Guam Museum
Established | 1980 |
---|---|
Location | 193 Chalan Santo Papa Juan Pablo Dos Hagåtña, GU 96910 |
Coordinates | 13°28′31″N 144°45′06″E / 13.4752°N 144.7517°E |
Type | Culture, History, Art |
Collection size | 250,000 |
Website | Official website |
The Guam Museum, formally the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum & Chamorro Educational Facility, is a museum focusing on the history of Guam, a U.S. territory in Micronesia. A permanent building to house the museum's collection opened in Hagåtña on November 4, 2016.[1] The Guam Museum had been housed in temporary locations since World War II.[2]
History
Establishment and destruction
The Guam Museum was founded by the America Legion Mid-Pacific Post 1 in 1932 in
Guam was invaded by the Japanese in December 1941 and occupied until 1944. The original museum building, along with its entire collection, was destroyed during the 1944 Battle of Guam in which American forces liberated the island from Japanese control.[4]
Temporary locations
No new museum building was constructed during the post-World War II period.
Former Senator Tony Palomo, a journalist and historian who specialized in Guam, served as the Director of the Guam Museum from December 1995 until his retirement on June 13, 2007.[6][7][8] Palomo supported the creation of a permanent building for the museum.[2]
An exhibition of Guam's history, operated by the Guam Museum, opened within the Micronesia Mall in April 2004. The exhibit, which was run by the Guam Museum, attracted 200,000 visitors.[7]
Permanent museum proposed (2014)
The historic Fort Santa Agueda in Hagåtña was originally proposed as a possible choice for the Guam Museum's new location.[9] However, the Fort, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Guam, is preserved by the Guam Historical Preservation Trust, which ruled out the location.[9]
Initial plans for a permanent, modern museum building were first unveiled in 2006.[10]
A groundbreaking ceremony for a new, $27 million permanent home for the Guam Museum was held on February 5, 2013.
In a speech at the groundbreaking,
Other dignitaries in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony included
The new museum caused some controversy in Guam.
Permanent museum opened (2016)
The Guam Museum officially opened on November 4, 2016 under the Guam Department of Chamorro Affairs. Its collection includes more than 250,000 artifacts, documents, and photographs. However, the permanent collection, "I Hinanao-Ta Nu Manaotao Tåno’-I CHamoru Siha: The Journey of the CHamoru People," opened in 2018.[1] The building includes a ground floor exhibition gallery, multipurpose room, and indoor theater. The Museum also hosts the outdoor Movies At The Museum in Skinner Plaza.[12]
References
- ^ a b Tolentino, Domenica; Murphy, Shannon (February 5, 2019). "Guam Museum". Guampedia. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Sablan, Jerick (2013-02-06). "Ground broken for a Guam museum". Pacific Daily News. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ ISBN 9780824816780. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
- ^ The Journal of the Polynesian SocietyVolume 63. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
- Auckland, New Zealand: Polynesian Society: 253–254. Archived from the originalon 2 October 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ Sablan, Jerick (2013-02-02). "Former senator Palomo dies at 81". Pacific Daily News. Archived from the original on 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ a b "Tony Palomo, Advisor and author". Guampedia. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- ^ Bordallo, Madeleine (2007-07-20). "Recognizing Antonio Manibusan Palomo = Speech of Hon. Madeleine Bordallo of Guam in the House of Representatives". Rep. Madeleine Bordallo. Library of Congress Congressional Record 110th Congress (2007-2008). Archived from the original on 2017-08-09. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
- ^ a b c d e f g White, Joy (2013-02-06). "Guam museum breaks ground, concerns resolved". Marianas Variety. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
- ^ Taitano DeLisle, Christine (2010). "Civilizing the Guam Museum" (PDF). University of Michigan Working Papers in Museum Studies Number 4. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
- ^ a b Toves, Jolene (2013-02-05). "Groundbreaking held for new Guam Museum". KUAM. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
- ^ "The History of the Guam Museum". Guam Museum. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2021.