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Summer's over but the fun has just begun!
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Note from the Director
This summer was
hot,
hot,
hot! Both in temperatures and activity at Shumla. We had three great summer interns (as you'll read below), we moved headquarters (as you read in our
last eNews), and we wrapped up the first full year of Alexandria Project field and lab work with 91 sites digitally documented!
That means 91
works of art painted thousands of years ago will not be lost completely when the panels are destroyed by flooding, deterioration, industrial development or vandalism. Go team! And a big thanks to you for your support. We couldn't do it without you.
Whew! So...what do we do now that we've successfully completed our first year? You guessed it. Start our second year! We won't stop until the job's done. (
Can't stop. Won't stop
.)
On a personal note, this was a special month for me because on my 40th birthday my love, Bart Hamlin, surprised me with a proposal of marriage in front of a gathering of my family and friends. Who's up for a canyon wedding?
Cooler
temperatures
are on their way, love is in the air and the Shumla team is ready to tackle the next phase of the Alexandria Project with renewed fervor. Who's with us?!
All the very best,
Jessica
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Missing Our Summer Interns
In May, Assyl Arykbayeva returned to Shumla for a second summer! She has been learning about radiocarbon dating rock art with her internship in the Shumla Archaeological Chemistry Laboratory. She continued her research with plasma oxidation, processing Australian paint samples for analysis and even learning how to construct a new plasma system. She also helped move the laboratory to our new offices, which was no small undertaking! She had to disassemble and then re-assemble everything, then make sure it worked. She did this with precision and accuracy that demonstrates her bright future in chemistry.
At the beginning of June, interns Hailey LaRock and Caitlin Houle were welcomed aboard as part of the archaeological research team tackling the Alexandria Project. They were immediately immersed in documenting the rock art sites of the region using all the technology and methods Shumla utilizes.
Over the course of the following 3 months, both Hailey and Caitlin learned to use a total station for mapping and became proficient at creating 3D models and Gigapans, filling out site forms, and most importantly how to work as part of a team. By the end of their stay with us, they had helped document 9 rock art sites, two of which are some of the largest in Val Verde County.
The interns were able to converse with experts from around the globe when the Getty Institute brought rock art researchers and conservators to the Lower Pecos. Something meaningful they reflected on was how refreshing it was to be simply acknowledged when oftentimes interns tend to be ignored, especially in large gatherings. They even had the chance to give back to the community at Shumla's annual Ranchers/Stewards Barbecue. We hope that they take all of this newfound knowledge and experiences with them whichever path they take through life.
Thank you Caitlin, Hailey, and Assyl for your hard work. You are missed and will always be a part of the Shumla Family!
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Shumla Goes to Australia!
Shumla's Karen Steelman recently conducted field work and collected paint samples for radiocarbon dating in Australia. This is her second trip as part of this 3-year project, "More than artefacts: contemporary Indigenous relationships to rock art." Funded by the Australian Research Council, this project works with the Yanyuwa, Marra, Garrwa, and Gudanji language groups centered in Borroloola, Northern Territory. This project is a collaboration with international researchers who are studying similar questions such as spatial and chronological distribution patterns of rock art styles. We are sharing what we know and learning from others!
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The project team consists of John Bradley (Monash University), Amanda Kearney (University of Adelaide), Liam Brady (Monash University), and Shumla's Karen Steelman.
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This year, we had a slightly larger boat to cart our crew and gear to North Island of the Sir Edward Pellew Island group in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Thanks to the Yanyuwa Sea Rangers and Northern Territory Parks for helping us out!
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It isn't often that a hike to a rock art site includes walking on the beach! We did hike several miles inland each day surveying for new rock art sites, as well as collecting samples for radiocarbon dating from well-known sites.
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Join us on Instagram
People are loving the weekly "Motif Monday" posts on Facebook. We show pictures of rock art motifs and talk a bit about what we've learned about them. We have thousands of viewers and receive wonderful comments and questions.
If you haven't caught our #MotifMonday Facebook posts there are two ways to do it:
- Visit Shumla's Facebook page and scroll through our posts looking for #MotifMonday. Be sure to "Like" our page, so that you won't miss them!
- Join our @shumlaarchaeologicalcenter Instagram page launched just last week. We are so excited to start sharing Shumla's mission on Instagram! Starting next Monday, we will be re-posting our #MotifMonday FaceBook posts on Instagram. Be sure to "Follow" the page.
Connect with us on Instagram @shumlaarchaeologicalcente
r. We'll post beautiful pictures of the Lower Pecos, rock art and our dedicated team.
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Welcome Veronica!
Veronica joins Shumla as the Development and Operations Coordinator. She graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor's in Psychology.
She began working at Omnicotton, Inc., a cotton distribution business that concentrates on cotton trading in US, Brazil and Australian markets.
Being a part of a fast growing company allowed Veronica the opportunity to help refine administrative and training processes and procedures.
Later, she joined F2M Hospitality, a restaurant group with four concepts including a restaurant, catering company, pastry company and burger joint. There she able to continue her training in the implementation and organization of fast-moving, high-visibility processes and procedures as well as gain exposure to social media marketing and management.
Veronica's next journey began in 2015 with the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, a non-profit whose mission is to restore the lives of abused children and their non-offending family members. Not only did this experience awaken Veronica's desire to work in the not-for-profit sector, but it allowed her to grow into an assistant director position in the Family Advocacy program. With this role, Veronica was able to continue development of a growing department and implement processes to help streamline services for the families served.
Her varied background in organizational administration and program implementation makes her particularly well-suited for her role at Shumla. In her role as Development and Operations Coordinator, she will be working closely with Jessica to ensure Shumla's administration, fundraising and programming runs like a well-oiled machine. She is excited to join the Shumla family and to be a part of preserving our country's history. We are so happy to have her on the team!
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| Veronica and her husband Jason live in Dallas and she offices with Jessica. |
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Shumla is Hiring!
We're seeking an experienced Archaeology Director
Shumla is offering an exciting opportunity in our Comstock Headquarters. The Archaeology Director will be responsible for managing archaeological projects - including the Alexandria Project, supervising Shumla archaeologists, interns and volunteers, and achieving Shumla's mission through archaeological programming. The research leadership team at Shumla is a vibrant group of collaborators that consists of the Executive Director, Science Director, and the Shumla Endowed Research Professor at Texas State University, as well as the newly formed Archaeology Director position. The selected candidate will report to the Executive Director and will be an integral part of strategy development and raising funds for archaeological projects. They will also lead the archaeological team in the lab and field hiking across rugged terrain in extreme temperatures.
This position is full-time, salaried and exempt, in Comstock, TX.
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Our greatest need is the money to fund our preservation and education programming and operations.
Donate to Shumla here!
Make Shumla your benefiting charity on
AmazonSmile
and
Shumla will receive .5% of your purchase amount at no extra cost to you!
Thank you!
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The land, the art, the team, the mission.
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