Nonprofit Museum of Ancient Wonders brings antiquities to Cathedral City

Thanks to Hollywood, dinosaurs are very much back in style. The success of the "Jurassic Park" films has created much interest and curiosity in the prehistoric world of these massive creatures.

The latest installment of the blockbuster franchise has just opened, with is perfect timing for the new Museum of Ancient Wonders in Cathedral City. Those of us living here in the Coachella Valley are very lucky. Thanks to this new museum, we can learn all we ever wanted to know about dinosaurs and so much more.

The museum's founder, Alberto Acosta, is an ancient history buff and has collected an amazing array of antiquities over the years — some authentic and some replicate — from our world's very beginning.

"We offer exhibitions of replicated and genuine treasured artifacts from the world of ancient civilizations and scientifically produced laboratory-cast fossils of important discoveries of prehistoric life," Acosta says. "It's been a passion of mine for many years. MOAW is a new and unique museum devoted to world-wide discoveries in the fields of paleontology, paleoanthropology and archaeology, rarely experienced outside of larger communities. We are so happy to bring it to the Coachella Valley."

Lucky us! He wanted to bring this collection of antiquities to our valley because he knew we have a wonderful and very supportive art community,  but most of the focus is on contemporary and modern art. He wanted to share these ancient artifacts with us — especially with our large student population.

"There are over 70,000 students in the Coachella Valley," he says. "Most have probably never had access to a museum like this. My business partner, Joseph McCabe, and I are committed to educating these young people, and we are excited that films like 'Jurassic Park' have created so much interest."

In addition to his indoor museum, a few months ago Acosta curated his outdoor Jurassic Wonders installation on Palm Canyon in Cathedral City. Artist Ricardo Breceda created the impressive eleven life-sizes metal dinosaurs, and because it's so unique, free and open to the public it's caused quite a lot of attention with locals and tourists. All ages find themselves stopping to check out the exhibit, snapping photos and enjoying the written commentary the museum has posted next to each display.

It was all once just an aspiration for this ancient history buff, but finally creating it has become a dream come true and understandably a very expensive enterprise. To help the nonprofit continue its mission to educate our valley about our ancient roots, we award the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation Power of Community $1,000 grant to the Museum of Ancient Wonders.

Congratulations to Acosta and McCabe.

"This museum is a place where the past enlightens the present and guides a path towards the future," McCabe says. "History can teach us so much. We love seeing the excited faces of our visitors when they see these antiquities up close."

Visitors will find more than 300 artifacts and fossils, all fully curated into distinctive and one-of-a-kind exhibitions. There is also a new impressive Asian collection that has many authentic artifacts. It's a perfect way to spend a cool afternoon this summer as our desert temperatures heat up.

"To experience these antiquities in person in our museum setting is very special," Acosta says. "Please join us for a trip back in time."

The Museum of Ancient Wonders is located at 69-028-B East Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City. For more information, visit moaw.org or call (442) 268-5004.

If you know of a deserving volunteer who would love to have their nonprofit awarded the Power of Community grant, please email us at giving@desertsun.com. Include the name of the volunteer, the nonprofit they support and a few comments on why they are so deserving.

Sandie Newton is an award-winning broadcast journalist who began her career in Los Angeles as co-host of the nationally syndicated show "PM Magazine." She went on to host many local and national shows like "Hollywood Insider" before becoming one of the original anchors for E! and a regular on Hallmark Channel's "Home & Family." In 2017, she moved to the desert full time, creating and hosting NBCares for more than six years, profiling more than 300 valley nonprofits. She is now the host of "Living Better," airing locally on KESQ, CBS2 and Fox.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Museum of Ancient Wonders brings antiquities to Cathedral City