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Persevering through tough times is the theme of the moment for Pleasanton’s Museum on Main.
Next week the downtown museum opens “From Earthquakes to Epidemics: How Disasters Transform California’s People and Places”, its main exhibit running from Thursday through Sept. 13.
“What I’m hoping our visitors will take away from the show is — in addition to witnessing the strength people can show in the face of disaster — that successful preparation for and response to disaster requires a collective effort,” Ken MacLennan, the museum’s curator, told me by email this week.
“I’m particularly looking forward to the items recovered from the Camp Fire as well as the items recovered from Chinatown after the 1906 quake,” added MacLennan as he readied to open the crates from the traveling exhibition due on the doorstep the next day.
The new exhibit arrives at a critical time for the small, independent museum that is facing many of the same challenges as other nonprofits in this current economic environment. Direct financial support is important for the Museum on Main, of course, but also important is participation in its array of events and programs.
“From Earthquakes to Epidemics” will be the primary attraction to 603 Main St. this spring and summer.
“This is a very timely exhibit, given California’s recent history,” MacLennan said in a press release Tuesday.
“Wildfires, pandemics, quakes — we’ve seen all of these before and are likely to see more in the near future,” he continued. “And we’ve responded, not just in the moment with first responders and emergency measures, but for the longer term as well by developing better emergency-services infrastructure, upgrading building codes, paying more attention to public health, and trying to expand the circle of protection to include more of the state’s residents.”
Brought to Pleasanton from Exhibit Envoy and is made possible in part by National Endowment for the Humanities, the exhibit also highlights of “lesser-known stories of Californians disproportionately impacted by disasters due to location, socioeconomic status, race and other factors”, according to museum officials.
“From the fight to save San Francisco’s Chinatown following the 1906 Earthquake, to the drought that left hundreds of low-income families in East Porterville without running water, the exhibit underscores how major disasters and epidemics impact California’s marginalized communities differently,” they said. “Despite the challenges and devastation, disasters can also serve as catalysts for reform and inspire positive changes.”
The opening reception has been scheduled for one week after its debut, from 12-3 p.m. May 31. Additional related programming is still being solidified and will be announced soon, according to MacLennan.
The day before the exhibit’s special reception, the museum is hosting “Paint and Sip” art class featuring Peter Wallis, the museum’s new education director.
“Enjoy the museum with friends and explore basic painting techniques,” museum officials said. “This is a fun low stakes art class where you can laugh your way through the steps it takes to make a landscape painting.”
The session is set for 2 p.m. May 30. The ticket price of $50 includes materials for participants.
This week the museum also announced its 2025 Family Days — themed events on select Saturdays where kids and their loved ones are encouraged to hang out inside and outside the Museum on Main for hands-on activities and exhibits.
The schedule has only two installments: “Historic Pleasanton” on June 7 and “Building STEAM in Pleasanton” on Aug. 2. That’s down from four in 2024, but aligns the Family Days with the Pleasanton Downtown Association’s Weekends on Main program that has just two on the schedule this year.
Perhaps the July calendar got in their way, with Fourth of July weekend potentially portending low turnout and then July 12 being the PDA’s Totally Mimosa Stroll & ’80s Party geared toward adults.
Wallis told me the Family Day reduction has “nothing to do with finances” and the nonprofit is on track with its fundraising goals thanks to Executive Director Tony Cruz’s efforts.
One example during this first year of Cruz’s tenure was the pivot last month to create a new support program when the museum found one of its major funding sources on the chopping block amid the city of Pleasanton’s budget woes.
“In light of the recently proposed cuts to our city funding, Museum on Main is launching a special fundraising effort to ensure the continued success of one of our most cherished programs — the Ed Kinney Speaker Series,” Cruz wrote in an email announcing the new “Executive Producers” program.
It solicits $1,000 donations toward the popular historical speaker series and offers a few perks for those “community champion” contributors. Twelve people had made the commitment as of Tuesday; the program closes May 27.
“This is more than a donation — it’s a statement that you believe in the power of history, storytelling, and civic dialogue. Your support will help offset the funding reductions we’re facing and ensure we can continue bringing dynamic, thought-provoking speakers to our stage,” Cruz wrote in the email.
There are five more performances left in the 2025 Ed Kinney Speaker Series (including librarian Laura Keyes portraying former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln on June 5 at the Firehouse Arts Center), and the museum hopes to present a full lineup again next year.
Of the nonprofit’s financial position, Cruz told me Wednesday, “Right now, I’m expecting a 25% reduction from the $107,000 that the city typically grants us this year and 35% next year. We also will more than likely lose $7,500 from the Civic Arts Commission grants. But all of this is up in the air.”
The Pleasanton City Council is set to review staff’s updated budget recommendations next Tuesday evening. (Of course the future of programs funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities, such as Exhibit Envoy offerings, are also a big question mark these days.)
Learn more about these Museum on Main events and others, like its Charles Huff Free Historical Walking Tours, Harrington Free Art Walks and the upcoming Ghost Walks, at museumonmain.org.
Editor’s note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media Foundation’s East Bay Division. His “What a Week” column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly, Livermore Vine and DanvilleSanRamon.com.
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