Opened in September 2023, this demonstration and prep lab serves, not only as a working space for the collections team, but is also a dedicated space to display artifacts, conduct conservation efforts, and present public educational programs. In this space, NUMU demonstrates that history is anything but static!
The Collections Lab is open Friday-Sunday during museum open hours.
The goal of the Collections Lab is to serve as a space where the public can actively engage with the museum’s permanent collection, and history more generally. The lab will hold public programming on various topics, presented by subject matter experts who use the objects from the collection to enhance and accompany their programs. It will also be a space where both researchers and the general public can request to view certain items from the collection. The lab will also continue to serve as a workspace, where the collections team continue to catalog and inventory the collection. Visitors can view selected artworks from the museum’s permanent art collection, as well as a variety of objects from the permanent history collection on shelves, in cabinets, and in interactive drawers. QR codes throughout the space connect the visitor with the museum’s online database, CatalogIt, where they can access more information about the objects on display.
The Collections Lab is a part of our ongoing Los Gatos History Project, which began in 2019 with the goal of sharing the untold stories of Los Gatos and its surrounding communities through an exploration of the museum’s permanent art and history collections. NUMU has an estimated 3,000+ objects in our collection, from portraits to puppets to a parlor organ.
Money Vest, circa 1850s, gift of George Lagomarsino, NU 2021.129
Los Gatos Museum Association has been a collecting institution since it first opened in 1965, with the purpose of bringing the natural history, art, and history of Los Gatos to the public. NUMU’s first donated object was a money vest from the 1849 Gold Rush, donated by George Lagomarsino. In 2023, the museum’s history collection primarily focuses on Los Gatos and surrounding communities while the contemporary art collection focuses on the greater Bay Area. The museum’s programs and exhibitions are made possible thanks to the support of our community.
