NEWS FROM FOUR RIVERS
May 19, 2020
View the PowerPoint and Recording: Four Rivers Presents a Webinar about Accessibility
Strategies for Making Heritage Sites Accessible
On Tuesday, May 12, Four Rivers hosted a webinar entitled, “Strategies for Making Heritage Sites Accessible.”

This webinar featured Robert Forloney, Program Developer & Cultural Institution Consultant, who led a discussion on the key aspects of planning for accessibility, the ethical and legal requirements of ADA compliance, strategies to serve audiences with special needs, the WHY of planning for all audiences, and how these efforts can improve the visitor experience for all.

Local Organizations Awarded MHAA Emergency Grants
Emergency Grants
The Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA) has awarded it’s first round of 59 matching grants totaling $600,440 to heritage tourism nonprofits across Maryland’s 13 Certified Heritage Areas. A total of $50,000 in Emergency Grant funds was awarded to organizations in the Four Rivers Heritage Area.The grant funds support emergency operating costs that will help keep these nonprofit organizations afloat, as the COVID-19 public health crisis and the associated economic ramifications continue.

Awarded Organizations Within the Four Rivers Heritage Area:


MHAA’s FY2020 emergency grant funds have now been depleted, due to the significant need demonstrated by the requests received by May 1, 2020. However, applications for COVID-19 MHAA Emergency Grants are still being accepted on a rolling basis, and those eligible applicants that did not receive funding in the first round will be considered if and when additional funding becomes available in FY 2021 (as early as July).

Thank you to all the heritage tourism nonprofits out there continuing to steward Maryland’s resources and to share them virtually! We see you, and we will do everything we can to continue helping as more funds become available. Stay tuned!
Check Out Our Recent Blog Posts!
Resources for nonprofits
During this time of curtailed activities due to COVID-19, we have been collecting online resources that readers can use while they practice social distancing in the home. If you haven’t been to our website recently, here are some posts you might have missed.

We will continue to gather resources to keep you informed and to keep all of us connected!




Highlighting Our Four Rivers Heritage Sites, Continued
While our local sites are closed t o the public during the COVID-19 pandemic, we will take this time to highlight our some our attractions , and continue to do so each week until we're all able to explore our heritage area again.
Thomas Point Lighthouse
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse

The Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse will be preserved for future generations to enjoy via a public-private partnership formed in 2004 via the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. The City of Annapolis, The United States Lighthouse Society and its Chesapeake Chapter, the Annapolis Maritime Museum, and Anne Arundel County joined forces to obtain ownership of the lighthouse from the federal government.
US Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy

Plan your next tour to the US Naval Academy . The Visitor Center is the first stop on a visit to the undergraduate college of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps. Information specialists welcome visitors to view the 13-minute film, The Call to Serve, and to take a guided walking tour with a professional, certified guide. Tours include information on the history and architecture of the Naval Academy and a peek into the life of a midshipman.
Participate in the Small Business Recovery Task Force
Small Business Recovery Task Force
The Annapolis Small Business Recovery Task Force was established to focus on the experiences that Annapolis businesses are facing in the time of COVID-19 and to come up with recommendations for assistance for the local small business and nonprofit community.

Nonprofit organizations are doing vital work in the Annapolis community to serve our citizens and enrich the lives of all those who call Annapolis their home. In order to be part of this important conversation, a  Nonprofit Subcommittee has been formed to recognize the contributions offered by our city's nonprofit organizations and learn about their unique challenges. 

The Nonprofit Subcommittee invites all Annapolis City Nonprofits to participate in an informal focus group call to share your thoughts and ideas. Please sign up for one of the focus group conversations via ZOOM. 

Tuesday, May 19th at 10am -  Clink the link to register -  https://bit.ly/May19_FocusCall  
or 
Friday, May 22nd at 1pm -  Click the link to register -  https://bit.ly/May22_Focus-Call
Cuseum Webinar: Exploring the Future of Museums in the Era of Coronavirus
Wednesday, May 20
2:00 pm


Two months ago, the escalation of the coronavirus crisis forced many museums and cultural institutions to close their doors to visitors. In response, many organizations shifted their efforts to engaging visitors through digital platforms, many making impressive pivots and accelerating their digital transformations. Now, as museums prepare to reopen and plan for the near and long term future, new concerns are seizing the attention of the entire cultural industry – what will the future hold? Will there be new business and engagement models? And what does the physically-distanced museum experience look like? 

Join Brendan Ciecko (CEO and Founder @ Cuseum), Franklin Sirmans (Director @ Pérez Art Museum Miami), Karen Wong (Deputy Director @ New Museum) & Lath Carlson (Executive Director @ Museum of the Future) as they evaluate the profound impacts of coronavirus and offer insights about what the future will hold for museums.
Upcoming "AASLH Conversations" Webinars
To help the history community address the COVID-19 crisis, AASLH has developed the "AASLH Conversations" webinar series, a space for history practitioners and institutions to share ideas, learn from one another, and keep the field moving forward. Join their upcoming webinar:

Wednesday, May 20
3:00 pm

Many of us are scrambling to figure how to bring our historic houses and sites back on line. Where do you turn for Federal and State laws and regulations? What do you need to do to protect your visitors, volunteers, and staff? Will you phase your opening, limit visitation etc.? Join Ellen Busch, Sean Sawyer, and Kenneth Turino as they seek to offer these and other questions while offering practical information and guidelines for reopening
Registration for the Maryland Arts Summit is Open!
Join the Creative Resurgence: A Vision For the Future of the Arts in Maryland.

The Maryland Arts Summit will be presented by and for the Maryland arts sector, which includes, but is not limited to: Arts Advocates, Arts Educators & Teaching Artists, Independent Artists, Arts Organizations, Youth, Community Stakeholders, Arts and Entertainment Districts, County Arts Agencies of Maryland, Public Artists, Boards of Directors, Folklife artists.

Call for Panelists - Arts in Education Grant and Teaching Artist Roster
The Maryland State Arts Council relies on a diverse array of experts from across the state of Maryland to do the important work of evaluating applications. MSAC selects Arts in Education panelists with a focus on diversity of experiences, diversity of location, and expertise in arts education and teaching artistry. Panelists must be Maryland residents. 

Selected Teaching Artist Roster panelists serve a one-year term, which may be renewed. Selected Arts in Education Grant panelists serve a six-month term, which may also be renewed.  

Panelists receive modest compensation for their service.

What does a panelist do?
Selected panelists:
  • Attend a virtual or in-person panelist training session. 
  • Review and evaluate applications on MSAC’s online grants management system, SmartSimple, between the 10th and 15th of each monthly review period. (Approximately 2-4 hours each month.)
  • (Teaching Artist Roster Panelists Only) Attend a monthly virtual panel meeting to collaboratively evaluate applications with other panelists.

Panelists must have access to a computer with internet connection to complete reviews.

How do I apply to be a panelist? 
  • Click the Apply Now button below to log in or create a free account in SmartSimple.
  • Under Funding Opportunities, select "Public Call."
  • Select "Panelist" from the drop down options and click "Save Draft" to populate the application.
  • Select “Arts in Education Grant” or “Arts in Education Teaching Artist Roster” as the Grant Program.

The deadline to submit is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, June 15th.
Join Maryland's Heritage Recovery Task Force
In the face of the ongoing pandemic, Preservation Maryland convened a task force of history, preservation, economic development, design, and tourism organizations to focus on identifying and advocating for public policy necessary to support the recovery of Maryland’s historical and cultural resources and the communities they support.

The Maryland Heritage Recovery Task Force is comprised of public and private organizations that characterize all aspects of the broad and diverse historic preservation community – from Main Street organizations to history museums, architectural firms, and preservation rehabilitation developers.

The Task Force will work together to help identify what local, state, and federal policy actions could be implemented to help with recovery of this critical sector of Maryland’s economy from the impacts of Covid-19.

Join the Task Force ! Organizations, agencies, or companies wishing to add their name and support to the Heritage Recovery Task Force are encouraged to do so. Fill out this form and someone from the Task Force will be in touch about next steps.
Explore the Banneker-Douglass Museum's Online Collections Database
Banneker Douglass Museum
Looking for something exciting to do from the comfort of your own home? Check out Banneker-Douglass Museum's online collection of over 12,000 curated archival records, books, maps, photographs, and artwork.

Explore artifacts and journals donated by Arctic explorer Herbert M. Frisby; photographs, equipment, and personal effects of photographer Thomas Baden; medical instruments and artifacts from the 1920s through the 1950s; West African sculpture and utilitarian objects; works by Black Maryland artists, including Joyce Scott, Nathaniel Gibbs, Hughie Lee-Smith, and much more! Search the online database .
Four Rivers Heritage Area | 410-222-1805 | heritage_area@aacounty.org | fourriversheritage.org