Times of the Islands Spring 2021

astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum
Museum Matters
Volunteers needed in Providenciales
The Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation is
seeking the help of volunteers to assist with the running
of the existing Providenciales museum facility in
The Village at Grace Bay.
Duties will include conducting short tours and assisting
with gift shop sales. We hope to assemble a team
of three to four persons so a roster can be established.
Full training will be given. We would like to be able to
open three or four days a week for several hours to give
both tourists and locals the ability to visit and enjoy the
museum on Providenciales.
The National Museum Foundation is also establishing
a committee on Providenciales to assist with raising
funds for the new museum building designed by globally
renowned architect Ron Shaw. The committee will
consist of representatives from the TCI Government,
Turks & Caicos Hotel & Tourism Association (TCHTA),
two existing board members and a number of volunteers
from the wider community. The objectives are to
create public awareness for the new national museum
building and to work on various fund-raising initiatives
to cover the construction cost.
Interested persons should contact National Museum
Manager Lisa Talbot at info@tcmuseum.org or (649)
247-2160 or Seamus Day at seamus.day@tcmuseum.
org or (649) 431-2849 or visit the national museum’s
website: www.tcmuseum.org a
Lucayan educational materials
The museum recently received educational materials
donated by the project Stone Interchanges Within
the Bahama Archipelago (SIBA). This is a University of
Oxford project supported by the UK’s Arts & Humanities
Research Council. The Lucayans were the indigenous
people of the Turks & Caicos and the Bahamas. The
illustrations and content are based on archaeological
investigations in the region and selected artifacts in
museum collections from the: National Museum of The
Bahamas; Turks & Caicos National Museum; National
Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian; National
Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian and
Peabody Museum of Natural History.
The project resulted in the creation of beautiful
illustrations by artist Merald Clark that reflect the lifeways
and material culture of the Lucayans. The Turks
& Caicos National Museum received, at no cost, 45
sets of posters and teacher’s guides along with 180
image booklets. The guides provide for in-depth teaching
with visual interpretation that will assist teachers in
providing children with a better appreciation of original
inhabitants and their lifestyle. Once schools return
to in-classroom learning we will be working with the
education department to distribute these to the various
schools.
PowerPoint presentations have also been created
so that schools can take advantage of this information
now. As well, educational presentations can be
offered by the museum to other interested individuals
or groups.
To learn more about this project visit the SIBA website
https://siba.web.ox.ac.uk/home or contact the
museum at info@tcmuseum.org. a
Refurbishment of the bird drive
The Turks & Caicos Islands—which include coral reefs,
tidal flats, mangroves and marshlands—provide excellent
environments for wildlife. The salinas and ponds on
Grand Turk have been called “internationally important
for birds” by the UK Overseas Territories Conservation
Forum (UKOTCF). The ponds offer the unique ability to
get close to the birds without directly disturbing them.
Those of us who live here are spoiled by seeing the
beautiful flamingos, comical pelicans and many other
species up close on a regular basis.
The Bird Walking and Driving Tours on Grand Turk
were originally developed in 2011 by former Turks &
Caicos National Museum Director Pat Saxton in part-
66 www.timespub.tc