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Blog posts tagged: ‘Philadelphia’

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0Coming together to brew a science cafe

Posted on: 11-4-2010

This session at the 2010 Annual Meeting provided a look at the inner workings of the Philadelphia science café, Science on Tap (SoT)— a collaborative program facilitated by 5 science museums: American Philosphical Society Museum, Chemical Heritage Foundation, Wagner Free Institute of Science, Academy of Natural Sciences, and Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. My co-presenters were Jenni Drozdek, Assistant Curator of Museum Education, American Philosophical Society Museum, and Victoria Indivero, Production Coordinator, Chemical Heritage Foundation. So what is a science café …

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1A Fellow’s reflection on the 2010 Conference

Posted on: 10-31-2010

When I applied for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Bruce Craig Fellowship, I had just begun planning my move from Iowa to New Jersey to attend graduate school at Seton Hall University.  I knew that it could be a good networking occasion, a chance to meet a few other professionals in the area, and familiarize myself with some of the museums.  I never guessed that the four days of the conference would be one of the most enriching experiences of …

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1Which history, whose history? Finding common ground in a cultural tornado

Posted on: 10-31-2010

Attendees proved to be willing participants in this session-turned-workshop on creating reflective discussion about change in museums.   Participants walked into a room of several circles of chairs with white paper and pictures on the walls.  Sitting at random, we were given a page of material on a certain topic as far-reaching as New Age knitting circles. The first question each group was asked was: What are the stories people need to hear and how do we know? We were then …

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0Self-Evident Truths: 100 Tips for Revolutionizing Your Membership-Development Program

Posted on: 10-31-2010

These 100 useful tips were part of a handout given to attendees at a session presented at the Annual Meeting. Thank you to Sheldon Wolf, President, AdvancementCompany, LLC; Dana S. Hines, President & CEO, Membership Consultants; and Beth Hager, Acting Chief of Education and Outreach, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; for allowing us to share the handout here. Have an annual and a longer-term Development Plan. Have this plan (based on Board participation) approved by …

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0Many hands make light work

Posted on: 10-31-2010

As the conference wound down on Wednesday, the White Gloves Gang was gearing up for their big day. Comprised of registrars, collections managers, museum studies students, and art shippers, the White Gloves Gang gets its name from the distinguished (okay, distinguishing!) cotton garment routinely worn when handling art and artifacts. Each year the White Gloves Gang brings its skills—organizing, processing, handling, housing—along with free archival supplies such as acid free folders, document boxes, textile boxes, tissue paper, and mylar (provided …

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1Wyck: Re-interpreting an historic house

Posted on: 10-27-2010

Wyck is NOT a historical house museum.  This was the monumental point of today’s session presented by Eileen Rojas, The  Wyck Association; Laura Keim, Curator, The Wyck Association; Donna Ann Harris, Principal, Heritage Consulting Inc.; and Page Talbott, Principal, Remer and Talbott. Though technically Wyck IS a historic house, the staff have undertaken an initiative to utilize creative, participatory, and dynamic but still historically accurate interpretation. Instead of creating simple period rooms the museum is hoping to portray 300 years of history …

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3Free and engaging online exhibitions: The Museum of the Macabre model

Posted on: 10-26-2010

Mission: to promote the historical significance of the afterlife If you haven’t visited the Museum of the Macabre, it is worth the trip; not only is it interesting but easy to get to and free. You see, it only exists online and the interesting thing about this museum, beyond it’s unique theme, is that it was created with absolutely no budget. Today the founders of the Museum of the Macabre gave a presentation about the Web tools they used to …

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1Successful collaboration between institutions

Posted on: 10-26-2010

Is your institution looking to cut costs?  Gain visibility to new demographics? Do you have underutilized collections that would make an excellent exhibition?  Need support or funding for a big idea that you have? If your answer is yes to any of these questions then collaboration might be the answer.  In Monday’s session presented by Paul Eisenhaur, Curator and Director of Programs at the Wharton Esherick Museum and Lynne Farrington, Curator of Printed Books, Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University …

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1Weathering the storm:Turning challenges into opportunities

Posted on: 10-25-2010

At each annual meeting, MAAM holds a leadership lunch—an opportunity for dialogue and exchange between students/emerging professionals and seasoned museum professionals.  This year’s lunch was moderated by Susi Kerr (Tang Museum at Skidmore College), Concetta Bencivenga (Please Touch Museum), and Wendy Luke (Museum Sage).  The moderators asked those attending the lunch to consider the following questions in relation to the current challenges faced by the museum industry, including issues of staffing, budgets, exhibition planning, attendance, and community relations. We’d like to …

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1Tour of Bartram’s Garden

Posted on: 10-25-2010

“God Don’t let me be a martyr to ye botany” – John Bartram The guide at Bartram’s Garden, America’s oldest living botanical gardens, informed us on today’s tour that Botany was a dangerous career during the 18th century. John Bartram, American botanist to the king of England, did not shy away from the challenge. He traveled far and wide collecting plant and animal specimens regardless of the obstacles, falling out of a tree on one mission, and confronting the French …

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