Pardon our dust! Welcome to the new home of the Orange County Museum Coaliton's website...currently underconstruction. We are a group of dedicated citizens, professionals and advocates who are dedicated to having built at the Great Park of Irvine (the former El Toro Marine base) a first class museum, a nationally renown institution and destination of distinction. A site located in the Cultural Terrace, with grounds adjacent to the Botanical Gardens, the amazing new home to the incredible collection of fossils and artifacts reflective of this area's amazing past....and present. Noteworthy displays of living indigenous culture, natural history, and exhibits of this areas rich fossil past which will provide amazing educational and learning possibilities, research, on going regional economic benefits, and a a project which will stand as a spectacular example of forward thinking adaptive architechure and site planning.

Orange County Culture and Natural History Has a Home Here

Initiating a Musuem that has an inherent sense of place. From the grounds to the building,The Museum of Indigenous Culture and Natural History is to be a destination worthy of return visits. Events, ceremonies and exhibits will all be a part of the interactive experience that will make this more than a nationally renown institution. The immersive museum experience is will use cutting edge technology to bring Natural and Cultural History into the present. The building itself is to be designed with energy efficiency, forward thinking hydrology and sustainable cutting edge materials which will set new standards in modern development. The building itself will be part of an intuitive, adaptive modern Museum experience which brings the past to the present. The layout of the grounds is reflective of the organic elements of this area, the features bringing the inside to the outside, such as a rooftop café and open sky viewing area; all a part of the architecture. In creating this place, we create an experience that reflects upon the natural elements of the surrounding area, as well as with the gardens, water features and the adjacent Botanical Gardens, all reflective of this amazing region of Southern California. Indeed, the Museum of Indigenous Culture and Natural History is designed to be a working piece of the Cultural Terrace, the heart and soul of the Great Park in Irvine, California.

Rory Meyers Childrens Adventure Gardens, Tx

Tongva Springs, Los Angeles, Ca

Getting to Know Us: The Orange County Museum Coalition

The Orange County Museum Coalition is comprised of citizens, scientists, students, researchers, tribal members, planners, advocates and professional consultants. We are passionate about the creation of a world class institution which would center the Cultural Terrace of the Great Park in Irvine, Ca. We started as a joint venture between the California Cultural Resources Preservation Alliance (tribal members and scientists dedicated to preserving Sacred Sites and Culturally Relevant Areas) and activists and expanded into the Museum Task Force. Now we transform into the Orange County Museum Coalition.

So, what is this museum thing you ask?

Well, at The Museum of Indigenous Culture and Natural History, you will feel transformed as you step into a whole new world. Our public collection of preserved fossils, artifacts and displays will completely revamp your knowledge of Orange County and beyond, in ways many have never experienced. The immersive aspects of the MICNH are to be cutting edge, employing both technology and an emphasis on the context and relevance of each experience. From exploring the inter-tribal experiences of the Acjachemen People (Orange County), The Tongva, Chumash and Cahuilla, to the pre-colonial history of the many tribes that called California home, the rich cultural past is still alive and present today. Education and History become real when the past is reflected upon with todays perspective.

The amazing fossil history of this area has never had a permanent home, but it certainly deserves it. Thousands of specimens remain in plaster castings, sitting in a warehouse, unresearched and unavailable for display. Imagine the musuem experience of the fauna and flora of years past, seeing how many dramatic changes this area has experienced, and exploring what that may portend for us going forward. From the great inland sea's you will see the ancient fossils of whales, porpoise and walruses. In later era's you will find out about the pre-historic horses, camels, the mammoths, the giant sloths, cave bears, dire wolves and saber toothed tigers that roamed this region. This is the space where we learn about the past in order to prepare for the future.....and current issues like water re-use, preserving eco-systems are explored and tested in working models on the grounds. The understanding of what this area was, and is, suddenly transcends the shopping malls, freeways and amusement parks, and the perception of southern California is broadened. Sustainability becomes functional with context and application.

This then, is the Museum experience that extends well beyond the amazing site that will be its home.

Coming Soon-More Design Features and Renderings: What the Museum of Indigenous Culture and Natural History will look like!