November 2019
VAM News
VAM Member Survey

VAM is doing a member survey this fall! We need input from both our individual members and institutional members to help with future advocacy and professional development efforts. We will be rewarding you for helping us gather information about our members and museums. Everyone who responds will get a coupon code for $10 off a workshop, and will also be entered to win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards! The deadline to add your input is November 15th.  Take the survey now!

Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts

Could your museum benefit from conservation funding? Nominations open in November for the Virginia's Top 10 Endangered Artifacts outreach program that provides collections care support for Virginia's museums. So start thinking now about what item you'll nominate to be part of the Top 10 public voting competition!

2020 Virginia Museum Advocacy Day

Save the date for Virginia Museum Advocacy Day 2020! February 5 th we will go to the General Assembly and share the message of how essential museums are in our communities. If you would like to register now, click here!
Upcoming Events
The VAM Workshop Series schedule has been released!

The first workshop Serving the Differently-Abled: Neurodiversity in Museums will take place November 15, 2019. It will be held at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA. Don't miss out on this timely discussion centered on accessibility and inclusion. This program will be beneficial to anyone who engages with the general public, such as educators, curators, visitor services, and museum leaders. 

Please check the schedule and register here.
Member News
The National Park Service at Historic Tredegar is moving.
After nearly 20 years, the National Park Service’s Civil War Visitor Center at Historic Tredegar is moving. Taking over the historic Pattern Building, where the visitor center has been since June 2000, is the Richmond-based 3north architectural firm. The NPS Civil War Visitor Center will close for a month while it relocates across the entrance plaza into the Pavilion Building, former home of the American Civil War Center.

Congratulations to James Monroe's Highland executive director, Sara Bon-Harper , who was recently awarded the 2019 William & Mary Alumni Association Staff Service Award. This award was established by the Board of Directors to recognize and honor those who have demonstrated outstanding service and support to the university and to the Alumni Association. Congratulations Sara!

Congratulations to Pamplin Historical Park & The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier Director of Marketing & Development, Colin Romanick on being recently awarded the 2019 Charlie Buser Award, Travel Attraction Employee of the Year by the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association .  

Congratulations to the Foundation for Historic Christ Church, which received a $337,500 Save America’s Treasures Grant to mitigate rising dampness at the 1735 Christ Church.

Congratulations to the Valentine Museum  for being honored with the Distinguished Merit Award by the Virginia Center for Inclusiveness Communities.

Gunston Hall will host SymposiYUM ! on November 15, 2019. This inaugural program will combine the traditional concept of a symposium with a dynamic food-focused programming. There will be lectures, discussions, and a special food-based experience in the heart of the kitchen. Speakers include Dr. Kelley Deetz, historian and author, will speak on the ways Native, American, and European food traditions interacted during the 17 th and 18 th -centuries to create a unique “American” cuisine.  Michelle Moon , an experienced museum professional whose practice is rooted in experiential learning, will discuss the value of talking about food at historic sites and museums.

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture and the  Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia  have recently announced a permanent partnership in which extensive collections of original documents, photographs and artifacts will be housed and cataloged at VMHC's facilities. Eventually, the items will be digitized and placed in VHMC's online database so that anyone can review and research the items.

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture has also been tapped along with the Library of Virginia to lead the efforts around Virginia’s 2020 Commemoration for Women’s Suffrage. As part of this project, VMHC is creating a landing page which will offer visitors a one-stop destination to find events and programming from across the Commonwealth that relate to this important anniversary.

Museum Store Sunday will occur on Sunday, December 1, 2019. For the third consecutive year, more than 1,200 museum stores representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, 15 countries, and four continents will offer inspired shopping inside participating museums and cultural institutions during Museum Store Sunday. Proceeds from purchases at museum stores directly support the educational missions and programs of the parent institution. 

For more information on Museum Store Sunday and a list of participating museums and institutions, please visit

For more information on how to become a member of Museum Store Association or additional information on Museum Store Sunday, please email Michael Guajardo, Director of Retail Operations at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  michael.guajardo@vmfa.museum


Featured VAMONDE Story of the Month:

Want to create a story on VAM’s Virginia Museums App Channel? Learn how! And link to: https://www.vamuseums.org/vam-powered-by-vamonde
Hails & Farewells
Farewell to Aaron De Groft, former D irector of William & Mary’s Muscarelle Museum of Art . We wish him the best! David Brashear was named interim Director earlier this year.

Farewell to Chris Kolakowski, Director of the MacArthur Memorial. Chris has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum in Madison, Wisconsin.

Farewell to Justin Sarafin from Preservation Virginia. We enjoyed working with Justin on our Top Ten Program. We wish him the best of luck in his new adventure.

Welcome to Leah Brown as the newest member of the Moton Museum education team. Congratulations Leah!
Professional Development Opportunities
The Virginia Commission for the Arts will present a series of statewide application assistance workshops in November and December 2019. Workshop locations include: Arlington, Leesburg, Buena Vista, Marion, Farmville, Richmond, Hampton, and Charlottesville.   Workshops are free and open to the public and pre-registration is not required. Workshops can be helpful for first-time applicants preparing requests for:
 
* General Operating Support Grants
* Project Grants
* Creative Community Partnership Grants
* Artists In Education and AIE Express (AIEx) Grants
* Technical and Organization Development Assistance Grants
* Performing Arts Touring Assistance for Presenters
* Applications to the Performing Arts Tour Directory and/or the Teaching Artist Roster
* Artist Fellowships

Participants are encouraged to read the g uidelines for funding and preview the online application webinar and tutorials at: http://www.arts.virginia.gov/grants.html

The American Association for State and Local History announces the History Leadership Institute for 2020.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Association of Children’s Museums is hosting a webinar entitled: Museums for All at December 11 at 2pm.
Are you interested in learning more about an initiative dedicated to expanding community access?Find out about how and why more than 450 museums participate in the program. Find more information on attending the webinar on the IMLS website

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Department of Labor announced its Overtime Final Rule that adjusts the salary level test, part of a three-part test for determining when white-collar workers are exempt or must be paid overtime for working more than 40 hours in a week.  On Tuesday, November 5 at 3:00 pm, the networks of the National Council of Nonprofits are hosting a national presentation to help all in the charitable community understand what the Overtime Final Rule means to nonprofit operations and missions. Register here .

 
Visit VAM's website for additional opportunities. 
Funding & Marketing Opportunities
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is offering grant opportunities for their Museum Assessment Program(MAP) MAP is designed to help museums assess their strengths and weaknesses, and plan for the future. Applications are due December 1, 2019
Apply here.

Cultural Heritage.org will begin accepting applications for the 2020 Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) program this Friday, November 1. The CAP program provides small and mid-size museums with support for a general conservation assessment. Applications are available from November 1, 2019, through February 1, 2020. 
 
They are also hosting a free webinar for those interested in learning more about CAP on November 12, 2019 at 2:00 pm. Join CAP program staff to hear more about the benefits of the CAP program and answer questions about the application process. To register please go to their website at www.culturalheritage.org/cap .

Save America’s Treasures grants are administered by the National Park Service in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.Deadline December 10, 2019. Apply here .

Virginia Tourism Corporation Marketing Leverage Program
Applications are now open! Application deadline is December 17, 2019 . Apply here .

Also from IMLS there are six opportunities to apply for grants from the nation’s primary source of federal museum funding. IMLS is now accepting applications fo r the following six grant programs:

·     Museums for America
·     Museums Empowered

Headlines
Marine Corps and Navy museums grapple with a mission that is getting more complex. Read here about how interpreting military history can be a difficult topic for Vets and non vets alike!
Career Center
Search VAM's Career Center for information on the only museum management certificate offered by a museum association plus resume help and job listings.


  • Development Coordinator
  • Annual Fund Manager
  • Museum Executive Director
  • Archives Intern
  • And more!
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