New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Museumwise

MANY And Advocacy For The NYS History Community

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nycapitolIn this post, I wish to focus attention on recent developments involving the Museum Association of New York (MANY) and opportunities for advocacy on behalf of the history community.

MANY has undergone significant changes which are of importance to the history community, though it should be noted that the organization’s membership is not limited to historical museums, but also include art and science museums, zoos, botanical gardens and aquariums. [Read more…] about MANY And Advocacy For The NYS History Community

Peter Feinman: The MANY / Museumwise Conference

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On April 22-24, MANY and Museumwise held their annual conference in Albany. The two organizations are in the processing of merging which should be a good thing. Due to all the commotion over the NYS Regents, the Core Curriculum, and the state requirements in social studies for high school graduation, I have been delayed in posting about that conference. [Read more…] about Peter Feinman: The MANY / Museumwise Conference

Museumwise Recognizes Museum Community

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Museumwise (formerly Upstate History Alliance) in Oneonta, NY presented this year’s Awards of Merit to winners at a special reception in Albany on April 22nd to recognize outstanding work in the museum community, reward staff and volunteers, and provide encouragement for development of new and innovative projects. A total of seventeen projects from around the State, ranging from exhibitions to educational programs, received recognition with six receiving Awards of Merit and eleven projects received Certificates of Commendation.

Projects receiving Awards of Merit include the Essex County Historical Society’s Worked/Wild exhibit at the Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown; The Farmers’ Museum, Plowline: Images of Rural New York; Historic Cherry Hill and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Got Class? Status and Power in Early America program series; Historic House Trust of New York City, Historic House Festival; Erie Canal Museum, Erie Canal Museum ArtsWeek Outdoor Projects; Tara Fracalossi, Individual Achievement; and The Teaching Gallery at Hudson Valley Community College. A full list of this year’s Award winners and project descriptions is available on the Museumwise website.

Museumwise is a non-profit organization which provides resources, training and expertise to New York’s heritage organizations and museums, in hopes of strengthening their capacity to better serve their communities and meet their institutional missions. Each year its Award of Merit program recognizes exceptional and innovative projects in the museum and history community such as exhibitions, collections care projects, heritage tourism, history publications, and websites. For more information on the Museumwise Awards program, contact Museumwise at (800)-895-1648; info@museumwise.org.

Size Matters: Advocating for New York History

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Since my emergency post of April 22 a lot has happened.

1. MANY/Museumwise held its annual conference
2. APHNYS held its annual conference at the same time
3. The NYS Board of Regents met
4. Gov. Cuomo created a New York Education Reform Commission
5. Gov. Cuomo’s “Path Through History” initiative scheduled a meeting for May 21

Let’s see if it is possible to make sense of some of these developments. [Read more…] about Size Matters: Advocating for New York History

Irene and New York State History (Part Two)

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So where do we go from here? The August issue of The Public Historian devoted to “Strengthening the Management of State History: Issues, Perspectives and Insights from New York” was featured in a recent post by Bruce Dearstyne. In these articles, the need for leadership, direction, and coordination in state history is touted. A stronger role for the State Historian is recommended since the present position has been “emasculated.” [Read more…] about Irene and New York State History (Part Two)

Museumwise Meet-Up at the Adirondack Museum

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Adirondack area museum professionals and those involved with local historical societies will have a chance to network with colleagues at the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York on Monday, September 20, 2010.

Museumwise (formerly Upstate History Alliance) will hold a meet-up, an informal after work reception, in the museum’s Visitor Center from 5:00 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. This is a great chance to get together with professional peers! The Museum Store will also be open until 6:30 p.m.

The reception is free, but pre-registration is requested. Please call 1-800-895-1648 or email info@museumwise.org with your name, organizational affiliation, and full contact information including address, phone number, and email.

Museums, historical sites, and heritage societies are a vibrant and essential element of New York’s cultural life. Museumwise is a statewide membership organization dedicated to providing resources, training, and expertise to help New York’s museums and historical societies strengthen their capacity to better serve their communities and institutional missions.