Amuseum Naturalis est le premier et le seul musée d’histoire naturelle à Saint-Martin – une initiative révolutionnaire qui est gratuite pour le public et créée entièrement par des bénévoles. Nous avons besoin de votre aide pour financer la préparation du musée pour la saison. Devenez un Ami de l’Amuseum avec un don de 100€ ou $110 et faire partie d’apporter quelque chose de merveilleux à Grand Case!
We made a short video about our Friends of the Amuseum program with some footage of Amuseum Naturalis from this past season, check it out!
We’ve got some pretty big news at the Amuseum. First, we will be reopening for the 2016-17 season. Not only that, but we will also be enhancing our exhibits and adding to our collections. We will have regular hours in the evening several days a week and will be inviting school classes and youth groups to visit Amuseum Naturalis during the day by appointment. Best of all, the museum will remain free to the public!
In order to accomplish all this, we’ve created a new program called Friends of the Amuseum. Businesses and individuals can join to show their support for the Amuseum with a donation of 100€ or $110. You’ll be featured on this website and in the museum itself. Mostly, though, it’s a way to help bring something great to St. Martin.
If your interested, or to find out more, head over to the Friends page and get all the details. You’ll also get to see the local businesses that have already signed on to help us out! Download a fact sheet in English or French if you think your company would be interested in joining.
We had a great time with the kids of Ecole Mandarine when they came to visit Amuseum Naturalis. We enjoyed the exhibits, watch some short documentaries about local wildlife and planted some Gaïac seeds. It was our first school visit, so we weren’t exactly sure how it would turn out, but it was great!
Just in time for our reopening this weekend, we have some new artwork on the front of the museum, two pieces by Francois Piquet. Come check us out this weekend during Fetê de la Mer, or Thursday and Sunday evenings through May!
We’re excited to announce our reopening. The museum will be open during the day on May 28th and 29th during the Fête de la Mer and on Sunday and Thursday evenings throughout June. School classes and youth groups can also visit the museum during the day by appointment (email info@lesfruitsdemer.org to schedule).
See you soon! In the meantime, enjoy this short movie of Amuseum Naturalis during the 2016 Mardis de Grand Case.
As sad as it was to lose The Commander this week, it gives us some solace to announce that the spirit of The Commander lives on. Rhum Biologique has crafted The Commander Special Reserve. Learn more about this special tribute to our fallen friend: Rhum Biologique – TCSR.
It is with heavy hearts that we must report the demise of The Commander. His reign as apex predator in the aquarium at Amuseum Naturalis came to an end sometime between 11pm Tuesday night and 3pm Wednesday afternoon.
Based on the remains recovered from the aquarium, it is believed that The Commander was in the process of molting when set upon by one or more of his aquarium-mates. During the molting process, The Commander would have been vulnerable while his new exoskeleton hardened.
The Commander was well-known from his appearances in print media and on television. In many ways he was the museum’s most beloved ambassador. Gone, but not forgotten, The Commander’s legacy will live on as part of a special project to be announced in the near future.
We had another great Tuesday night at Amuseum Naturalis. Each Tuesday flies by so fast, but this week we took a few photos to capture the vibe of the museum. It’s great to see people interacting with the exhibits and talking to each other about them. There are many touchable things and no signs saying Do Not Touch, but so far most things have remained essentially intact even after thousands of visitors—miracle!
If you’re in the area, be sure to come by one of the next two Tuesdays!
Island residents and visitors are invited to discover the wild side of St. Martin at Amuseum Naturalis, a free pop-up natural history museum in Grand Case. The museum is open on Tuesday evenings from 6-10pm during the Mardis de Grand Case street fair.
“Amuseum Naturalis is a museum about life, which is always changing–just like the museum,” explained co-curator Mark Yokoyama. “Since we launched in January, we’ve doubled the number of exhibits and created four short nature documentaries that play in the museum’s theater. There are new wonders every week.”
The museum’s current special exhibit, Women, People of Color and the Making of Natural History in the Caribbean, has been expanded for March, Women’s History Month. The stories of five fascinating but historically overlooked figures have been added, including Catalina de Ayahibex, a 16th century Taino tribal leader who was an expert in native plants, and Charlotte Dugée, an 18th century free woman of color and skilled botanic artist from Saint Domingue who disappeared into the South American jungle during a scientific expedition.
“These pioneers in Caribbean science are not widely known–their contributions have often been hidden, or even had the credit for them stolen–but their stories are absolutely amazing,” said Jenn Yerkes, creator of the exhibit. “They reveal so much about both the history of science and the political and cultural climate of the different eras. Plus, many of these trailblazers risked perilous journeys, pirates, shipwreck, disease, venomous creatures and dangerous wildernesses to do what they loved–their lives were like real-life adventure movies!”
The public is invited to visit Amuseum Naturalis and explore the exhibits Tuesday evening from 6-10pm. Amuseum Naturalis is located at 96 Boulevard de Grand Case, and was created by the non-profit association Les Fruits de Mer and sponsored by Delta Petroleum.
