Below are three videos that comprise the Ready or Not... session from the VAM 2012 Annual Conference. The speakers were Mike Henry, Site Administrator, Fairfax County Park Authority; Tracy Gillespie, Historic Site Supervisor, Aldie Mill Historical Park / Mt. Zion Historical Park/ Gilbert's Corner Regional Park: Properties of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority; Scott Harris, Director, James Monroe Museum; Doug Harvey, Director, Lynchburg Museum System; Robin Reed, Executive Director, National D-Day Memorial Museum.
The session description goes a little something like this: Change is a constant. Managing change in new situations and positions requires skill, flexibility and adaptability. Panel members (no strangers to change) will share what new challenges they encountered and what lessons they learned as they managed the mutable aspects of museum careers. Thinking about a job change or maybe heading in a new direction? This session will help you get ready.
We hope you enjoy this little freebie from #VAM2012. We hope you consider joining us for #VAM2013 at The Homestead, where we'll all be treated to a room rate of just $95 a night! We can't wait! :)
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
KIDS CARING ABOUT COLLECTIONS-- PART 2
The mission of the Virginia Living Museum is to educate and Deer Park ES wanted the students to learn about career opportunities, so when the KCC program was being developed we crafted it to have two aspects- work in the collections and short fun informational mini-classes every other week, dealing with different aspects of geology and careers in geology. I enlisted the help of the educators and volunteers with background in geology to become the presenters. The Rock Cycle activity mentioned above was one of these mini-classeses. After a brief introduction by Education Associate Betsy Wolin, the students became rocks. Rolling a special die they moved through stations representing stages of the rock cycle. Along the way they collected beads to record their journey. It was one of their favorite activities and introduced them to the different types of rocks they would be rehousing.
Another favorite topic for kids is paleontology (dinosaurs and fossils). Judy Molnar, a Education Associate, has spent three summers in Montana
Roseann Carlson, a geology professor and VLM volunteer added to their store of knowledge about geology and geologic careers. She taught them about sedimentary rocks, what education you need to become a geologist and related some of the experiences she has had working in many aspects of geology over her distinguished career as a geologist.
To introduce the students to the importance of minerals in their lives we gave them magnifying glasses and hardness test kits to learn about some of the properties of minerals. We also set up a display of minerals and a display of everyday things that are made from minerals. We had them try to match the mineral to its product. Many of the students were surprised to find minerals in their toothpaste, cold lozenges and baby powder.
Capping off the mini-classes was a spirited competition between the boys and girls in a game of Geology Concentration. The students had to match the name of a scientist working in a geology career with a card that said what that scientist did. (Ex. Astrogeologist matches the cards “Studies and creates maps for other bodies in the solar system”.). This game, designed by Susan Summers a Education Associate at the museum, introduced them to eight different careers in geology, many of which they thought would be really fun to do.
By the end of the program the students had increased their knowledge of rocks, minerals, fossils, and careers in geology. They also walked away with a better understanding of what the VLM collects, why we collect and how we take care of our collections. This program connected them to the collection and gave them ownership. In return the students rehoused the contents of 51 drawers of rocks and minerals, replacing 738 acidic boxes with acid free boxes. In addition they noted discrepancies, objects with no catalog card and even found one object that had been listed as “missing”!
For these eight students, geology stepped out of the text book and into their hands. They left with comments like “The VLM is very fun”, “This class was a great learning experience” “Its vary helpful! I love it. really much! (sic) and “I think this is the best enrichment, I love it.” According to the kids in the program, “Rocks Rock!”
Jody Ullmann
Collections Manager (aka, Queen of the Dead)
Virginia Living Museum
Newport News, VA
www.thevlm.org
Jody Ullmann
Collections Manager (aka, Queen of the Dead)
Virginia Living Museum
Newport News, VA
www.thevlm.org
Monday, March 5, 2012
KIDS CARING ABOUT COLLECTIONS (PART 1 OF 2)
A recent webinar stated that in order to get recognition and money for the things museum collections need, people need to feel connected to the collections. Here at the Virginia Living Museum, the live collection takes center stage and few know that we even have a non-living collection as well. Hidden away behind closed doors, with limited access by the public, makes us invisible and we were missing out on connecting with people in the same way that our live collection can. After all, it’s hard to compete with warm, cute and fuzzy animals.
The local environmental science magnet elementary school, Deer Park ES, contacted the museum looking for ways to connect the kids to the museum and have them learn about job opportunities in the museum field. Here was the perfect opportunity to connect these kids to a collection that they were going to be studying in school- rocks and minerals. So the idea of Kids Caring About Collections was born.
Every Wednesday a group of eight fifth graders enthusiastically leave their school and walk the two blocks to the Virginia Living Museum to work in the museum as part of this program. Combining learning with work, the students arrive about 9:30 and have a short lesson then they work for the next 20 minutes rehousing the geology collection in a classroom near the Collections storage area. 
They carefully remove all of the boxes of specimens, determine what size acid free box they will need and then carefully move the contents of the box from the old box to the new one, making sure that they also move all labels and tags in the box. This may seem scary to most Collections Managers, but these kids are hand-picked from many kids that apply for this opportunity. We also insisted that the school provide two adult volunteers.
With our staff and the teacher, that ends up being one adult for every two students, a great ratio. While the students are rehousing the objects, they are also learning about the rocks and minerals, where they can be found and sometimes even that they have unique properties. At the end, I ask them to tell me about their favorite rock or mineral or to look up an exotic place they have never heard of that was listed on a tag. Among their favorites was purple and yellow fluorite, the green malachite and the sparkling Herkimer diamonds.
Jody Ullmann
Collections Manager (aka, Queen of the Dead)
Virginia Living Museum
Newport News, VA
www.thevlm.org
The local environmental science magnet elementary school, Deer Park ES, contacted the museum looking for ways to connect the kids to the museum and have them learn about job opportunities in the museum field. Here was the perfect opportunity to connect these kids to a collection that they were going to be studying in school- rocks and minerals. So the idea of Kids Caring About Collections was born.
Every Wednesday a group of eight fifth graders enthusiastically leave their school and walk the two blocks to the Virginia Living Museum to work in the museum as part of this program. Combining learning with work, the students arrive about 9:30 and have a short lesson then they work for the next 20 minutes rehousing the geology collection in a classroom near the Collections storage area. 
They carefully remove all of the boxes of specimens, determine what size acid free box they will need and then carefully move the contents of the box from the old box to the new one, making sure that they also move all labels and tags in the box. This may seem scary to most Collections Managers, but these kids are hand-picked from many kids that apply for this opportunity. We also insisted that the school provide two adult volunteers.
With our staff and the teacher, that ends up being one adult for every two students, a great ratio. While the students are rehousing the objects, they are also learning about the rocks and minerals, where they can be found and sometimes even that they have unique properties. At the end, I ask them to tell me about their favorite rock or mineral or to look up an exotic place they have never heard of that was listed on a tag. Among their favorites was purple and yellow fluorite, the green malachite and the sparkling Herkimer diamonds.
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| "Before" |
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| "After" |
Jody Ullmann
Collections Manager (aka, Queen of the Dead)
Virginia Living Museum
Newport News, VA
www.thevlm.org
Friday, February 24, 2012
A Message from AAM Ahead of Museums Advocacy Day
We are using this space to pass along the following message from AAM. We hope to see you next week in D.C.!
Museums Advocacy Day 2012 Webcast
The American Association of Museums will be webcasting portions of the two-day event. We invite you to visit http://www.speakupformuseums.org/video.htm to watch a LIVE webcast of these Museums Advocacy Day events:
• Monday, February 27, 9:00am-11:30am ET – Advocacy Essentials
• Monday, February 27, 12:30pm-2:00pm ET – Federal Agency Speakers
• Monday, February 27, approximately 6:45pm-7:30pm ET – Congressional Reception**
• Tuesday, February 28, approximately 8:15am-9:30am ET – Congressional Breakfast
We hope that these programs – and the accompanying materials on this webpage – will provide your members and colleagues an opportunity to advocate from anywhere. We also invite you to join the conversation on social media channels (using the #museumsadvocacy hashtag).
With your help, we can make Museums Advocacy Day 2012 a truly national event.
**As of this writing, technical issues may prohibit our live streaming the Congressional Reception.
American Association of Museums
1575 Eye Street NW, Suite 400 | Washington DC 20005
www.aam-us.org
Museums Advocacy Day 2012 Webcast
The American Association of Museums will be webcasting portions of the two-day event. We invite you to visit http://www.speakupformuseums.org/video.htm to watch a LIVE webcast of these Museums Advocacy Day events:
• Monday, February 27, 9:00am-11:30am ET – Advocacy Essentials
• Monday, February 27, 12:30pm-2:00pm ET – Federal Agency Speakers
• Monday, February 27, approximately 6:45pm-7:30pm ET – Congressional Reception**
• Tuesday, February 28, approximately 8:15am-9:30am ET – Congressional Breakfast
We hope that these programs – and the accompanying materials on this webpage – will provide your members and colleagues an opportunity to advocate from anywhere. We also invite you to join the conversation on social media channels (using the #museumsadvocacy hashtag).
With your help, we can make Museums Advocacy Day 2012 a truly national event.
**As of this writing, technical issues may prohibit our live streaming the Congressional Reception.
American Association of Museums
1575 Eye Street NW, Suite 400 | Washington DC 20005
www.aam-us.org
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Winter VAM Voice Sneak-Peek
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.
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