Wed, Dec 10, 2025
Ginger Shulick Porcella
When Was the Last Time You Felt Awe?
When was the last time you felt awe?
That sudden quiet of the heart when something stops you in your tracks—the ocean’s power, the pull of an artwork, a song that feels like it was written just for you, or a child’s eyes lighting up with discovery.
Awe is “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your understanding of the world.”(1) It connects us to something larger than ourselves. It reminds us that beauty, courage, and kindness are all around us—if we take a moment to notice.
As the MAH approaches its 30th Anniversary in 2026, we are exploring awe more intentionally. And we discovered something: writers, community organizers, artists, and nonprofit leaders across Santa Cruz are also thinking deeply about awe—how it inspires us and promotes connection, humility, and meaning. It seems our community was already having this conversation; we are simply joining in.
Here in Santa Cruz County, the MAH is one of the central places designed to spark those awe-filled moments. In a politically divisive time, creativity and culture help us to imagine a different, more inclusive future. A strong cultural life sustains our wellbeing and helps us make meaning. The MAH works alongside our many nonprofit and community leaders to support the greater Santa Cruz community in both body and soul.
Every MAH exhibition, program, and community gathering is an invitation—to wonder, to see our neighbors in a new light, and to remember what binds us together in this diverse, creative place we call home.
When you walk into the MAH, you don’t just see art and history—you feel them. You witness moral beauty in the courageous stories of those who came before us. You experience communal belonging at Día de los Muertos, Qingming Festival, First Fridays, and the many other gatherings that reflect who we are—together.
A visitor's perception is expanded and transformed by art and visual design, and by the unexpected connections made in our venues. A walk through Evergreen Cemetery invites contemplation and recalls the mystery and impermanence of life. We connect to something larger through art, ideas, and shared experience.
As we look toward 2026, we invite you to join the community conversation. Take a moment to learn a bit how people in Santa Cruz County are thinking about awe, then put that into action. Visit the museum to find a story or artwork that resonates with you, or attend an event that shifts your habitual way of thinking and helps you see and feel the world differently. Then engage in conversation with others about this experience.
The MAH will be creating many opportunities for belonging in the coming year. We hope you will join us.
1. Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (New York: Penguin Press, 2023)
Membership
Already a MAH Member? Thank you! Not a member yet? Join today and help us celebrate the MAH's 30th Anniversary!