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Tapestry Newsletter
May 31, 2017


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ADVOCACY MATTERS Save


We are asking our membership to act now to address the threats to cultural funding in the federal budget. Timing is important, and now it the time to speak up for museums, historic preservation, and the arts. 


Call To Action 
NEH, NEA, and IMLS 
 
National museum, art, and history organizations have sounded the call to contact U.S. Representatives and Senators to show support for federal agencies that support arts and culture.
In his formal Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal released on May 23, President Trump proposed the elimination of several key agencies that support museums, including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The $4.1 trillion spending plan-which will now be considered by Congress-allocates a minimal amount of funding to begin the process of closing these agencies.

What can you do? 

  

 



Meanwhile in Harrisburg...

The Pennsylvania House and Senate are back at work in Harrisburg. The Senate has looked at expanding Pennsylvania's gaming industry, and now the House will have a look at what could be done in that realm to shore up the state's structural budget deficit. Heading into an election cycle, this budget process is not without its nuance. With thirty days to go until Pennsylvania's budget deadline and rumblings about pension reform in the air, we expect the Senate will step up efforts to move the budget process forward.

 

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MEMBERSHIP Save


PA Museums mailed membership renewals to our members with June expiration dates. We appreciate our membership's support of our work, and we encourage you to renew or join if you haven't already.

If your organization's printed or electronic newsletter or website has a section that lists your memberships with organizations like ours, PA Museums would be happy to send you our logo to include in your design.  Please email us if you would like us to send you or your designer a file. 
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FINDING SUPPORT Save


AASLH Conference Scholarships
 
AASLH is offering five types of scholarships to attend its annual conference in Austin, TX in September.


PreservationPA Invites Awards Nominations

Presented each fall by Preservation Pennsylvania, the annual awards recognize significant contributions in the field of historic preservation made by both individuals and organizations. Recognition encompasses the categories of preservation initiatives, construction and archaeology projects. Pennsylvania's highest honor, the F. Otto Haas Award, is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to preservation made by an individual or group.

Eligible projects must have been completed in the last five years:
June 1, 2012 - January 31, 2017. 

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTeducation

  Workshops/Webinars with American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
 
AASLH offers courses, workshops, and webinars. These online courses and onsite workshops have limited capacity and fill up quickly, so register soon to secure your spot. 

 

More webinars will be added to the calendar soon, so make sure to bookmark the AASLH Event Calendar and check back.       




Archives Without Tears 
The Pennsylvania State Archives
June 6-7, Ambridge, PA
June 15-16, Williamsport, PA


The Pennsylvania State Archives (PSA), in partnership with Old Economy Village and the Lycoming County Historical Society, is pleased to announce the Spring 2017 Archives Without Tears workshop schedule. The workshops will be held  June 6-7 at Old Economy Village, Ambridge, PA and June 15-16 at the Thomas T. Taber Museum of the Lycoming County Historical Society, Williamsport, PA. These are the only sessions planned for 2017. Please contact Josh Stahlman at jostahlman@pa.gov or call 717-772-3257 to register.





The Statewide Conference on Heritage 
June 14-16, 2017
Carlisle, PA

Mark your calendars for this year's Pennsylvania Statewide Conference on Heritage in Carlisle, PA, which explores Community Connections: Stories, Places, and Ideas that Matter.  You can look forward to exciting tours, fun networking opportunities, inspirational and informational sessions, and more. Registration is open!  



Association of African American Museums Conference
 
July 31-August 4, 2017
National Museum of Afircan American History and Culture
Washington, DC

AAAM's 39th Annual Conference will be hosted by the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC) and honorary chair, Founding Director Lonnie Bunch, beginning July 31 - August 4, 2017  in Washington, D.C.  The annual conference will broaden the perspectives of those in attendance by promoting an understanding of the social movements -- Civil Rights, Black Power and Black Studies -- which helped to foster racial consciousness in the 1960s and cultivate the creation of Black Museums over the past 50 years.
Advanced Registration is open!



Making Museums Matter: From Advocacy to Action

The Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums
October 19-21, 2017
Pittsburgh, PA 
 
The 2017 MAAM conference in Pittsburgh, PA October 19-21, 2017 will examine how museums respond to those challenges and opportunities of today, along with addressing best practices in technology, interpretation, and collection-related issues. Registration should open soon!



2017 Fall Forum 
Museum Trustee Association 
November 2 -3, 2017 
Philadelphia, PA

This forum with directors and trustees will explore:
Issues in Cultural Property* What Happens When the Search Fails? Rebooting for Success
*Board that Lead* Building an Effective University Museum Board * Creating a Master Plan: Lessons from the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History
     
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PA MUSEUMS IN THE NEWS inthenews

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission announced its Cultural and Historical Support awardees for FY 2016-2017.

The York History Center is forging ahead with plans to create a downtown campus.

The National Museum of Industrial History announced the departure of its Executive Director and the appointment of an interim leader.

The Knight Foundation announced support for museums' expanding technology for audience engagement. The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and the Barnes Foundation made the list of awardees.

Longwood Gardens has brought back its iconic fountain.

For the anniversary of the Johnstown Flood of 1889, there was a roundup of events this week, a feature in the Tribune on glass slide images of the disaster, and an article in Pennlive about the museums that explore Johnstown's legacy.

Memorial Day activities at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum, Fort Ligonier, and the Pennsylvania Military Museum were also in the news.


Recommended Reading

Museum Hack put together a handy list of how museums can get more traction from their press releases and public relations efforts. PA Museums invites you to add us to your list, too!

There's a new museum blog, Wunderkammer (German for "cabinet of curiosities"), that is great. We hope you enjoy it, too. 
 
 
VISIT PA MUSEUMS! explore 
Check out the PA Museums directory for all member museums and historic sites to get ideas for i
nteresting activities at home or away and be sure to spread the word!  If your institution is not on our list, please let us know
234 North Third St. | Harrisburg, PA 17101
717-909-4950 |  rusty.baker@pamuseums.org
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