Lost & Found

Frederick Hihn’s first-hand account of the 1906 Earthquake. Josephine Clifford McCracken’s harrowing personal narrative of the 1899 fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains. George Lee’s haunting photographs of the 1955 Flood. Over 100 audio interviews conducted in downtown Santa Cruz following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. These documents, all in the MAH's Collection, have allowed Santa Cruz County historians and educators to more deeply understand and learn from the natural disasters that have impacted the history of our community.

In the summer of 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire burned more than 80,000 acres, led to the evacuation of more than 60,000 people and the destruction of over 900 homes. Wanting to capture this moment of resilience and loss award-winning Santa Cruz Sentinel photojournalist, Shmuel Thaler, and NPR radio producer and former history curator, Nikki Silva, teamed up with the MAH to begin documenting some of the personal stories of people who have lost their homes in the fire.

In the exhibition format of, Lost & Found we're showing this expansive historical archive of art, objects, and stories collected by Shmuel, Nikki, and the MAH alongside artwork from local artists displaced by the fires. Taking a moment to acknowledge the tragedy our community has endured during an already devastating year, the exhibition will showcase the voices, stories, and art of resilience, grief, and community care of Santa Cruz County.