The Museum Association of New York (MANY) is thrilled to announce that 98 museums from across New York State have been selected to participate in “Building Capacity, Creating Sustainability, Growing Accessibility”, an IMLS CARES Act grant project designed to help museums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic share their collections and reach audiences who cannot physically visit their museums. 200 staff will be trained to use new hardware and software to develop programs that will engage their communities and reach new audiences.
“We are honored to be awarded IMLS CARES act funding and excited to be able to make an impact on the work of our colleagues and their museums across New York State,” said Erika Sanger, MANY Executive Director. “We are living in an age of transition, experience a radical shift in our ways of learning and communicating. The group selected captures the diversity of our shared history in NY and our nation. The stories embodied in the museums’ collections and the storytelling talents of their interpretive staff are the heart of the project.”
In this two-year project, museums will identify a program to virtually deliver to their audiences, focusing on developing programs from stories found in their collections that reveal cultural and racial diversity in their communities.
“We are delighted to have been chosen for this project and cannot wait to get started,” said Brenna McCormick-Thompson, Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor Curator of Education. “We feel we’ve only just begun to tap into the potential virtual programming has to serve our community.”
“Your support in expanding our virtual programming will help us to further engage our community and tell stories in an authentic way,” said Miranda Sherrock, Rome Historical Society Museum Educator.
“We are looking forward to the assistance with new technologies and hardware for delivering innovative and culturally relevant content to our existing and new audiences, as well as the valuable experience of working in a cohort of organizations,” said Gabrielle Graham, Community Partnerships & Adult Programs Manager, Buffalo Museum of Science, Tifft Nature Preserve.
Project Participants by NYS Regional Economic Development Region
Capital Region
Albany Firefighters Museum
Crailo State Historic Site
FASNY Museum of Firefighting
Hart Cluett Museum
Historic Cherry Hill
Irish American Heritage Museum
Schenectady County Historical Society
Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site
Slate Valley Museum
The Children's Museum of Saratoga
The Hyde Collection
The Olana Partnership
The Sembrich
Thomas Cole National Historic Site
Underground Railroad Education Center
Central NY
Canal Society of NYS
Children's Museum of Oswego
Colgate University Museums
Erie Canal Museum
National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum
Oneida Community Mansion House
Onondaga Historical Association
Seward House Museum
Finger Lakes
Finger Lakes Museum
Gates Historical Society
Genesee Country Village & Museum
George Eastman Museum
Holland Purchase Historical Society
National Women's Hall of Fame
Rochester Museum & Science Center
Seneca Falls Historical Society
Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion
Waterloo Library and Historical Society
Long Island
Eastville Community Historical Society
Hofstra University Museum of Art
Long Island Explorium
Nassau County Museum of Art
Planting Fields Foundation
Southampton African American Museum
Southampton History Museum
The Cradle of Aviation
The Whaling Museum & Education Center
Mid-Hudson
Boscobel House and Gardens
D & H Canal Historical Society
Ellenville Public Library & Museum
Gomez Mill House
Historical Society of Newburgh Bay
Hudson River Maritime Museum
Mid-Hudson Children's Museum
Mount Gulian Historic Site
Museum at Bethel Woods
Percy Grainger House
Putnam Art Council
Westchester Children's Museum
Mohawk Valley
Arkell Museum & Canajoharie Library
Fulton County Historical Society
Munson-Williams Proctor Arts Institute
Old Fort Johnson
Rome Historical Society
Schoharie County Historical Society
NYC
Children’s Museum of the Arts
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum
El Museo del Barrio
Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Queens College
Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning
King Manor Museum
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
Museum at Eldridge Street
Museum of the City of NY
New York City Fire Museum
New York Transit Museum
Historic Richmond Town
Staten Island Museum
The Studio Museum in Harlem
Voelker Orth Museum
Wave Hill
North Country
Akwasasne Cultural Center and Museum
Fort Ticonderoga
John Brown Lives!
North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association
Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site
Southern Tier
Arnot Art Museum
Art Center of the Southern Finger Lakes
Hanford Mills Museum
Roberson Museum and Science Center
Schuyler County Historical Society
The Bundy Museum of History and Art
The History Center in Tompkins County
The Rockwell Museum
Western NY
Buffalo History Museum
Buffalo Museum of Science, Tifft Nature Preserve
Herschell Carrousel Factory Museum
Chautauqua County Historical Society
Fenton History Center
Robert H. Jackson Center
Salamanca Rail Museum
The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts
Western New York Railway Historical Society
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [CAGML-246991-OMLS-20].
Project Participant Map
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About IMLS
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation's approximately 120,000 libraries and 35,000 museums and related organizations. The agency’s mission is to inspire libraries and museums to advance innovation, lifelong learning, and cultural and civic engagement. Its grant making, policy development, and research help libraries and museums deliver valuable services that make it possible for communities and individuals to thrive. To learn more, visit www.imls.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
About MANY
The Museum Association of New York inspires, connects, and strengthens New York’s cultural community statewide by advocating, educating, collaborating, and supporting professional standards and organizational development. MANY ensures that New York State museums operate at their full potential as economic drivers and essential components of their communities. To learn more, visit www.nysmuseums.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
