ADVOCACY MATTERS
Back in November, the
Independent Fiscal Office (IFO)announced in its reports that the Commonwealth could face a $1.7 billion deficit in the coming budget year. On Tuesday, December 11 Budget Secretary
Randy Albright gave his mid-year report, and he optimistically suggested Pennsylvania could be much closer to break even or perhaps record a budget surplus in the coming year. His report cast doubts on the IFO's assuming a 10% growth in the state budget while also citing Pennsylvania's strong and improving economy as a reason for his optimism. House Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor (R-York) supported the Budget Secretary's doubts about the IFO's numbers in a press release on December 17, and he also discussed his hopes to keep spending down without new taxes and fees for a balanced budget with cooperation from the Governor and other legislators. Governor Wolf's Executive Budget presentation will be here soon in February 2019.
Pennsylvania's new legislators will be sworn in on January 1, 2019, and session is scheduled to begin that day for the House and Senate. The next session day after that is January 15, 2019; that is also the day Governor Wolf and Lieutenant-Governor Elect John Fetterman will be sworn in at an inauguration ceremony.
The American Alliance of Museums is organizing Museum Advocacy Day in Washington, DC, February 25-26, 2019. This successful day of visiting legislative offices has been happening for a decade now, and its impact is growing support for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Registration is open.
|
|
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER
PA Museums is proud to announce our 2019 Special Achievement Awards. Each year we recognize the excellent work going on in the Commonwealth's museums and historical organizations with an awards ceremony at our annual conference. We will present our awards on April 8, 2019 at our conference in Chadds Ford at the Brandywine River Museum of Art. Our 2019 Special Achievement Awards winners are:
Institutional Achievement Awards
- Negley Log House Rebuild, Conococheague Institute for the Study of Cultural Heritage, Mercersburg
- Community Heart and Soul Project, Cumberland County Historical Society, Carlisle
- New Mission Statement and Strategic Plan, Eastern State Penitentiary and Historic Site, Philadelphia
- Waves of the Past, Sailors of the Future, Flagship Niagara League/U.S. Brig Niagara, Erie
- Fortifying our Future: Enhancing Fort Ligonier, Fort Ligonier, Ligonier
- Revolution Place Discovery Center, The Museum of the American Revolution, Philadelphia
- Bringing History Alive at Old Economy Village, Old Economy Village, Ambridge
- Field to Front: Nittany Lions at War, 1917-1919, Penn State University All Sports Museum, University Park
- Modernation and Improvement of Museum Collections Management, Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall Museum, Pittsburgh
- Restoration and Reinterpretation of Mammal Hall, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg
- Historic Center and Cemetery, Stoddartsville Preservation Society, Stoddartsville
Individual Awards
Steve Appleby, The Eldred World War II Museum, Eldred
Sarah Buffington, Old Economy Village, Ambridge
Hope W. Kopf, The Joseph Priestly House, Northumberland
S.K. Stevens Award
The Museum of the American Revolution, Washington's War Tent
ADVERTISE AND SUPPORT PA MUSEUMS' CONFERENCE
If you are trying to reach more museums with your products or services, our conference is a perfect place to do that. PA Museums is looking for help to make our conference in 2019 in Chadds Ford a success. Did your company work on a project that will take home an award from PA Museums? Sponsor an event, provide a scholarship, buy an ad in our program, or exhibit your products with us.
|
|
 |
FIND SUPPORT
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has opened its
Cultural and Historical Support grants program. For eligibility information and instructions, please click here. The deadline to apply is January 25, 2019.
|
|
|
|
CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS
The Small Museum Association's Annual Conference is in College Park, MD, February 17-19, 2019.
Registration is open!
|
|
|
|
|
MEMBERSHIP
Thank you as always to our loyal members for all of your support!
PA Museums is once again looking for images from our members to use for our website or newsletter. With the change of the seasons, we are looking for some winter scenes, pictures of programming, and installation views. Please
email us a few pictures if you have some to share.
Add our PA Museums logo to your membership newsletter or website. You can show your colors and let your visitors know you are part of our statewide association. Please
email us, and we'll be happy to send you our logo.
JOB POSTINGS
PA Museums posted six new opportunities this week. If your institution has a vacancy, please see our job posting guidelines at the bottom of
our jobs page or
pass our contact information along to your hiring manager.
INTERNSHIPS
Fallingwater is also accepting applications from students for its
paid internships.
NEWSLETTER ADVERTISING
Advertising in the PA Museums newsletter is available for six week runs for $150. Our newsletter reaches around 400 museum professionals every two weeks. Please
email us to have your ad run in Tapestry.
|
|
|
|
PA MUSEUMS IN THE NEWS
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shared the announcement from the
Frick Art and Historical Center about its Director Robin Nicholson's plans to step down in February.
ABC27's Good Morning PA visited the
Hershey Story Museum to find out what's happening there for the holidays.
The Burlington County Times (NJ) featured a re-enactor's work at
Washington Crossing in bringing African-American history into focus.
GoErie hung out with the
Erie Art Museum when staff tried to hang the museum's entire collection.
RECOMMENDED
Slate shared
a podcast with a museum security professional from MOMA. This is one of a series of interviews with museum workers.
The Center for the Future of Museums has released its new edition of
TrendsWatch along with suggestions on how to use it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
