons
Support-“Dig In” as a Charter Member Now!
By William F. Stockwell, Fundraising Consultant
We invite you to become part of a dream like no other ever created in Maine.
“Dig In” and join us on the ground level of this amazing adventure by becoming a Maine Mineral & Gem Museum Charter Member.
Charter Memberships are only available through October 31, 2015.
All Charter Members Receive
If you join by October 31st at the Supporting Member level and up, you will receive the benefits of Charter Member as well as…
Please consider one of the MMGM Membership Levels, today.
| $1,000+ | Trustee Circle |
| $500 | Director’s Circle |
| $250+ | Curator’s Circle |
| $125+ | Supporting Member |
| $50 | Family |
| $25 | Individual |
Your Gift & Membership Contribution Doubles!
Through a matching gift program to launch Maine Mineral & Gem Museum, your gift and/or membership is matched 100%. That’s right. Your contribution of $125 becomes $250. A gift of $1000 becomes $2000. We urge you to consider supporting the Museum while we have the benefit of this generous matching gift program. “Dig In.” Join us today!
Contact us for a membership form or join online at www.mainemineralgemmuseum.org. For sponsorship and funding opportunities, call us, 207.824.3036.
