A Strategic Plan for the DMFAH | |
The Museum Prepares for Collection Accreditation | |
On Thursday, August 19, the DMFAH Collection Committee and Executive Committee met with Collections staff and the DMFAH executive director as the Museum prepares for accreditation. Since its inception in 1981, the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) facilitated by the American Alliance of Museums, has helped more than 5,000 small and mid-sized museums of all types strengthen operations, plan for the future, and meet standards. Through a one-year process of self-assessment, institutional activities, and consultative peer review with a site visit and recommendations, our museum emerges with a greater alignment of activities, mission, and resources; analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities; prioritized roadmap for improving operations and meeting standards; practices benchmarked to standards; enhanced credibility with potential funders and donors; improved communications between staff, board, and other constituents; expert advice, recommendations, and resources; increased capacity for strategic planning; reparation for core document verification, accreditation or reaccreditation.
The Alliance offers a pathway of standards-based assessment and recognition program to help our museum be the best it can be in carrying out its public trust, collections stewardship, and educational roles. Called the Continuum of Excellence, this flexible series of programs from AAM and other organizations supports, motivates and celebrates our museum’s commitment to meeting standards and professional practices. The Continuum programs include the Pledge of Excellence, the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), Collections Assessment for Preservation program (CAP), Standards of Excellence for History Organizations (StEPs), Core Documents Verification, and Accreditation.
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A Community Fundraiser for All | |
Not only one of our most popular annual programs but clearly the DMFAH’s best community volunteer fundraiser. | |
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501 people passed through the Attic Sale this year, and this Attic Sale Fundraiser netted $8,757.75. for the DMFAH. We thank the tremendous efforts of the Attic Sale Volunteer Committee under the leadership of Helen Earle, who, in turn, thanks: The Historic Society for the yearly storage of sale items; The George Washington High School Football Coach & Team for moving support; The Danville Library for book collection; The Dog-eared Page Used Book Store for book collection; The Department of Human Services for suitcase collection; Habitat Restore for collection of unsold sale items; Fred Meder for the use of his truck, and Louise Martling, who provided an Online Furniture Auction Document to those who could not attend the show. We thank all the DMFAH volunteers who worked the event.
Helen Earle- as well as the Museum - thanks every person who contributed items for sale. We appreciate the many donations throughout the year that was carefully monitored by Dave Corp from the DHS, CB Maddox from the Danville Museum, and Helen Earle and her team.
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Standing Together for Programming | |
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The DMFAH and the DHS Stand Together for Late Summer and Fall Programming
The Danville Historical Society (established in 1971) and the Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History (established in 1974) have cultivated a working relationship during the past decades, with the goal of fulfilling our separate missions and common goals. The joint endeavors can be divided into three categories: joint programming/community outreach, shared collections, and shared facilities.
The Danville Historical Society will soon open its HUB Museum in downtown Danville. It will trace the history of Danville from the geologic beginnings and geographic importance of the Dan River, through to 2021 contemporary events. The DMFAH loaned digital audio and imagery for the creation of the museum exhibits.
Recently, the DHS provided months-long storage space to the DMFAH to accommodate its annual “Attic Sale” fund-raiser. The DMFAH hopes to reciprocate by opening the Museum for the Annual DHS Holiday House Tour.
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Smithsonian Exhibition Soon to Come! | |
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A Smithsonian Staff and Community Partner workshop for the DMFAH
On Tuesday, August 24 a team of DMFAH staff, Fellows and Chatham First Board members attended a Smithsonian workshop and orientation for the CROSSROADS: CHANGE IN RURAL AMERICA exhibition.
In attendance were the Museum Director Elsabé Dixon, Collection Fellows, Annie Chappell and Daniel Shogan, and Visitor Service Coordinator CB Maddox, as well as Chatham First Board Members Mary Lee and Bill Black. Our Smithsonian representative, Terri Cobb, led multiple museum teams through the install workshop.
Jennifer Thomas, director of the Virginia Association of Museums, attended a VIP preview of this Exhibition on August 26 for Supervisors, the Hanover County leaders, and the Ashland Museum board, and reported a great reception from the first Hanover location for this Traveling Smithsonian exhibition! We thank our Hanover Workshop hosts Jaime Fawcett and Betsy Hodges for a terrific day and a lovely lunch provided for us.
Thank you Crossroads Team!!
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The Tim Duffy Exhibition Blue Muse Closes
This is the last day to view the Tim Duffy exhibition Blue Muse. Take the opportunity to stop by the Craghead 536 Gallery in the River District, which will be open from 12 noon to 8pm tonight.
This Music Maker’s programs educate and engage viewers in the cultural history of America’s music. The blues, gospel and string band traditions of the South have formed a deep aquifer of music that contemporary artists around the world draw from daily. The combination of photography and multi-media materials in the Blue Muse exhibit highlight the many unsung heroes that continue to feed these traditions in our nation and asks viewers to reflect on how poverty, geography, and age have limited the exposure of these artists, causing the widespread idea that our musical traditions have “died out”.
This groundbreaking exhibition first premiered at the New Orleans Museum of Art in April 2019 before coming to Danville in 2021
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September is the last Month to see and enjoy WANDERLOVE: A Stitch in Time
This exhibition is a great stress releaser, so take yourself down to the River District or any of the 11 entrances to the Riverwalk Trail to enjoy a little bit of slow hiking and out door “wander love” while experiencing this colorful community engagement art installation knitted collectively while apart, during the worst months of the 2020-2021 Pandemic winter.
Twenty Five community groups participated in producing this fiber exhibition, and we hope that their love and careful stitching will bring a brightness to your day as you enjoy a local destination which serves at least 500 visitors each day.
We thank our community spokes: The Pittsylvania- Danville Chamber, The River District, Goodwill of the Valleys, Danville Parks and recreation and the Dan River Basin Association for helping us support this programming. We thank Averett University and Sovah Health as well as the DRF for providing financial support for installation. And we thank all who contributed their time and efforts to making this project come to fruition.
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A Dry Summer but the Rose Garden still holds promise!!! | |
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Along with the sunshine, there has got to be a little rain sometime.
(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden- Lynn Anderson
I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
Along with the sunshine
There's gotta be a little rain sometime
When you take you gotta give so live and let live or let go
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I beg your pardon
I never promised you a rose garden
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It’s been a dry and hot summer for the Perkinson Rose Garden at the Danville Museum, but our garden prevails through the careful tending of the roses by the Garden Club of Danville. The Perkinson Rose Garden is one of the museum’s finest outdoor features, and we all enjoy this fantastic sensory experience every summer on the Danville Museum grounds.
“The allure of roses is a universal one—and certainly not restricted to gardeners alone! This queen of flowers has played a major role in poetry, religion, art, and literature; music, medicine, fashion design, perfume, and home decoration—even in cuisine. It is an ancient flower, grown for thousands of years throughout Asia before it ever made an appearance in the Western world.”
Please see Brief History of Roses HERE: https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/roses_brief_history
We thank Nan Freed, Caroline Millstead, Hollis Stauber, and Sandra March from the garden Club of Danville who deadheaded the roses this month to prepare for one last spectacular bloom before the fall. We also thank this committee of master gardeners for facilitating the weeding and tending of this beautiful garden feature.
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