PRESS ADVISORY
CONTACT: Sheila Mc Daniel
Email: smcdaniel@nysmuseums.org

Over 400 museum professionals from New York State Gather in Ithaca to Provide Local Economic Boost and Discuss Federal Funding Cuts

April 5, 2025, Ithaca NY, MANY officially opens its 2025 annual conference, “Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Out,” 400 museum professionals from around the state will converge at the brand-new state of the art Ithaca Conference Center.

Over the past few years, New York’s museums have placed a greater emphasis on fostering and deepening their community connections, aligning and elevating institutional missions while strengthening education, sustainability, and a crucial sense of civic belonging. Nearly 90 percent of American museums now center their audiences and communities in their mission and vision statements. Their missions and work focus on expanding and diversifying their audiences and engaging with their local communities. 

But what is community? Who are the members of our communities? How can we evaluate our internal structures to help us better understand our organization, define our audiences, and serve our communities? How do we bring all communities together to support our field? How can we support and develop our internal community of staff, volunteers, and board members? How can we advocate for funding that meets operational capacity needs and includes equitable staff support? What changes do we need to make to prioritize the health and well-being of our museum workforce that will support the longevity and sustainability of our institutions and strengthen our ability to build meaningful community relationships?

When our stories are silenced, it’s a loss to all humanity. Museums are not luxuries; they are keepers of truth, and we will not lose ourselves—or let others lose us—to the erasure of history. 

The Museum Association of New York (MANY) is a statewide organization dedicated to supporting museums and cultural institutions across New York. As an affiliate of national organizations like the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), we strongly support their efforts at the federal level and continue to collaborate with the Consortium of State Museum Associations and peer organizations nationwide.

In February, the MANY Board issued a statement , which we continue to stand behind. Recent developments have only deepened our commitment to that message.

This week, we learned that federal funding for MANY’s state-wide project, A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy, has been terminated. The $493,284 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) was a critical investment in civic engagement and museum-community partnerships. 

We are not alone. Our members and partners across the state are feeling the impact. For instance, the Museum of the City of New York recently received notice that its $100,000 NEH grant for Changing the Face of Democracy: Shirley Chisholm at 100 exhibition was terminated. The project included a school curriculum honoring the legacy of the first Black woman elected to Congress.

MANY remains committed to federal and state advocacy efforts. As AAM President Laura Lott shared during Museums Advocacy Day 2023, “96 percent of the public supports federal funding for museums.” That public support has helped drive an 80% increase in funding for the Office of Museum Services at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) over the last decade. On the state level, our advocacy led to the passage of the Museum Study Act—New York’s first comprehensive census of chartered museums, now underway. 

Looking ahead, our 2025 annual conference, Cultivating Community: Looking In, Reaching Out, will bring together around 400 museum professionals from across New York State. This gathering is a vital opportunity to listen, learn, and strengthen our collective response to current challenges. We urge members and other institutions to complete our Federal Funding Impact Survey– CLICK HERE so we can better assess and respond to the needs in our field. 

Museums and related cultural institutions are essential economic drivers and community anchors. With an average return of $3-$10 for every public dollar invested, few industries can match the economic efficiency and civic value of the arts. We are actively pursuing support from private funders to help sustain our members during this time. 

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, MANY provided regranting, capacity building, and virtual programs to help museums stay connected and resilient. We will continue this work with the same spirit and determination. And we are thrilled to welcome our new Executive Director, Sarah Van Anden, who joins MANY at this critical moment to lead us forward. 

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More about MANY:

MANY helps shape a better future for museums and museum professionals by uplifting best practices and building organizational capacity through advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. MANY serves over 1,400 museums across New York State including museum studies professors and students, libraries and archives, and museum industry partners. 

MANY's members represent the full range of museum sizes, missions, disciplines, and geographic locations. At the end of 2023, MANY had 733 members with 1,063 staff bundled to their organizations’ accounts. Group memberships created in the past two years with the Historic House Trust of New York City and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation provide access to MANY resources and discounts for hundreds of museum professionals employed by New York City and the State.

The Board of Directors of The Museum Association of New York is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Van Anden as the new executive director effective April 7, 2025.

With decades of experience as an advocate, and exemplified leadership in museum engagement, expertise in fundraising and program development, and deep commitment to strengthening New York’s museum community as a whole, we are thrilled to welcome her as the new leader of the association.

Sarah brings a wealth of expertise and vision to MANY as the association advances our mission and vision in a climate of change MANY continues to raise the standard of service and professionalism for membership.

Sarah distinguished career expands through 15 years of experience in museum leadership, nonprofit management, and cultural advocacy. Most recently, she served as Programs & Finance Director at the Center for Curatorial Leadership, where she expanded funding, strengthened professional networks, and supported leadership development for museum professionals nationwide. Previously, she worked at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, overseeing annual funding for more than 140 cultural organizations.

More About Sarah:
Sarah Van Anden has worked to build bridges and strengthen relationships between artists, cultural professionals, and institutions. She maintains a wide network of creative and curatorial professionals and has diverse experience in collection and archive management, museum engagement, program design, communications, fundraising, strategic philanthropy, and nonprofit administration.

Previously, as Programs & Finance Director at the Center for Curatorial Leadership, Sarah led program planning, fundraising, communications, and strategic initiatives, working with Fellows, alumni, supporters, and the Board of Trustees to develop and carry out the organization’s full schedule of activities. Earlier in her career, Sarah was a Program Officer with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. There, as a member of the Programs Unit, she oversaw a portfolio of more than 140 New York City cultural organizations and helped distribute over $30 million annually through the Cultural Development Fund, the city’s open, competitive funding process for arts nonprofits. In an earlier position at the Shelley and Donald Rubin family office, Sarah was part of the curatorial team responsible for organizing exhibitions and programs extending from the Rubins’ philanthropic activities centered on art and social justice. Her additional experiences include roles with Eric Firestone Gallery, Ford Foundation Gallery, McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Art in America magazine, the Center for the History of Collecting at the Frick Art Reference Library, and Research and Academic Programs at the Clark Art Institute. She also previously served as vice president and treasurer on the board of AIGA NY (the New York chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts).

Sarah received her M.A. in the History of Art from Williams College, where she focused on art collecting in early modern Europe. She began higher education at the Community College of Philadelphia before completing her B.A. at Temple University and Tyler School of Art with a dual major in History and Art History.

Reflecting on her appointment, Ms. Van Anden shared: “MANY is an exceptional community, and the vibrant diversity of its membership is its greatest strength. I am truly honored to join as its next Executive Director. I believe in the transformative power of museums, and I am excited to support the advancement of institutions of all sizes in New York. I, too, am steadfast in my commitment to help shape a better future for our member organizations, their staffs, and the communities they serve. I’m thrilled to work with MANY’s board, staff and membership to bring its resources to the lives of New York residents and visitors, while advocating for museums across the state.”

As we prepare for our conference next week, “we salute and thank our interim executive director and past board member Ms. Sheila McDaniel for steering and steadying the ship and making sure we didn’t miss a beat,” said MANY Board Georgette Grier-Key. We also congratulate Sheila on her new role as the new COO for the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina.

“We have great anticipation and expectancy as we begin this new chapter for MANY. We are strong and resilient. The MANY board and dedicated staff are positioned to succeed, I’m looking forward to working with Sarah on this new Journey”, said Georgette Grier-Key.

We hope you join us in welcoming Sarah at MANY’s 2025 annual conference in Ithaca stop by say hello and introduce yourself and your museum.

Dear MANY Members,

The Museum Association of New York (MANY) is committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for museums and museum professionals across the state. We believe that museums play a vital role in shaping a more informed and compassionate society by engaging diverse communities and offering valuable opportunities for learning and growth. They serve as record keepers of our shared histories, preserving and interpreting the stories that shape our collective identity.

 As an organization dedicated to the advancement of best practices and institutional strength, MANY remains focused on empowering museums to enhance their impact, provide relevant programs, and engage with people from all walks of life. We recognize the importance of ensuring that all individuals, regardless of background or identity, feel welcome in these spaces.

 We are deeply concerned about the impact of recent shifts away from support for initiatives that promote diverse and inclusive approaches. These efforts are crucial for the continued growth and relevance of cultural institutions. We stand firm in our belief that museums must continue to evolve and support environments that reflect the rich diversity of our communities.

 MANY will continue to advocate for the resources and opportunities that allow museums to thrive, offering professional development, strategic training, and networking to strengthen their capacity to serve all people. We remain committed to collaborating with partners at the local, state, and national levels to ensure the continued success of museums in all their forms.

Board of Directors
The Museum Association of New York

The exhibition will be on view from February 20th through April 6th, 2025

The Museum Association of New York (MANY) today announced the next stop for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service Museum on Main Street exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America will be the Long Island Museum (LIM) in Stony Brook, NY.

“Long Island is full of inspiring stories of civic engagement and significant “firsts” in America’s 250 years of democratic history for civil rights and women’s rights,” said MANY Agora Project Fellow Ren Lee. “We are thrilled to work with the Long Island Museum as they use Voices and Votes as a launching point to engage with their community.”

The only Smithsonian Affiliate Institution in the Nassau-Suffolk region, LIM collects, preserves, interprets, and celebrates Long Island’s richly diverse past and its storied role in our nation’s history. 

“The Long Island Museum is honored to be involved in this statewide conversation about democracy,” said Co-Executive Director Joshua Ruff. “In our response exhibition and planned programs, we will especially explore how political participation throughout our region has expanded and been a shifting, challenging, and inspirational terrain over time.”

Building the Ballot Box will examine the role this region played in history from the Women’s suffrage movement, Civil Rights, and other movements in political history. This exhibition features key artifacts, including the Suffrage Wagon that traveled across New York State for public events advocating women’s suffrage in 1917. Other objects highlight regional trailblazers such as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black U.S. Congresswoman, and Geraldine Ferraro, the first female candidate nominated for Vice President by a major political party.

MANY is the statewide organizer for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s Museum on Main Street Program, which previously brought the “Water/Ways” exhibition to six New York museums in 2019. The Museum on Main Street program offers traveling exhibitions, educational resources, and programming across America to communities through local museums, historical societies, and other cultural venues.

The Voices and Votes exhibition will be on view in the Cowles Gallery of LIM’s History Museum. Building the Ballot Box will be on view directly adjacent to Voices and Votes, in the History Museum’s Main Gallery. These exhibitions will be accompanied by a series of programs, including a drop-in day for Girl Scouts on Friday, February 21st. For a full description of the exhibitions and programs, visit the Long Island Museum’s website: https://longislandmuseum.org/.

This exhibition is supported through a Market New York grant awarded by Empire State Development and I LOVE NY, New York State’s Division of Tourism.

Learn more about the New York State tour of the Voices and Votes exhibition at https://agoranewyork.org/ and preview the full schedule of programming and events happening at the Long Island Museum.

 

# # #

Voices and Votes is a Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It’s based on an exhibition by the National Museum of American History. It has been made possible in New York State by the Museum Association of New York. Support for MoMS in New York State has been provided by the United States Congress.

“A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy” humanities discussion programs are made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Additional funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation supports public events, community exhibitions, free public lectures, workshops for teachers, and community discussion programs.

The exhibition will be on view from December 27, 2024 through February 7, 2025

The Museum Association of New York (MANY) today announced the next stop for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service Museum on Main Street exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America will be the Alice Austen House Museum on Staten Island. 

The exhibition will be at Eccleston Hall, the lower level of St John’s Episcopal Church, one block away from the Alice Austen House.

“One of the key themes of A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy and the Voices and Votes exhibition is the struggle for civil rights, voting rights, and equal participation in our democracy,” said MANY Agora Project Fellow Ren Lee. “As a photographer who documented LGBTQ+ life in New York, Austen’s photographs give us an intimate picture of women’s lives during an era of struggle for greater freedoms and the right to vote. We’re excited to have the opportunity to partner with the Alice Austen House to explore these themes through Austen’s lens and see how she and her circle participated in these efforts for representation.”

Largely self-taught, Austen’s photography challenged the social norms of her era, exploring themes of gender and identity. She photographed herself and her friends in unconventional ways, often subverting traditional gender roles, which reflected a progressive perspective on social boundaries. 

“The Alice Austen House is looking forward to collaborating on this project,” said Executive Director Victoria Munro. “It allows us to develop complementary programming that celebrates Alice Austen's role in organizing and community building while also recognizing the contributions of other women, both from her time and throughout history, to the advancement of American democracy.”

The Alice Austen House’s Study Gallery will host Documenting Democracy: The Austen Home and Community, a response exhibition in conjunction with the Voices and Votes exhibition. This initiative will feature an electronic slideshow reflecting Alice Austen’s significant contributions to community organization and volunteerism. Additionally, the exhibition will integrate recent materials highlighting Austen’s legacy, drawing connections to the museum’s mission of exploring personal identity and contemporary storytelling. Visitors will have the opportunity to actively engage with the exhibition by recording their reflections. These contributions will form part of a growing oral history archive, documenting personal narratives and connections to the principles of democracy. This interactive component aims to foster a deeper understanding of the historical and personal significance of democratic engagement.

MANY is the statewide organizer for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s Museum on Main Street Program, which previously brought the “Water/Ways” exhibition to six New York museums in 2019. The Museum on Main Street program offers traveling exhibitions, educational resources, and programming across America to communities through local museums, historical societies, and other cultural venues.

Learn more about the New York State tour of the Voices and Votes exhibition:https://agoranewyork.org/ and preview the full schedule of programming and events happening at the Alice Austen House.

Voices and Votes is a Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It’s based on an exhibition by the National Museum of American History. It has been made possible in New York State by the Museum Association of New York. Support for MoMS in New York State has been provided by the United States Congress.

“A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy” humanities discussion programs are made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Additional funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation supports public events, community exhibitions, free public lectures, workshops for teachers, and community discussion programs.

About the Museum Association of New York

The Museum Association of New York is the only statewide museum service organization with more than 780 member museums, historical societies, zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums. MANY helps shape a better future for museums and museum professionals by uplifting best practices and building organizational capacity through advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. Visitwww.nysmuseums.organd follow MANY on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn @nysmuseums

About the Alice Austen House Museum

The Alice Austen House Museum fosters creative expression, explores personal identity, and educates and inspires the public through the interpretation of the photographs, life and historic home of American photographer, Alice Austen (1866-1952). The Alice Austen House is a living breathing photographic resource, providing a platform for contemporary photographers to explore Austen’s legacy and make connections to the place she called home. The Alice Austen House and its surrounding waterfront park are a nationally designated site of LGBTQ+ history. The museum centers the 56 year relationship between Alice Austen and her life partner Gertrude Tate, providing an important window into pre Stonewall LGBTQ+ history and enriching our understanding of the important life and work of Alice Austen.

About St. John’s Episcopal Church

St. John’s Episcopal Church has been a pillar of faith, family, and friendship on Staten Island for over 175 years. Founded in 1843, the church has grown alongside the diverse communities it serves, welcoming individuals from all backgrounds, including the LGBTQ+ community. Known for its inclusive spirit and commitment to justice, St. John’s provides a sanctuary of acceptance and understanding, where everyone is invited to be their authentic selves.The church's current home on Bay Street was built in 1871 to accommodate a growing congregation. Over the years, St. John’s has embraced new waves of immigrants and worked to uphold its mission of love, hospitality, and equality, while also repenting for the sins of racism and white supremacy. Today, it is a vibrant, multigenerational community enriched by partnerships with organizations like the Boy Scouts of America, the United Staten Island Veterans Organization, Episcopal Charities, and Richmond Senior Services. Rooted in a deep belief in the transformative power of faith, St. John’s continues to celebrate diversity and foster meaningful connections that uplift its members and the wider community.

Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Supporters, 

MANY is stronger today than ever before. MANY continues to support, build, and uplift our members and its Board of Directors and dedicated staff have guided us through the current leadership transition with clarity so that MANY's important service to the field has not wavered. The great work of our members, individuals, and organizations speak to the incredible work of MANY. Over the last couple of years, we have seen the reopening of the new Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the groundbreaking in Albany of the Underground Railroad Education Center’s new Interpretive Center, and the launch of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Museum on Main Street “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” and “A New Agora for New York” humanities discussion series. We are so proud to be the designated partner for the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program, circulating Smithsonian-created exhibitions across New York State and facilitating capacity-building programming.  

"Voices and Votes" installation workshop at Preservation Long Island, March 2024

“Our community was excited and proud to host a Smithsonian exhibition, especially one as timely as “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America.” For Preservation Long Island, participation in the larger “A New Agora for New York” project helped strengthen our local partnerships, opened our doors to new audiences, and enhanced our capacity to create programs that center community voices and perspectives. We were challenged to rise to the occasion in a transformative way and we look forward to continuing to apply the new tools and skills we acquired through this experience to future Preservation Long Island projects!” –Lauren Brincat, Preservation Long Island

MANY’s work is not only focused on today but also on securing the future of museums through leadership development. That work is anchored in our Annual Conference. In 2024, over 400 museum professionals were able to gather in person, strengthen connections, learn together, and witness an eclipse. More than 1,500 people from more than 800 organizations in 20 countries and 46 states have joined us for webinars. All the educators, historians, curators, fundraisers, administrators, visitor service staff, executive directors, facility managers, board members, and volunteers we met with this year know they are not only working to inspire their visitors today and tomorrow but building their museums to serve generations to come. We were very excited to host another Museum Institute at Great Camp Sagamore last fall, bringing together twenty museum professionals from across New York State. Our Institute continues to provide transformative opportunities for museum professionals to come together and through facilitated discussions address critical issues affecting our field.

2023 Museum Institute attendees at Great Camp Sagamore in the Adirondacks

“The Museum Institute reinforced how much intersectionality there is between cultural organizations across disciplines, and how important it is to seek out those various perspectives to make your own work better,” –Museum Institute attendee

Our advocacy in Albany has led to a million dollars in appropriation to complete a comprehensive Museum Study. The work to secure this resource has been ongoing. We are excited to share the news that the work on The Museum Study has begun with the summer release of an RFP to identify the contractor. They will take a deep dive into the need of museums across the state, small to large, rural to urban, in every discipline, art, science, history and children museums throughout our state. The resulting data and report will help paint a picture that will show the full range and impact of New York’s museums and their most critical needs. Once that data is in hand, MANY will work to respond to those needs through direct service, collaboration, and advocacy.

2024 conference attendees experiencing the solar eclipse on the Empire State Plaza in front of the NYS Capitol Building in Albany.

“Thank you for being an articulate voice for the importance of museums in New York…MANY ensures that our museum community stays strong and united by showing innovation and persistence. I am grateful to MANY for being a beacon of positivity and purpose.” –MANY Member

All this work is vital and transformative for our members. We are fortunate to have funding partners who make our work possible. But more is needed to continue these efforts. We need your support to continue this important and impactful work and expand what we do. As we have shared in the past, we want to continue to create new ways to support museums and broaden our conversations to shape a shared vision for the future of museums in New York. 

So the work continues…

If you have visited a museum in New York State, attended our conference, virtual programs or meetups, called the office for assistance or used our website to find resources, we know you value the work we do. I hope you can help us now with a donation in any amount to sustain our work into 2025 and create opportunities for us to help you for years to come.

With thanks,

Sheila McDaniel, Interim Executive Director

Click here to donate

The exhibition will be on view at the Munson (left) from November 1 to December 13 and will coincide with Munson serving as a polling site. The Oneida History Center (right) will host a companion exhibit, “An Essential Feature of Democracy: Lucy Carlile Watson.”

The Museum Association of New York (MANY) announced the next stop for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service Museum on Main Street exhibition Voices and Votes: Democracy in America will be Munson Museum of Art in Utica, N.Y.

The exhibition coincides with Munson serving as a polling site for Utica’s Ward 5, District 7 and Ward 2, Districts 6 and 8. The museum anticipates hundreds of voters and visitors on Election Day.

“Voices and Votes stresses the personal experience of democracy,” said April Oswald, Munson Museum Education Director. “For example, at each venue, community members record their individual observations about what democracy means to them, animating real life events such as becoming a citizen and gaining the right to vote.”

“The Voices and Votes exhibition examines how voting rights have changed dramatically over our history as we confronted issues of race, class, wealth, and politics,” said MANY Deputy Director Megan Eves. “As Utica residents visit the Munson to exercise their right to vote, we hope they will explore this timely exhibition to learn and understand more about the democratic process and their role within it.”

Munson is partnering with Oneida County History Center to celebrate this exhibition in Utica. The History Center was founded in 1876 amid the excitement and anticipation for the U.S. Centennial and is dedicated to preserving and sharing Oneida County's history. The History Center has organized a companion exhibit, “An Essential Feature of Democracy: Lucy Carlile Watson.” Watson played an active role in bringing the women’s suffrage campaign to central New York. This exhibition showcases her life and the contributions of local women in achieving equality and enhancing the lives of those in their community. 

For additional programming as part of the “A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy” series, the History Center will host a scholar lecture, “Women Voted on this Land Before Columbus,” with Sally Roesch Wagner, Ph.D., a Syracuse University professor and major scholar on the suffrage movement who has taught women’s studies for over five decades. Roesch Wagner’s lecture will discuss how sovereign women of the Haudenosaunee Peoples in upstate New York may have shown early settlers how societies with empowered women could succeed.

“The History Center is excited to collaborate with Munson and Dr. Roesch Wagner to showcase local contributions and influences on the women’s suffrage movement and civic engagement,” said History Center Executive Director Rebecca McLain. “It is an honor to work across disciplines with these talented individuals. We encourage the public to visit both sites and hope they are inspired to learn more about their local and national history.”

MANY is the statewide organizer for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s Museum on Main Street Program, which previously brought the “Water/Ways” exhibition to six New York museums in 2019. The Museum on Main Street program offers traveling exhibitions, educational resources, and programming across America to communities through local museums, historical societies, and other cultural venues. 

This project is supported through a Market New York grant awarded by Empire State Development and I LOVE NY, New York State’s Division of Tourism.

Learn more about the New York State tour of the Voices and Votes exhibition: https://agoranewyork.org/ and preview the full schedule of programming and events happening at the Munson Museum of Art and the Oneida County History Center.

 

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Voices and Votes is a Museum on Main Street (MoMS) exhibition developed by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. It’s based on an exhibition by the National Museum of American History. It has been made possible in New York State by the Museum Association of New York. Support for MoMS in New York State has been provided by the United States Congress.

“A New Agora for New York: Museums as Spaces for Democracy” humanities discussion programs are made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Additional funding from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation supports public events, community exhibitions, free public lectures, workshops for teachers, and community discussion programs.

About the Museum Association of New York

The Museum Association of New York is the only statewide museum service organization with more than 780 member museums, historical societies, zoos, botanical gardens, and aquariums. MANY helps shape a better future for museums and museum professionals by uplifting best practices and building organizational capacity through advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. Visitwww.nysmuseums.organd follow MANY on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn @nysmuseums

About Munson

Munson is an internationally recognized fine arts organization in Utica, serving diverse audiences through the renowned Munson Museum of Art, live performances and events, community arts classes, and Pratt Munson College of Art and Design, the upstate extension campus of the prestigious Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Munson Museum of Art is at 310 Genesee St. in Utica. For more information, visitmunson.art.

About Oneida County History Center

Oneida County History Center (OCHC) is fueled by a passion for history, education, and community. Founded in 1876, its mission is to protect, preserve, and share the past of Oneida County and central New York. Free public programs, rotating exhibits, educational opportunities for all ages, and preservation of a vast archival and artifact collection are at the core of its mission. Oneida County History Center is at 1608 Genesee St. in Utica. Visitoneidcountyhistory.org for more information.

Eliza M. Benington is the Senior Director of Marketing and Engagement at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, where she has worked since 1990. She oversees the museum’s communications and marketing activities, publications, digital engagement, guest services, exhibitions, and programs.

She is Chair of the Art Museum Marketing Association Board and a Vice President and Marketing Committee Chair of the Museum Association of New York (MANY) Board.

A former member of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) board, Benington is past chair of the Public Relations and Marketing (PRAM) Professional Network of AAM.

She is an active member of Visit Rochester and is a past president of its active volunteer arm, the Visitor Industry Council. She is a recipient of the I Love New York Award for Cultural Tourism Promotion.

We spoke with Eliza to learn more about her career journey and what motivates her. 

MANY: What’s the first museum experience that you remember?

Eliza: My mom was from Boston, and I remember visiting the Boston Children’s Museum. I remember these very large objects, like a desk and a massive phone, that you climb on top of. I’m probably remembering them larger than they were because I was a child. This exhibit also had a big bowl-like mortar and pestle, focusing on maize and its use in many food products. It was a very hands-on experience, which is why I probably remember it, and it made such a lasting impression.

But when I think of the earliest museum experience that impacted me in the sense of a love for museums, I grew up in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Museum of American History, there was a large house, which, as a child, I remember thinking of it just as a large doll house. You would climb up these steps to look into it. It was “The Dolls’ House,” donated by Faith Bradford, which depicted a romantic view of the life of a large and affluent American family in the early 1900s. It has 23 rooms and contains more than 800 miniature items. I loved looking in and seeing these miniature dioramas  I felt transported back in time. I could stare at it forever.  My dad built me a doll’s house, which influenced me to collect miniatures, and I remember visiting “The Dolls’ House” with my son because it’s still on view. 

Can you tell me what growing up in Washington, DC was like?

It certainly fed my love of museums, especially growing up around the Smithsonian museums. My mom would take my siblings and me to museums often, and we would visit them all, anytime there was a new exhibition. I remember when the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was built and visiting it when it opened. Having museums intertwined with my childhood memories definitely impacted my career and is why I love museums. 

What experiences from previous jobs have been most helpful for your current role as the Senior Director of Marketing and Engagement at the George Eastman Museum?

I just celebrated 34 years at the Museum, so in some ways, I think I didn’t have many other museum jobs before my current role beyond the many different roles I’ve had at this museum and all the hats I’ve worn here over time. I worked in retail, which was a helpful experience in learning how to meet someone’s needs, develop customer service skills, and engage with the public. Then, right before I started at the Museum, I worked for an ad agency where I worked many different types of clients, including business-to-business public relations marketing. I appreciated this role because it was great to work on active problem-solving to understand each client's needs, what tools we use to help get the word out, etc. I used those skills when I started working at the Museum because our marketing department is a mini ad agency working on many different projects, from big picture things, our photograph or moving image collection or George Eastman’s Legacy Mansion Gardens. Each project we do reminds me of different projects within an agency, but here, we’re in-house. 

Because of this experience, I frequently tell museum people when they want to hire any marketing communications role to look to ad agencies. It’s a great resource for people, and I knew that I wanted to be intrinsically motivated in my job, so rather than having clients who were business-to-business, working at the Eastman Museum let me promote something I was passionate about: museums and photography. 

Over the past 34 years, my role has grown and changed, which I love. I started as the public relations manager and then expanded into marketing and visitor services, and now includes programming and education. It all works so well together, and it’s all very much part of the museum's public-facing part, providing the various programs but also connecting with the community, connecting with our audiences to help engage them, and all the different programs and offerings that we have.

What motivates you to do what you do? What do you get excited about? 

It’s sort of twofold. First, it’s the people I work with who keep me motivated. We have a great team with wonderful ideas and energy. I love working within a team.

Then, it’s the times when I’m interacting directly with visitors. If I could be in two places at once, I would want to be on the Museum floor all the time because you learn so much from the visitors, and you’re reminded that so much of what we’re doing is for the people walking through our doors. Whenever I can stop and chat with a visitor, I take it. 

What are some of your goals in your role?

The overarching goal is connecting with visitors. We never have the complete picture because it changes, but connecting with our visitors helps us understand our audiences, who we aren’t reaching, and how we can engage more with our local community. We’re a tourist destination with a high percentage of visitors from outside Rochester, though a our significant goal is connecting with our community. Right now we have a community outreach initiative that many staff members are involved with. We identify events in the community where we want to have a presence or, if we can, sponsor. It’s important to us to show up and support other community organizations and hopefully grow and create future partnership opportunities.

A number of those connections have helped us with projects in our new community gallery, Gallery Obscura, especially promoting youth photography and poetry. It’s really fulfilling to see projects like these come together. 

It's so important to expose students to career opportunities and we recently introduced an initiative where GEM employees present to middle school students in our programs about their own role at the museum in order to expose them to potential careers in the field.

Did your 18-year-old self imagine that you would be where you are today?

Absolutely not. Even when I saw the museum job posted, I thought I would need an art history background in order to work at a museum. I didn’t go to schools for museums, so I was unsure if I had the transferable skills from the ad agency in order to work within a museum. But every time I visited a museum, I would look for the photo exhibits, which was my passion. I saw it as an opportunity to work in an environment where I’m surrounded by history and art. 

We’re seeing more and more people coming from outside the museum field to take on museum marketing positions. It’s great to bring those varied perspectives. 

Can you describe a favorite day on the job?

In the broadest sense, my favorite day on the job is when we have large events because I can engage with so many people and work alongside our team. It’s times when I’m on the floor where something big is happening, and it’s exciting. I enjoyed our 50th anniversary where we had about 25,000 people through the museum as part of a celebration weekend. It was amazing energy.

Another memorable day was the one-year anniversary of 9/11. We had a series of exhibitions and held a candlelight vigil on the museum grounds, and about 2,000 people joined us. It was such a reminder that our community spaces can provide a space for people to come together. 

What is your superpower?

My superpower is that I am ridiculously positive. I think it’s a survival mechanism in some ways because it’s the attitude that we can figure it out, and it will all be ok. But I like the fact that I can bring that to the table. I think it’s good when you have a group of people around the table to have someone who’s the cheerleader.

Do you have any key mentors or someone who has deeply influenced you? Can you tell me about them?

I’ve been fortunate to have people that I could learn from. One was a public relations person manager at Kodak who took me under his wing and knew a lot about the Museum, was passionate about the Museum, and knew a lot about the photography world. He was a tremendous mentor early on in my career. Then I’ve had chairs of our marketing committee on our board who have been staunch advocates for marketing. It is important to know that you have those people in your corner, especially at the board level. 

Then, one of my supervisors, who was our Development Director, advocated for me to take on visitor services and then become senior staff. I learned a lot from her about how she managed people. She was a real champion for me.

Lastly, my ultimate mentor was my mom. She was a single working mom for most of my life and worked just shy of her 80th birthday. She would figure out how to fix things and had an incredible can-do attitude—the same attitude that I bring to the Museum. My mom had a tremendous influence on how I approached anything and gave me confidence that I could do anything.

Last year, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) received the most applications ever, making FY2024 the most competitive, especially in the Museums for America program category. In New York State, 43 museums were awarded $7,741,317 in IMLS grants in FY 2024.

This year, museums and related organizations across the United States have eight opportunities to apply for grants from the IMLS. 

Applications are due no later than November 15.

IMLS Grant Opportunities

21st Century Museum Professionals Program 

Grant Amount: $100,000 - $500,000

Grant Period: One to three years

Cost Share Requirement: You must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your IMLS request.

The 21st Century Museum Professional grant program supports projects that offer professional development to the current museum workforce, train and recruit museum professionals, and identify and share effective practices in museum workforce education and training. 

IMLS recognizes the important role of strong local and regional networks in providing peer-to-peer learning, training, and mentoring opportunities for the museum workforce. Partnerships among museums, museum-serving organizations, and higher education institutions are vital to expanding career pathways for broad groups of museum professionals throughout a city, county, state, region, or the nation. The 21MP Program encourages applications from museum associations, museum studies programs at higher education institutions, and museums that serve as essential parts of the professional learning and training environment.

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums   

Grant Amount: $5,000 - $75,000

Grant Period: One to three years

Cost Share Requirement: If your total request for federal funding is between $5,000 and $25,000, then no cost share is required. If your request for federal funding is between $25,001 and $75,000, you must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your IMLS request.

Inspire! Grants for Small Museums is a special initiative of the Museums for America program. It is designed to support small museums of all disciplines in a project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, policy development and institutional planning, technology enhancements, professional development, community outreach, audience development, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. 

Inspire! Has three project categories:

1. Lifelong Learning supports projects that position museums as unique teaching organizations. The goal is to empower people of all ages and backgrounds through experiential and cross-disciplinary learning and discovery. 

Objectives: 

In FY23, The Children’s Museum of the East End was awarded $50,000 to expand Estrellas de Lectura/Reading Stars, a reading mentorship program that improves special emotional learning skills and restores and supports reading fluency in bilingual children that were disproportionately affected by learning loss as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project includes gathering information through community meetings, recruiting and training reading mentors, updating the curriculum, and promoting the program through community partners. Students entering grades Kindergarten through fourth will meet with their reading mentors twice a week in the fall, winter, and spring at the museum’s Bridgehampton and Riverside locations. As a result, students will see improvements in their English reading fluency and general vocabulary, increased self-confidence, and improved social-emotional learning skills.

2. Institutional Capacity builds the capacity of small museums to serve their communities by supporting institutional planning and policy development, supporting recruitment, training, and development of museum staff, and supporting technology enhancements. 

Objectives

In FY24, the Underground Railroad Education Center (UREC) in Albany, NY was awarded $33,453 to develop a Museum Studies Teen Program for junior and high school students. Utilizing this funding, the UREC will offer a comprehensive out-of-school program to prepare students from low-income and/or marginalized backgrounds for a career in the museum field. This funding will help support hiring a full-time Program Manager, initiate partnerships for mentorship, develop a curriculum with input from external consultants, and recruit program participants. The project will result in a ready-to-implement plan that can be shared with other small museums wishing to replicate the program and their institutions.

UREC hopes to increase organizational capacity, engage with community youth, and help to diversify the museum workforce, benefiting student participants and the museum field as a whole.

3. Collections Stewardship and Access supports the role of museums as trusted stewards of museum collections. This program category focuses on the desire to improve long term collection care. It funds conservation treatments, rehousing projects, cataloging, and increasing collection access via digitization.

Objectives

In FY23, the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY, was awarded $50,000 to increase staff capacity to digitize two of its collections about the history of the Matthews Boat Owners Association (approximately 30,000 documents)  and the Richardson Boat Owners Association (approximately 5,000 documents, photographs, and works on paper). Project staff is working to catalog materials from these collections and make the collections diitally accessible online with a searchable collections database to benefit maritime historians and the public. 

Museum Grants for African American History and Culture 

Grant Amount: $5,000 - $500,000

Grant Period: One to three years

Cost Share Requirement: If your total request for federal funding is between $5,000 and $100,000, then no cost share is required. If your request for federal funding is between $100,001 and $500,000, you must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your IMLS request.

The Museum Grants for African American History and Culture (AAHC) program is designed to build the capacity of African American museums and support the growth and development of museum professionals at African American museums.

The AAHC program supports projects that nurture museum professionals, build institutional capacity, and increase access to museum and archival collections at African American museums and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

In FY23, the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission was awarded $100,000 to build the capacity of five African American anchor institutions in Buffalo, NY to develop and expand public programs and exhibitions by creating a Visitor Experience Plan. Representatives from the Michigan Street Baptist Church, the Nash House Museum, the Historic Colored Musicians Club and Museum, and WUFO 1080 AM Black Radio History Collective will collaborate with visitor experience consultants to produce the plan. These anchor institutions preserve stories, collections, and structures on themes ranging from the Buffalo Anti-Slavery Movement, and the Niagara Movement, to the Civil Rights Movement, and the Jazz Age. The visitor experience plan will shape future interpretation, exhibitions, and public wayfinding in the corridor through a cohesive narrative that tells the entire Michigan Street Corridor story.

In FY24, the Lewis Latimer House Museum in Queens, NY, was awarded $195,000 to hire staff to improve collections management and create a digital exhibition from the museum’s collection. In partnership with Queens Public Library, museum staff will digitize the Latimer Family Papers. The museum will hire a Collections Digitization Manager to train and supervise paid interns on digital asset management practices for the project. The museum will also hire a digitization specialist to implement digitization software for collections. Staff will travel to conduct collections research, informing the creation of a digital exhibition of the museum’s permanent collection. The digital exhibition will be available on the museum’s website as a free public resource.

*NEW* Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture 

Grant Amount: $5,000 - $500,000

Grant Period: One to three years

Cost Share Requirement: None

Museum Grants for American Latino History and Culture are designed to build the capacity of American Latino history and culture museums to serve their communities and broadly advance the growth and development of a professional workforce in American Latino institutions.

This is a new funding opportunity in FY25, and prospective applicants are encouraged to contact Senior Program Officer Gibran Villalobos at gvillalobos@imls.gov or click here to learn more.

Museums Empowered

Grant Amount: $5,000 - $250,000

Grant Period: One to three years

Cost Share Requirement: You must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your IMLS request.

Museums Empowered (ME) is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program. It supports projects that use the transformative power of professional development and training to generate systemic change within museums of all types and sizes.

IMLS recognizes the many challenges facing individual museums and the need to invest resources, time, and energy toward nurturing the professional development of staff and strengthening museum operations. The Museums Empowered grant program identifies four areas of museum operations to focus for professional development.

Digital Technology focused projects that will support the work of museum staff in using digital technology to enhance audience engagement, collections access, or general museum operations.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion focused projects that will increase cultural competency among museum staff and support the relevancy of museum programs through learning activities that strengthen their ability to connect with the communities they serve.

Evaluation focused projects that will enhance the ability of museum staff to understand a broad spectrum of evaluation methods and techniques and better use evaluation reports, data, and metrics to improve the design and delivery of programs.

Organizational Management focused projects that will help museum staff develop and implement effective practices in organizational management, human resources, and strategic planning in response to emerging internal or external priorities.

IMLS expects successful Museums Empowered projects to:

• Reflect a solid understanding of relevant theory and effective practices in professional development, organizational dynamics and change management.

• Engage staff, leadership, and volunteers in a series of training activities tied to directly to a key need or challenge.

• Generate systemic change or organizational growth that results in a more agile and sustainable museum.

In FY23, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in NYC was awarded $250,000 to create a new training program for supervisors of internship programs in the five New York City wildlife parks operated by WCS –the Bronx, Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos, and the New York Aquarium. The professional development training program will focus on positive youth development, cultural competence, supervising young adults, and mentoring and career support to help the intern supervisors develop the necessary skills to succeed in this important role. 

Project activities include hosting listening sessions with current intern supervisors to understand their needs, gathering existing training resources, developing a training curriculum, delivering supervisor training, and conducting training follow-ups. The new training program will ensure the internship program is effective, inclusive, and supportive, transforming the zoo into a more welcoming place, resulting in a broader representation of youth participating in the internship program.

Museums for America 

Grant Amount: $5,000 - $250,000

Grant Period: Up to three years

Cost Share Requirement: You must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of your IMLS request.

The Museums for America program supports museums of all sizes and disciplines in strategic, project-based efforts to serve the public through exhibitions, educational/interpretive programs, digital learning resources, professional development, community debate and dialogue, audience-focused studies, and/or collections management, curation, care, and conservation. 

In FY24, the Museums for America grant program awarded 115 projects, the most of any grant award program, 21 of which were awarded to NYS museums.

Museums for America has three project categories:

1. Lifelong Learning

In FY24, the Museum of the City of NY was awarded $249,920 to create programs and classroom resources aligned with New York City’s “Civics for All” public school initiative. The museum will convene a paid teacher advisory group to work with a curriculum consultant to develop educational resources for students in grades six through eight. The advisory group will also provide feedback on two new “Civics for All”-themed field trips. In addition, the museum will host several professional development programs for New York City teachers focused on civic engagement themes. To support project activities, the museum will contract with a curriculum consultant, project evaluator, graphic designer, and translation services to translate curriculum materials into Spanish to reach a broader student population. The new “Civics for All”-aligned curricula and field trips will reach an estimated 10,000 New York City students and teachers.

2. Community Engagement

In FY24, Genesee Country Village & Museum was awarded $188,841 to strengthen interpretation related to the history of enslavement in 19th century New York State. The project will focus on the educational interpretation of four historic buildings on site: the Nathaniel Rochester House, Land Office, Livingston-Backus House, and Quaker Meeting House. Staff will work with interpretive and educational consultants to create content and evaluation plans and train staff on content delivery. Staff will also work with local community partners and local and national subject experts to create and review in-person interpretation, exhibit, audio tour, and school program content.

3. Collections Stewardship and Access

In FY24, the Staten Island Museum was awarded $248,057 to build a collaborative approach to the stewardship of the Native American and Indigenous collections in its care. Museum staff will work directly with Lenape representatives to catalog the Lenape archaeology collection and ensure appropriate handling, storage, and interpretation. The collection contains nearly 3,500 artifacts found on Staten Island and surrounding areas, part of the traditional homeland of the Lenape people. The museum will host advisory meetings with Lenape representatives to gain insight regarding the cultural and spiritual significance of the artifacts. The project will support the hiring of a part-time collections assistant and a museum fellow. This project will increase the care of the collection while allowing the museum to make the collection as accessible to the public as possible in a way that respects the heritage and significance of the artifacts.

National Leadership Grants for Museums 

Grant Amount: $50,000 - $750,000

Grant Period: One to three years

Cost Share Requirement: You must provide funds from non-federal sources in an amount that is equal to or greater than the amount of the request, unless otherwise indicated in the FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunity.

In FY24, four NYS-based organizations received a National Leadership Grant: Games for Change, Rochester Insitute of Technology, Visitor Studies Association, and Voices in Contemporary Art.

Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services 

Grant Amount: $5,000 - $250,000

Grant Period: Up to three years

Cost Share Requirement: None

The Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services (NANH) grant program is designed to support Indian Tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians in sustaining indigenous heritage, culture, and knowledge. The program supports projects such as educational services and programming, workforce professional development, organizational capacity building, community engagement, and collections stewardship.

To be eligible for an award under the NANH program, your organization must be either:

• a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe, or

• a Nonprofit Organization that Primarily Serves and Represents Native Hawaiians.

In FY24, the Oneida Indian Nation was awarded $248,212 to address recommendations from a recent preservation assessment by purchasing and installing museum-quality mobile shelving in the Nation’s newly renovated Archives Room. Project activities include purchasing the new shelving, rehousing and cataloging the collections and archival materials, moving the collection to a temporary location, installing the new shelving, and re-shelving the collections in the Archives Room. The project will improve the safety and security of the collection and support the nation’s efforts to reclaim, preserve, and sustain Oneida culture, heritage, and knowledge.

Learn more about IMLS Grant Programs: https://imls.gov/grants/grant-programs 

The National Park Service (NPS) today announced $25.7 million in Save America’s Treasures grants to fund 59 projects that will preserve nationally significant sites and historic collections in 26 states and the District of Columbia.

In New York State, eight institutions were awarded a total of $3,106,544.

“The Save America’s Treasures program began 25 years ago and continues to enable communities across the United States to preserve and conserve their nationally significant historic properties and collections,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “It’s fitting to celebrate this milestone anniversary through a wide range of projects that help to pass the full history of America and its people down to future generations.”

Since 1999, the Save America’s Treasures program has provided over $405 million from the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) to more than 1,400 projects to provide preservation and conservation work on nationally significant collections, artifacts, structures, and sites. Previous awards have gone toward restoring the Park Inn Hotel, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright; the USS Intrepid, an Essex class carrier on display in Manhattan; and the Saturn V Launch Vehicle, a three-stage rocket designed for a lunar landing mission.

Today’s award of $25,705,000 will be matched by almost $50 million in private and public investment. NPS partners with the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services to award the grants.

Established in 1977, the HPF has provided more than $2 billion in historic preservation grants to states, Tribes, local governments, and non-profit organizations. Administered by NPS, HPF grant funds are appropriated by Congress annually to support a variety of historic preservation projects to help preserve the nation’s cultural and historic resources.

The HPF, which uses revenue from federal offshore oil and gas leases, supports a broad range of preservation projects without expending tax dollars. The intent behind the HPF is to mitigate the loss of nonrenewable resources through the preservation of other irreplaceable resources.

Applications for next year’s round of the Save America's Treasures Grant Program will open in the fall of 2024. $25.5 million in funding will be available.

Learn more.

American Jewish Historical Society, $165,288

The American Jewish Historical Society will use the funds to process records of the Anti-Defamation League’s Civil Rights Information Center and its Center on Extremism, which includes documents that illuminate ADL’s initiatives to expose and mitigate antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hate. The subseries of the collection is about 100 linear feet and includes correspondence, records of court cases and legislation, periodicals, reports, and research files. Selections will be digitized after processing and will be made available to researchers both on-site and online. The project will be matched with $181,998 in non-federal share.

Great Hudson Heritage Network, $269,038

The Greater Hudson Heritage Network will use funds to conserve objects from 10 small and mid-size museums in New York State. The objects include 35 items of historical significance and a wide range of materials, which, after a preliminary assessment, were selected as those items most in need of treatment. A panel of conservators will work on the objects over the course of 8-10 months and will also participate in a Community Engagement Conservation Workshop at each museum for staff and visitors to highlight unique challenges and new discoveries during the process of conserving these unique stories from New York State. The project will be matched with $269,359 in non-federal share.

Historic Hudson Valley, $630,300

Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, a National Historical Landmark, was the estate of author Washington Irving from 1835 until his death in1859. Sunnyside, known as America’s first “literary landmark,” preserves the ideals of the Romantic movement. Irving’s Cottage, one of the buildings on the property, experiences water penetration, moisture, and temperature fluctuations, deteriorating masonry and stucco, and harmful UV light. This grant project will create a site drainage system and redirect water collection as well as repair damage to lime-based and clay materials on the building envelope. This work will ensure important access to Sunnyside and continued engagement with Irving’s life and cultural legacy for future generations. The grantee is providing $640,365 of matching funds.

Livingston County Historical Society, $150,000

The Livingston County Historical Museum will improve the storage of approximately 30,000 artifacts relating to Indigenous people and habitants of the post-colonial Finger Lakes Region. Project activities will include purchasing and installing new collections storage and environmental controls, security, and fire prevention measures. Building upon a detailed assessment of storage needs conducted by an interdisciplinary team, project staff will engage experts to ensure that the equipment will properly store collections and mitigate further damage. The rehoused material will facilitate the creation of future exhibits and allow staff to rotate and rest objects from the collection. The grantee will provide $150,000 in matching funds.

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, $88,670

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission will use the funds to make a portion of their archaeological collections accessible to the public through processing documents and photographing artifacts. The collections include two significant archaeological excavations in Lower Manhattan excavated in the late 1970s and early 1980s: the Stadt Huys Block Site, the first major urban excavation in New York City, and 7 Hanover Square, associated with highly significant 17th century households. There are 20,595 documents that will be processed, digitized, and data made available through the LPC’s online archaeological repository, and 8,400 artifacts that will be photographed; two digital exhibits will also be created to showcase the data for public and researcher access. The project will be matched with $96,312 in non-federal share.

St. Bartholomew's Conservancy, Inc., $749,840

The Stanford White Triple Portal is the main entrance to the St. Bartholomew’s Church on Park Avenue. The Triple Portal, boasting three sets of spectacular bas-relief cast bronze doors and carved stone iconographic sculpture by renowned artists of the early 20th century, was the defining feature for the design and construction of the new St. Bartholomew’s Church building in 1918, heralded by architect Bertram G. Goodhue as “perhaps the most beautiful thing of its kind in America.” Over time the building has experienced deterioration from pollution and age. The SAT grant will focus on the preservation of the Cipollino marble columns, iconographic sculpture, the bronze doors and the limestone steps that comprise the Stanford White Triple Portal. The grantee is providing $2,957,505 of matching funds.

Staten Island Institute of Arts and Sciences, $303,408

The Staten Island Museum will inventory and rehouse approximately 185 linear feet of archival material in preparation to move the collections into a new climate-controlled storage space. The collections include the papers of renowned scientists including Nathaniel Lord Britton, John J. Crooke, and Mathilde Weingartner. The archives also include archaeological descriptions of Lenape sites on Staten Island. This project will support the purchase of archival supplies, as well as a part-time project archivist and museum fellow, who will carry-out the collection inventory and rehousing activities. Additionally, the museum will work with a contractor to conserve and digitize 11 journals of William T. Davis, a prominent naturalist, entomologist, and historian. The project will result in improved preservation of the collection, enhanced intellectual control, and the creation of new finding aids that will increase accessibility of the collection for staff and researchers. The grantee will provide $303,408 in matching funds.

The Paley Center for Media, $750,000

The Paley Center for Media will use the funds to digitize and catalog approximately 2,500 items within their African American Collection. The collection holds rare and at-risk television media and historic programs featuring figures such as Nat King Cole, Bayard Rustin, Bernard Shaw, Toni Morrison, from Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, and Oprah Winfrey. The Paley Center for Media will work with multiple vendors to digitize the collection. Once digitized, these materials will be used by the Paley education staff for its K-12 media education program and for the museum's public exhibits. The project will be matched with $750,000 in non-federal share.