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Summer Greetings to Stewards of National Historic Landmarks...
...from the National Historic Landmark (NHL) staff in the Preservation Assistance and Heritage Areas Division of the National Park Service's Northeast Regional Office. Our office works with National Historic Landmarks from West Virginia to Maine, offering advice about the nomination process to potential new landmarks, working with State Historic Preservation Office staff, and providing technical assistance related to preservation, architectural conservation, and strategic planning.
This email is the first of what we hope will be a useful occasional update offering you important information, ideas, and news you can use.
We understand how challenging it is to protect and manage historic sites, find funding, develop partnerships, and engage the public, especially in the Northeast Region where nearly half of the nation's National Historic Landmarks are located.
Yet we know many of you have tremendous examples of creative solutions to common problems and innovative ways you've developed to tell landmark stories and connect with your communities. We'd like to use this forum to share successes -- and successful failures (marked by the importance of what was learned as a result) -- to inspire and inform each other in the northeast and provide a resource for all Landmark Stewards.
We'd like to start by sharing one opportunity for art-based engagement using the annual National Historic Landmark Photo Contest. "Imaging Our National Heritage" is the overall theme for the contest, which was launched with the purpose of increasing visibility and awareness of all NHLs, as well as provoking people to capture the meaning of their favorite National Historic Landmark in a photograph. Consider using the national contest at the local level to promote your NHL; we've shared some "how-to" ideas below. |
Updates & Info
Please note the following update to your contact information: Catherine Turton is your contact for new or updated National Historic Landmark nomination inquiries and Bill Brookover for technical assistance.
If you have any questions, please call the Northeast Region National Historic Landmark teleline at 215/597-1578 |
Creativity at your fingertips
Looking for interpretive inspiration? One of our staff highly recommends the blog Museum 2.0 which is intended for museum professionals, but many of the posts have thought-provoking application to visitor experience at NHLs as well.
Author Nina Simon emphasizes the notion of a "participatory place," and and recent posts have talked about reaching underserved audiences, teenage behaviors in museum spaces, an active vs. inactive museum environment (comparing two Rhode Island School of Design museums founded for the same purpose but with divergent success), and a discussion of how to make interpretive staff more approachable and "interactive-friendly." Read her book for free here and engage in the conversation sharing your success (or failure) engaging visitors. (Please note that where links are provided, there are actually many more posts on these subjects; use the blog search engine to find additional related content.)
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News You Can Use: NHL Photo Contest
 Is your National Historic Landmark picture perfect?
 The
2010 National Historic Landmark Photo Contest is underway! It's time
to get out your camera, search through the photo file on your computer
or inspire your visitors to find and photograph the quintessential view
of your NHL.
This year it's easier than ever to participate, since the 2010 Photo Contest
is being hosted on Flickr, the popular image-sharing site. Celebrate
the work you do preserving America's heritage (in fact, if you have a
"beauty shot" of restoration work at your site, it makes sense to remind
people of the effort that goes into saving these important sites for
future generations).
For more information about the contest, visit the NPS NHL photo contest webpage. Deadline for submissions is September 10.
Making Connections - with the NHL Photo Contest
Consider using the photo contest as a springboard to local activities at your National Historic Landmark. In the past, NHLs have hosted their own local photo contest, sending the winning entries on to the national contest.
· A photo contest is a great way to build a partnership with a local photo class, school or newspaper.
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If you've started using social media and aren't quite sure what to
post, a photo contest provides ongoing material for posts on a blog,
facebook, twitter, tumblr, flickr, and the rest.
·
Use the results of your local contest to mount an exhibit and host it
on-site or elsewhere in the community where images of your NHL will
capture the attention of new potential visitors and members.
· Build your contacts by inviting local opinion leaders to serve as judges.
·
See if your local paper will publish the winning images as a photo
essay with brief captions about the photographer's thoughts about the
NHL or why they think the site's stories are relevant today.
· Host a reception and awards ceremony and invite important stakeholders.
·
Photographs can be made into mugs, gift cards, postcards, calendars,
etc. and made available at the gift shop. These items also make great
volunteer recognition awards.
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Breaking news: Grant Available
 The National Park Foundation recognizes that sometimes the smallest grants can make the largest differences. The Impact Grants opportunity, awards of $10,000 or less, is designed to help parks that need a small amount of additional funding to strengthen the efforts of a local partnership or turn an underfunded and innovative idea into a successful project. The program also provides a systematic way for the Foundation to respond to the routine small grant requests that are received from national parks by making awards on an annual basis.
Applications are due October 1, 2010. Click for the online application Questions? Contact Ivan Levin at 202/354-6479 or ilevin@nationalparks.org. NOTE: New Eligibility Information The National Park Foundation is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications from ALL National Park System units, affiliated areas, regional, service and program offices, National Heritage Areas, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, National Historic Landmarks and National Trails to participate in all National Park Foundation grant programs. Although applications must be submitted by a National Park Service staff person, successful parks may direct a grant to a partner organization for a collaborative project. This program is funded by the National Park Foundation. The award is meant to be a one-time gift with no expectation of repeat funding. Past grantees are encouraged to reapply for funding to support new projects or needs that have materialized since their last grant award. |
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