Smart Mobs, Pink Flamingos, the Four Bs, and Memorable Museum Experiences
 Overview of the 2006 Museum Institute at Sagamore

All of these were a part of the 9th Annual Museum Institute at Sagamore this past September. Twenty enthusiastic participants gathered from throughout the state--from New York to Buffalo--to explore the Public Dimension of Museums at Great Camp Sagamore's beautiful historic setting. This year's theme was the Public Dimension of Museums.

The week began with Susie Wilkenning of Reach Advisors providing some thought provoking advice--and then an even more thought provoking evening book discussion about marketing guru Seth Godin's books (Free Prize Inside and Purple Cow among them). Susie returned home to Boston, and by week's end she and James Chung of Reach had even gotten Seth Godin to write about his--and our reactions on his blog.

Participants shared museum memories with speaker Leslie Bedford--from an unfortunate broommaker to a moon rock to the unicorn tapestries--from which Leslie worked with the group to tease out the threads of various learning theories. Refreshed by theory, Bill Adair of the R osenbach Library in Philadelphia shared his innovative programmatic work. The Rosenbach's collection--of rare books and manuscript--doesn't necessarily reach all sorts of visitors, but working with local artists produced an amazing variety of programs reaching families and others. Bill challenged us to dig deeper, and teams developed short theatrical presentations based on the Rosenbach's collections--always thoughtful, sometimes moving, and frequently hilarious, these provided some memorable Sagamore moments.

Case studies--from the New York Hall of Science, the Albany Institute of History and Art, P.S.1 in Queens and Philipsburg Manor stimulated discussion, questions and plans for the future. Stuart Chase of the Berkshire Museum shared a recipe for collaboration involving, as always, the Four Bs--businesslike, brisk, and bodacious among them. Steve Elliott, President of the New York State Historical Association/Farmers Museum walked participants through his own organization's process of changing, and engendered thoughtful perspectives and conversation from participants. Cynthia Copeland of the New-York Historical Society faced the challenge of presenting a session about the web without web access--and the society's American Revolution project inspired many. Katherine Myers, head of marketing and PR at Mass MOCA had the challenging Friday morning slot--when participants can't imagine another thought entering their heads--her incredibly energy--and her props of pink flamingo and Spam, sent participants energized into the final sessions--change clinics to make plans to make change at their own institutions.



Said one participant, "Sagamore has inspired me!". In the wrap-up, another mentioned having a brain trust to draw upon--each year, Sagamore participants develop lasting networks and connections, and become a part of large group that has participated over the last nine years. The success of the Institute is due, in large part, to the great energy of both our speakers and participants. This year's participants were: Kate Mockler, Oneida Community Mansion House; Dodi Robinson, the Chapman Museum; Kimberly Snyder, the Brooklyn Children's Museum; Anne Dealey, Geneva Historical Society; Courtney Robison, World Awareness Children's Museum; Barbara Leggett, Explore and More; David Mandel, Historic House Trust of New York City; Carri Manchester, Olana Sate Historic Site; Connie Barone, Sacketts Harbor Historic Site; Tricia Kawi, Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society; Rebecca Smith, Chemung Valley Museum; Mary Lou Willetts, Slate Valley Museum; Mari Shopis, Everson Museum; Anne Werley Smallman, Franklin County Historical Society; Christine Campeau, Adirondack Museum; Toby Manker, Phelps Mansion; Melinda Terpinning, Ulster County Historical Society; Tim Abel, Jefferson County Historical Society; Elizabeth Marotta, Museum of DisAbility; and Vivian Linares, Russell Wright Home.

Early in 2007, look for information on the 2007 Museum Institute at Sagamore, focused on New Directors.

Learn more about the Museum Institute at Sagamore 

 There's Still Time To Register
 Uncovering Local History: A Community History Workshop

The documentation of a community’s history is vital to the preservation of its story for future generations. Each person, each story, and each business lends itself to the greater story of New York State and beyond.

Join us for "Uncovering Local History: A Community History Workshop" at the History Center in Tompkins County in Ithaca, NY on October 18, 2006. This full-day workshop will provide participants with the basics needed to learn about and research their community's history and develop community history projects. The cost to participate in this great workshop is ONLY $10.00 Space is limited, so register now!

Presenters at this workshop will include:

* Historian Carol Kammen will talk about the importance of community history
* Reference and Digital Services Librarian Virginia Cole of Cornell University will talk about the resources available to those who are interested in community history
* Assistant Director of Programs and Services Eleanor Brown will talk about a project that Cornell University has initiated to preserve the history of the wine and grape industry in the Finger Lakes region
* Rosemarie Tucker, Groton Town Historian, will talk about the award-winning community history project Place Names of Tompkins County
* And others!

For more information about this program and to register, please visit the Upstate History Alliance website at:

www.upstatehistory.org/services/uhaworkshops.html

If you have any questions, please contact Jenny Rosenzweig, Program Coordinator, at 800.895.1648 or by email at jenny@upstatehistory.org.

This program is made possible through the support of the Documentary Heritage Program.

For more information, or to register, click here. 

 Thank You Big Moose
 

The Big Moose History Project, spearheaded by Mark and Jane Barlow, provided financial support for our first Community History Workshop held at Great Camp Sagamore in July. Dozens of participants joined together to hear inspiring presentations about the how and the why of local history. We extend our deepest thanks to the Big Moose committee for their award-winning commitment to their own history—and the history of all of our communities. Special thanks also to Adirondack Architectural Heritage for co-sponsoring the event and as always, to Great Camp Sagamore for providing an amazing venue.

The workshop inspired us to offer similar workshops around the region. If you’re interested in hosting a workshop like this, please contact Jenny Rosenzweig, UHA Program Coordinator, at jenny@upstatehistory.org.

 

 Take Another Look
 Learn More About Your Exhibits

Do you wonder how your exhibits could be better? Do you wish you could convince your board of directors that it makes sense to allocate additional resources to exhibit development? Do you find that people spend only a few minutes in your exhibits? Do you wonder how to make your exhibits more family-friendly.

The Upstate History Alliance is pleased to announce a new Peer Review of Interpretive Exhibitions opportunity for museums in Upstate New York. An enthusiastic corps of museum staff has undertaken training to become peer reviewers, using a framework that reviews exhibitions from a visitor-centered perspective and are ready to begin the peer review process for interested museums and historical societies.

How does a peer review work? A team of three people will visit your organization anonymously, during regular public hours. They will work collaboratively to review the exhibit within the framework and will return home to produce a written report, addressing the four criteria: is the exhibit comfortable? engaging? reinforcing? and meaningful? They visit as visitors, without having conversations with you or your staff. The report is forwarded from UHA to you, to use as you see fit. Individual reports will not be shared with funders or others. The peer reviewers volunteer their time; their mileage is supported by the technical assistance program of the Museum Program of the New York State Council on the Arts.

What's your responsibility? To provide free admission to the reviewers (via tickets sent to the UHA office) and to approach the review process with an open mind.

How can the review benefit your organization? We all have ideas about how to make our exhibits better--but finding the time to really think about and evaluate our work is always difficult. This process provides an outside perspective on your work. In our previous pilot program, organizations have used to peer review to engage staff in discussions about future exhibit planning, to develop visitor surveys based on the review, and to make the case for additional time for exhibition development. Reviews can be requested for any size of museum, from all-volunteer to multi-million dollar organizations.

Sounds great! How do I sign up? Please email me, Linda Norris, at linda@upstatehistory.org with the name of your exhibit and your museum, along with the dates the exhibit will be open. Teams can review both permanent and temporary exhibits, but exhibits should be open at least two months from the date of the request. We then share the review request with the reviewers, who volunteer based on their interests, schedule and location. We'll notify you when reviewers are assigned and request admission tickets. After the review is completed, you'll receive a copy.

 

 Expand Your Horizons
 Become a Peer Reviewer

We're pleased to announce two additional training sessions for the peer review of interpretive exhibitions, one in Buffalo and one re-scheduled for Syracuse. UHA has embarked on a project to improve interpretive exhibitions in the region by using peer reviewers. The project has multiple benefits: participants get the experience of collectively thinking about exhibitions with their peers and participating organizations receive the collective wisdom of a team of evaluators.

The training is free, but to participate as a peer reviewer you must attend one session. After training, you can volunteer to assess exhibitions as part of a team. You contribute your time, but your mileage will be reimbursed thanks to funds from the New York State Council on the Arts.

The training sessions are scheduled for:
Thursday, October 26, 1:00-4:30p at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Buffalo
Tuesday, October 31, 9:00a-12:00p at the Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse

To participate, please email Linda Norris at linda@upstatehistory.org.

 

 Long Tails, Tipping Points and Cultural Literacy: Museums, Trends and Communities
 Call for Proposals

Long Tails, Tipping Points and Cultural Literacy explore global trends that offer museums and heritage organizations new lenses through which we can think about the work we do. At an ever-increasing pace, in every aspect of our work, external trends define the directions of institutional mission and impact its success. Decisions about why and what to collect, audiences to target, and exhibitions and programs to develop turn on a host of factors - demographics and social inclusion, economic tourism, and raising test scores to name a few. Want to read a different take on trends? Check out www.trendwatching.com to learn about trends from curated consumption to innovation overload.

This year, the Upstate History Alliance and the Museum Association of New York are seeking session proposals exploring the impact of present and future trends on the museum environment for presentation at the upcoming conference April 15-17, 2007 in Syracuse, NY. How do the trends you see and experience - both broader public trends and trends in the museum profession - shape your institution's mission and its relationships to its community? How does your institution gather, assess and use trends to its advantage? What is working for you? What isn't?

Sessions can be practical or theoretical in nature. While we welcome standard presentation/panel format session proposals, we are looking for a broad range of creative formats such as roundtable discussions, debates, critiques and hands-on activities. We encourage you to present different or opposing approaches/solutions to an issue or trend in the same session. In developing a session with multiple presenters, we strongly urge you to partner with representatives from various museum disciplines. Have an idea for a session but need presenters to work with? Contact us and we’ll help.

The deadline for session proposals is December 1, 2006. Proposals must be submitted electronically to info@upstatehistory.org. The UHA/MANY program committee will review proposals and decisions will be made by mid-January 2006. We also welcome general comments or suggestions for topics you would like to see covered at the conference.

Session Proposal Form 

 A Search for Excellence
 UHA Seeking Nominations for Awards of Merit

Have you seen an exceptional exhibit at an upstate New York institution this past year? Has your organization created an innovative educational program or publication? Would you like to recognize a volunteer or employee who have done exceptional work? If so, we encourage you to submit a nomination for our Awards of Merit. Each year the Upstate History Alliance gives annual Awards of Merit to recognize outstanding work in the regional history and museum community, reward staff and volunteers, and provide encouragement for development of new and innovative projects.

This year, the Upstate History Alliance Award of Merit program has been reorganized into four categories for nominations. These categories are:

Preserving Our Past: Museums and Historical Societies throughout New York are often the caretakers and preservers of our history as they care for museum collections and historic sites. Nominations for this category should be for exemplary projects that concern preservation, cataloging or care of collections. Examples might include excellence in collections management and the recognition or preservation of a historic site for future generations.

Interpreting Our Past: The work of museums and historical organizations is not solely collecting and preserving. This category recognizes the importance of interpreting our past through thoughtful, thematic, and well-researched exhibition, tours or publications.

The Public Dimension: A critical element of any museum or historical society is the way that it interacts with its community. Nominations for this category should highlight projects that engage your community or create new audiences for your organization.. These projects could include an interpretative exhibition, lecture series, educational program or other community engagement effort.

Individual Achievement: Any successful organization has the support of a devoted team of staff and volunteers. Nominations in this category should be for those people who have played pertinent roles in moving their organizations forward over a sustained period. Nominations can by for an individual or a team of museum staff and/or volunteers.

Any organization or individual is invited to nominate an organization, person(s) or project that was completed in 2006 in upstate New York for an Award of Merit. Nomination of oneself or one's organization is permissible and encouraged. Award winners will be recognized at the Opening Reception of the Upstate History Alliance/Museum Association of New York Annual Conference on Sunday April 15, 2007.

If you have any questions, please contact the Upstate History Alliance at 800.895.1648. We are looking forward to learning about the efforts being made in the museum field at upstate New York organizations.

Award of Merit Nomination Form and Additional Information 

 Dates and Deadlines
 Mark Your Calendar

Ongoing Get Ready! Grants and Go! Grants can be submitted at any time during the year. For more information, click here.

October 16, 2006 Roundtable Discussion – DHP Grants and Successful Grant Writing Tips. Location: Cortland County Historical Society. Time: 10:00a-3:00p. Guest Speaker: Ray LaFever, Coordinator, Archival Advisory Services, New York State Archives. Participation is free, but registration is required. Contact UHA at info@upstatehistory.org

October 18, 2006 The Upstate History Alliance and the Documentary Heritage Program is offering a Community History Workshop that will take place at the History Center in Tompkins County in Ithaca, NY. For more information, click here.

October 22-24, 2006 Mid Atlantic Association of Museums Annual Meeting taking place in Brooklyn, NY. Conference theme is “Bridging Communities.” For more information visit www.midatlanticmuseums.org.

October 23, 2006 Roundtable Discussion: HDI – What Is It and How Do I Get Involved. Location: Seneca Falls Historical Society. Time: 10:00a-12:00p. Guest Speaker: Maria McCashion, New York State Archives. Participation is free, but registration is required. Contact UHA at info@upstatehistory.org.

October 26, 2006 Exhibition Peer Review Training at the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, Buffalo, NY. Participation is free, but pre-registration requested. 1:00-4:30p. To register, or for more information, contact Linda Norris at linda@upstatehistory.org.

October 30, 2006 Roundtable Discussion: Planning for a Disaster. Location: Sidney Memorial Public Library. Time: 10:00a-12:00p. Guest Speaker: To Be Announced. Participation is free, but registration is required. Contact UHA at info@upstatehistory.org.

October 31, 2006 Exhibition Peer Review Training at the Erie Canal Museum, Syracuse, NY. Participation is free, but pre-registration requested. 9:00a-12:00p. To register, or for more information, contact Linda Norris at linda@upstatehistory.org

November 1, 2006 New York Council for the Humanities Major Grant application postmark deadline. November 6, 2006 Roundtable Discussion: Working With Your Local Government. Location: New York State Military Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY. Time: 10:00a-12:00p. Guest Speaker: To Be Announced. Participation is free, but registration is required. Contact UHA at info@upstatehistory.org.

November 8-10, 2006 The New England Museum Association conference will be taking place in Hartford-Cromwell, CT. This year’s conference theme is “Great Expectations: What Audiences Really Want”.

November 14, 2006 Roundtable Discussion: Great Exhibits on a Small Budget. Location: Oneida Community Mansion House. Time: 10:00a-12:00p. Guest Speaker: Linda Norris, Director, Upstate History Alliance. Participation is free, but registration is required. Contact UHA at info@upstatehistory.org.

November 15, 2006 IMLS Museum Grants for America Deadline. For more info, visit www.imls.gov

November 20, 2006 Roundtable Discussion: Getting To Them When They Can’t Get To You. Location: Columbia County Historical Society, Kinderhook, NY. Time: 10:00a-12:00p. Guest Speaker: Ruth Ellen Berninger, Columbia County Historical Society. Participation is free, but registration is required. Contact UHA at info@upstatehistory.org.

December 4, 2006 Roundtable Discussion: Creating a Family Friendly Museum Experience. Location: The Strong Museum, Rochester, NY. Time: 10:00a-12:00p. Guest Speaker: To Be Announced. Participation is free, but registration is required. Contact UHA at info@upstatehistory.org.

February 1, 2007 Get Set! Grant postmark deadline. For more information, click here.

February 1, 2007 Documentary Heritage Program Grant Deadline. For more information, visit www.archives.nysed.gov/a/grantsawards/ga_dhp.shtml or contact you regional DHP archivist.

February 26-28, 2007 The Small Museum Association annual conference will be taking place on Ocean City, MD.

April 15-17, 2007 The Upstate History Alliance/Museum Association of New York Annual Conference will be taking place in Syracuse, NY. This year’s conference theme is Long Tails, Tipping Points and Cultural Literacy: Museums, Trends and Communities. We are looking forward to seeing you there.

May 13-17, 2007 The American Association of Museums Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo will be taking place in Chicago, IL. This year’s conference theme is “Why Museums Matter”.

 

 News You Can Use
 Updates From Our Region

Peg Inglis has recently stepped down as the Education Director at the Glenn H. Cutiss Museum. Jon Baldwin took over the reins of the Education Program this past July.

Eric Roth has been named Executive Director of the Huguenot Historical Society in New Paltz, NY.

Six museums in our region were awarded a $66,000 Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to develop the Finger Lakes Vacations collaborative project. The six museums involved are the Geneva Historical Society, the Ontario County Historical Society, the History Center in Tompkins County, the Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society, the Cayuga Museum of History and Art, and the Chemung Valley Museum. The project has started a blog to encourage Finger Lakes vacationers past and present to share their memories. Visit the blog at http://summerinthefingerlakes.blogspot.com/

Historic Cherry Hill (HCH), in partnership with the Upstate History Alliance (UHA), has received a 21st Century Museum Professionals Grant. Historic Cherry Hill will share knowledge and expertise with small history museums and historic sites in the region to help them protect and preserve their collections. HCH will present a series of six workshops on techniques and procedures that can be used to protect valuable and fragile collection objects from damage caused by insect pests and other vermin. Special emphasis will be placed on procedures that are feasible for small institutions. UHA will assist with promoting the workshops and identifying both paid and volunteer staff at regional institutions to participate in the program. The project will also include the creation of a comprehensive teaching aid on CD that will be widely accessible to the staffs of small institutions that are caring for the rich heritage of the region with limited resources.

Other member organizations in our region receiving the highly competitive IMLS grants include:
Akwesasne Museum
Canajoharie Library and Museum
Columbia County Historical Society
Fort Ticonderoga
Iroquois Indian Museum
Museum of disABILITY History
New York State Historical Association
Thomas Cole Historic Site