Meet the Friends of the Amuseum, companies and individuals who have donated to help us upgrade and relaunch our free natural history museum, Amuseum Naturalis.
Blending simplicity with chic design, Ocean 82 is a French restaurant mixed with tastes of the sea. Located on the water, flavors designed by Chef Franck Vuillemin will entice you to return again and again. With a wide variety of foods, there is something for everyone. Join them for either lunch or dinner in the quaint village and Caribbean culinary capitol, Grand Case.
Become a Friend of the Amuseum! Do it online or email [email protected]. Today we’re working to raise funds to print four large panels for our main exhibit room.
Meet the Friends of the Amuseum, companies and individuals who have donated to help us upgrade and relaunch our free natural history museum, Amuseum Naturalis.
This hotel has established a cult following from guests that enjoy an authentic, luxurious, unpretentious and un-touristy Caribbean experience with a homey feel. Acknowledged by TripAdvisor as one of the Caribbean’s “Best Hidden Gems”, and more recently named #19 of the top 25 hotels in all of the Caribbean. Hotel L’Esplanade has been a benefactor member since 2013 and has sponsored many Les Fruits de Mer events.
Become a Friend of the Amuseum! Do it online or email [email protected]. Today we’re working to raise funds to print four large panels for our main exhibit room.
Meet the Friends of the Amuseum, companies and individuals who have donated to help us upgrade and relaunch our free natural history museum, Amuseum Naturalis.
Founded in 1985, Delta serves the Caribbean with superior performance diesel, gasoline and LPG meeting U.S. and European standards. Delta is a proud member of communities where it operates, from the Virgin Islands to Martinique. Delta Petroleum generously donated use of the building where the museum is located, without which the museum would not exist.
Become a Friend of the Amuseum! Do it online or email [email protected]. Today we’re working to raise funds to print four large panels for our main exhibit room.
Local businesses can help support school visits to the museum by becoming Friends of the Amuseum.
Amuseum Naturalis, St. Martin’s only natural history museum, has big plans for the 2016-17 season. New and improved exhibits are in the works for the free pop-up museum, as well as expanded hours and school visits. The local community is helping to make it all possible by participating in the Friends of the Amuseum program.
“When we had the unexpected and incredible opportunity to create the museum last year, we had a really short timeframe to put together a space celebrating the nature of St. Martin that was fascinating and fun,” commented Amuseum curator Mark Yokoyama. “We were initially open just for the Mardis de Grand Case, and we added to the museum every week. By the end of the season, it was so much more than we had imagined. This year, with the support of the community and more time, we’re thrilled to take the museum to the next level.”
“The space for Amuseum Naturalis was donated by Delta Petroleum, and all the work to create and staff the museum is done by volunteers,” explained Jenn Yerkes, President of Les Fruits de Mer, the nonprofit association that developed Amuseum Naturalis. “That’s allowed us to do amazing things on a very small budget and keep the museum free for everyone. As we work to improve and reopen for this year, local businesses can help out by becoming Friends of the Amuseum.”
In the Friends of the Amuseum program, businesses or individuals can make a 100€ donation to Amuseum Naturalis and receive recognition as supporters. The funds will be used towards improved signage and exhibits, as well as ongoing costs of operating the museum. All those interested in becoming Friends of the Amuseum are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at [email protected].
For the coming season, the Les Fruits de Mer association plans to open the museum for regular evening hours and by appointment for school, youth and other groups during the day. Exhibits on subjects like St. Martin’s bat caves, freshwater creatures and species found only on St. Martin will be expanded, and they will be joined by new exhibits telling a variety of stories. Even with all the updates, admission to the museum will remain free of charge.
Amuseum Naturalis is a free, public pop-up museum of the natural history of St. Martin and the Caribbean, created by Les Fruits de Mer and made possible by the generous sponsorship of Delta Petroleum. Amuseum Naturalis is located at 96 Boulevard de Grand Case in Grand Case. Amuseum Naturalis is scheduled to reopen for the season in November 2016. For the latest information about exhibits and special events, visit http://amuseumnaturalis.com. Friends of the Amuseum are showcased on the Friends page of the site.
Amuseum Naturalis, the free museum that welcomed hundreds of visitors each week last season, is currently funding upgrades for a fall reopening.
Discover the fascinating, largely unknown stories of the incredible women and men who helped to build the scientific heritage of the Caribbean at a special multimedia presentation at the 2016 St. Martin Book Fair. Women, People of Color, and the Making of Natural History in the Caribbean, is free and open to the public and will take place from 11am to 12:30pm on Saturday, June 4th at the University of St. Martin.
The presentation was created as part of an ongoing research, writing and outreach project to shine a light on the lost or unsung work of the women and people of color in the study of Caribbean natural history, from the late 1400s to the early 1900s.
“Their historical contributions to science were often hidden, suppressed, or simply not as well publicized as those of their white male contemporaries,” explains presenter Jenn Yerkes, President of Les Fruits de Mer and co-curator of Amuseum Naturalis. “Many of these trailblazers had to fight slavery, racism, and sexism, and risk perilous journeys, pirates, disease, and dangerous wildernesses to do what they loved; their real lives were more epic, adventurous, heartbreaking, and inspiring than any Hollywood movie.”
Anyone are unable to attend the Book Fair presentation can learn more about some of these amazing individuals in the special exhibit currently on display at Amuseum Naturalis in Grand Case. The museum is open to the public from 4-8pm each Thursday and Sunday throughout the month of June.
Get ready, nature lovers: Amuseum Naturalis, a free pop-up natural history museum in Grand Case is reopening. The museum will open May 28th and 29th during the Fête de la Mer and throughout the month of June on Sunday and Thursday evenings from 4-8pm. School classes and youth groups can also contact Les Fruits de Mer to arrange daytime visits by appointment.
“The big crowds visiting the museum during Mardis de Grand Case were fantastic,” commented Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes, “We’re also excited to have the museum open during a quieter period to share it with local residents, especially kids.”
The museum currently features ten exhibits on a variety of natural history subjects, from freshwater ecosystems to invasive species. A special exhibit, Women, People of Color and the Making of Natural History in the Caribbean will be on display through June. A variety of short, locally-produced nature documentaries will be shown in the museum theater.
Visitors are encouraged to make their own contributions during their visit to the museum. Whenever the museum is open, visitors can stop by to tell a story about their experience of St. Martin—history, traditional life, recollections about wildlife or any topic—which will be recorded as part of a project to document life on St. Martin.
The public is invited to visit Amuseum Naturalis and explore the exhibits Sunday and Thursday evenings from 4-8pm throughout the month of June. Amuseum Naturalis is located at 96 Boulevard de Grand Case, and was created by the non-profit association Les Fruits de Mer and sponsored by Delta Petroleum. For the latest information about exhibits and special events, visit http://amuseumnaturalis.com.
This duck species was named by 19th century Jamaican naturalist Richard Hill.
Island residents and tourists of all ages are invited to the free grand opening of the exhibit Women, People of Color, and the Making of Natural History in the Caribbean, on Tuesday, February 9 from 6-10pm at Amuseum Naturalis in Grand Case.
The exhibit is a special series at Amuseum Naturalis, created to shine a light on the contributions of women and people of color in the study of natural history in the Caribbean, from the 1600s to the early 1900s. The exhibit brings their discoveries, explorations and stories to life with vivid biographical snapshots and reproductions of beautiful historical zoological and botanical illustrations, engravings, portraits and maps.
“The historical contributions of women and people of color to science have often been hidden, suppressed, or simply not as well publicized as those of their white male contemporaries, and this is just as true in the Caribbean as elsewhere,” explains Jenn Yerkes, Amuseum Naturalis co-curator and Les Fruits de Mer President. “We wanted to create an opportunity for people to discover the fascinating stories of these incredible women and men who helped to build the scientific heritage of the Caribbean.”
The exhibit’s launch will include the 19th century mixed-race Jamaican naturalist and abolitionist Richard Hill.The free, public exhibit will launch Tuesday night with the first installation of the series, which will include captivating figures such as naturalist and scientific artist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647 – 1717), known for her expedition to Suriname to document Caribbean insects, reptiles, birds, and plants; Graman Quassi (ca. 1690 – ca. 1780), a renowned Surinamese healer and botanist of African descent; Richard Hill (1795-1872), a trailblazing mixed-race naturalist and anti-slavery activist from Jamaica; and Felipe Poey (1799-1891), a Cuban zoologist known for his pioneering study of Caribbean marine life. The upcoming installations will be added throughout the run of the exhibit, so there will be new additions for visitors to enjoy every week. The exhibit will coincide with Black History Month and run through International Women’s Day, March 8, 2016.
Women, People of Color, and the Making of Natural History in the Caribbean will be on display in the special exhibit hall of Amuseum Naturalis, Les Fruits de Mer’s free pop-up museum of natural history located at 96 Boulevard de Grand Case. Amuseum Naturalis is open to the public on Tuesdays during the Mardis de Grand Case street fair, and is sponsored by Delta Petroleum.
Zoological images like this hummingbird, named by 19th century mixed-race naturalist Richard Hill, will be on display at the exhibit.
One other event of note that happened at Amuseum Naturalis was a birth. In fact, a lot of them. A shrimp that has had a large cluster of eggs under her tail for the past couple weeks gave birth to a bajillion tiny shrimplets. The shrimplets were about as big as grains of sand, so it was a little tricky to photograph them, but here are a few shots of them and their proud mom.
After the mad rush to get open on the 12th, we took a week to refine our first set of exhibits and things were really looking great when we opened for the Mardis de Grand Case street fair last night. I popped by this morning to take a few photos of this version of the museum. If you haven’t come by to check it out yet, you can get an idea of what we have in our main exhibition hall and special exhibit room right now: Gut Life, To the Bat Cave!, The Tree of Life, Shadow of a Drought, The Shell Collector, Team Clean, and Women, People of Color and the Making of Natural History in the Caribbean.
Les Fruits de Mer’s free natural history museum will be open 6-10pm every Mardi de Grand Case. Visitors can see new additions to Les Fruits de Mer’s free natural history museum every week. (Photo: Maël Renault)
Hundreds of island residents and visitors poured into 96 Boulevard de Grand Case on Tuesday evening during the first Mardi de Grand Case for the grand opening of Amuseum Naturalis. Amuseum Naturalis is a free, public pop-up museum showcasing the natural history of St. Martin and the Caribbean, created by the Les Fruits de Mer association. Locals and tourists of all ages are invited to discover captivating natural history displays, biological curiosities, marvels of nature, spectacular specimens, live wildlife displays, a theater showing wildlife films, and more, throughout high season 2016 in this one-of-a-kind exhibition space.
Christian Papaliolios, President and General Director of Delta Petroleum, the sponsor of Amuseum Naturalis, officially opened the museum with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6pm on Tuesday, accompanied by Mardis de Grand Case organizer Chantal Vernusse, and Les Fruits de Mer officers and volunteers. The space for the temporary museum was donated for the 2016 high season to the Les Fruits de Mer association by Papaliolios and Delta Petroleum.
President and General Director of Delta Petroleum Christian Papaliolios cut the ribbon to officially open Amuseum Naturalis. (Photo: Maël Renault)
“We’re absolutely thrilled to have been given the opportunity to bring Amuseum Naturalis to life, and see everybody enjoying it,” said Mark Yokoyama, Les Fruits de Mer co-founder and Amuseum co-curator. “It would not have been possible without all the hard work of our awesome volunteers, who came together to help create this incredible place, building and painting display tables and benches, and putting together these amazing exhibitions,” added the Amuseum’s other co-curator, Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes.
On display now at Amuseum Naturalis are exhibits on St. Martin’s bats, the endangered native Gaïac tree, insects that help keep the island clean, and “Gut Life: the Fascinating Freshwater Ecosystems of St. Martin.” The Amuseum’s special exhibits room is currently featuring an exclusive show of stunning original photographs and text from the photo essay Shadow of a Drought by nature photographer Yokoyama, highlighting the effects of drought on key St. Martin wetlands. Also on view is the first installment of “Women, People of Color, and the Making of Natural History in the Caribbean,” a unique series that reveals and celebrates the often hidden, suppressed, or not widely known historical contributions of women and people of color to the study of Caribbean flora and fauna.
“We hope everyone will stop by every Tuesday during Mardis de Grand Case to see what’s happening at the Amuseum,” said Yerkes. “We’ll have new wonders every week!”
This crayfish, the apex predator of his ecosystem, is featured in the Amuseum Naturalis exhibit on St. Martin’s freshwater habitats. (Photo: Mark Yokoyama)
