University Art Museums and Galleries: A Student Perspective, Part II

Accessing Art on Campus

An integral part of any education is hands-on experience, particularly at the university level, where students are preparing themselves for future careers.  This hands-on experience can translate differently from field to field, however, any school would seem horribly negligent to offer a major in chemistry without including access to a laboratory, or a medical degree without experience in an actual hospital.  For a student majoring in the arts, hands-on experience means access and exposure to art objects.  However, often this fundamental access is viewed as merely secondary to other university concerns.  In order to correct this, universities must realize what an asset art collections are to their campuses.  Where a chemistry lab is only truly essential to a science major, an art museum or gallery may play host to the education of all categories of students, faculty, and the community at large.  Exposure to art can inspire persons from all walks of life, and easy access to these objects should be a great concern of the universities. 

In educating Art majors, obviously art would play an essential part.  Merely viewing works in the pages of a textbook, however, is not enough.  To understand the impasto of a Rembrandt, the sheer size of a Gericault, the tactile qualities of an African mask, students must be able to view these items in person.  No photograph or slide can due proper justice to the real physicality of a work of art.  Student access to art is a necessary practicum, especially in the study of art.  The position of an art collection, and the gallery or museum space that holds it must be viewed as an essential part of the university campus.  This connection between art object and art education must be respected and promoted.  A student researching a work of art has as much right to access as a student researching science or medicine.  Any neglect on the part of a university to create such an atmosphere is to seriously impair the abilities of its student, and to limit their educational tools.  Art objects are a vital necessity on any liberal arts campus, and access to these objects should be considered in all university development. 

Access to works of art should extend beyond art majors and faculty, public access should be guaranteed as well.  Football stadiums and basketball courts open the campus up to the surrounding community, but a university art museum or gallery could offer another means of connection.  Exposure to special exhibitions, permanent collections, artist talks, and objects on loan opens a gateway to the public, inviting them into the academic side of the campus, and creating a connection to the outside world.  Just as the public and the campus may come together to cheer on the university team, so to can they come together to discuss an art exhibition.  If a university utilizes these possibilities, the opportunity to establish an open and multi-faceted dialogue between all sides of the campus and the public at large could exist. 

It is important to recognize artworks as a vital part of any campus, whether it is a work by a master painter, or a student-created sculpture on the quad.  Access should be guaranteed to these objects, and pains should be taken to integrate collections into a more active role in campus life. 

by Taylor Horak
B.A. Student, Art History
Virginia Commonwealth University
Department of Art History, School of the Arts

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Winter VAM Voice Sneak-Peek

Soon, our members will be receiving the Winter 2011 edition of the VAM Voice newsmagazine, complete with annual report. We've focused this edition of the Voice around the idea of advocacy and the importance of being an advocate for your museum. VAM got a legislator's perspective on this, and we're giving you a sneak peek, below. Members can look for the full newsmagazine in your email-box soon!

Many thanks to legislator David L. Bulova for answering the following questions for us. Mr. Bulova represents Fairfax City and parts of Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates, 37th District. Find out more at www.davidbulova.com.

What do you know about the museums in your district? Would hearing from your museum constituents be of interest/helpful to you?

I have several wonderful museums and historic properties located in my district, including the Blenheim House in the City of Fairfax (c. 1858-60), the Fairfax County Courthouse (c. 1799), and Mount Gilead in historic Centreville (c. 1785). All three are integral parts of the character of the surrounding communities. Hearing from my museum constituents and the historic preservation community is very helpful to me. In fact, it is how I became aware of the need for HB1963, which passed in 2011 and allows local governments to create resident curator programs to manage historic properties.

From your perspective as a legislator, what is the most helpful information a museum constituent can provide for you? 

Museums are an important part of protecting our cultural heritage and it is important that we make the investments necessary to preserve historic objects and properties for future generations. Especially in tight budget times it is critical to hear from constituents about the importance of museums, and their contribution to our economy, since they are competing with many other services and programs throughout Virginia. It is also helpful to hear about creative ideas for preservation and programming that do not involve funding, or that capitalize on public-private partnerships. The resident curator program was a great example of out-of-the-box thinking.
What would be your advice to a person who has never been involved in the advocacy process, but is interested in starting?

Make an appointment to sit down with your legislator several months before session, which starts on the second Wednesday of January. Most legislators love to discuss the legislative process and can help a constituent develop an advocacy plan. Before making an appointment, think through what you are interested in accomplishing. Do you have a specific idea? Do you want to create greater awareness? Remember that in Virginia, legislators are part time and only meet a couple of months out of the year. If you have a specific idea, think through whether it will cost money and who will likely support or oppose the idea. Touch base with other stakeholders to see what they think as well. Be patient and understand that your legislator will help out if at all possible, but that legislators also need to be strategic about what they introduce, and when. Timing is everything, especially when trying to get an idea through the committee system. Finally, remember that advocacy is about relationship building. Stay in touch with your legislator and invite him or her to special events and functions in the museum community. Your legislator won’t be able to make all of these events, but will appreciate being given the opportunity to participate.

Top 10 News from Richmond

Top 10 News from Roanoke

 

University Art Museums and Galleries - a Student Perspective

No matter where you are in Virginia, you’re only as far away from an art museum or gallery as you are from a college or university. Around 30 college or university art museums / galleries are scattered across the state, and that number doesn’t even include independent university collections, historic houses or other specialized museums. During the Spring 2011 semester, I was a part of an undergraduate museum studies class at VCU took an entire semester to look at the phenomenon of university art museums and galleries, visiting a small handful. From the museums’ functions within the university to collections, cite visits showed that each institution was unique and a great asset to the Commonwealth. But while museum professionals know where to find them, does the public? Or––maybe an even more important question––do students know where to find them? While many students will search for internships in DC, New York and other museum hubs, they only need to look outside their dorms.

University and college art museums and galleries already provide invaluable resources to students, and now we need them now more than ever. All students are more than aware of the job market that awaits them after graduation. Many are looking to fill their CVs and resumes with experience related to their fields, and university museums are in a unique position to prepare students academically and professionally.  

Most students are looking for internships. While formal internship programs are time-consuming to organize, having some kind of structure really helps utilize the work interns do. For example, long-term projects allow students to invest in the work they do––plus, interns that come to work (because that’s really how we look at it) and can pick up where they left off spend less time hovering around the office doors of staff, waiting to be assigned a task. The University of Virginia Art Museum and the Muscarelle Museum of Art at the College of William & Mary list formal internship programs on their web pages. The Muscarelle even requires students to have already volunteered before applying for internships. On the job training is really the only way to acquire the skills needed to work in a museum, so students are looking for opportunities to gain the necessary experience in proximity to where they live and study.  

An internship may even help a student decide if he or she really wants to work in a museum. If students are considering graduate school or an academic career, they are most likely looking for opportunities to conduct research. Sure, students can contact university museum directors and curators directly about gaining special access to the collection, but does the wider university community know that a collection is available for research? This past spring, one exhibit at Randolph College’s Maier Museum of Art, Nature Perfected: The Art of Botanical Illustration, was curated by a pre-med student. Reaching across departments and disciplines is one unique opportunity that museums have when operating under a university umbrella. Partnering with professors to create courses that relate a particular field of study to the museum would also offer more university-wide exposure. And regardless of academic background, students are looking for opportunities to learn new skills.

So university museums, keep offering and expanding programs, internships and research opportunities for your students!

And, students, don’t pass up those internships and other opportunities that your university museums offer—especially while you’re still on a meal plan!

by
Sharayah Cochran
M.A. Student, Museum Studies
Virginia Commonwealth University
Department of Art History, School of the Arts

The End of PowerPoint

There's lots of advice on the web about how to avoid it. But PowerPoint, or any other presentation tool (check out Prezi) is only as good as the person making the presentation. A great presentation leaves you inspired, gives you ideas, helps you solve a problem, allows you to discover something new. Too often, we use digital slides as a crutch, cram in too much text, jam too many slides into too little time, and do not rely on the power of our ideas, our experiences, and our stories. And, because we try to cram all of that information in our presentation, we stifle questions and dialog. Whatever your calling in the museum field, you most likely have to communicate information to peers, patrons, and/or the public on a regular basis.

At this year's American Association for State and Local History Conference, I attended a session entitled, "The End of PowerPoint." Presenters Lindsay Baker and Linda Norris delivered—and modeled--several good ideas for conference session presentations and for presentations in general. (Linda blogged about it in her popular Uncataloged Museum blog, too.)

Two ideas stood out for me. The first was a demonstration (using "good" and "bad" PowerPoints) of the Pecha-Kucha approach. Basically, it's twenty slides, twenty seconds per slide. The approach is a powerful means to focus what you are saying, using the slide deck as a powerful visual aid, not as a visual crutch. Imagine that. You have 400 seconds-- six minutes and forty seconds--to make your point. Do the standard conference panel math: panel lasts ninety minutes with three presenters. Each presenter uses the pecha-kucha approach and you end up with just over twenty minutes of presentation and nearly seventy minutes to reflect, react, comment, and question. That's a proportion more in line with promoting dialog than the standard conference math: three presenters, twenty to twenty-five minutes each, with only fifteen (often) to thirty (rarely) minutes left for questions and discussion.

The second approach was to present via an interview. At first, I didn't think this made much sense but, as Lindsay interviewed Linda about a project she worked on, I realized the power of it. The agreement beforehand was that there was nothing off limits and they had not scripted or outlined the interview. As Linda described the project (which you can read about here), guided by Lindsay's questions, interest in the attendees led us, without prompting, to begin asking questions about the project. For ten minutes or so, we were not talking about presentations, we were talking about the project. The attendee questions stemmed from the answers Linda gave to Lindsay's questions and provided more detail or further information on that related to the participants’ interests. I think the approach has merit for discussing a project or related projects, and avoids the "show and tell" tendency of panel presentations.

Lindsay and Linda presented other ideas, including a small group activity where we had to come up with alternative proposals for programs based on the titles of actual sessions at the conference. It was a fun, creative way to talk about and think about applying what we had learned, while modeling yet another effective technique for more involvement.

The session inspired me to be think more creatively about how to promote a greater level of engagement in my own presentations at work--or in panels--to instruct, to inspire, and to lead. Why not head over to the "tips for presenters" page on the VAM website and see what is there that will inspire you or suggest resources that work for you. Also check out Linda Norris’ blog, The Uncataloged Museum. She may be putting the slide deck up from the “End of PowerPoint presentation.”

Happy Presenting!

GARY SANDLING | VICE-PRESIDENT | VISITOR PROGRAMS & SERVICES

MONTICELLO | 434.984.9833

www.monticello.org

What a Ride...

This has been the inaugural year for Virginia’s Top 10Endangered Artifacts program, which is part of our larger Virginia CollectionsInitiative. The past few weeks have been our public voting ‘contest.’ To be honest, we weren’t sure what to expect during this first year. Will people be engaged enough to “vote” on an artifact from a collecting institution? Will the media be intrigued by the “stories” behind artifacts and their conservation and preservation needs? Will we accomplish, through the public voting, our goal of engaging the public and the media, and raising awareness of collections issues for all museums?

Of course we hoped so. We were bold enough to even “think” so. But we didn’t know. For sure. Because, of course, during public voting there could be something like an earthquake or a hurricane to take away people’s attention (but what are the chances?). There could be a major day of remembrance that dominates the media (still can’t believe it’s been 10 years). All sorts of things could happen to distract people and take their attention away from our little campaign.

Well, I’ve got news to report. Today is our final day of voting. We have about 90,000 votes as of now. The public has been incredibly engaged, with museums’ ‘groupees’ pitting themselves against each other in a friendly competition to see who can get the most votes for “their” museum’s artifact. As I type this, I have another window on my computer open which shows me every time someone casts a vote – it is clicking away every 3 – 4 seconds!!! Right now I can HONESTLY say, “Every 4 seconds in Virginia, a member of the public shows their support for artifact conservation.” Wow.

As far as the media goes, the AP picked up our story last week and it has hit news, radio, and TV across the state and in Washington, DC. Virginia Living Magazine ran a piece on the project, too. Here are just a few of the stories:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/1-week-left-in-online-voting-for-virginia-top-10-endangered-artifacts/2011/09/13/gIQAlFTnOK_story.html

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=41&sid=2541598

http://www.nbc29.com/story/15454936/most-endangered-artifacts

http://blogs.roanoke.com/arts/2011/08/virginia-museum-of-transporations-1776-engine-among-candidates-for-top-10-endangered-artifacts/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/house-divided/post/civil-war-items-compete-to-be-among-top-10-endangered-artifacts/2010/12/20/gIQArCV1fK_blog.html

So, what’s next? We’ll see how it all pans out. Public voting ends tonight. Our independent peer review panel will meet soon to determine Virginia’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts for 2011. We’ll have “the big day” in November (stay tuned!) announcing those Top 10. Then museums will be armed with a little more marketing know-how, and some fine voting numbers, when they begin the challenging work of engaging donors or grantors to help fund conservation of artifacts. I’ll keep you posted in this space, but we are hopeful that our little project has helped put conservation on the map in Virginia!

Heather Widener,
Communciations Director, VAM

Leaving a Legacy to Your Profession

Well, my brother the attorney finally convinced me – I’m not getting any younger (the big 50th birthday hit me last fall), and it was time to think of where I wanted my millions (well, maybe a few thousand) to go after I’m done with it here on earth.  Yes, it was time to draw up my WILL!  It gave me sort of a spooky feeling to be thinking of planning for my death, but I must admit that I did want to make up my own mind about where my hard-earned money would end up.

My husband and I gave this a lot of thought over many months.  We were not able to have children, so the option of leaving any funds to our kids was off the table.  Along with my twin brother, I’m the youngest in my family, as is my husband in his.  We figured our siblings could cope on their own, so maybe we’d look toward the next generation.  We’ve lots of nieces and nephews, we thought, so let’s help them out!  Of course, none of them have chosen the lucrative museum field, so they’re actually making or likely to make much more in their chosen professions than we ever will.  Okay, so they don’t really need the bequest.

So…what to do with the bit that we are squirreling away?  Charities and educational foundations, of course!  We’ve come up with a few crusades that are very near and dear to us – a scholarship for high school students (my husband taught for 30 years), funds for homeless kitties (cats make great children!).  And lastly, a cause that is nearest and dearest to my heart: Museums!

Once I thought of that, all was clear.  What have I spent my first 27 years of professional life doing?  Working for museums!  What is the one organization I have had a membership in for all of those years?  VAM!  The Virginia Association of Museums has been valuable to me since I first joined as a graduate student in the early 1980s, and it’s remained a crucial part of my professional life ever since.  Now that I have been on the VAM Council for several years, I have come to see how the organization works behind-the-scenes for its members.  And, clearly, I have come to realize that VAM cannot survive without support both now and in the future from all of us.  I can work in the museum field for another 27 years, and will remain on the VAM Council until the organization tires of me, but the best thing I can do for VAM is to name it as a beneficiary in my will, and that’s what I’ve done.  It won’t be a huge amount of money that will come to VAM in the end, but every little bit helps. 

Come on, VAM colleagues, think ahead and plan for not only your future, but VAM’s as well!  Draw up your will, and include the Virginia Association of Museums as a beneficiary.

- Tracy

Tracy J. Gillespie
Historic Site Supervisor
Aldie Mill Historical Park
Mt. Zion Historical Park/Gilbert's Corner Regional Park
Properties of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority

Purposeful Museum Blogs

To complement the third VAM member White Paper being released today, entitled Blogging: An Introduction for Museums, this blog post highlights a few museum blogs that we have come across that we think are innovative, purposeful, and provide a conversational 'voice' for their museums.

Wilton House Museum’s Found in the Collection
Museum and Gardens’ Hermitage Collection Connection

These are two innovative blogs that use the museum collections to give life to the blog posts.
The blog posts reciprocate by giving life to objects, telling their stories, and discussing the
overall story the museum has to tell in the process.

Library of Virginia:
Multiple Exposure: Catablog of the Prints and Photographs Collection at the Library ofVirginia
Out of the Box: Notes from the Archives at the Library of Virginia
The LVA has two blogs. They’ve used the first, their “Catablog,” to post prints and photographs
from their collection. The second is similar to the Wilton House and Hermitage blogs in that it
focuses on collections from the LVA archives. I think these collections-focused blogs are great
because they not only enrich the experience of learning about the collection for visitors, but they
extend the museum’s reach and ‘flavor’ well beyond their walls by hosting ‘conversations’ about
their collections for a worldwide audience.
Gari Melcher’s Home and Studio at Belmont: Special Events blog

This is a smart marketing move, aimed at people who may want to rent facilities at Belmont for
a special event such as a wedding. Chocked full of great pictures and stories, I’m sure it’s
enticing for those looking for such a venue!

Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum’s Pushing the Envelope

This is an interesting blog in that it highlights the history behind various stamp designs, and it
shares the content of letters written at different times in history. It’s a smart move for this
museum to have a blog, since they have a lot to offer the very-niche-but-also-very-passionate
audience of stamp collectors around the world.
As stated by Nina Simon of the popular Museum 2.0 blog,
“I believe that the museum blogosphere is still underdeveloped and there's lots of room for people to share their inspiration, experience, and ideas.”

Check out the rest of her post, where she outlines six MORE museum-related blogs that show promise
(December 2010: http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2010/12/six-museum-related-blogs-you-mightnot.
html).

If your museum has a blog, please share that with us - we're always looking to connect to museum blogs!

What's in a Name?

As you may have heard, the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park has a new name - the Virginia Museum of the Civil War. Read Director* Scott Harris' commentary on the name change:

Since 1967, the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park has told the story of the battle that occurred here on May 15, 1864, with special emphasis on the role of the Virginia Military Institute Cadets.  We also describe how that battle and the war generally impacted the Bushong family (whose farm was at the center of the fighting) and other residents of the Shenandoah Valley.  The other major part of our interpretation is the overview of military activity in the state during the entire war, using exhibits originally created for the Civil War Centennial Center in Richmond from 1961 to 1965. 

Adoption of the name “Virginia Museum of the Civil War” places our overall interpretation of the war at the forefront, while retaining the Battle of New Market and Bushong/Shenandoah Valley aspects of our mission.  With the Sesquicentennial upon us, many travelers will (hopefully!) be coming to the Commonwealth for Civil War heritage tourism experiences.  It is our hope that the “brand” embodied in the Virginia Museum of the Civil War will resonate with these travelers.  The broader vision of the museum will also facilitate additional exhibits and programming in the future, which will be developed as resources allow.

What VMI has done with the New Market name isn’t a new concept.  In Virginia alone, I can think of a few relevant examples of institutions that have (or are) undergoing transitions in their names, usually to broaden their appeal and build awareness.  The Roanoke Transportation Museum became the Virginia Museum of Transportation.  The National Museum of the Marine Corps consolidated two former museums, the Marine Corps Historical Center in Washington and the Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum in Quantico.  Jamestown Festival Park became Jamestown Settlement, and the other two Jamestown locations operated by the National Park Service and Preservation Virginia have also seen revisions.  I seem to recall that the Yorktown Victory center was once going to be the Museum of the American Revolution, though variations of that name are being used in several locations. 

Among Civil War sites, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society’s “Confederate Museum” adopted its current name, the Museum of the Confederacy, in 1970.  Pamplin Park Civil War Site (opened in 1994) evolved into Pamplin Historical Park and the National Museum of the Civil War Soldier.  In 2000, the Tredegar National Civil War Center opened in Richmond, but was later designated the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar.

The list goes on.  For kicks, I Googled “museum name changes” and got over 49,000,000 hits—though I think there may be a few repeats!

Getting back to New Market, there will be considerable overlap in use of both “Virginia Museum of the Civil War” and “New Market Battlefield State Historical Park” for some time.  The latter name currently appears in many publications, signs, and online resources.  Over time, the new name will assume greater prominence.  However this evolution proceeds, the primary goals will be the same—to help visitors understand the rich legacies of Virginia in the Civil War, including the Battle of New Market and the Shenandoah Valley.

Scott
*Scott Harris is leaving the Virginia Museum of the Civil War in July to assume directorship of the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library. Best of luck to Scott and both museums as they make leadership transitions!

Cultsha Xpo a Great Success for Richmond's Cultural Nonprofit Community

I'm just speaking by way of what I saw last Saturday. VAM attended the first annual Cultsha Xpo, which was put on by CultureWorks for Richmond at the Science Museum of Virginia. Not knowing what to expect from this inaugural event, I pulled up to find that parking would be a challenge. Turns out I got lucky and found a space right out front, but the place was absolutely packed! Thousands of Richmond's "Cultural shareholders" were on hand to register, pick up their Cultsha Bucks, and "spend" the day away!

We were representing our TimeTravelers program, and gave away a ton of information, and sold several hundreds of dollars worth of TimeTravelers' passport guides. As the crowds slowly diminished and we began to pack up at the end of a long, tiring, but exciting day, I saw a lot of smiling faces, a lot of Cultsha Bucks being counted out, and a "coming together" and bouyancy in the cultural community. Thank you CultureWorks! We'll be there next year.

Flashmob at Cultsha Xpo:

Field Trip Perspectives: Henricus Historical Park (Part 3 of 3)

Museum: Henricus Historical Park
Audience: 2^nd grade
Format: 2 hour guided exploration of life at Henricus

Luckily, I had a day to recover between my 5^th grader’s field trip and my 2^nd grader’s. The second grade traveled to Henricus Historical Park. Unlike the 5^th grade trip, it was a relatively short distance from school, and therefore was not an extended day trip. I wasn’t sure what to expect, since I had never visited Henricus, and had never been on a field trip of children younger than 4^th grade.

Upon reporting to school, we received our groups and instructions from the teachers – we were to stay in a large group that would then be taken through the program by the museum educators. As chaperones, we were to help shepherd the kids from place to place, assist when someone needed a bathroom break or a behavior reminder, and generally help make sure the kids were engaged (they were extremely engaged the entire time!).

This was a very different format from the trip I had just taken, and my role as chaperone was different as a result. While the kids at the Aquarium had taken their own initiative to see this exhibit or that, the museum educators at Henricus were guiding us through various aspects of life for the Powhatans and the English 400 years ago in Colonial Virginia. The program had the kids planting seeds the way the Powhatan Indians would have, hoeing tobacco, and grinding corn. The kids were experiencing a ‘living lesson’ so to speak, while at the Aquarium the kids were largely ‘curating’ their own experience. What I realized was that both formats are extremely valuable for different reasons, and both formats have benefits for different age levels. One benefit of a program such as the one we experienced at Henricus, is that it can be correlated specifically to the standards and curriculum the children are learning in school.

An Aside (Diverging a bit from a chaperone perspective):
Again, there were several children on our trip with special needs. We had school personnel who work with these children on a daily basis on the trip, and we chaperones helped steer these kids back on track when necessary, such as when one child got very caught up in some nearby construction equipment that was working when we as a group were ‘focused’ on the workings of an English farm in Henricus. This made me wonder about best practices – this was a child who, in all likelihood, did not realize that earth moving machinery did not exist in 1611 (I’m sure he was not the only one!). Would this have been an opportunity for the museum educator to discuss “then and now” in a more basic way for the students who may have benefitted from such a discussion? Perhaps it might have, but perhaps not. This was a format where there were four groups circulating through various ‘stations’ within the museum area, and likely each educator had a strict timeline along with learning outcomes to cover. These types of issues, and a myriad others, are those that come up daily in the lives of museum educators, and discussing practices with colleagues and teachers allows reflection and refinement of strategies for all.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed the four ‘stations’ that they visited at Henricus. Each allowed them a glimpse into life at Henricus from various perspectives: the Powhatan perspective, the farmer’s perspective, the tobacco trader’s perspective, and the soldier’s perspective. Each of the educators had their own distinct style, which was good in that different kids  got ‘hooked’ by different strategies and styles. The kids got to see firsthand the differences between the homes, tools, and rules that governed the people who lived in Virginia in 1611.

Once our tour wrapped up, we ate lunch on the lawn before our busses rolled in. My son slept the whole way back to school. Again, I hope that, once back at school, the kids had a chance to reflect on the wide array of learning that took place that day. Research says sleep helps us process new information. Perhaps my son was “reflecting” all the way home!

Field Trip Perspectives: The Virginia Aquarium (Part 2 of 3)

Museum: Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Audience: 5^th grade
Format: 3-4 hour self-guided tour
I traveled with my son’s 5^th grade to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach. It was a major trip, and the school hired coaches. This fact, in-and-of itself, garners a lot of excitement among the kids. After all, it’s not every day you can “do your business” on a moving bus. Plus, since it’s May in 5^th grade, this is also the last elementary school field trip for these guys (one of the reasons I wanted to go – childhood is quickly evaporating for my 11 year old!). As chaperones, we were given our list of students, along with the teacher’s cell phone number in case of an emergency. This was to be a self-guided tour throughout this museum with multiple buildings and a huge outdoor component. As a chaperone to five boys, I knew my job would consist largely of “herding cats” all day, and doing my best to keep up. The teachers had downloaded an instructional worksheet from the museum’s website for the kids to use while touring the museum. As a chaperone, it was good to know that I could use this tool to help focus a child who might begin to wander or lose interest (for me, this was not an issue  – my group was incredibly interested, darting from one exhibit to another and truly reading/trying/learning from each).

Demographics
The school is extremely small as far as local zoning. There is only one classroom full of fifth graders from near the school. So the county uses this school as a “zone” school for special programs. So in addition to the local kids, who are racially & ethnically diverse but, largely, come from economically modest households, there is a large number of kids from 20+ other elementary schools who attend this school because they are in a “gifted” zone program. This group, too, is racially, ethnically, and economically diverse. In addition to that, the school has a zone program for deaf students.

An Aside
This makes me think about school field trip booking procedures (OK, I’m diverging for a moment from my perspective as a chaperone) – because, had this been a guided educational program led by museum educators or docents, they would surely have noticed that this was an extremely diverse group that required various special teaching considerations. I wonder how much of this type of information is gathered by most museums prior to a trip? Surely it would be helpful to know who you are dealing with, and how to best accommodate their needs. The kids’ needs and the diversity in the types of learners was not a problem b/c of the self-guided nature of the tour. That is one benefit to such a structure for a field trip – different learners will walk away with different experiences, based upon their interests, abilities, etc. At a place like the Virginia Aquarium, there were plenty of things to interest different kids.

Our group hustled through the Marsh Pavilion to the aviary, where they picked up the identification sheets so they could figure out what types of birds they were seeing. In the Pavilion, they loved seeing the snapping turtle, fiddler crabs, and seahorses. We had an hour in this section of the museum prior to eating lunch out back in the shade. The kids’ enthusiasm was only slightly tempered by hunger by the time we sat down to eat. One in my group was celebrating a birthday, so soon Krispy Kreme donuts were passed around and songs were sung. The day was not only filled with learning, it was festive and celebratory. The kids were (no wonder!) in a great mood and so happy to be together outside of school.

After lunch, we headed through the outside areas on our way to the main building. We could have spent a lot more time at each of the outdoor stations, but as chaperone I knew that there was a lot to see in the Center, and I also knew what time the busses would be picking us up, so we chose one or two stops along the way and pushed on so that we’d have plenty of time to explore once we were inside.

In the exhibit areas, one thing stood out to me (I had not been on a 5^th grade field trip since I taught 5^th grade back in the mid-90’s): the technology. The kids were not only interacting with the exhibits in the way that you’d imagine (touching, reading, trying the experiments, pointing out the fish), but many of the kids had some sort of technology – whether that be a phone with photo and internet capabilities, an ipod touch, or a digital camera. Some of the kids were looking up different marine creatures on the internet to learn more about them while in the exhibit halls. I overheard one girl, when we passed through one of the halls, comment, “Shoot! I just lost my signal!”

An Aside: II
The technology that gets brought into museums by school groups is, of course, rather a new phenomenon, but it is one that museum professionals can consider when exhibit planning. Should all of your galleries be WiFi areas? Should there be QR codes at different stations for those who have the capability to use their mobile device as a learning tool? What about the use of iPads in galleries? There has been a lot of buzz in the world of museum education about how these devices can be utilized in a 21^st century museum. Of course, not all age groups and demographics will have mobile devices (certainly in our diverse group, there were many kids who did not bring such a tool), so there is a balance to be struck between taking advantage of technological opportunities and serving all audiences.

Exhausted, with our minds buzzing with all we had seen over the past few hours, we entered the area where the kids could “pet” the stingrays. For my son, this was the highlight. It also provided a stop where the kids all slowed down a little, stayed longer than at a lot of the exhibits, and quieted down as they observed and interacted with the stingrays. It was a good ending. As we left the museum, I was wondering how (and if) the teachers were planning to “unpack the experience” for the kids once back at school. Processing ALL THE INFORMATION is key so that the group can get the most from their experience as possible. This is especially important on a self-guided tour.

An Aside: III
If your museum offers a self-guided tour, you may consider offering post-visit activities (online or otherwise) that assist in the “unpacking” of the experience. What I mean by that is that the experience itself is rather short, very filled with energy and excitement, and continually active. Educational research consistently shows that, to complement that type of experience, students need the opportunity to reflect, analyze, make connections, and extend their experience. While many of the post-visit activities I’ve seen focus on kids recalling what they’ve seen or classifying items, a simple, open-ended journal prompt that allows the kids to reflect back on an aspect of their visit, or an assignment that asks the kids to create a short instructional video about the experience for a younger student to view, allows the kids a little more leeway as far as reflection and consideration of the museum’s collection or program. (And if museum educators could have a chance to see products such as this, they’d provide invaluable insight for planning and evaluation of programs).

Field Trip Perspectives (Part 1 of 3)

Every museum educator knows that May is “Field Trip Month” in Virginia and D.C. Recently, I removed my VAM hat and put on my “mom visor” to chaperone two field trips – one with my fifth grader; one with my second grader. In addition to the trips being with different age groups, one was a long (read: excited kids on tour bus!) trip, while the other was more local, and one was a self-guided tour while the other was completely guided by museum educators. I decided to blog from the perspective of a field trip chaperone to add yet another point of view to our “Perspectives from the Field” VAM blog. So, in the next two posts, read about two very different – but very educational and beneficial - field trips from a slightly different “bent.”
While I’m discussing school programs, I’ll use this space to remind folks that if your museum offers summer (or anytime!) teacher institutes, lectures, workshops, or open houses, VAM is happy to list those on the Teachers section of our website. Simply email the information or a link to the page on your site where it is described to Heather.

And for All the Education, Networking, and the Such..... VAM Conferences are FUN, Too!

And here's the proof. A few of our conference go-ers decided that our stuffed giveaway, "Andalo" (Children's Museum of VA 'mascot') should have an adventure in Portsmouth that extended beyond the inside of their Conference bag - and oh boy did he!!!! In honor of the Grand Re-opening of the newly renovated Children's Museum of Portsmouth on Thursday, we decided to share some of the photographic proof that Andalo had quite an adventure while VAM visited his 'hometown' of Portsmouth - this one is just for fun, folks:

VAM Members Have Big Ideas - Vote for This One!

From the Norfolk Botanical Garden:

We need YOUR vote! Please help us spread the word!

Please support Norfolk Botanical Garden in the 2nd round of the Chase Community Giving Facebook contest!

Your determination put the Garden and our eagles in the Top 10 in Chase’s national 100 charities worth supporting, helping us win a $25,000.000 prize – now it’s time to take hold of that #1 spot!

From Thursday, May 19, 2011 – Wednesday, May 25, 2011, you can click http://bit.ly/leqt4q to vote. One vote per person.

The charity with the most votes for their ‘Big Idea’ will be the recipient of a $500,000.00 prize!

Norfolk Botanical Garden’s ‘Big Idea’ is to capture the enthusiasm from our eagle fans all over the world and put it into a FREE educational program that would allow us to upgrade our technical capabilities and develop compelling stories, online learning resources, printed materials, videos, images, benchmark-driven educational curricula, demonstrations and other multimedia resources and make them available to our viewers!

This educational program, ‘Without Boundaries - Wild Eagle Encounters,’ will help our wild eagles soar into homes and schools around the world sharing our message of environmental stewardship!

Please vote and help us spread the word!

Together we can reach new heights as we work together to promote our wild eagles, plants and the environment through our beautiful gardens and educational programs.

For more information, contact Kelly Dierberger at (757) 441-5830 ext. 346 or email kelly.gaita@nbgs.org.

Donor Relations - An Open "Q & A" for VAM's Museum Professionals

The following exchange was originally via email, and I got permission from Sean, Charlotte, and Patrick to post them here. If you have additional feedback on this issue, please comment on this post!

Sean Fearns:
A colleague of mine asked me a question which I said I would in turn survey my fine associates with VAM:
A donor makes a restricted contribution of $X dollars to a museum Y in late 2008/early 2009 to develop an exhibit on a certain topic. It's seed money to get started developing that exhibit, but not nearly enough to come close to mounting the entire exhibit. The museum begins to look for other sponsors to make up the difference. Everyone will recall that this gift came just as the economy started to tank and giving in general is down over the past few years. Museum Y has not raised the rest of the money to build the exhibit in question yet, but continues to activly solicite for the project. Donor has grown impatient and has now asked for their donation back. Does Museum Y give donation $X back to the donor even thought hey are still working to pull together the rest of the funds?

Thanks for any input and examples of policies that your fine institutions use in a case like this.

Charlotte Whitted:
We are in a similar situation over a building. We have some donors who have pledged to the construction of a Farm Heritage Center (about a $4 million project). We have completed the design/development phase and brought the infrastructure up to speed with sewer connection, but are nowhere near ready to begin construction. Our Board voted to defer groundbreaking for up to 5 years.



Once we knew we could not break ground in a timely fashion, we declined to ask the Virginia Tobacco Commission for another extension on the remaining funds they allocated for this building. We sent a letter to show them we were trying to act in good faith and be good stewards of their funds. If we had used it to build a retaining wall or some small part of the building just to draw down the whole allotted amount, it would have been a mistake. We hope this action will serve us in good stead should we need to approach them again later for this or another project.


With the $300,000 grant from Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, we were able to convince them to allow us to repurpose the grant for capital improvements for existing museum assets. This means I am spending $ like crazy over the next couple of years to completed restorations on 2 buildings, convert our physical plant to outdoor bathrooms, install sewer connection, internet, etc. throughout the entire site, replace roofs, lighting, upgrade security, landscaping, convert a caretaker's cottage to a guest accommodation, etc. Some of these projects will become revenue generational upon completion (leasing a building for restaurant/retail space, private facilities rental for another building, cottage rental, etc.). The grant was given originally in the name of Tourism, so making the case that these assets will enhance tourism also was easy.


USDA Rural Development gave us $25,000 for equipment for the Farm Heritage Center, which we also were able to repurpose for equipment at the existing museum facilities. This is earmarked for computers, copier, phones, etc.


The other outstanding pledges and dollars already deposited for the Farm Heritage Center are still valid. We have communicated with the donors and they have agreed to continue paying on their pledges. We have stressed the importance of this so that when the Board determines the time is right for a capital campaign for Farm Heritage Center within the next five years we will have the seed money still, especially for matching grants. All have agreed to this plan. No one has asked for their money back yet? These are county, foundation and individual donations. It will likely mess up their taxes to try to get a refund of their donations at this point. We will update the donors annually with the prospects for groundbreaking. If after five years we decide to abandon plans for the project, we will approach donors about repurposing their donations for an alternative project that will help the museum. If no alternative will suit them, then we will probably refund their donation if they insist. It is better to do that and maintain good relations than to hold it restricted to a project that will likely not come to fruition.


It sounds like the difficulty in the scenario Sean presents is the donor's personal connection to the subject matter of the exhibit, rather than to the museum itself. Was the funding solicited or accepted contingent upon a particular exhibit opening date? Was it solicited with the anticipation of the donor finding other like-minded donors to fund the rest of the cost of mounting it? Are artifacts from the donor involved? Who on the staff or board is close enough to the donor to listen to their frustrations and respond compassionately but clearly about the realities of the funding prospects and needs? Can the donor become more a part of the solution? Can a new realistic timeline be established? Does this exhibit still fit into the museum's strategic plan or meet the museum's mission?

Patrick Farris:

Were this situation occurring at my museum, I would work intensively with the donor to create a timetable acceptable to all parties for the completion of fundraising for and mounting of the exhibit. Should the donor simply and regrettably not wish to continue participation in the project, then I would return the donation - definitely not worth the bad blood and potential bad press to keep the money. I would also worry that, in keeping this donation against the desire of the donor to have it returned, I might poison opportunities to work with other potential donors in the future once word got out.

A final consideration concerning the downturn in the economy (which you noted was beginning roughly when the donation was made); the donor's change in heart and subsequent desire to have said funds returned could have something to do with his/her financial status and needs, which also likely changed with everyone else's. If that is the case then there could be little hope of an agreement, even though the donor may not admit this to be the core reason.

Lin Ezell:
Gift agreements should be crafted to cover unfortunate scenarios, esp helpful for a complex project that is both long-term and dependent on a variety of financing options. One grant we accepted years ago for a project clearly called for construction to begin by a certain year and the funds to be expended within a certain window of time. When construction was delayed, we informed the donor; they reclaimed the funds. Fortunately, and in part because we kept the donor informed annually on our steady progress in raising funds for the project, we reapplied and the funding was restored along with a little extra. If this is a restricted gift and there were expectations on the part of the donor that are not being met--explicit or implied--I would return the gift with a positive message that the project is still important as is the relationship with the donor and the promise that the museum will give the donor the opportunity to reengage in the future. There are lots of ways for everyone to lose in such a situation; while this museum may not be able to make it win-win, they should work hard to salvage the relationship and not give the donor an opportunity to be unhappy and share that unhappiness with others. Better to risk tabling the project for a long while rather than have a tainted donor experience.

VAM Voice Newsmagazine Sneak Peek: Museum Program for Alzheimer's Patients

Here we are in mid-May, and I am working on putting together the next installment of our VAM Voice member newsmagazine. If you read the Voice, you know that we pull together topics and issues affecting Virginia and D.C. museums and synthesize them for you. We also do our best to highlight some of the amazing things going on throughout our state's (and D.C.'s!) museum community.

I have been corresponding with Sharon Celsor-Hughes, docent coordinator for the University of Virginia Art Museum in Charlottesville, about an incredible project - and partnership - they've been working on. The program is called "Eyes on Art" and it is geared towards people with early or mid-stage Alzheimer's disease. Below is a short excerpt - a "whistle-wetter" if you will - of the interview I conducted with her. Learn more about how museums are engaging underserved, special-needs audiences in the Summer 2011 VAM Voice newsmagazine. It'll arrive in member inboxes in early June.

HW: Tell us a little about the "inquiry method" you use to elicit discussion around the art.


SC-H: The Inquiry Method is based on docents asking questions that are aimed to involve the viewer in gaining visual literacy. As this method lends itself to starting conversations and engaging the viewer, it works well with programs designed for people with Alzheimer’s. However, the goal for our Eyes on Art visitors has less to do with gaining visual literacy and more with the use of art as a means for engaging and stimulating conversation. Visitors who are in the early or middle stages of the disease are limited in their ability to recall information, especially those everyday details such as what they ate, who visited them, or what they just watched on television. Frustration often occurs when asked these types of questions—both to the person with the disease and their caretaker(s). However, by stimulating conversation based on what is in front of them at that moment and knowing there isn’t a specific answer being sought, allows the person with Alzheimer’s a venue for positive interaction.


HW: What advice would you give other museums considering programs for special needs audiences?
SC-H: The best advice I have for other museums interested in developing a program for any special needs group is to reach out to other museums with like programs. Ask to observe a program and learn what has worked for them, as well as, what their challenges have been. Find out if their program has undergone changes and if so, why. No two programs I researched were exactly alike. Some used themes and others chose to go without themes in favor of choosing works they felt would elicit the most responses. Some held these visits during regular museum hours, while others scheduled them for non-public hours. Most included caretakers; however one museum sent caretakers to the coffee shop. Many decisions will be based on the uniqueness of the institution. Finally, start small and see what works before expanding and involving more partnerships. Recognize that no two groups will have the same dynamics.

- Heather Widener
Communications Director, VAM
http://www.vamuseums.org/

Question from a Member: Is Their Situation Unique?

The Princess Anne County Training School / Union Kempsville Museum in Virginia Beach wants to know:
Are we the first museum in the county or in Virginia to exist in a public school (a fully functioning, staffed site)?

If you have any feedback, please email hwidener@vamuseums.org.


Here's a little background on the site:
Princess Anne County Training School was the first high school for African Americans in Princess Anne County, now known as Virginia Beach. The African American community, in the 1920’s and 1930’s, worked together to raise money to build a school so their children could receive a proper education.



The initial money raised was used to purchase four acres of land on Witchduck Road. The land and $2000 were given to the school board but no attempt was made to build a school. In 1934, a temporary school was established on the property of the Union Baptist Church. In 1938, a four-room high school was built.

Between 1949 and 1962 several additions were added to the school. In 1962 the name changed to Union Kempsville High School. In 1969, the school closed due to city-wide integration.


Today the legacy of the school continues with the establishment of the Museum that shares stories of family, community, sacrifice, and the importance of education.

The American Civil War in Britain - A VAM 2011 Tour

To view a slideshow "tour of the tour", along with pictures of many of the sites, click here.

Here's a look at our expanded itinerary:

Friday, 21 Oct. London Walking Tour of Civil War sites in Belsize Park:

Following an independent lunch at the Spaniard’s Inn in Hampstead Heath, this tour includes sites significant to the pro-Confederate, British Society for Promoting a Cessation of Hostilities in America. The emphasis of this tour will largely be about the roles of numerous Church of England clergymen who actively supported the South in the American Civil War, and includes stops such as a church where numerous meetings involving Confederate agents and naval officers and Anglo-Confederate leaders about intervention into the war. This same church was attended by Jefferson & Varina Davis in 1868. We will return to the hotel to experience a British Tea. You are on your own for the evening – if you have fully recovered from jet lag, you may wish to sample London nightlife or the theatre.

Saturday, 22 Oct. London Walking Tour of Marylebone’s & City’s Civil War Sites
This tour includes sites and discussions pertaining to the political & social activities of the Southern Independence Association, Confederate Emissary to London James Murray Mason, key British citizens contributing to the Southern war effort, US Minister to London Charles Francis Adams and his son/secretary Henry Adams, and the Confederate States Aid Association. In the afternoon, we will visit sites in the City (Square Mile). This tour includes sites and discussions pertaining to the propaganda war waged between the Union & Confederate journals published in London (The London American and The Index) in addition to their strategies, arguments, subscribers, and effectiveness; the London Emancipation Society, pro-Southern street campaigning, and the interesting lives lived by numerous ex-Confederates who fled American after the war to London, including former Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin. You are on your own for dinner, but VAM will lead those interested to The Mayflower pub in Rotherhithe. It was from a Rotherhithe quayside, near a pub called the Shippe, that the Mayflower set sail for America in the spring of 1620. The pub dinner will be followed by an evening walk along the Thames Path along the South Bank to Westminster Bridge for a look at the London skyline at night.

Sunday, 23 Oct. London Walking Tour of Piccadilly & Mayfair’s Civil War Sites
This tour includes sites and discussions pertaining to the British Government’s activities relating to the American Civil War, Confederate Emissary to London William Yancey, Anglo-Confederate activities, the London Emancipation Society, the Confederate Commercial Agency, and the Society for Promoting a Cessation of Hostilities in America. Our final stop for the morning will be at the East India Company for a tea-tasting session. The event starts with a talk by Jane Pettigrew, a tea specialist, historian, writer and consultant. Afterwards you will have the opportunity to try many different types of teas exploring ranges of black, green, flavoured and rare teas. The afternoon will be spent at the Victoria & Albert Museum, where we will have the opportunity to meet with museum staff. In the evening, following an independent supper in Brick Lane, there will be a candlelit tour of Dennis Severs House in Spitalfields – an amazing step back in time to experience the sights, sounds, and smells of the home of a London family. As their website states, “the house’s ten rooms harbour ten ‘spells’ that engage the visitor’s imagination in moods that dominated the periods between 1724 and 1914.” (See more about this unique experience at http://www.dennissevershouse.co.uk/.).
Hardy souls will wrap up the evening with drinks at The White Hart pub in Whitechapel.

Monday, 24 Oct. Liverpool City Centre’s Civil War Sites and The Beatles
Once in Liverpool and settled, we will take a break from the Civil War for a bit to spend some time at The Beatles Story, a museum and visitor attraction recreating the 1960’s experience. We will be back in the 1860’s for an early evening walking tour of Liverpool City Centre. This tour includes the headquarters of Fraser, Trenholm & Co, the Charleston-based mercantile firm which orchestrated most UK-based blockade running and Confederate naval shipbuilding, to include the Alabama and Florida. Also stops at the US consulate, from which the war's largest espionage network was orchestrated (a result of Fraser, Trenholm & Co's activities). We will see the elaborate, commanding St George's Hall where the Confederate Bazaar occurred, raising money for Southern prisoners in the North. We will also see the site where the CSS Shenandoah officially lowered its flag, the last Confederate military unit to surrender, ending the war in November 1865. The evening is on your own. For those interested, we will have dinner and drinks at The Cavern where The Beatles became club favourites in the early 60s.

Tuesday, 25 Oct. Liverpool Bus Tour of Civil War Sites
This tour includes numerous sites outside of Liverpool City Centre, such as the sites of the CSS Alabama's and CSS Florida's construction. Also the wartime home of Confederate Navy shipbuilder James D. Bulloch (visited frequently by his nephew Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt), sites significant to Confederate Navy captains Raphael Semmes and John Maffitt. Bulloch's grave will also be seen on the tour, as will the beautiful Allerton Hall, where the party occurred to celebrate the Alabama's successfully evading British authorities and sailing out of the Mersey to prey on the Atlantic's US merchant fleet. Also, a stop at Claremont House, the wartime home of John de Costa, who was a key witness for the United States in the case making claims against the British government for UK-built Confederate warships' damage to the US merchant and whaling fleets. The afternoon tour goes inside the home of Charles K. Prioleau, the chief Confederate financier in Europe. His home still contains the most significant period artwork and architectural features that is authentic to the Civil War era of Southern history. We will also see the home of James Spence, a British merchant who wrote The American Union, a very popular pro-Confederate propaganda book which was well-received in British society. Other sites include the home in which famed Confederate Navy shipbuilder James D. Bulloch died in 1901. You are on your own for dinner, but for those interested we will be having supper followed by drinks at Ye Olde Hole in Ye Wall, Liverpool’s oldest public house dating back to the start of Liverpool’s maritime heyday in 1726.

Wednesday, 26 Oct. Liverpool Merseyside and Magical Mystery Bus Tour
This morning, we will visit two of the National Museums of Liverpool: the Merseyside Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum. At the Maritime Museum are collections reflecting the vitality and importance of the port of Liverpool and its role in world history – objects associated with nautical archaeology and the social and commercial history of the port. Highlights of the collections include ship models, maritime paintings, and galleries that tell the history of emigration, the Battle of the Atlantic, and tragedies at sea, such as the Titanic and Lusitania. A series of special displays and a gallery with fascinating archives, objects and paintings relating to Liverpool’s role in the American Civil War will be open to commemorate the Sesquicentennial from 2011-2015. The International Slavery Museum explores both the historical and contemporary aspects of slavery, addressing the many legacies of the slave trade and telling stories of bravery and rebellion amongst the enslaved people. Liverpool was a major slaving port - about 1.5 million enslaved Africans were carried by its ships. The museum is on the third floor of the Merseyside Maritime Museum building and is divided into three galleries: Life in West Africa, Enslavement and the Middle Passage, and Legacies of Slavery. After an independent lunch, we will end the official tours by taking the Beatles “Magical Mystery Bus Tour”, a 2-hour tour on the colorful Magical Mystery Tour bus to places associated with John, Paul, George and Ringo as they grew up, met and formed the band that would take the pop world by storm. We will see their childhood homes and places that inspired some of their most memorable songs like Penny Lane and Strawberry Field, as well as other places of interest along the way.
A Special Farewell dinner is planned for this evening, included in your tour package.

Thursday, 27 Oct. Departure
Group transfer to Manchester Airport for the return flight home.
ADD-ON TRIP TO SCOTLAND: Oct. 27 – Oct. 30 Glasgow and Inverness
For details, contact Margo at mcarlock@vamuseums.org or 804-788-5821

Learning Science Outside the Classroom

I attended a webinar, sponsored by Education Week, entitled, “Learning Science Outside the Classroom.”  I’ve been meaning to share a few points that were made for museum folk who work in science museums, zoos&aquariums, botanical gardens, and any other museum where scientific discovery takes place – and I’m fully aware that this occurs in history-based museums on a regular basis as well. The webinar opened with a question: “When and why do people learn science and what sources do they use?” The answer is increasingly driven by technology and accessibility of information, and the answer to that question has changed greatly over the last 20 years. Some points that were made:


• 3-5% of our time is spent in “formal” education
• Learning is lifelong.
• Traditional ‘gatekeepers’ of knowledge hold less control as access to information widens.
• The boundaries between when/where/why we learn is disappearing.

Why do people learn science? Perhaps you can add to this list:

• Curiosity
• Necessity / satisfy a need
• To educate children
• Job
• Hobby
• Training

One particularly encouraging fact is that the probability of a person entering a career in the sciences is heavily correlated to that person’s expectation of entering such a career as the of the 8th grade (this correlation was stronger than any correlation between test scores and future science careers. The webinar also pointed out that after-school programs make a significant impact on science learning, and that impact is most pronounced for high-risk youth involved in such programming. This has implications for museum programming and partnerships with community organizations and school systems.

The second section of the webinar focused more specifically on informal learning centers, including science museums. It pointed out that there are now 350 science museums in the US alone, with several new ones opening each year. This represents 177 million visits in the US per year. Additionally, a large number of teachers visit such centers for professional development each year. If your museum is involved in science education, know that you are making an impact. Also, if you are not reaching out to special audiences such as teachers, and seeking community-based partnerships, you are missing an opportunity to magnify your impact.

Additionally, you may want to check out the following websites that were shared:

Science Inquiry on the Web

www.tryscience.org: Find just about every science museum on the planet; dozens of vetted activities from science museums for use on or off-line; in 9 languages

www.citizenscience.org: Proof of the democratization of knowledge! Individuals, families, students do data collection and analysis for real science research

www.nobelprize.org: Exquisite simulation activities of real experiments, inspiring stories, and more

www.sciencebuddies.org: Hundreds of inquiry science fair projects, way beyond that model volcano; career advice and more

www.pbskids.org/designsquad/: The TV show is cool, but even better are teens doing engineering for delight at school or at home

www.Sciencefriday.com: The tagline reads Making Science User-Friendly. Millions listen, but even more get it through the Web, Podcasts, Blogs, Tweets ….

Why Join VAM's (newly expanded!) Certificate Program? Watch and Find Out!

Museum Take Over (guest blogger Ginny Reynolds)

It’s about time museum folks brought others – individuals and communities – into the conversation. This year’s VAM conference addressed how museums can further promote community engagement and participation. While the conference focused on local Virginia institutions, issues relating to communities and authority are relevant for museums across the country.

And that’s where I come into the picture. My conference nametag listed “Cooperstown, NY” as my address, but I attended this year’s annual conference semi-incognito. I am originally from Greenwood, VA (a vague geographic area outside Crozet), and will graduate in May with a M.A. in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program. Like me, I’m sure many of you continue to digest content from the conference. Sessions were jam-packed with examples of Virginia institutions encouraging broader public participation through community partnerships, innovative programming, collaborative interpretation, and social media.

What’s going on beyond the Commonwealth? I hope you’ll forgive me for sharing a brief upstate New York example. For a second year, the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown installed a “blog-curated” exhibition. You read it right: blog-curated. Online readers of American Folk Art @ Cooperstown and this year, the Fenimore Art Museum Blog, determined the exhibitions’ content by selecting their favorite paintings or objects. Using social media, the Fenimore encourages community participation virtually and intellectually, ultimately sharing the authority.

In closing, to remain important to visitors today, museums across the country are finally focusing on “being for somebody.” Engaging communities is essential to this equation, whether you’re in Virginia or beyond.

- Ginny


Virginia Reynolds

reynoldsve[at]gmail[dot]com

M.A. Candidate, Museum Studies

Cooperstown Graduate Program

Copper Thieves & Historic Properties

A VAM member (Preservation Virginia's Mary Washington House) was recently the victim of copper thieves. The video below tells the story. Has your site experienced anything similar? VAM is researching the issue in the hopes of shedding some light and offering advice for historic house museums. Please comment in this space or email Heather if you've had experiences such as this!

Historic Home of Mary Washington, Mother of George Washington, Hit With Copper Thefts: MyFoxDC.com