Bright Future Updates: March 2025
Our permit application was submitted to the City in December! On Tuesday, March 25th the City of Santa Cruz will consider proposed permit and building fee waivers, in recognition of the planned benefits to the City’s building and park. Stay tuned for time and location. |
Updates to the iconic whale sculpture begin in April! This will be the campaign’s first visible improvement project. We can’t wait to unveil the sculpture enhancements, made possible by leadership donors. Stay tuned and see the FAQ section below for more information. |
We remain focused on cultivating and securing Leadership Gifts, early investments from major donors who share our passion for the campaign vision. Leadership investors include local philanthropists Patty Quillin (our Honorary Campaign Chair), Julie Packard, and Bill and Brigid Simpkins, among others. |
While we are thrilled to have met our first and second quarter fundraising goals for the fiscal year, we know success will require investment from donors at every level, and we will be widening the scope of campaign communications in the coming months. |
We are seeking campaign reception hosts! If you have a space that comfortably accommodates 20-30 guests for mingling and a brief presentation and would like to support the Bright Future Campaign, please contact us at campaign@santacruzmuseum.org |
Ways to Give
We humbly invite every fan of the Museum to join us in building the Museum’s Bright Future. You can give online, by mail (see the address in our footer), via stock or other accrued securities, Donor Advised Fund, Qualified Charitable Distribution (contact campaign@santacruzmuseum.org), and more.
Considering a special, one-time gift? Later this spring, we will announce enhanced and expanded membership levels! Stay tuned for new behind-the-scenes benefits for campaign donors joining the Curator Level with a gift of $1,000+.
Realize your philanthropic vision as lead campaign donor with a customized pledge of $5,000 or more. Contact at campaign@santacruzmuseum.org to learn more about the project and share your vision.
Bright Future Campaign Vision
Join us as we raise funds to renovate, modernize, and expand Santa Cruz’s oldest museum. The Bright Future campaign will advance our immersive exhibits, programs, and collections, sustaining and deepening the love of nature and learning held by all who visit us.
As a transformational investment in our mission to connect people with nature and science to inspire stewardship of the natural world, the campaign brings an opportunity to reflect on what the Museum means to each of us, and how it impacts our lives and communities.
We’ll adapt by updating the Museum’s physical infrastructure to preserve biological and ethnographic collections and invest in the health and safety of Museum visitors and staff. Repairing the Museum’s foundation and refurbishing HVAC, air filtration, plumbing, electrical, and fire suppression systems will align the Museum with best practices in earthquake safety, flood protection, and public
health.
We’ll evolve by modernizing the visitor experience through new technology, updated physical spaces and refreshed programming. Additional ADA-compliant pathways, parking, and entrances, plus an elevator, will improve access to all indoor and outdoor spaces. A purpose-built classroom and event space with new audio/visual systems will elevate visitors’ interactive experiences while allowing education programs, community events and museum operations to take place simultaneously.
And we’ll advance by extending and reimagining the Museum’s exhibit spaces and community areas. A newly envisioned story arc will tie individual displays to the big picture of our region’s natural and cultural history. An expanded footprint will include a permanent location for rotating exhibits, inviting repeat visitation. Updated exhibit design will extend into the Garden Learning Center where visitors can enjoy our region’s native plant life, even when the Museum is closed. Additional, flexible workspace for staff and volunteers will bring inspiration, efficiency, and impact while attracting best-in-class colleagues to join us in our mission!
Community Support
This project will be really important in helping the next generation understand the natural history of our area because it’s a pretty spectacular story!
~ Walt, Campaign Committee Member
This is a much needed project as the population and demographics continue to evolve in Santa Cruz.
The museum should reflect the prominence of nature-based education, which is a fundamental value of the community. Thanks for all you do.
~ Tremain, City Partner
Very excited to see this project unfold!
~ Kailee, Educator
Campaign Leadership
| Campaign Committee | Building Master Plan Committee |
| Patty Quillin, Honorary Chair Felicia Van Stolk, Executive Director J.M. Brown, Chair Kristina Kincaid Glavis Alison Russell Walter Wadlow Amy Winkleblack Felicia Van Stolk | Patty Quillin, Honorary Chair Felicia Van Stolk, Executive Director Juliana Rebagliati, Chair Liz Broughton J.M. Brown Steve Davenport Susan Pearce Alison Russell Felicia Van Stolk |
Questions Answered: The Whale Sculpture
Why, how, and when will the iconic whale sculpture be updated?
Why does the whale need improvements? The whale has been a beloved icon since its unveiling in 1982. The aging sculpture regularly needs costly resurfacing and its details have become obscured. The improvements will lower ongoing maintenance costs for the City of Santa Cruz and the Museum and will include scientific and artistic enhancements.
How will the statue change? This project will involve a deeper refurbishment and re-sculpting with state of the art materials to restore the whale’s life-like details. It will enhance the interpretive and storytelling value of the sculpture by making it more scientifically accurate and by adding a baby whale calf “swimming” alongside it. The calf is a key part of the migration and conservation story of this species, and is a compelling and charismatic emblem to engage visitors and passersby.
When will this project take place? Site preparation will begin in April, 2025 and project completion is expected by mid summer.
Will people still be able to climb on it? While this statue is considered art, we have kept climbing in mind for the design and material selection – yes, climbing will still be allowed!
Who is paying for this? Although the statue belongs to the City of Santa Cruz, this project will be fully funded by a generous group of donors, and coordinated by the Museum as the first part of our Bright Future Campaign – it will be the first of many improvements to the park and Museum interpretation to come!
Who can I contact for more information? Please reach out to campaign@santacruzmusem.org to learn more about this exciting project.
What’s the history of the whale sculpture? The iconic concrete life-sized female grey whale statue that gives our organization its moniker “the whale museum” is an ambassador for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the ocean habitats that it is connected to. Since 1982 this statue has delighted thousands of visitors every year, inspiring them to wonder at the majestic behemoth that can be spotted twice a year swimming through the waters just across the street during its annual migration. Located in a city park at the nexus between the Museum’s entrance and the entrance to Seabright State Beach, the grey whale is also a beacon that attracts people on their way to the shore to connect with the Museum and its educational message, and to enjoy and access a beautiful local park.
The current whale statue was constructed originally by local shiprights with a hollow construction and design based on Larry Foster’s traveling whale (which is now located at the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum). The original whale was modeled after a beached whale.
Questions Answered: The Bright Future Campaign
How was community feedback collected?
In the spring and summer of 2024, Museum leadership held a number of community meetings and webinars, open to all our email subscribers. Feedback was also collected via online survey. While we are now engaged in public commission hearings and moving toward permit application, you are invited to attend the public meetings posted in the events section of this page and direct any questions to project@santacruzmuseum.org!
Who owns the property?
We are partnering with the City of Santa Cruz throughout this project. Though the City owns the land and the historic building, the Museum—an independent nonprofit organization since 2009—will continue its operations on a long-term lease.
Will the historic building and whale sculpture be preserved?
The architecture of the expansion will align with standards for historic preservation, complementing the historic building and unique character of the neighborhood. The historic entrance will be preserved and refurbished through this project. Our recently updated historical marker and our beloved and iconic whale will be maintained and refurbished as needed.
Will traffic and parking be impacted?
Because the project’s primary purpose is to improve current operations, we don’t anticipate any lasting impacts to parking or traffic, including school buses, though accessible parking will be added! The Museum may have an increase in individual visitors in response to exhibit enhancements.
Will the the Museum be closed during building?
Museum programming—both exhibits and offsite programs—will continue during the building phase, leveraging a mixture of pop-up locations, semi-permanent exhibit spaces, outdoor and virtual learning.
Questions? Comments? Email: project@santacruzmuseum.org with building project questions or campaign@santacruzmuseum.org with questions about giving to the Bright Future campaign!