Newsletter October 2026: A First Look at Our Inaugural Exhibits, Nov 7–8

October 31, 2026

Chapter Two — Palo Alto Stories: First Look at Two Inaugural Exhibits

Join us Saturday–Sunday, November 7–8, from 11:00 AM–4:00 PM at the Palo Alto Museum for Chapter Two — Palo Alto Stories: First Look at Two Inaugural Exhibits. Admission is FREE!

Get to know people who shaped Palo Alto and changed the world. Step inside the Museum’s main hall for a first look at two inaugural exhibits: Doña Juana Briones and I AM PALO ALTO.

Explore, listen, ask questions, and share your perspective as we bring these stories to life with photos and videos, hands-on activities, artifacts, and special guests with family ties to the people featured.

Founding Members also enjoy a members-only hour each day, with a behind-the-scenes tour led by Museum President & CEO Marguerite Gong Hancock.

Doña Juana Briones: Meet Juana Briones, a 19th-century entrepreneur, matriarch, advocate, healer, and landowner who pioneered new ways for women of her time to create impact. Then step into her shoes as a healer and blend your own herbal remedy to take home.

I AM PALO ALTO: Talk with “Pam,” our AI-powered digital docent, and explore the lives of Jane Stanford, Thomas Foon Chow, and Sam McDonald, who changed the world through education, food, and more. Then snap your portrait and add yourself to our community collage, because you’re part of Palo Alto’s story too.

In Conversation: The Stories Behind the Stories

Join descendants, scholars, and the creative minds behind the exhibits for intimate talks that bring Palo Alto’s history to life. Come with questions and leave with a deeper connection to the people who shaped this place.

Saturday, Nov 7
12 PM: Gloria Hom, EdD, on her grandfather, California pioneer Thomas Foon Chew
2 PM: Award-winning designer Dan Saal on creating a space for Juana Briones

Sunday, Nov 8
1 PM: Stanford historian Al Camarillo, PhD, on why Juana Briones’s legacy matters today
3 PM: Award-winning designer Dan Saal on creating a space for Juana Briones

Behind the Scenes: Our First Exhibitions Take Shape

Inside the museum, our first exhibitions have taken shape, and we wanted to give you an early look. See what’s coming next!

Come to our Next Community Meeting — Join Us On Nov 4

Thank you to everyone who joined our Community Meeting last week! Your ideas, questions, and energy filled the room. We’re grateful to be building the Museum by, with, and for the community.

As we prepare to open in April 2027, we want to keep hearing from you. Our next Community Meeting will focus on listening to feedback on the proposed Conditional Use Permit (CUP) amendments.

Join us on Wednesday, November 4, at 7 PM at the Palo Alto Museum, 300 Homer Ave. Let us know you’re coming, and add your voice!

Read the proposed CUP updates and RSVP today. Can’t make it? Share your thoughts at neighbors@paloaltomuseum.org

Meet Valerie Wainwright, Visitor Experience Manager

For years, Valerie has dreamed of helping open a brand-new museum. Now, as our Visitor Experience Manager, she’s doing just that. A native New Yorker who has always found sanctuary in museums and libraries, she has taken a winding path here, from Yale’s college radio station to the runways of Paris to SFMOMA’s grand reopening. We asked her a few questions so you can get to know her before you meet her in person.

If you had a theme song, what would it be?
“Now We Are Free” by Hans Zimmer, from Gladiator. It’s a fitting choice for a former radio Music Director whose taste runs from classical to rap.

What’s something that always makes your day better?
Connecting with people. Her colleagues can confirm she has a habit of popping by just to say hi.

What’s one thing on your bucket list?
She’s already checking off the big one: opening a brand-new museum. Next time you visit, you’ll see her living that dream, and she can’t wait to welcome you in.

Your Gift, Doubled: The $200,000 Board of Directors Match

Thanks to a challenge match from our Board of Directors, now through December 31, every gift to the Palo Alto Museum will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $200,000.

As we prepare to open our doors in April 2027, this is a rare chance to help shape a museum that belongs to all of us. Your generosity will go twice as far, bringing to life the stories, exhibitions, and gathering spaces our community will share for generations.

Give by December 31 and join us as a Founding Member, part of the circle of neighbors whose vision and support made this museum possible from the very start.

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