Exhibit

Jennifer Keil and Cindy Keil, the Moulton Museum Directors, curated “1874: Into the West.” Keil was in the OC Register article for the Moulton Museum opening. We debuted Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills on September 2nd & 3rd, 2022. We had nearly 1,000 visitors over the course of two days.

Jennifer Keil and Cindy Keil, the Moulton Museum Directors, curated “1874: Into the West.” Keil was in the OC Register article for the Moulton Museum opening. We debuted Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills on September 2nd & 3rd, 2022. We had nearly 1,000 visitors over the course of two days.

Hazel’s mind was like wandering alone in a deserted museum. Hazel’s mind was choked with uncatalogued exhibits. He never forgot anything but he never bothered to arrange his memories.”-Cannery Row, John Steinbeck

Norton Simon Museum

Jennifer and Cindy are passionate about supporting cultural groups. We enjoy volunteering and serving our community. We would love to partner with you and your organization. We follow Getty Museum exhibition guidelines. We can craft an exhibit design from start to finish with our installation services. Prior to designing, we always consider the physical structures and audience. We can conduct preliminary studies to evaluate your space and past show data. We can optimize the flow of traffic and create interactive learning stations. We develop exhibition proposals and submit designs to the exhibit committees years in advance. Our partnerships with local to national organizations sustain our creative teams ideas and execution.

The California Association of Museums developed a six month research collaborative groups. The OC group studied audiences and conducted a case study at the Discovery Cube in Santa Ana. The Evaluation Tool Kit Handbook contains the findings and was distributed statewide. We use these findings with Getty Museum standards with each exhibition design. We believe in shared authority with our communities. Often, we collaborate with local historical groups with each curatorial project.We work with education departments within universities, museums, and cultural centers. We educate with interactive curriculum delivered via Google Classroom to districts and are committed to supporting classrooms. We adhere to state and Orange County Department of Education standards. As members of California Council for the Social Studies, which serves K-16 educators statewide, we have developed collaborative programs. 

We recommend that your institution join the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and obtain accreditation. You can join AAM, AASLH, and NARM to network with other institutions. They host annual conferences.  We provide access to our exhibits with Matterport virtual tours and video series. Our exhibit labels include the use of QR codes and innovative learning  opportunities.

Contact us to request a quote for short or long-term projects.

Nellie Gail Moulton’s World Travel Photography is a retrospective of her experiences which took place from 1908-1960. The exhibit begins with a voyage on December 1st, 1908. Lewis and Nellie Gail Moulton set sail on the “S.S. Mongolia” at precisely 1:00 p.m. from California to their honeymoon destination, Hawai’i. This exhibit is curated by Cindy Keil, Jennifer Keil, and Eric Stoner. It opens as part of our series for National Arts & Humanities Month for October.

As Directors, we designed 1874: Into the West.

1874 was not only a historic time for our nation, but it was also a significant statewide year in Orange County history. The county had not ceded Los Angeles County until 1888, but the interest groups were ready to part ways from the metro city jurisdiction. Back east, Lewis F. Moulton decided to leave home at twenty years old on a daring adventure to California. His future business partner, Jean Pierre Daguerre, journeyed to California as a French Basque sheepherder. Visit 1874: Into the West until summer 2024 in Laguna Hills.

At Moulton Museum, we offer a free Google and Apple app by Arcanforce that provides an augmented tour of the site.

John Wayne Airport Arts & Culture Program

We co-curated the John Wayne Airport Pioneer Spirit exhibit. Working with the JWA Arts Program, Moulton Museum had an eleven-panel, 792 sq. ft. exhibition housed between Terminals B and C on the second floor, the departures level, prior to security. 

Nellie Gail Moulton at Soka University

Nellie Gail Moulton: Through the Eyes of a Pioneer Woman tells the story of Nellie’s arrival from Kansas to California at the turn of the century. Nellie Gail Moulton (1878 – 1972) belongs to a larger movement of female artists who have recently gained significant recognition for their contributions to the arts. Nellie created art throughout her entire life and studied with renowned artists such as William Wendt, Frank Cuprien, Edgar Payne, and Anna Hills who are featured in the gallery. Nellie oversaw Moulton Ranch from 1938-1950 with her daughters Charlotte and Louise. Nellie’s collection of en plein air paintings and sketches are shown along Jane Barnes’ watercolors, her granddaughter. This exhibit showcases Nellie’s life as a pioneer who ushered a new era for Orange County arts and education.

Jeff Sewell's Back to the Ranch - 2023

The exhibit “Back to the Ranch” consists of fifteen new paintings by award-winning artist Jeff Sewell. Capturing the natural beauty of Aliso and Wood Canyons, this land was once comprised of the historic Moulton Ranch. The park was part of Moulton Ranch, a 21,723 acre farming and ranching operation. 

Nellie’s Gallery at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center - April 6 – May 26, 2023

1874 in Laguna Hills - 2022

Jennifer Keil and Cindy Keil, the Moulton Museum Directors, curated “1874: Into the West.” Keil was in the OC Register article for the Moulton Museum opening. We debuted Moulton Museum in Laguna Hills on September 2nd & 3rd, 2022. We had nearly 1,000 visitors over the course of two days.

The Art of Nellie Gail Moulton

The Keils co-curated The Art of Nellie Gail Moulton at LCAD Gallery. An avid en plein air painter, Nellie belongs to a larger movement of female artists who have recently gained significant recognition for their contributions to the arts. Nellie created art throughout her entire life and studied with renowned artists such as William Wendt, Anna Hills, Frank Cuprien, and Edgar Payne (also showcased within this exhibition). Her work captures the rich beauty of nature, expressing her keen eye for detail and impressive use of color.

Creative Mornings Field Trip hosted on

Aliso Viejo Ranch - 2019-2020

In the spring of 2019, the Aliso Viejo City Council approved the construction contract for the city’s Aliso Viejo Ranch plan, paving the way for an historic project on the last remaining parcel of the 22,000-acre Moulton Ranch.

The multi-disciplinary Aliso Viejo Ranch project at 100 Park Avenue preserves and restores historically significant buildings, artifacts and farming implements from the 1800s and highlights the importance of the agricultural past of Orange County, the state of California and Western United States while demonstrating the future of sustainable agriculture and aquaponics.

The Keils collaborated the city of Aliso Viejo and the Moulton Museum on the interpretive plan for the 7.7 acre site. The founder of Moulton Ranch, Lewis Fenno Moulton, is honored in the new barn display exhibit. See the Aliso Viejo Exhibit – QRCode – Moulton Museum for more information.

70 Degrees Lab

Partnerships are crucial to the longevity of our work such as our participation at UCI Applied Innovation. We created 3D scans of artifacts for visitors to sample and experience at this lab facility. We developed machine learning applications and analysis for digital archives. AI technology is changing the archiving field. Machine learning and predictive analysis is adding new metadata to digital photos. We are harnessing AWS and open source API to provide databases this application.

PAST PROJECTS

The Keils collaborated with Casa Romantica on the Who Was Nellie Gail Moulton? exhibit and wrote a Field Note on this installation. The Keils are working on opening the Moulton Museum in summer 2022. This site will contain the 22,000 acres history of the Moulton Ranch and contemporary exhibits in Laguna Hills. The collection contains art, furniture, personal papers, ranching equipment, titles, and photos. These materials describe early Orange County history. They demonstrate the rapid change from farming, sheep to cattle, and corporate development of modern cities.

We collaborated with the Laguna Woods History Center for it’s 40th anniversary celebration exhibit with the Moulton Museum. We curated the OC Register featured exhibit that featured Nellie Gail Moulton and Jane Barnes’ artwork along with a series of Moulton family photos. The exhibit had an opening event on October 24th, 2017 from 4:00-6:00 p.m.

Watch Jennifer’s interview for Visit Newport Beach at 01:17 to 03:31 for the history of Balboa Island.

Cindy and Jennifer implemented an oral history program at the Balboa Island Museum in 2014. The collection contains over fifty interviews. As part of the final installation of this project, Cindy created highlight reels that were installed in a viewing station. The institution now has four videos which appeal to a wide audience and can be referenced by the docent led tours.

Bert Minshall, former yacht Captain, Jennifer Keil, and Dr. David Freeman, the Finest Hour editor, celebrate John Wayne and Winston Churchill’s connection on board the Wild Goose.

As the former Museum Director of Balboa Island Museum, Jennifer trained the docents in the history of the area. She curated, installed, or researched the following exhibits: Birth of an Island, Buddy Ebsen House and Museum displays, Arts of the Ancient Mariner, Balboa Island Yacht Club, Newport Beach Police Department display, Love Letters & Kewpie Dolls, Hall China exhibit, Lido Isle Yacht Club, and John Wayne Centennial exhibit with the family foundation. She worked with Sherman Garden’s on a collaborative Visit Newport Beach Inc. lobby exhibit. The organization was featured in the Pelican Hill Magazine.

She enhanced the docent and volunteer manuals to better support their day-to-day guided tours. She helped develop Educational Programming with Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts curriculum. She created a high school and university internship program where they taught the education programs and managed the archive database.

Jennifer enjoys sharing her museum experiences in webinars. The History Department at California State University, Fullerton hosted Careers in History Webinar – Museums and History Centers in May 2017 to showcase professionals in the field. She participated as a panel member in October 2015 for the CSUF Careers in History Webinar – Public History. Jennifer serves on the History Department Alumni Advisory Council.

Brea Museum and Historical Society held the Summer 2012 exhibit titled “Home-Making in Brea.” Jennifer worked with a team of students who researched the Arts and Crafts Movement in the 20th and 21st centuries. We primarily focused on the construction of local bungalows and the domestic arts. She helped conduct interviews with community leaders, designed exhibit layouts, created the museum’s exhibit logo, secured community partnership with Lowe’s Home Improvement, and local citizens for exhibit donations. Jennifer and Cindy also helped install and deconstruct the exhibit.

The Richard Nixon Museum asked CSUF graduate students to create a prospective centennial exhibit in 2013. Jennifer designed an interactive Title IX Exhibit PowerPoint presentation with primary source videos and oral history clips. This presentation was given to the director of the museum along with a list of additional resources.

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Ryan Foland’s 3-1-3 radio show aired with 70 Degrees Founder Jennifer Keil on August 22, 2018. They conversed about historic preservation techniques used for family, corporate, and local history. Museums are developing unique platforms for you to experience the past with innovative platforms. Digitization methodology and future trends are discussed.

Jennifer participated the inaugural episode for The Makeup Historian’s podcast where they discussed 21st century historians and digital history trends. She was a guest in Ep. 7: Jennifer Keil – Red Lipstick Research.

Jennifer was invited to deliver a public presentation on WWII fashion at the Fullerton Public Library in October 2014. “Bombshells: Feminism, Fashion, and Factories” explored how women experienced a shift in social identity by their clothing, home-life, and workplace during the war. This presentation was part of a series of lectures that were given by two CSUF professors on WWII topics.Radio is a great medium to showcase a variety of institutions. Jennifer was a guest at the California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) Titan Radio Show: {ism} Radio show 3/25/2014. She discussed her research on WWII women. Keil also participated in KUCI’s Vintage Orange show in November 2016 sharing the history of Balboa Island.

Watch Jennifer’s interview for Visit Newport Beach at 01:17 to 03:31 for the history of Balboa Island.