Welcome to the April edition of This Month in NYS Museums! In this newsletter... | | | Welcome MANY Interim Director Sheila McDaniel! | | | What can I say about Erika Sanger? Actually, quite a bit. While most of you already know, I wanted to mention a few: - Doubled membership
- Doubled earned income
- Grew attendance at our Annual Conference
- Raised over $2.5M to support NYS Museums
- Shepard through and strengthened MANY during COVID-19
Erika is a force. Because of her passion and vision, many have gotten involved with MANY, including myself. She has transformed MANY and, as a result, the museum sector in New York State. We are better because of her. As I take on the Interim Director role, my commitment is to do Erika's legacy justice and keep the important and vital work of MANY going while we find our new leader to move us forward, standing on the tremendous foundation Erika has given us. I am deeply grateful for the warm welcome and congratulations I received at our Annual Conference this month. Your support and engagement are invaluable to us, and I am eager to continue working with you, our members, and member institutions in the coming months. Onward! | | | Sheila McDaniel, Interim Executive Director | | | | | | | | | In 2023, MANY's membership grew to 732 members from every REDC region, a 14% increase over the past three years. We are grateful to all of our individual, organizational, and industry members whose support keeps us on track and able to serve the field. We welcomed 438 museum professionals, industry partners, and student to Syraucse in April for our annual conference "Finding Center: Access, Inclusion, Participation, and Engagement." From February to November, MANY staff traveled 3,000 miles across New York State to deliver 10 in-person discussions and meet-ups cetnered around preparing for the post-pandemic museum based on the collection of essays: "Change is Required: Preparing for the Post-Pandemic Museum" thanks to funding from the New York State Council on the Arts. Lastly, the 2023/24 New York State Budget included $1M in funding for The Museum Study Act. The Department of Economic Development, in conjunction with other departments and entities, will conduct a comprehensive study of public and private museums and report their findings and recommendations. We thank the bill sponsors Assemblymember Barrett and Senator Cooney, the legislature, and Governor Hochul for their support of this forthcoming study. | | | | | | | MANY is committed to salary transparency. 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 | | | | | Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
Mohawk Valley Historic Revitalization Grant Program This program will offer grants for brick-and-mortar investment in National Register listed historic properties and properties that contribute to a listed historic district located within selected small rural Mohawk Valley communities adjacent to the NYS Canal System. Grants will be open to private, public, and nonprofit owners of historic properties. Requests may not be less than $50,000; nor exceed $100,000. A 25% cash match of the total project cost is required. Up to $712,000 in funding is available and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. This new program is supported by a Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund. Learn more
| | | 2024 Independent Project Grants A competitive grant program in partnership with the New York State Council on the Arts. The Independent Projects grant program is a partnership between the New York State Council on the Arts and The Architectural League of New York, awarding grants for New York State-based individuals and teams to explore a design topic through creation or research. For the 2024 cycle, this program will award 25 grants of $10,000 to proposals in design fields, including architecture, landscape architecture, historic preservation, biodesign, community-centered design, fashion, graphic, industrial, and interior design. Continuing a successful collaboration since 2022, the League and NYSCA are pleased to again partner to administer the Independent Projects program for all interested applicants. The League will directly receive all applications and, together with NYSCA, will convene a panel of experts in design who will evaluate submissions and select projects for funding. Read on for an overview of the program and requirements, and download the complete 2024 Program Guidelines for full information on general requirements, eligibility, and the application process. Learn more | | | | | Museum Hue HueArts NYS Docu-Series Launch Thursday, April 25, Baruch Performing Arts Center This is an exclusive first look and screening which will be followed by a panel discussion with leaders from the featured HueArts entities. Museum Hue’s documentary series highlights nine arts organizations across New York State. Documented in partnership with YouthFX, this docu-series showcases their work and illuminates their impact within their communities.
The series stems from the research, findings, and recommendations in the HueArts NYS initiative, which emphasizes the importance of supporting a robust ecosystem of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and all People of Color arts organizations. Leaders from Southampton African American Museum (SAAM), Hamilton Hill Arts Center, and Teatro Yerbabruja will join in a panel discussion moderated by Museum Hue’s Executive Director, Stephanie Johnson-Cunningham.
Tickets for this exclusive event are now live on www.museumhue.org to Museum Hue members! Doors open at 5:45pm. This event is free for members and $15.00 for non-members. | | | Old Westbury Gardens What's Cooking? New Directions in Historic House Kitchens Conference Thursday, June 27 Once secondary or even hidden, historic kitchens are now taking center stage as active, complex, and captivating spaces for history experiences. This intensive one-day conference hosted by Old Westbury Gardens in Old Westbury, NY, in partnership with the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) and designed for historic house and museum directors, curators, exhibit designers, educators, and interpreters, will immerse you in the flavorful world of historic house kitchens. Join seasoned experts and museum practitioners in exploring the untapped potential of food spaces with sessions on restoration, curation, interpretation, and programming. Sarah Lohman, culinary historian and the author of the bestselling books Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods and Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine will be the keynote speaker. For more information and to register: Historic Kitchens Conference — Old Westbury Gardens | | | Thanksgiving Point Museums for All Visitor Study Thanksgiving Point Institute – in partnership with Santa Cruz Children’s Museum of Discovery and Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum – is conducting an IMLS-funded study to understand the influence of museum experiences on visitors who attend as part of an income-qualified admission program. We are looking for 30 museums who participate in Museums For All to distribute a survey to their visitors. As a host museum, you will be asked to: - Recruit Museums for All and general admission visitors to complete an online survey about the barriers, benefits, and influences of their visit to your museum. We will need 60 completed surveys from your museum: 30 from Museums for All visitors and 30 from general admission visitors.
- Participate in a 60-90 minute focus group about the role of Museums for All in your museum’s IDEA practices.
As a host museum, you will receive: - The raw data of responses received from your visitors.
- $450 stipend to support training staff and printing fliers to invite visitors to take the survey.
Learn more | | | William G. Pomeroy Foundation National Historic Marker Day Are you ready for National Historic Marker Day 2024? Join the fun! Register as an official volunteer for this year's celebration coming up on Friday, April 26. The deadline for signing up to receive stickers is Friday, April 19. Sticker supplies are limited. Volunteers who complete their registrations after that date will still be acknowledged on our website and will be eligible for our giveaway once we receive your marker cleaning pictures. Visit the National Historic Marker Day webpage to sign up and download the comprehensive volunteer kit. This free resource includes a step-by-step guide to cleaning historical markers, information about planning your day, tips for publicizing your project, lesson plans and child-friendly activities. Learn more
| | | | | | | 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. Share your news by emailing meves@nysmuseums.org | | | | | |
