I always feel very introspective this time of year thinking about the year we have experienced and the environment we now find ourselves in looking ahead toward 2022. I see frequent articles about The Great Resignation—although a better term is The Great Rethinking. As we take stock of our chosen paths and prepare for a new year, I hope we all close out 2021 and look to 2022 with a heightened awareness of how amazing and vulnerable our planet is and with a renewed sense of compassion toward each other.

In 2022 we have some exciting new projects, exhibitions, and other programs to surprise and delight you when you visit. We are excited to share that the Curiosity Cruiser, our museum on wheels, is relaunching this summer with an all-new experience in addition to the three you may have had the chance to try in the short month we had at the beginning of 2020 between the original launch and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. See our Museum Insider section for details.

I hope you will take some time read our Museum Treasures and Discover Science sections for two remarkable stories about how our collections are growing and adding to our understanding of the past. Curator of Archaeology Erin Baxter tells us about the WS Ranch collection in the Discover Science article, while Senior Curator of Archaeology Steve Nash writes about the Jones Miller collection in the Museum Treasures article.

And finally, we invite you to visit your Museum in the coming weeks and take advantage of the traveling exhibition we are hosting, “GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World.” This exhibition is included with your membership, and for a teaser about “GUITAR,” click over to our Featured Exhibition section.

Thank you for your support.