Welcome to the September edition of This Month in NYS Museums! In this newsletter... | | | 2023 Snapshot of New York State Museums | | | | | 116 New York State museums responded to the Museum Association of New York's survey from all ten REDC regions, with representation from museums of multiple disciplines and budget sizes. MANY compared this data to the American Alliance of Museum's 2023 National Snapshot of United States Museums, field in March and April 2023 by Wilkening Consulting with 340 museum responses. While NYS museums are trending at the same rate as nationally reported data in some areas, in other areas they are lagging behind. | | | | | Taking Initiative: Fort Ticonderoga and the Creation of the Northern Department | | | | | More than fifty organizations, museums, and historic sites from across New York. Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Canada have joined together to create the 250th Northern Department, an initiative led by Fort Ticonderoga as part of its plans for the national 250th commemoration of the American War for Independence. This initiative will promote and market regional historic sites during the commemorative period from 2024 to 2027 through print and digital content. “Fort Ticonderoga was in a great position to take the lead, as a private nonprofit, a major destination, and historically the hub of the Northern Department” said Beth Hill, Fort Ticonderoga President and CEO. The Fort will build, fund, develop, and serve as the lead organizer for this multi-state and US-Canada partnership. | | | | | Letter from Erika: Ask the Governor to Support New York's History | | | Trojan Greens Officer's Coatee, Troy, New York, wool, brass, silver, 1809-1815, Collection of Fort Ticonderoga | The strength of our combined voices is our superpower. When we come together to speak out on an issue, we can be loud and we can be heard. Sometimes advocating for New York’s history, art, and cultural organizations is the most gratifying part of my job. Other times, it is the most challenging work I do. Sue Storm bends light to become invisible, Superman steels himself with his cape, and Wonder Woman’s bracelets deflect projectiles. On days when I feel like there are huge obstacles separating our state’s history, art, and cultural organizations from those who can help, I close my eyes, and in my imagination, I put on the coat pictured above, tuck all of you in my pockets, take a deep breath, and start again. One of the biggest challenges I have faced in the past year is raising awareness of the critical need for a Semiquincentennial Commission in New York. I am asking you to add your voice now before New York’s contributions to our nation’s history are left behind in the 2026 commemorations. | | | | | | | MANY is committed to salary transparency. As of June 1, 2022 all job postings require a salary range. | | | | | Hiring? MANY Organizational and Industry Members post museum jobs for free. For other job posting opportunities, please contact the MANY office at info@nysmuseums.org or call 518-273-3400 | | | | | Join MANY this summer and fall for a series of virtual programs. All virtual programs are free and open to the public. Check back for more virtual programs! Virtual programs are made possible by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. | | | | |
Centering Cultural Competency Friday, October 6, 2023 12 - 1:30 PM EST Join three museum leaders to learn about and discuss how to commit to Cultural Competency, a framework to mitigate organizational bias through immersive learning experiences. Presenters will share strategies that improve internal operations, cultural awareness, knowledge, understanding, and cultural literacy. Discussion will focus on commitment to growth, how to cultivate a sense of belonging within our institutions, and implementing actions that address public discontent with diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and justice. | | | | | | |
Rediscovering and Leveraging Your Museum Collection Friday, October 13, 2023 12 - 1:30 PM EST Rediscovering and Leveraging Your Museum Collection will explain how, over the past seven years, the Everson Museum curatorial and collections staff have implemented forty-two innovative exhibitions primarily featuring work from the Museum's collection as a way to increase access to collection objects and as a collections management tool. This webinar will provide concrete examples and statistics from Everson Museum exhibitions in order to give attendees strategies to apply at their respective museums. | | | | | | |
Are You Still Lecturing? How to Engage Students with Primary Sources Using Visual Thinking Strategies Friday, October 20, 2023
12 - 1:30 PM EST As primary sources, three-dimensional artifacts represent an opportunity to explore difficult topics with diverse students in the classroom. Participants will work with educators and historians from the NYS Museum and classroom educators to explore ways to implement Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) when analyzing three-dimensional objects as primary sources to engage all students. Attendees will gain insight into choosing artifacts from their own collections that resonate with curriculum requirements and that address the stories of marginalized and under represented New Yorkers. | | | | | | |
Social Media Savvy: Thinking Big, Working Smart Friday, October 27, 2023
12 - 1:30 PM EST In an increasingly digital landscape, the ability to use social media as a tool for building communities and driving followers to take action is becoming increasingly important, if not essential, for museums. Social media allows institutions to speak directly to their constituents, but also affords the ability to reach a much larger audience than those who walk through your doors. While the possibilities can seem endless it may also feel overwhelming. This session explores the basics of establishing a strong digital community, creating content using existing resources, showcasing collections, building followership, and motivating digital audiences to take action online. | | | | | | | | | Regional Meet-Ups and Roundtable Discussions | If you were to open a museum tomorrow, what would you prioritize? Would you invest in your staff? Public programming? Justice and equity? What would you keep? What would you change? Join your colleagues and MANY for regional roundtable discussion about the future of our museums based on the recently published collection of essays "Change is Required: Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Museum."* Meet-ups and discussions are free; advance registration required. Limited space available. *Reading this book is not a requirement for participation. | | | | | | | | | | | | | Meet MANY and your Western NY museum colleagues at Buffalo AKG Art Museum on Thursday, October 26 from 4 - 6 PM. | | | | | | | Meet MANY and your Mohawk Valley museum colleagues at Munson on Thursday, November 9 from 4 - 6 PM. | | | | | | | Meet-Ups and Roundtable Discussions are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
| | | Funding Opportunities Preservation League of NYS –Technical Assistance Grants Technical Assistance Grants are available to eligible NYS nonprofits and municipalities. The TAG Program provides support for planning studies or analyses of New York State’s historic resources that serve an arts and/or cultural function. TAG funds consulting reports only, completed by architects, engineers and/or other design and preservation professionals. These grants do not fund capital construction costs, architectural plans and specifications, schematic designs, or construction documents. Pre-application deadline is Monday, October 9 Grant application deadline is Friday, October 20 Learn more Institute of Museum and Library Services Museums and related organizations across the United States have six opportunities in the coming months to apply for grants from the nation’s primary source of federal funding for museum services. The Institute of Museum and Library Services is now accepting applications for six grant programs: Applications for all six programs are due on November 15, 2023. Applicants should review the notices of funding opportunity carefully to understand each program’s specific goals and objectives, which reflect the agency’s focus on championing lifelong learning, strengthening community engagement, and advancing collections stewardship and access. New York State Council on the Arts Capital Projects Fund Up to $37 million in capital funding is available to nonprofit arts and culture organizations through the New York State Council on the Arts' Capital Projects Fund. The Fund has two grant categories: Small and Midsized Capital Improvement Grants and Large Capital Improvement Grants. NYSCA's Capital Projects Fund will support arts and cultural nonprofits seeking State funding for investments in capital improvements that allow organizations to sustain and expand cultural programming for diverse audiences, promote accessibility and environmental sustainability, preserve and create jobs, and ultimately contribute to the growth of New York's dynamic arts and tourism sectors.
Applications due January 11, 2024
Learn more | | | From the field... From Museum Hue Hueniversity: Career Jumpstart is a series of virtual workshops that uplift emerging Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and all People of Color (BIPOC) in the arts and culture field. Starting on September 28th with Find Your Why: How to Curate a Fulfilling Career in the Arts and Culture Field and ending in January with an in-person convening, the series of workshops consists of conversations and presentations led by experts in the arts who will provide insight into their career path and offer tools on building a network, resume, and cover letter writing, internship preparation, and more. Hueniversity: Career Jumpstart provides actionable steps to support emerging arts professionals seeking guidance on navigating the arts and culture space. Learn more Preserving Our Historical Sites
Join Museum Hue on Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at the Albany Institute for Preserving Our Historical Sites panel discussion. There will be a light breakfast hour from 9:00am – 10:00am, and a panel discussion from 10:00am – 12:00pm. Museum Hue has been working on providing programming which stems from the research, findings and recommendations in the HueArts NYS Brown Paper report, which highlights the importance of physical space and built environment for POC-led arts stability. The core of this program stems from the need for the creation of more opportunities that allow place-based POC-led arts entities to continue supporting their communities. We are focusing on Preserving Our Historical Sites for this program as we are interested in amplifying the storied history of not only NYS, but specifically the capital region.Learn more American Alliance of Museums' Future of Museums Summit Each year, AAM’s Center for the Future of Museums releases TrendsWatch, a forecasting report outlining the emerging phenomena impacting the museum field. This year, take an in-depth exploration into TrendsWatch from wherever you are at the virtual Future of Museums Summit to connect with hundreds of museum professionals and gain tactical strategies to help you plan for a brighter future. Learn more and use the code NY10OFF for 10% off registration: summit.aam-us.org
| | | | | | | What's happening at your museum? How is your museum growing institutional resources, including welcoming new staff and board members and securing funding for projects, how is your museum working with their community and visitors; and how we use our exhibitions and collections in new ways. The deadline to submit for the October “This Month in NYS Museums” newsletter is October 13. Email meves@nysmuseums.org | | | | | | |
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