Museums Alaska: The Statewide Museums Association : Resources

Tru Vue® Inc. has partnered with the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC) to offer grants to support projects in glazing applications for preservation of museum and library collections. Funds are to help defray direct project costs, including supplies and publicity. Projects must be supported by a conservator and demonstrate conservation goals.

Up to four awards will be made each year. Each award includes a cash amount of up to $4,000 and donated Tru Vue® Optium® acrylic glazing materials.

Past recipients of the grant include the Norman Rockwell Museum, New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation, Bureau of Historic Sites, the Harry Ransom Center of The University of Texas at Austin, The Fairbanks House, the Phillips Collection, The Walters Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Mariners’ Museum of Newport News, Virginia, the Newark Museum of New Jersey, the New York Historical Society, and the Museum of Art at the Rhode Island School of Design.

To be eligible,

· The applicant must be a not-for-profit collecting institution (museum or library) with active exhibition programs and located in one of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories.

· The institution must have at least one full-time conservator on staff, or a conservator who will be on contract for the project.

· Projects should be completed within 12 months of the award date.

The deadline for receipt of all materials is May 1 and November 1 of each year. Electronic submissions are encouraged but not required.

Guidelines and forms are available on both the AIC/FAIC website, www.conservation-us.org/grants and Tru Vue, www.tru-vue.com/museums/grants, or by calling the FAIC office at 202-452-9545.

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Innovation Lab for Museums Launched
The American Association of Museums's (AAM) Center for the Future of Museums, EmcArts, and MetLife Foundation announce the launch of a major new initiative designed to enable selected museums to design, research and prototype innovations, testing novel approaches to field-wide challenges in a laboratory-like setting. The initiative is entitled the Innovation Lab for Museums, and is now accepting proposals at www.aam-us.org andwww.EmcArts.org. The deadline for proposals is October 31, 2011. Read more here.

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Governor’s Awards for the Arts and Humanities nomination deadline –Individual Artist, Business Leadership, Margaret Nick Cooke Award for Native Arts and Languages, Arts Advocacy. Applications for Arts Awards at http://www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca/. Humanities Awards at: http://www.akhf.org/governors-awards

CONNIE BOOCHEVER INDIVIDUAL ARTIST FELLOWSHIP deadline : 2011 Fellowship category is for visual and media emerging artists.

Information at http://www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca/.

CAREER OPPORTUNITY GRANTS, COMMUNITY ARTS DEVELOPMENT GRANTS, WORKSHOP GRANTS, HELEN WALKER PRESENTING/TOURING GRANTS, MASTER ARTIST AND APPRENTICE GRANTS application deadline. http://www.eed.state.ak.us/aksca/

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 24, 2011

Contact: Eryl P. Wentworth

Phone: (202) 661-8060

Email: ewentworth@conservation-us.org

AIC-CERT

American Institute for Conservation—Collections Emergency Response Team

WASHINGTON, D.C.— With the peak of hurricane season approaching, museums, historic sites, libraries, and archives in coastal regions will be at risk. The American Institute for Conservation (AIC), the national association of conservation professionals, is offering free emergency response assistance to cultural organizations. Please help make sure that staff members of collecting institutions know to contact AIC-CERT when a disaster—flooding, hurricane, earthquake, fire—has damaged collections.

Call AIC’s 24-hour assistance number at 202.661.8068 for advice by phone.

Call 202.661.8068 to arrange for a team to come to the site to complete damage assessments and help with salvage organization.

AIC-CERT volunteers have provided advice to dozens of museums, libraries, and archives, most recently to sites in Minot, North Dakota affected by flooding. AIC-CERT teams were on the ground following the Midwest floods in 2008 and in the Galveston area following Hurricane Ike later that year. AIC-CERT members and other AIC conservators are currently in Haiti assisting with recovery of cultural materials damaged in the 2010 earthquake.

AIC-CERT is supported and managed by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC). In 2007 and again in 2010, FAIC received funding from the Institute of Museum & Library Services to support an advanced training program for conservators and other museum professionals that resulted in a force of 107 “rapid responders” trained to assess damage and initiate salvage of cultural collections after a disaster has occurred. They are ready to assist.

Resources and information on disaster recovery and salvage can be found on the AIC website at www.conservation-us.org/disaster . The public can also call AIC-CERT at 202.661.8068.

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New Conserve-o-Gram technical leaflets available

The U.S. National Park Service Museum Management Program is pleased to
announce the publication of several new Conserve O Gram technical leaflets
on the following topics:

     How To Select Gloves: An Overview For Collections Staff
     Care and Identification of Objects Made from Plastic
     Preparing and Storing Geological Drill Cores
     Digital Storage Media

The National Park Service [NPS] Conserve O Gram [COG series is geared to
collections management staff. Technical leaflets cover a range of
collections types, including archives, ceramics, digital media, fine arts,
furniture, leatherwork, natural history collections, photographs, and
textiles. The COGs address specific procedures, techniques and materials on
preservation, security, fire and curatorial safety, agents of
deterioration, packing and shipping, storage, and disaster preparedness.

The NPS Conserve O Gram series and other NPS museum publications are
available for free download at http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/.

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Introduction to Museum Studies online class
Prince William Sound Community College is offering a 3-credit online class, Introduction to Museum Studies. This class offers an overview of museum operations, offering instruction in exhibit development, collections care and management, educational programming and related topics. The class should be ideal for museum board members, volunteers and staff who wish to round out their professional development, and students who are interested in pursuing museum careers or internships. The online format allows for participation from students throughout Alaska and nationwide; if enrollment numbers allow, in-person sessions will be available for local students.

A brief class description and enrollment information can be found here: http://www.alaska.edu/distance/details.html?CRN=79931&term=201003

Flyer in .pdf format is available here.

Please contact the college for information about enrollment, or email curator@valdezmuseum.org for more details.

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IF YOU DON’T APPLY FOR A RASMUSON GRANT, TELL YOUR BOARD TO FIRE YOU!

Diane Kaplan, President and CEO of the Rasmuson Foundation, spoke at the State of the State Luncheon at the AkLA conference. Kaplan’s address talked about the benefits of libraries; she mentioned that one of the proudest achievements of Elmer Rasmuson, founder of the Foundation, was that the UAF library is named after him.

The Rasmuson Foundation is dedicated to promoting a better life for Alaskans and has done so for over 50 years. The Rasmuson Foundation only supports organizations based in and providing services to Alaska, with primary interest in arts and culture, health and social services.

Ms. Kaplan recommended Rasmuson Tier 1 grants as a source of funding for collections for libraries. Rasmuson Tier 1 grants are for $25,000 or less and have a one-step application process with decisions usually made within 90 days. For Tier 1 grant and application information, visit http://www.rasmuson.org/index.php?switch=viewpage&pageid=32.

Ms. Kaplan declared, “If you don’t apply for a Rasmuson Tier 1 grant this year, tell your Board to fire you!”

The Rasmuson Art Acquisition Fund assists museums in purchasing current works of practicing Alaskan artists. Other programs include Arts Education Fund, Creative Ventures Fund, Harper Touring Fund to present performing arts to underserved communities, Individual Artist Awards and many others. Visit http://www.rasmuson.org/index.php?switch=viewpage&pageid=5 for a complete listing of Rasmuson programs.

The Rasmuson Foundation funds Alaskan organizations that have received 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service and are classified as "not a private foundation" under section 509(a) of the Code, units of government and federally-recognized tribes. Broad community impact is an important consideration when decisions are made concerning awards.

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New NEA Application Guidelines Published, Webinars Planned

The National Endowment for the Arts posted the next round of grant application guidelines on Thursday, January 13, 2011. Three short presentations are now available to prepare organizations for the new guidelines. http://www.giarts.org/blog/gia-news/three-video-presentations-nea-new-guidelines

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