Fall 2008 - Eastern Illinois University

FALL 2008
President
Debbie Grinnell
[email protected]
Term Exp. Spring 2009
Vice President
Sarah Hagye
[email protected]
Term Exp. Spring 2009
Secretary
Merrilee S. Lee
[email protected]
Term exp. Spring 2010
Treasurer
Rex Nyquist
[email protected]
Term Exp. Spring 2010
Member-at-Large
Symposium/General
Mary Maronde
[email protected]
Term Exp. Spring 2009
Member-at-Large
Membership
Sharie Prout
[email protected] Exp.
Spring 2010
Past President
Lori Cox-Paul
[email protected]
Term Exp. Spring 2009
Newsletter Editor
Katie Grant
[email protected]
Term Exp. Spring 2009
HAPA Website
www.eiuhapa.org
AMM/MPM Conference
By Tamara
Wolski, HA class of
2008-2009
In late October,
the
Historical
Administration class
attended “Meeting in
the Middle,” a joint
conference between
the Association of
Midwest Museums
and the MountainPlains
Museums
Association in Kansas The Class of 2009 at The Aladdin Hotel, Kansas City. Back row
City, Missouri.
The (l tor): Saige Jedele, Amanda Paszek, Katie Ebeling, Kitty Nowak,
opening reception was Chris Davis; middle row (l to r): Kim Grauf, Betsy Giles, Anthony
held at the NelsonBowman; front row (l to r): Chad Burroughs, Tamara Wolski,
Atkins Museum of Art
and the Kemper Museum Jennifer Fair, and Lauren Wojnarowski
of Contemporary Art. The event included a tour of the renovation work within
the Nelson-Atkins building including the American Art and American Indian
Art galleries.
The HA students are currently designing an exhibit at the Lincoln Log Cabin,
and it was a treat to view the gallery layout and design process of a large-scale
museum firsthand.
The following day the class had the privilege of hearing Jonathan Katz, CEO
of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies speak at the Keynote Address.
He discussed the public value of museums, and how museums must be aware of
the changing trends in technology to appeal to younger generations. His speech
struck a chord with one student: “I learned from this wonderful keynote speech
that we must attempt to find more ways to connect with the visitors, of all ages,
to make each exhibit more engaging, more unique, and individualize the visitor
experience.”
The HA students also had their choice of dozens of sessions to attend, which
Continued page 9
Alumni Updates
Matt Cassady, Class of
2007 and 2008 is the new
program associate at Fort
Snelling, for the Minnesota Historical Society.
In July Rob Martin,
Class of 2002, enrolled
in the Masters of Divinity program at Wartburg
Theological Seminary in
Dubuque, IA.
To keep abreast of all
things museum, however,
he is looking into a workstudy position at Wartburg
that could include some
curation of the Papua
New Guinea museum on
campus.
Jim Sturgill, Class of
2003, recently completed
his paramedic course
and is one examination away from having
his paramedic license in
Michigan. Jim and his
wife Erin had their first
child, a son, James John
Matthias Sturgill (Jamie)
in April of this year. Jim
misses the museum field,
but feel that EMS is his
true calling, and he hopes
that everyone in HA land
is well!
Sara McFarland, Class of
1988, is no longer in the
museum field, but she is
in libraries now.
Jamie Wilms, Class of
2006, is now working
for The Museum Village
as Education Director in
Monroe, New York.
From the President
Dear members, colleagues and friends,
Greetings to all. My message to our alumni, colleagues and friends this issue
will be brief. We are all facing tough economic times – given that, please take
advantage of the networking opportunities our HA alumni association provides
to us. It is especially important that we have a current email address for you
– work or home – in order to communicate most efficiently. Whether it is job
postings, educational opportunities or other news of which we think you’d like to
be notified, we need an email address in order to send it.
Please take a moment and email your current email address to Sharie Prout, our
current Membership coordinator, at [email protected]. Sharie would
love to hear from you. Include a quick update about what you are doing, where
you are, etc. and we’ll include it in the next email blast or newsletter. If you have
a position opening at your institution, know of one elsewhere, or are looking
yourself, please include that as well. Sharie will be sure to pass the info on to
Nora Pat Small as well so she has the latest information as the HA program
coordinator.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Debbie Grinnell
President
From the Vice President
The Ties that Bond: Museums Making Connections
No matter what type of institution we work at, there is always the issue of keeping
ourselves fresh and up to date. We strive to find new research, programs, or
collections to keep ourselves exciting to the public. But what happens when the
good ideas run out, or the old ones become tired? How do museums connect to old
and new constituents? To other non-profits? To the past and to the future? What
new connections has your institution made lately? We are currently accepting
ideas for session proposals and papers. The deadline for proposals is December
12, 2008. Please send information to Sarah Hagye, Wagner Farm, 1510 Wagner
Rd., Glenview IL, 60025 or email: [email protected]
Join us as we learn from each other and explore new connections, especially the
ones we may never have thought to make.
Save the date! HAPA Annual Symposium, March 28, 2009,
Eastern Illinois University
Sarah Hagye
Vice President
Illinois Historic Sites Closing Due to
Budget Cuts
New info:
Julie Breu, Class of 1997
Operations Manager/Volunteer Coordinator
Siouxland Heritage
Museums
By Linda Norbut-Suits, Class of 1990
[email protected]
Catherine Carman, Class
of 2008, has accepted a
Governor Rod Blagojevich cut $1.4 billion from the FY2009 Illinois budget. The position at The Henry
Historic Sites division personal services budget was targeted and cut $2.8 million. Ford as Associate CuraFunds used for site repairs (etc.) were eliminated entirely. This cut forces the closure tor of Education - K-12.
Besides other projects in
of 14 historic sites and the layoff of 34 Historic Sites employees across the state.
the education department,
she’ll be working primarHistoric sites that will close as of November 30 are:
ily on a few new exhibits about transportation
Apple River Fort, Elizabeth
- American auto racing,
Bishop Hill, Bishop Hill
the early automobile story,
Black Hawk including The Hauberg Indian Museum, Rock Island
and how the automobile
Bryant Cottage, Bement
affects our lives today.
Cahokia Courthouse, Cahokia
The job is only guaranteed
Carl Sandburg, Galesburg
through December 2009,
Dana-Thomas House, Springfield
but there is a great potenDavid Davis Mansion, Bloomington
tial for continued work
Fort de Chartres, Prairie du Rocher
at THF. She feels very
Fort Kaskaskia and campground, Ellis Grove
prepared for the position,
Jubilee College, near Brimfield
having worked on the
Lincoln Log Cabin, near Charleston
class exhibit, Corridors.
Pierre Menard Home, Ellis Grove
Vandalia Statehouse, Vandalia
Sharie Mooney, Class
Not only will sites close but Springfield office staff has been decimated. The of 2005, would like to
Springfield office staff, responsible for decades of irreplaceable research, exhibits, announce that she is now
officially Sharie Prout!
conservation, and 40,000 artifacts will be pared down to three.
She and her husband
The senate passed two pieces of legislation after the cut to restore funds. The first Todd were married during
authorized a fund “sweep,” taking money from restricted accounts to replace the cut an early snow storm on
funds. The Governor has signed this piece of legislation. The second authorized the October 11th, outside of
use of those “swept” funds to restore personal services funding. This bill is currently Sheridan, Wyoming. Her
in front of the Governor to be signed and would restore $2,400,000 in cuts to historic HA classmate and partner
site funding. He has not yet acted on this measure and has until the first week of in crime, Erin Storc, was
a bridesmaid, and the rest
December --but layoffs will begin November 30.
of their classmates were
[Editor’s note: Many have said Governor Blagojevich is being reckless with his cuts there in spirit. After a
in an attempt to balance the Illinois budget. For those who are losing their jobs, lovely (and very warm!)
chaos and confusion prevail as the administrators try to sort out union “bumping honeymoon in Jamaica,
rights” and so on. With the Lincoln Bicentennial looming, the closures and reduced Sharie is back to work at
her Sheridan museum.
hours of several Lincoln sites could not have come at a worse time.]
Alum Museum Updates
From Becky (Kimminau) Matticks, Class of 1987
We just finished a 1.5 million dollar Capital Campaign here at the Hastings Museum. It will be used for new climate control in part of the building and exhibit renovations per our Strategic Plan. We also finished our newest
exhibit: Lock, Stock and Barrel that tells the history and technology of firearms as it pertains to Nebraska. It is in
a fairly small space (3,000 sq feet), but we have on exhibit over 500 weapons from the 1700’s through 2005.
I think I mentioned last year that my husband Rick had been deployed to Iraq. He should be home by mid October
after being gone 14 months. He will go back to his civilian job as a band teacher at Hastings Public Middle and
High Schools.
From Susan Haake, Class of 1990
We just released a new web exhibit as part of the Lincoln Bicentennial and a National Park Service-wide program
called “Teaching with Museum Collections.” Lincoln Home’s exhibit is the latest in an effort to have web exhibits
for all 391 parks. There are about 30 of them so far, coordinated by the Museum Management Program of the
National Park Service (www.nps.gov/history/museum). The Lincoln Home exhibit can be found at: www.nps.
gov/history/museum/exhibits/liho/.
Over 200 images of artifacts from the Lincoln Home are available for downloading totally free of copyright--just
add a courtesy tag line if you’re going to publish them, along with lesson plans that use the images as primary
sources. The lesson plans meet national education standards and were created by actual teachers (in other words,
not me!). There’s also a virtual tour of the Lincoln Home and on the “Mary and the boys” link you’ll find Mary
Lincoln’s white cake recipe, said to be Mr. Lincoln’s favorite cake--ideal for celebrating Mr. Lincoln’s birthday
on February 12th.
I’ve been working on it since 2005 so I’m pretty excited to see it finished!
From Kara Long, class of 2004
I’ve been meaning to send you an email this past month to let you know that I’ve started a new job! I’ve left
Mississippi and now I’m back in Alabama working at Pond Spring, the General Joe Wheeler Home outside of
Decatur. I’m so excited about this new opportunity and, as you all well know, I’m so grateful to be back in my
home state.
Pond Spring is a wonderful site. It has several structures on the grounds including an 1820s log cabin, an 1830s
antibellum house, an 1880s victorian house, a cemetery, natural spring, ice house, 1820s barn, and 1890s carriage
house. The property was in the hands of the Wheeler family until 1993 when it was given to the state of Alabama,
so technically I work for the Alabama Historical Commission. Right now the main house is undergoing some
major restoration, so it is closed to the public for the next 1-2 years. I’m the Curator at the site, so I’m preparing
the collection to be exhibited and updating the records into Past Perfect. Once the site reopens I will be able to
dive into temporary exhibits and programming also.
The fun part for me is that there are trunks on top of trunks on top of trunks from the attic that have not been
opened or accessioned since the state took control of the site. Once I start cataloging, who knows what I’ll find?
Everyone loves a good mystery. The collection is also very well rounded. Many of the General’s belongings
and belongings of other family members influencial to the Tennessee Valley are in great shape and tell so many
interesting stories about the family and the people of this region of Alabama.
I loved working in Mississippi and with MDAH, but I know that this is the next best step in my career. Plus, it
is sweet home Alabama for a reason. :-) You will have to come visit the house after its grand reopening! I hope
everything is well at EIU and with this year’s class of HAs. I can’t wait to meet them at symposium.
From Michele Hansford, Class of 1979
The Missouri Museums Association has just re-formed after several years of inactivity. I have been elected Treasurer and we are hosting a reception at the joint Mt.Plains/Midwest meeting in Kansas City later this month.
With my activities with the Missouri Humanities Council, I have been appointed Chairman of the Development
Committee and this past summer I served as the Carthage-Webb City Chautauqua Chairman for the MHC’s
“That’s Entertainment” event in late June.
The Powers Museum is about to launch a digital exhibit/collection project later this year that is a coop project
with three other organizations and funded by a LSTA Digitization Grant administered through the Missouri State
Library and the Secretary of State, Robin Carnahan. Anyone wanting more info can watch www.powersmuseum.
com for final launch date prior to Christmas.
Visit the museum at www.powersmuseum.com or come in person mid-March through mid-December, TuesdaySaturday at 1617 West Oak Street (old Route 66).
From Rick Bray, Class of 2000
I spent my first day at the George Ranch picking
up branches courtesy of Hurricane Ike!
We got hit by Tropical Storm Hanna as we loaded
our moving truck in Maryland and we were unloaded, but still unpacking, when we got hit by
Hurricane Ike in Texas. Our apartment was without power until Monday night and then the power
went back off again yesterday. Who knows when
it will return. The ranch fared pretty well with
only a couple of windows blown out at the 1890s
house and some significant roof damage on the
historic barns.
I also have found some gigantic cockroaches in my
office. Everything is bigger in Texas!
Here is a photograph of the hurricane damage to the historic barns at the
George Ranch Historical Park. Obviously, the twisted metal roof already
have been removed and stacked on the ground.
The roofs are still covered with blue plastic today!
From Laurel Fant, Class of 1983
I’m still part time at the Rock County Historical Society as Collections Manager and at the local library, two very
compatible jobs. We’ve noticed a drop in visitors at the museum, but are hoping the “staycation” idea will bring
guests to the Lincoln-Tallman Restorations during the holidays, when the house is decorated. Next year, with the
Lincoln Bicentennial, we expect visitors to LTR, the only standing home in the state of Wisconsin in which Abraham Lincoln slept. The Janesville members of the WI Commission are working on historic markers following
the trail of Chief Blackhawk and the militia, including Lincoln, who followed him. One of the members wrote
an article for our upcoming newsletter about the chase and I was amazed at the number of men in the militia who
became well known in the following years and the Civil War.
This past Friday & Saturday, I attended the 2008 Local History and Historic Preservation Conference “Building
on the Basics” in Madison, WI. Fellow alumna Ann Koski presented two programs, “Affordable Professional
Advice for the Small Museum” and “Decorating your Victorian House for the Holidays”. As always, the sessions
were valuable and you leave both energized with new ideas and overwhelmed with all that needs to be done.
The director at RCHS intends to retire (for the 3rd time!) at the end of 2009. We are hoping a search committee
will be created soon and a new director in place in time to experience some of the annual special events. I’m not
sure how/when it will be posted, but if anyone is interested, I’d be happy to share information. I will not apply
for the job, intending to stay with my two part time jobs.
Send us your updates about your museum’s future plans and changes!
[email protected]
HA Fall 2008 Trip
By Tamara Wolski, HA class of 2008-2009
In August, the Historical Administration class of
2008-2009 traveled to Springfield, Illinois. Mr.
Riccio and Dr. Barnhart accompanied us on the
fall trip, which was both entertaining and informative. We were given behind-the-scenes tours
at most of the sites we visited, and had the opportunity to meet alumni of the program. We
enjoyed the exhibitions while evaluating their
educational merit and design, and each museum
provided ideas for our upcoming exhibition on
hand weaving.
The Class of 2008 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum, l to
r: Kitty Nowak, Mr. Rick Riccio, Lauren Wojnarowski, Tamara Wolski,
Jennifer Fair, Saige Jedele, Anthony Bowman, Abe, Lori Henderson, Kim
Grauf, Chris Davis, Betsy Giles, Katie Ebeling, Chad Burroughs, Dr. Terry
Barnhart; kneeling in front: Amanda Paszek
The first site we visited was the Illinois State
Museum (www.museum.state.il.us/), which was
founded in 1877 as a natural history museum.
The museum provided us with a comprehensive
history of the state, through explorations into
Illinois’ natural and cultural history. The curator showed us a variety of coverlets and textile
books, and informed us of the museum’s techniques for displaying coverlets in a non-destructive way.
Our next visit was to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which is an historic site of the National Park
Service (www.nps.gov/liho). We were greeted by Susan Haake, (HA 1990) the curator of the site. The Lincoln
home was purchased by Abraham Lincoln in 1844, and he lived there with his family until 1860 when he moved
to Washington D.C. The home is furnished with Lincoln’s original desk, as well as various antiques from that
time period. In addition to the home we were given a tour of the offices, storage facilities, and collections. We
discussed the restoration of Lincoln’s house and neighborhood, and the preparation plans for Lincoln’s bicentennial in February of 2009.
The following day we visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library (http://www.alplm.org/home.html). Our
first stop was to the temporary exhibit, “Something So Horrible: The Springfield Race Riot of 1908.” This year
marks the 100th anniversary of the horrific incident, and the controversial exhibition explored how and why
the riot occurred. Afterwards, HA alum Katie Grant (2007), Design Associate with the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, gave us a tour of the library’s facilities. We were given a behind-the-scenes look
at where and how exhibits are constructed. Following the tour, we had the opportunity to explore the museum,
which detailed the life of Abraham Lincoln. The contemporary museum incorporated everything from original
artifacts to life-size figures and holograms.
The last site we visited was the Dana-Thomas House (www.dana-thomas.org/). Frank Lloyd Wright built the
house between 1902 and 1904, and Donald P. Hallmark, the Site Manager, gave us a private tour. Mr. Hallmark
has actively sought to restore and exhibit the house for over twenty years. The Dana-Thomas house was the
largest house designed by Wright up to that time, and it contains more than 100 pieces of original Wright furniture. The house was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and has been restored to its early 20th
century appearance.
Dr. Reid, H.A. Professor,
Keynote Speaker at AIMA
Dr. Reid at the fortress of Novi Sad, Serbia, overlooking the
Danube River, Sept. 25, 2008
I provided the keynote address to the International Association
of Agricultural Museums (AIMA) on the future of agricultural
museums on Sept. 22, 2008. The meeting occurred in Novi
Sad, Serbia with side trips to Slovakian areas of Serbia
and to an open air museum and other rural tourism sites in
the southwestern part of the country, near the Boznia and
Herzegovenia border.
This organization meets every three years and includes folks
from North America and Europe, predominately. A conference
on the topic of sustaining agricultural museums will occur in
Szerenia Poland during October 2009, at which time the AIMA
board will meet. The next congress of AIMA is scheduled for
Romania during 2010. Please contact me for information:
[email protected]
From the Membership Chair
Hello from your Member-at-Large for Membership!
I just wanted to remind everyone about the length of HAPA memberships, which
are set up to follow the calendar year (January 1st through December 31st). So
that you can continue receiving your HAPA newsletters without interruption, as
well as get a discount on your Symposium registration, be sure to renew your
membships come this January. A current membership form can be found online
under the “Membership” section of the HAPA website, at http://eiuhapa.org.
And last but not least, a big welcome to our newest HAPA member, Angela
Drews, HA class of 2009!
Sharie Mooney
Member-at-Large, Membership
AMM/MPM Conference Continued from page 1
varied in subject matter and covered a plethora of issues facing museums today. All the speakers were positively
received, and certain lectures stood out for students in the program. The session, “New Approaches to Family
Learning in Museums” was especially relevant to two students who are preparing for careers in the field of
museum education. The session discussed how it is necessary for museums to develop their tours, exhibits, and
experiences with the family dynamic in mind. One of the leaders of this discussion was the president and CEO of
Conner Prairie, Ellen Rosenthal. She spoke of the development of the Conner Prairie interpretive program, and
how it has changed from predominantly monologue-based, to one of interaction and engagement. The staff at
Conner Prairie found that engaging the guest allowed for more knowledge retention and a more positive overall
experience. Interactive learning is a method that we are attempting to incorporate into our exhibit at the Lincoln
Log Cabin this year, through live interpreters and engaging text.
One of the educators for the HA exhibit felt the session was particularly applicable. “It is our hope that our family
panels will accompany the main label component of the exhibit. These panels will offer information while posing
questions and thoughts that parents and teachers can discuss with their students. We will allow for conversation
amongst families as they make their way through our exhibit.”
Many HA students enjoyed the session, “Riding the Trails into History.” They entered without a true idea of what
the topic would cover and were surprised at how pertinent it turned out to be. Here they learned that like museums
or historic houses, heritage trails are concerned with marketing and constructing interpretive agendas, but on a
much larger scale. The more traditional Santa Fe and Texas Heritage Trails offered insight into the benefits of
web-based marketing.
The session, “It Happened to Us: Disasters at Three Different Museums,” discussed how to develop a disaster
plan. The students who attended this session found it poignant and informative. One student’s personal encounter
with disasters and the aftermath at a museum made the session especially relevant. “In my past experience, I have
dealt with storm damage to a collection and was not prepared for it. I feel like this session gave concrete examples
and advice on how to prepare staff and collection’s rooms for any possible disaster that could happen.”
Michelle Nichols, the Master Educator of Informal Programs at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago, IL, conducted
the session “Education Meets Evaluation”. She focused this session on discussing the importance of embedding
evaluation into the process of exhibit and program development. She emphasized that evaluation it is not just
an afterthought; rather, it should drive and work in a cohesive manner with all other aspects of design. HA
students found this session very instructive and applicable to the real world. “Evaluation is a key component
to understanding all stakeholders’ ideas and point of view from inception throughout the design process. . . As
a future educator I felt that the session gave insight into the methods and evaluation techniques used within a
museum.”
The HA students came away from the sessions feeling more knowledgeable in the functions of a museum, and
also inspired by the innovative ways they can improve the museum field. They learned about everything from
how museums can “go green,” to how museums can attract diverse populations. The variety of topics covered in
the sessions resulted in there being “something for everyone.” Each student walked away from the conference
with new ideas they are anxious to try out in their future endeavors as museums professionals.
Save the Date!!
HAPA Website
March 27-28, 2009
EIU HIstory Symposium and HA Alumni Weekend
Please plan to attend next year’s History Symposium in Charleston, IL
Dudley House Reception, evening of March 27th
Symposium followed by HAPA Dinner & Auction on March 28th
Please remember to check the HAPA
website, www.eiuhapa.org. Registration at the site is free and allows you
access to the discussion board, members list and latest HAPA news. Registration forms and contact information
is also available. Bookmark it today!
First Class Mail
Sharie Mooney
c/o 400 Clarendon Avenue
Sheridan, WY 82801