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September 29, 2021
CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS

PA Museums will present “Museums in the Moment”, our annual statewide museum conference in Pittsburgh scheduled for April 24-26, 2022. Museums are at a critical moment in time as our communities search for new ways to serve audiences with mindfulness and intention. Museums are crucial to this moment as our nation heals and moves ahead. Pittsburgh’s welcoming culture and rich heritage will be the backdrop and touchstone for our gathering.

Our conference attendees will connect and learn as we join together for special events showcasing our member museums, educational sessions, and keynote speakers. We will also celebrate the winners of our annual Special Achievement Awards and have many opportunities to meet colleagues. We look forward to seeing you there!

PA Museums invites you to submit a session proposal that speaks to our theme: Museums in the Moment. It has never been easier to send us a proposal with our new online form. The deadline to submit is October 22, 2021.



CALL FOR AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Each year, PA Museums recognizes the special achievements of museums and historical organizations in Pennsylvania. This is your invitation to nominate a project or process that is exemplary, or an individual for lifetime achievement.

PA MUSEUMS SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS:

  • Serve as public recognition of staff and volunteers doing exemplary work;
  • Encourage institutions to establish and maintain standards of excellence;
  • Provide a vehicle to promote institutional achievement and individual professional success;
  • Reinforce case statements attesting to the quality of your programs in grant applications, fundraising materials, or sponsorship proposals; and
  • Publicly honor awardees with peers and invited guests at a special awards ceremony during PA Museums’ statewide conference.

Doesn’t your organization deserve to be there when awards are presented in 2022?

The deadline to submit nominations is October 22, 2021.



We recorded an informational webinar with PA Museums Board, staff and award winners from past years about completing an awards nomination. You can view that recording here.
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THE PENNSYLVANIA HUMANITIES COUNCIL'S PA SHARP GRANTS PROGRAM

As part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council (PHC) and other state and regional humanities councils are distributing funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ SHARP (Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan) program.

Through PA SHARP, PHC will provide up to $20,000 in flexible funding to support the growth and recovery of the humanities in Pennsylvania. This is an opportunity to reimagine, reinvent, and re-envision humanities work through planning, capacity building, and creative programming. In addition to grants for Programs and General Operations and Capacity Building, PHC will partner with grantees to develop a special statewide learning network, the PA SHARP Learning Network, that fosters resource sharing, networking, professional development, and mutual support. The deadline to apply is October 1, 2021.

SUPPORT FOR YOUR MUSEUM
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is now accepting applications for six grant programs:
 
·    Museums Empowered
 
Applications for all six programs are due on November 15, 2021.

Visit the IMLS website for a listing of on-demand webinars to learn more about each opportunity.
PA MUSEUMS IN THE NEWS

TribLive teased the Carnegie Science Center's upcoming exhibit of artifacts from Pompeii.

CBS in Philadelphia featured the Penn Museum's new exhibit, The Stories We Wear.

The Pittsburgh City Paper heralded the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Monster Fish exhibit.

TribLive shared the Westmoreland County Historical Society's troubles with social media giant, Facebook.

Berks Weekly covered the Reading Public Museum's exhibit of guitars.

WESA FM in Pittsburgh reported on the return of visitors to area institutions.

UPCOMING WEBINARS WITH THE MUSEUM LEARNING HUB

Creating a quality online program does not require you to have the most expensive, top-of-the-line equipment. Nor do you have to hire a professional crew or go to film school. Techniques that are popular amongst experienced video production professionals have become available to beginners too. Affordable software and easy-to-use apps can empower anyone to unleash their creativity with video production. Whether a museum is interested in creating videos, virtual hands-on activities or interactive video lessons, there's no shortage of production tools to assist. This module will offer training and guidance on where to begin and cover available video production tools to move education programs and tours (pre-recorded and 360 videos) to a virtual realm.

 
Join in these FREE live webinars:
 
Intro Session: Get Inspired!
October 7 at 2pm ET
 
Technical Workshop 1: Video Production Basics 
October 14 at 2pm ET
 
Technical Workshop 2: Video Planning and Distribution
October 21 at 2pm ET
 
Tech Workshop 3: Emerging Technology in Video Production  
October 28 at 2pm ET
 
THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE ARCHIVES' ANNUAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS MANAGEMENT SEMINAR

The Pennsylvania State Archives is pleased to announce that the Annual Archives and Records Management Seminar will be held on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.

All sessions will be virtual.

Wednesday October 20, 10:00 – 12:00
ARM Seminar: Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Oh My! Records Management and Microsoft 365


Wednesday, October 20, 1:30 – 3:00
ARM Seminar: Looking in the Mirror: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility at Historical Records Repositories


Thursday, October 21, 10:00 – 12:00
Archives Without Tears Key Concepts Series Panel Q&A

The Archives Without Tears Key Concepts Series distilled the two-day Archives Without Tears workshops into brief online modules that are available on PHMC's YouTube channel. Please watch the videos prior to this panel session and bring your questions!

MEMBERSHIP

The Independence Seaport Museum is looking for Grants Officer. If your organization is looking to fill any open positions, please send us your announcements.

September's quarterly membership renewals have been sent by email. We are also welcoming new members. PA Museums appreciates the support of our membership. Thank you for renewing or joining today to support your statewide museum association!

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