Welcome to the July edition of This Month in NYS Museums! In this newsletter... | | | Together We Are MANY Video | | | | | We took a look back at the last couple of years of conferences, virtual and in-person programming, and more. Thank you for your continued support of MANY and we look forward to continuing to help shape a better future for museums and museum professionals by uplifting best practices and building organizational capacity through advocacy, training, and networking opportunities. | | | Run time: 3 minutes; 15 seconds | | | MANY Board Spotlight: Daisy Rodríguez | | | Daisy Rodríguez is a lifelong New Yorker. As the Executive Director of Government & Community Affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) she oversees all NYC and State-based government and community engagement. Rodríguez is responsible for helping seek public funding (capital and expense) support for WCS. She engages elected officials, community members, and the public on the importance of conservation of wildlife and wild places. Prior to her arrival at WCS in August 2017, she was the Director of Government Affairs at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), where she was responsible for seeking public support and funding, including helping with the outreach to communities throughout the five boroughs. Previous to joining AMNH, Daisy served as Community Outreach Director for U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, and as the Senator’s Constituent Liaison helped to resolve numerous constituency concerns and expanded the Senator’s profile. She also served on the Senator’s campaign during his 2004 re-election. We spoke with Daisy to learn more about her career, what motivates her, and what she hopes for the next generation of museum professionals. | | | | | 2023 Conference Scholarship Reflections | MANY was able to offer 28 scholarships to its 2023 annual conference, "Finding Center: Access, Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement." In this newsletter and those that follow, we will share writings by some of those scholarship recipients that offer insight into their conference experience | | | | | John Sapida is the Manager of Digital Initiatives at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the recipient of the BIPOC Museum Professional in Museum Administration scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to a Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color working in museum administration who has played a leadership role in advancing the capacity and sustainability of their museum. | | | | | | Melissa Kiewet is the newly appointed Executive Director of the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum and was a William G. Pomeroy Foundation scholarship recipient. The William G. Pomeroy Foundation sponsored ten museum professionals working in history-related fields with an annual operating budget of $250,000 or less and who had not attended a MANY conference in the past. | | | | | Letter from Erika: How Are You Really? | | | Broken Millstone, Whitney Plantation | Dear Members, Friends, and Colleagues, At a friend’s birthday party last week, I had a conversation with someone who works at a food co-op about what it was like to be an essential worker at the height of the pandemic. After a rambling discussion, they said “can you believe we made it through that?” and since it was a party, I smiled and replied that I felt lucky to be here. What I didn’t say is that I know that many of us have mended, but have still not “made it through.” As the MANY staff traveled around the state this year, we heard first hand that attendance at most museums has not returned to 2019 levels, that many are having trouble filling staff positions, and that operational changes are essential for the future of museums. We learned that recovery remains inconsistent from city to city, region to region, and discipline to discipline. We also learned that federal relief funding, grants from the state and private foundations, and community support made a real difference. | | | | | | | 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. August 2023 | | | | |
Change is Still Required: What's Next? Friday, August 11, 2023 12 - 1:30 PM EST As we all hunger for honest and authentic reflection and need to collectively acknowledge the uncertainty of our times, it is important that we retain our hopes and aspirations and take steps (even incrementally) towards positive change. Panelists will discuss current issues in the museum field from the perspective of their contributions to the recently published collection of essays Change is Required: Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Museum. Topics will include managing work/life balance, crafting effective communications, and creating positive, rewarding, and inclusive organizational cultures. | | | | | | |
The ACEGen Model - Access, Collaboration, and Equity in Genealogy Collections and Research Friday, August 18, 2023 12 - 1:30 PM EST The ACEGen - the Access, Collaboration, and Equity in Genealogy Initiative, is a collaboration between repositories, organizations, and the public to improve access and equity in Staten Island's family history records. Project partners Gabriella Leone of the Staten Island Museum and Debbie-Ann Paige of the Staten Island Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical society will share how ACEGen uses digitization, transcription, and dialogue to build strong institutional relationships, engage participants online and in person, and center equity and inclusion work. | | | | | | |
Centering Historic Preservation in Community: Planning, Funding, Interpreting the Work Friday, August 25, 2023 12 - 1:30 PM EST The Oneida Community Mansion House and the Preservation League of New York State will host a webinar to discuss the challenges of preserving historic structures. The session will share one site's journey to address a building's needs with limited resources. Learn how the Oneida Community Mansion House–the home of the utopian Oneida Community--interprets the preservation of historic structures for wider public audiences. Further conversations will explore ways in which sites can approach planning for and funding historic preservation projects. | | | | | | | | | 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.
| | | | | iMLS Launches Pilot National Museum Survey This summer, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is piloting a National Museum Survey (NMS) that, if successful, will lead to an annual collection aimed at gathering and sharing the great work happening in the museum world. There are currently no federal freely available statistics about museums in the United States — which is a need that policymakers have acknowledged to IMLS for some time. IMLS is now answering that call. Read more Governor Hochul Announces "I LOVE NY Summer of Hip-Hop" Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of the I LOVE NY Summer of Hip-Hop, a statewide commemoration of the genre’s 50th anniversary on August 11, 2023. Hosted in partnership with renowned cultural organizations across the State, the I LOVE NY Summer of Hip-Hop will feature a lineup of concerts, exhibitions, performances, and other family-friendly programming. “The birth of hip-hop in New York set off a musical revolution that reverberated around the world,” Governor Hochul said. “Fifty years later, the hip-hop genre is an essential part of New York’s cultural fabric as it continues to tell the story of our great state. I am excited to celebrate that legacy with our Summer of Hip-Hop series and urge New Yorkers and visitors to visit one of our events, participate in our ticket giveaway, and learn more about hip-hop’s rich history in New York State.” The I LOVE NY Summer of Hip-Hop calendar is available here. If your organization has an event celebrating Hip-Hop 50 to include, please email the details to public.affairs@arts.ny.gov Northern Slavery Collective The Northern Slavery Collective is seeking speakers for the next "Talking About Race Matters" series to give a 40 minute virtual presentation followed by a Q & A in February/March 2024. The upcoming series will will follow the theme of black fashion and self expression: we hope that our speakers will engage with topics ranging from creative self-expression through fashion among enslaved individuals in the 18th century, to influences from the African diaspora in modern day fashion. If interested or would like to learn more, email Caroline McCarthy, programs@dyckmanfarmhouse.org. Call for Proposals –2023 NASA TEAM II Community Anchor Awards NASA is seeking proposals for the 2023 NASA TEAM II Community Anchor Awards and Full Awards. Eligible proposers include U.S. nonprofit science museums, planetariums, youth-serving organizations and libraries. Selected parties will offer inquiry- or experiential-based opportunities that include NASA education and research and directly align with space exploration, aeronautics, space science, earth science, or microgravity. Proposals due August 15 (Community Anchor Awards) and September 12, 2023 (Full Awards). Learn more Public Affairs Specialists PASs are responsible for community outreach and engagement for the Social Security Administration (SSA) and regularly conduct pre-retirement seminars or staff information tables, virtual or in-person, free-of-charge. They important contacts for human resources and compensation and benefits staff in the employer community because they are experts in Social Security issues and Medicare enrollment. PASs answer questions about when and how to apply for Social Security retirement, disability, or survivor benefits, as well as traditional Medicare, Parts A (Hospital) and B (Medical). They also share relevant SSA publications with professional contacts, electronically and in print. Our PASs are: Kings, Nassau, Queens, and Suffolk Counties: Jahaziah Jarrett and Eryn Zayas Bronx, Dutchess, New York, Orange, Putnam, Richmond, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester Counties: Odily Bonilla, Ravi Gopaul, and Vincent Scocozza Columbia, Delaware, and Greene Counties and north: Elizabeth Pivonka and Ben Stump Email ny.rpa@ssa.gov to learn more | | | | | | | What's happening at your museum? Submit your museum news as a newsletter article! 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 August “This Month in NYS Museums” newsletter is August 11. Email meves@nysmuseums.org | | | | | |
