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Problems facing museums in this pandemic environment

This is a link to a very recent article in the Washington Post detailing the economic problems that museums of all sizes, and non-profits of all types are facing in the pandemic. It talks about how organizations relying on admissions revenues for daily operations are trying to cope, and how organizations with endowments are facing plunging portfolios.

It also discusses how large foundations (like the Ford) are creating emergency assistance funds that may help our member institutions over the tough spots we face now and into the future.

https://wapo.st/2QCxqWE

 

Join Field-wide Letter on COVID-19 Recovery for Museums

Congress is moving swiftly to pass a massive economic relief package in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the Alliance is working to ensure the museum community is included. Based on budget numbers from several museum associations and numbers from the Oxford Economics/AAM’s “Museums as Economic Engines” study, we calculated that museums are losing at least $33 million a day due to closures as a result of COVID-19, will be in desperate need of significant federal support and that we needed to urge the U.S. Congress to include at least $4 billion for nonprofit museums in economic relief legislation to provide emergency assistance through June. You can join this important effort by signing your organization on to this letter. 

To join the letter: Please email governmentrelations@aam-us.org as soon as you are able with confirmation that your organization will sign-on and the name of your organization exactly as it should be listed on the letter. The more organizations join, the stronger the message. If you miss the 12 p.m. noon March 20 deadline but would like to join the letter, please continue to get in contact – we’ll continue to update and add organization’s names to the list for future and on-going circulation.

In the meantime, your continued outreach directly to your legislators is imperative. You can use our online action center to find your state and federal legislator information, and personalize your message to Congress in just a few clicks. You can use the same messaging with your state and local legislators. Please also share this information with your members and encourage them to contact their legislators as well.

Thank you for your critical advocacy for museums!

Ember Farber
Director, Advocacy

Government Relations & Advocacy
202.289.1818 • 202.218.7703 direct • 571-213-8517 CELL
www.aam-us.org/advocacy

#museumsadvocacy

 American Alliance of Museums
2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 1005
Arlington, VA 22202
www.aam-us.org

CAMM CONFERENCE UPDATE

Due to international health concerns, the CAMM 2020 Conference scheduled for April has been cancelled.  All registrations will be refunded (and thank you in advance for your patience).   Information about the 2021 conference will be posted in the coming weeks.   On behalf of the CAMM board, we wish you good health, and we look forward to seeing everyone in 2021.

$5 Million in Maritime Heritage Grant Funding!  Action Needed!

The attached letter signed by US House of Representatives Brian Higgins (D-NY) and Greg Murphy (R-NC) requests the House Appropriations Committee chair and ranking member to assure inclusion of $5M in the 2021 Defense Appropriations bill for the National Maritime Heritage Grant Program. This bill is being written now! The maritime heritage community must reach out to our local members of Congress requesting them to sign on as supporters of this bipartisan letter of request.

Please email or contact your local member asking them to be a co-signer of the letter. Be sure to attach, or include with your letter, the attached letter from Reps Higgins and Murphy.

Members can sign on to the letter by contacting Rep. Higgins’ Legislative Director Kayla Williams at: kayla.williams@mail.house.gov

As always, I encourage you to send your emails to a staff member by name to assure receipt and prompt attention. Your member’s local office can provide the email address; staff can also forward your letter to the appropriate staff member.

Please make the effort and contact your local Representative. More co-signers to the letter will help assure our success in securing the $5M for the grant program.

Thanks,

Timothy J. Runyan, PhD

Chair, National Maritime Alliance

Final Maritime Heritage DOD(3)

 

Society for the History of Technology’s Dibner Award

I am pleased to announce that nominations are open for the Society for the History of Technology’s Dibner Award.

The Dibner Award for Excellence in Museum Exhibits was established in 1985, through the generosity of Bern Dibner, to recognize excellence in museums and museum exhibits that interpret the history of technology, industry, and engineering to the general public. Winning exhibits, in addition to being well designed and produced, should raise pertinent historical issues. Artifacts and images should be used in a manner that interests, teaches, and stimulates both the general public and historians. The award consists of a plaque and up to $1,000 to cover expenses for a member of the design team to accept the award at the SHOT awards banquet.

Exhibits are eligible for this award if they have been open to the public for no more than 24 months before the deadline for nominations on 15 April 2020

The Society especially encourages nominations from local and regional historical societies. Virtual exhibits are not eligible for the award.

Further information about the prize, including nomination forms, a list of past recipients, and the members of the Dibner Award Committee can be found on the SHOT website. https://www.historyoftechnology.org/about-us/awards-prizes-and-grants/the-dibner-award/

Should any questions arise while completing the nomination form, please feel free to contact me or any other member of the Dibner Committee.

via Bernard Finn

finnb@si.edu

A Request from the Gender Equity in Museums Movement re #MuseumMeToo

I’m reaching out to you and your association colleagues this morning as a co-founder of the Gender Equity in Museums Movement (GEMM) regarding sexual harassment in the museum workplace.
Attached please find a request from the GEMM about a pledge we’ve been circulating on social media. The pledge, which is also included in the attached letter, asks our colleagues to make a personal commitment to eliminating sexual harassment in the museum workplace.
GEMM believes now is the time for the field’s professional associations to make a strong, public stance on this issue. We know that many of you are drafting policies and adding resources to your websites, and we are thankful for your attention. Your visible leadership on this issue will be welcomed, we believe, by a growing majority of museum workers, trustees, and volunteers — at all levels.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me with your questions and concerns.
All best,

Anne

Anne W. Ackerson
Creative Leadership & Management Solutions
1914 Burdett Avenue
Troy, New York  12180
T:  518-271-2455
E:  anne@awackerson.com

GEMM Request Regarding #MuseumMeToo

Maine Maritime Museum announces Maritime Research Grant

Maine Maritime Museum houses a significant collection of more than 20,000 objects and millions of rare documents related to Maine’s maritime heritage and its direct global impact, from prehistory to the present. In addition to making its collection accessible through exhibitions and publications, the museum furthers its commitment to academic research by supporting emerging scholars through the Lincoln P. Paine Maritime Research Grant. This grant recognizes the contributions that historian, author, lecturer, and Maine Maritime Museum trustee Lincoln P. Paine has made to the understanding and appreciation of the global impact of Maine’s maritime history. It provides partial, short-term support for scholars who require the use of the museum’s collections in order to complete work on research projects, complete dissertations, or prepare work for publication.

Qualifications
Maine Maritime Museum seeks graduate students working on projects related to maritime culture; qualified undergraduates and independent scholars with advanced projects are welcome to apply. Special consideration will be given to projects related to Maine’s role in globalization, the role of family in maritime businesses, the impact of energy and ecological resources on maritime history, the rise of Maine as a tourist destination, and how art and craftsmanship has visually defined Maine vessels, Maine people, and Maine’s coastal landscape.

Terms
Grant recipients will conduct one month of research during June through August, 2020, among the museum’s artifact and archival collections. Recipients will receive a $2,000 stipend plus off-site housing. At the conclusion, recipients will present the results of their research through a public lecture and in an article to be published in the museum’s triannual newsletter, The Rhumb Line.

The Application
• Project Proposal. This statement should include a description of the project, its significance, and its current state of progress. Not to exceed two pages.
• Curriculum Vitae
• Select Bibliography. Identify artifacts, archival collections, or other resources housed at the museum that you will consult during your grant period. Please consult the museum’s website.
• Letters of Recommendation. Two letters should accompany your application.

Please send applications to Chief Curator Christopher Timm at ctimm@maritimeme.org by April 18, 2020

 

AAM and sharing CIVID-19 resources

AAM writes:

Over the past few days we’ve received increasing questions from AAM membership, the press, and the broader field about recommended practices and resources for museums preparing for the possibility of a widespread increase in COVID-19. In service to the field, we have created a new COVID-19 guide with resources and information for the field and museums seeking relevant information. You can find the COVID-19 guide in the “Health in the Workplace” section of our Resource Library and directly at this link: https://www.aam-us.org/programs/resource-library/human-resource-resources/health-in-the-workplace/. We will continue to update this page as we receive more information (resources, examples, etc.) from the field and our own research.

Anyone Can Access this Link

We’ve taken this page out from behind our member wall (as well as any referenced resources within the document—with the exception of sample documents).

Please feel free to continue to share with us any additional information you have about how you and your members are responding to COVID-19.

Thank you, Ember

Ember Farber
Director, Advocacy

Government Relations & Advocacy
202.289.1818 • 202.218.7703 direct • 571-213-8517 CELL
www.aam-us.org/advocacy

#museumsadvocacy

 American Alliance of Museums
2451 Crystal Drive, Suite 1005
Arlington, VA 22202
www.aam-us.org

Galveston Naval Museum Seeks Ships Superintendent

Job Title: Ships Superintendent

Organizational Overview: The Cavalla Historical Foundation (CHF) is a non-profit, 501(c)3 corporation headquartered in Galveston County, Texas. The CHF oversees and operates the Galveston Naval Museum (GNM), located at Seawolf Park on Pelican Island in Galveston, Texas.

Reports to: Executive Director (ED), CHF ann.hobing@galvestonnavalmuseum.com

General Responsibilities:

Ensures that GNM employees, volunteers and guests adhere to all applicable federal, state and local safety requirements, and that ships and exhibits are maintained in visitor-ready condition.

Manages maintenance, restoration and repair work in accordance with the Foundation’s Strategic Ships Five Year Plan and the Edsall Class Veterans Association Memorandum of Understanding.   Coordinates all procurement actions with the CHF President/CEO, ED.

Specific Responsibilities:

Prepares specifications, supports bid reviews and source selections on contract work approved by the President/CEO and ED.

Recruits, supervises, and mentors Museum volunteers including Texas A&M Galveston Cadets. This entails

  • Creating priorities and assigning tasks;
  • Maintaining activity lists and training materials, including safety, for volunteers;
  • Scheduling volunteer work days and hours;
  • Ensuring volunteer work hours are properly tracked and effectively managed;
  • Ensuring adequate supplies, tools and appropriate safety equipment are on hand for volunteers.

Oversees the ACM Management plan and ensures compliance before any work is begun in affected areas.

Hosts the U.S. Navy Inspection Team during its’ annual evaluation of vessel condition and staff compliance. Promptly address inspection recommendations and submit required annual reports for U.S Navy owned equipment and property.

Prepares all vessels and equipments for inclement weather to include storm conditions and maintain an effective emergency contingency plan.

Other duties as assigned.

Minimal Qualifications:

Ability to work in a museum environment, managed by a Board of Directors, and under the direct supervision of an Executive Director in executing the Foundation’s plans.

Proficient in basic computer and standard office-suite business applications. Database management a plus.

Ability to work independently, with minimal direction and able to prioritize and accomplish the organization’s goals.

Possess a working knowledge of basic naval ship electricity, mechanics, plumbing and construction.

Possess an understanding and appreciation for the missions of the U.S. Navy’s surface and subsurface vessels.

High School Diploma or equivalent

Desired Qualifications:

Five to ten years of relevant experience in a related field

Understanding of Gato class submarines and Edsall class destroyer escorts, their history, theory, operations, maintenance and repair.

Experience as a senior petty officer in the Navy, Coast Guard, or other Maritime Service.

Experience in non-profit organizations.

Experience with 440V multi-phase electrical circuits.

Working Conditions:

Full Time (40 hours/week), salaried-exempt position including weekends, holidays and special events. Subject to 24 hour call for emergency response/crisis management.

Will frequently ascend and descend steep ladders on the Naval vessels and sail.

Sometimes perform manual labor to fulfill job duties including lifting up to 50 pounds.

Work effectively in outdoor settings and Galveston weather conditions.

Adhere to organizational dress and grooming standards.

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