A sold-out crowd, many dressed up like hippies, participated in a “be-in” at La Rinconada Country Club last Saturday evening. New Museum Los Gatos gathered art lovers, patrons and artists to celebrate our museum’s 60 years of existence. NUMU brought back an era when peace and love were honored. Inaugural awards were also presented.
“Isn’t it amazing?” asked Jamie Donofrio, the museum’s development and communications manager. “I wish we were able to sell more tickets. We had plenty more people who wanted to attend! We sold 165 tickets—and sold out weeks ago.”
Oh, and BTW, they raised about $200,000.
NUMU had a humble origin, starting in an old firehouse in 1965 as the Museums of Los Gatos. It now resides at 106 E. Main St. within Los Gatos Civic Center Plaza. The nonprofit’s focus remains on art, history and community education.
This flash-back of an evening celebrated those early days, as well as honoring those dedicated individuals that support and carry on today’s NUMU. They ensure the history of Los Gatos is preserved and remembered. The institution has gained quite the reputation for supporting contemporary artists and offering educational opportunities.
Julie Micallef, a retired educator and current president of NUMU’s Board of Directors gave a “far-out” welcoming speech on this “groovy” evening.
“Thank you for believing in NUMU,” she said. “Thank you for supporting NUMU. You are a part of bringing this culture vibrancy to our community and we are so grateful for your commitment. And with a special thank you to our executive director Kimberly Snyder and the museum’s amazing staff.”
After a lavish buffet dinner, NUMU honored three people who embody the spirit of art, history and leadership. These individuals were recognized as community members with extraordinary contributions to art, history, and service:
NUMU’s inaugural awards
Michael Parsons — 2025 Dr. Ethel Dana Achievement Award
Marie Cameron — 2025 Leona Award Recipient for Art
Alan Feinberg — 2025 Leo Award Recipient for History
Dani Hinsche and Randi Chen were the co-chairs of the Peace, Love & Art NUMU Benefit. Hinsche stated, “We’ve been working on this event for over two years. As soon as we started selling tickets in August they began selling really fast. People wanted to come out and celebrate the arts and community in Los Gatos, and we have a great crowd tonight.” Hinsche went on “I think people want to come out and celebrate the arts and culture and our community. We are a museum that is built by our community for our community. We want everybody to be here and have a good time and to be a part of this. We will present these three awards annually and possibly have an event of this size again. I hope that everybody knows that admission to the museum is free to all Los Gatos residents.”
Why support our local museum? Because it is you, it is us and the artists that translate our lives onto artistic mediums. Vice Mayor Rob Moore was also in attendance, supporting culture and the arts. Moore will wrap up his year as Vice Mayor on Dec. 9.
And that reader is a wrap. An event with a cause, remembering the Peace, Love & Art of the past and keeping it moving onto our future. Peace out! Now where did that bong go? Take a holiday break and head to NUMU.
